To Guinea Pig or not to Guinea Pig?

[GhoulsandFools]

DS 9 is hankering after some guinea pigs.

It’s his birthday next week and he’s asked for two pigs .

We already have two rabbits whom we’ve brought inside permanently after spotting a fox in the garden.

I love our rabbits but they are much harder work than I realised; they’re not very cuddly and prefer to do their own thing rather than interact with DS unless he has parsley on offer .

I was set against getting pigs but I’m really enjoying having our rabbits inside and feel we could offer a loving home to some pigs too .

Questions :

Am I mad to consider having rabbits and guinea pigs in the house?

Will they smell?

Do we need to insure them? (This will be a deal breaker as rabbit insurance is expensive but seemingly worthless!)

Do they need injections? Vet checks?

Can females live together? Can males live together ?

How much space do they need?

Will they need to be kept away from our rabbits?

Will the expense increase dramatically?

I am a guinea-pig Mum 100%. I've never kept rabbits , to me they are the polar opposite.

Guinea-pigs are lovely, chatty little rodents.
They are insanely greedy and extremely messy. They don't smell, if they're kept clean but the hay does.

2 boars or 2 sows work well, as does a neutered boar + sows .
Boars need a load of room though.

They don't need injections or neutered (unless you want to pair up m/f)
You need to find a vet that specialises in little exotics (for that's what they are ) but many guineas don't see a vet in their lifetime .

There's a bacteria that rabbits carry that can spread to guinea-pigs (and it's fatal to pigs)
Food wise they eat similar but more pellets (guinea-pig pellets) and veg rather than the huge amount of hay for rabbits. Though guinea pigs should have their own body size in hay (ideally unlimited)

Hand on heart , if you love rabbits you might find piggies a bit (whispers BORING )
They are completely vunerable , very laid back, thick as mince , the opposite of rabbits but that IMO is their charm.
My DH says "Do they do anything other than eat/sleep/pooh? "
Probably not .

I love guinea pigs, we have 2 in the utility room now it's too cold outside. They always wheek at us to say hello when we walk past - downstairs loo is off utility room so it's very often! Very friendly little fellas.

I love G Pigs, personally i'd have them before Rabbits but to be honest i don't think your DS will get much more satisfaction out of guinea pigs than he is from the rabbits you already have.

I wouldn't keep them with the rabbits, i know a lot of people do keep rabbits and guinea pigs together but the poor piggies tend to get bullied and especially if they haven't been together from young. It's a bit like saying lets get a dog and a cat to live together.

Re the cost food/bedding wise they're much the same as rabbits but don't have the vet expense. You don't have G pigs vaccinated and i don't think you get g pig insurance

I've kept both and guinea pigs are my preference. They are much more sociable, and respond to humans more- they chat and make noises which rabbits don't do. They are also easier to handle as they don't have strong scratch back legs.

Thank you

We won’t be putting the guineas in with the rabbits , but the rabbits do like to roam around the house.

Can guineas be litter trained or do they just drop everywhere?

Our rabbits are a bit boring really as they sleep all day and rarely bother with us

I think DS might lose the novelty factor quickly .

I've had pigs most of my life. I wouldn't bother with insurance as unless you are unlucky with a sickly pig they don't need much in the way of vets. No injections needed.

They are best kept in pairs as they get lonely. They need to be bonded as they don't always get along when paired up, this is best done by someone experienced so best to buy them together. You want either bonded same sex pairs, or a bonded neutered male and female. Males tend to smell a bit stronger than females but can be more affectionate.

They can't make their own vitamin c so they need a constant supply of fresh food high in it. They also need a constant supply of hay to keep their digestion going. They also love freshly picked grass! They are very very greedy and are like a machine with eating and pooping constantly.

Maintenance is mainly clipping their nails, feeding, and cleaning.
Common problem is mites. They all have mites in their system, but if a pig becomes stressed or run down it, the immune system can't keep them in check and so the mites start taking over. It's solved easily with mite treatment drops, but if not treated can kill the pig. So watch out for itching and bald patches. Apart from that they are generally quite hardy little things.

Cross post - no you can't litter train them, they poop almost constantly. They tend to have a corner of their hutch that they prefer to use as a toilet, but otherwise no.

I'd say the day to day expense is greater than rabbits due to their need for a more varied diet, but, as others have said, you don't have the yearly injections, so it probably works out similar. Guineas are, in my experience, more nervous than rabbits but will appear for food. Rustle a plastic bag within a hundred miles and there will be a reaction.

Mine are in the bedroom and they're lovely company. If I had a bigger lounge I'd probably move them in there so they spent more time with me. But they're happy just being with each other. So long as there is food in the vicinity.