Fgs I've just agreed to Guinea pigs.

[pastypirate]

I have said yes to fostering 2 boy piggies from a family friend who is rehoming. I have told the dds it's a trial period. Then I told dp who just agreed to keep them and didn't overthink it. Sigh.

What do I need to know? We already have very delicate rex rabbits so I'm well used to high maintenance floofs.

They are going to live indoors in dd2 room for now and see how we get on. I am so excited for the meeping!

The dds have a pet care chart they have to complete so I guess I will make another one. Dds are 11/14 so pretty helpful.

They seem pretty content this morning. Dd2 and I very much looking forward to the pet shop later for fleecy beds and all sorts.
I will be getting a litter tray and a hay net to hang as it's just flying out of the cage just now.

Dp having a think about alternative piggie accommodation already and has been showing them off to his whole family which is funny because he said no more pets ha ha.

They didn't come with any enrichment so I've been watching lots TikTok's for inspo.

My buns have stacking cups and kongs and bunny pass the parcel with left over Amazon wrappings though they are lazy bastards with them. I will make the piggies something in a bit with toilet rolls.

They're easier than rabbits by far. We had loads when I was growing up (less awareness about neutering in those days so they tended to be fruitful and multiply...). That said the dynamic between adult boars can be tricky. They're hierarchical creatures. If you have a benevolent but undisputed King pig it seems to work best.

We had the school guinea pig for a week. The house smelt likes pets at home & I was constantly cleaning up after her. She didn't really like being held, probably due to living in the classroom. She liked being in her pen in the garden. It's a lot more work than I thought so I'm glad we had a trial run as I know I could never have rodents again.

Yeah they do smell a bit. Ours lived in the conservatory which was basically converted into a guinea pig land. They also had a run in the garden but we didn't leave them out there due to predators.

Our King pig was called Laddy (hastily changed from Lady when he ... matured). He grew huge and fat, lived 9 years, was intelligent, tame and fathered a small tribe of descendants. He also had a single crown on his head. He was a great pet.

Won't they need a run? We had guineas as a child and they had a huge outdoor run .

Not got much advice. I had a rabbit as a child and then got a guinea pig, this was in the days when they went in the same hutch. Unfortunately both creatures were male and the rabbit started humping the poor guinea pig. GP was called Roadrunner, can't recall what we called the rabbit.

Anyway, stepdad built them a large run with chicken wire, one day we forgot to bring the pets in and the neighbouring cats (they had 8 next door) were all sitting in trees and on fences and walls eyeing both pets as dinner. Poor things had nowhere to hide too. So don't do that!

A run has wire on top too to keep them safe from predators .

@boredybored but it's not much fun for them when cats come and sit on top, reaching in with their paws!

Yes, but if I were doing one now, I'd have a hutch inside or a shelter so they can hide from them, see my story about when we left the poor things out overnight.

I know right?! We all felt mortified the next day. There were at least 12 cats in total all eyeing them up. I don't think we had the dog then yet either... she'd have scared the cats off.

This guide is good - cabbage is safe as an occasional treat only.

The Guinea Pigs UK Facebook group is very helpful.

I'd advise against any hay nets / racks / bags - you are more likely to get a "hay poke" injury (eye ulcer from getting poked in the eye) if the hay is held in place.

They need big loose piles of hay to play in - it looks messy but that is the best guinea pig enrichment! I scatter the pellet allowance & their herbs in the hay to forage for it too.

They will get outdoor time don't worry. I have a fold up pen the rabbits never needed so we will start with that when they have had the rest of the week to settle. We have a fully enclosed garden but I want dp to do a full survey as I know the fat rabbits can't get out but the piggies are smaller and leaner. Most of the garden is brick wall though so we can get it sorted and they can probably go free range.
We have a very noisy dog so no cats come in the garden which is great for all the floofs. It's been amazing since we moved here as previous neighbours had a herd of cats so no birds came in the garden ever.
Here I now have loads of birds feeders - they don't seem bothered by the dog.

So more floofs to eat my peonies then 😂

Great you have a dog! They sound like they will have a great time, the piggies.

Sadly, after we had them, I can't recall why, we got bored with them (as kids do) and they were rehomed to a girl at my school who had a huge garden. I hope they both (the rabbit too!) had a nice life with her.

Thank you that's really helpful x

Guinea-pigs are fantastic little mammals , DD would agree that boars are more affectionate than sows .

I'll give you the down-sides ( too late as you've already got them )

They need loads of space especially 2 boars .

They need protected against cold/heat/damp/draught/foxes/cats/birds of prey.

They are very untidy but the hay smells more than them . If guinea-pigs smell it's because their houses aren't clean

They are vunerable -don't really climb or shift themselves , unlike rabbits they don't have powerful kicking back legs They do have rodently teeth but they don't really bite (and if they do it's 99% handler error)

Make sure their accomodation is secure , outside I used rabbit runs pegged down with heavy duty tent pegs . Piggies don't dig but something else could dig in.

They do need a careful diet - unlimited hay , Vit C (in the pellets and veg) Not too much fruit , no ice berg lettuce , not too much dark green veg ( brocilli, kale , spinach- ) can give bladder stones .
They'll love peppers, celery leaves and stalk(but no strings) carrot, salad,(except iceberg) herbs , fresh grass, dandelions, bit of watermelon rind,
No potato , onions, bulbs, daisy, buttercups, fruits with stones . No fermented grass or lawnmower grass

They are noisy , chatty, greedy . Stomachs on legs .
Not nocturnal but crepuscular (dawn/dusk) . Indoors they think 3am is a good time to demand food ( I used to cover the cage like they were a parrot )

Boars can get a bit stroppy keep a close eye on them.
Give them lots to do , boxes with 2 doors so one cannot trap the other
2 water bottles and food bowls or make sure they cannot crowd the other out .

They hide illness very well , they're prey animals . Being ill means you are Dinner . So you will pick up on any illness if you watch them and get to know them .
Your rabbit vet should hopefully be savvy with piggies ( guineas are Exotic ) , they hopefully won;t need a vet but best be prepared .

Buy mite drops ( I used Zeno 450 online )
Don't put the piggies with the rabbits -a rabbit can kill a guinea-pig and they can carry a bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptica which can affect a piggies respiration.

And I say this with great love and affection for the Guinea-Pigs of the world - they are as Thick As Mince . But that's their charm.

Everything else about guinea pigs is good . Until they pop their clogs and break your heart .

If we wanted to contain hay ( if one had an eye injury ) we used Hay Cookies (solid disc) or packed in a loo roll tube so they still had hay to eat .

But if they had a choice of what they wanted to sleep in, they'd always pick a cardboard box of hay .

When there wasn't fresh grass they had some Readigrass (or I went out with scissors and a plastic plate to cut nice grass , - did I say they were spoiled > )

One of my piggies was a Himmy , they are lovely
Your pigs are beautiful and so different in colour and coat .

Oreo (below) demanded sweetocorn (it was in leaf) as the grass was looking ropey and she was in danger of being able to see her own feet

Don't split them up!! They need to stay together. My boys fight occasionally but nothing serious.
They should NOT be kept outside. They can go out when it's dry, and warmer than 15-16 degrees.

Isn't it the rabbits that are fighting and had to be split ?
Piggies are on their Best Behaviour at the moment .
I have always believed that Guinea-pigs are superior to rabbits

Castrating male piggies doesn't change their temper , unlike most other male mammals.
Many Rescues will castrate them as a matter of course as it makes them easier to home with a choice of a wife /a hareem/a male
And you reduce the risk of impaction.

Himmy? Is that the colour? I thought he was a Guinea pig Siamese!

Just a little update. My god they are poo machines!!!

We changed to using fleece blankets and ditched the wood shavings they came with. Much less messy as they are indoors but the wood shavings disguised the poo volume. The rabbits are cleaned out twice a week and I thought that was a lot!

Dd2 has been told poo sweeping needs to be done daily.

They need more toys. Dp is making hay tubes I have seen at a wildlife park. I messaged the keepers for advice.

I think their cage is too small. It's isn't according to piggie minimum dimensions but I disagree.

I want to move them into the dining room and do a pen set up. Dd1 and I have been saving pics of set ups we like. Dining room is in use for processing a house clearance but when that's over they can have more room.

They love the daily green peppers and are much less fussy than the buns who won't eat hay that has touched the ground.

Don't worry it's my buns that are split atm pending professional bonding. The piggies seem to be v chummy.

We clean out 2x daily. Ours are in an 8x2 C&C cage. The original ones started in 5x2 which seemed to small so we added a 2x2 extension. We recently reconstructed to an 8x2 which is v. spacious.

Our are on fleece with a bathmat in the kitchen area. We wash bathmats 2x weekly and fleeces 1x weekly.

I've been looking at the c&c they look great. Def upgrading them to more space!

(It's Himalayan.)Definitely get a C&c cage, as big as you can. My 3 girls have a 6x2 plus a wider end. In an L shape. It works brilliantly.

This is ours as set up just before our new ones arrived.