• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here

Adopting

D

DM6

Hello! So, recently I had a gerbil that passed and to I guess comfort me, my dad decided he was going to get me another animal I wanted. After looking over stories of different rodents, I said a quick no to hamsters after I saw a lot of stories of how aggressive they could be, and I felt wrong replacing my gerbil with another gerbil. So, my family decided on getting a guinea pig since they are meant to be more peaceful animals and my mother doesn't want another creature that bites her.

I will be the main caretaker of him/her. Any tips on how to keep it safe or healthy? How to bond?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sorry for the loss of your gerbil. There are a lot of tips in the new owners section of this site which you should look at. It’s great you’re researching first.
Practicalities first -
First, you need two guinea pigs - they must be kept in pairs. Single guinea pigs can get depression so please don’t get one pig on its own.
They need a lot of space - the minimum cage you should look at is 120cm x 60cm but bigger is better. If you were to get two Male guinea pigs, then you would ideally need a cage of 150cm x 60cm again bigger is better. C&c cages are great and are highly recommended due to their size and flexibility but aren’t cheap. Also need a space to run around outside of the cage.
They can cost a lot of money. My two go through huge amounts of hay - I spent around £30 a month just on hay, pellets and veg also cost a fair bit!
Vet expenses - guinea pigs can cost a bit in vet expenses should the need arise. Are your parents prepared to help with the cost? Vets bills for a hundred pounds are not uncommon. Mine cost me £40 in the first two weeks of me having them due to a haypoke injury to the eye (which is a very common issue to have!)
Time - they take up a lot of it! Around 30 -40 minutes cleaning a day and then longer on the main cage clean out day. Then plenty of play time with them.

Guinea pigs are peaceful but they aren’t cuddly. Most don’t like being picked up as it cuts close to their prey instincts. One of mine won’t even let me touch him. Human bonding with a piggy can take time. I’ve had my two for six months and it’s only been in the last few weeks that one of them will even stay out of his hidey house when I am near their cage.

Regards to keeping them healthy the best way is hay, hay and more hay! They need to eat hay constantly and you will get through a lot of it to keep them in top condition.

forum rules state you need to be over 16 to create an account on this site.
 
Last edited:
Hi, I have removed your age from the above post for safety reasons. Unfortunately you are too young to hold an account here which you will be aware of as you will have input a false date of birth to circumvent the system. Please ask your parents to create an account in order to ask any necessary questions on your behalf. Otherwise the guides we have are visible to everyone without the need to be a member here and cover most things you need to know to get you started.

Once an admin comes online your account will be removed.
 
Hello, unfortunately you are underage to use the forum. I am sorry but to abide by law we will have to delete your account, please get a parent or guardian to sign up and ask questions for you.

Lee
 
They can sign up using a new account, I have no choice but to delete this one now
 
Back
Top