Advice for a new guinea pig owner

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Crumpylenko

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Hello
Please can some one help me, my husband and I have just brought two male
pigs, Crumpy and Lenko. I need some advice on what to do with them when they are out of the hutch. I have thought about going to mothercare to get a travel cot and filling it with hay, tubes and toys, has anybody got any suggestions. Have tried letting them free in our conservatory but they get under the sofa and it then stresses them out and myself out when it comes to bed time and trying to get them in. We both give them lots of loves and cuddles but Crumpy wants to escape and explore and Lenko sits there scared stiff.We think that Crumpy is 8 weeks old and Lenko roughly 5-6 weeks old, just need some good advice about looking after my boys.

Would appreciate any help:
 
Hello! As the are very little still, you need to contain them as they may get into tiny gaps. Best thing is probably cube shelving grids with connectors and you can make a play cage any size/shape you like! B & Q sell them as do screwfix (online or store). You can put towels or fleece in the bottom.

My pigs are all grown up and I let them run around my lounge :)) They will always come back into their cage or a cat carrier when they want a nibble ;)
 
Hiya and welcome to the forum. :)

Many of us use Grids to make a run. You can see examples of these on Cavycages.com and they are available from screwfix.com just type in cubes you get about 16 grids and it makes a safe environment for the pigs to play in. :)

Louise
:)
 
Mine go in a collapsible rabbit run on the laminate floor in the lounge (don't tell the landlord!) - I line the run with and old bath sheet and they have a great time. My youngest daughter (7) gets in the run with the piglets and they clamber all over her and have races to see which can climb onto her shoulder the quickest!
 
We have a "run" of cube grids in our garden which is moveable, which is great, so they can graze where the grass is the tallest.
In the house I also use the "run" because it keeps them from going under things and behind things and you already know how difficult it is to get them back out.

Travel cots have mesh around them and the piggies are avid nibblers which will cause holes in the mesh very soon.

You can even get a couple of big cardboard boxes and let them run in that, or tape some of the boxes together for a longer run.
 
Hi you,

I bought a callapsable run from ebay. It all folds down when you are finished with it, and its also good for blocking off certain areas that you would rather they didn't go in.My piggies run around my front room and my little square hallway, lay down lots of paper in corners and in gaps they would like to hide in. I know from personal experience that little piggies like to chew through telephone wire, had no land line ALL day yesterday! Hubby fixed it, but you soon learn ways for them to play, and ways to make life easier for you when it comes to the clean up afterwards!

I hope this helps, good luck:))
 
Last edited:
sophiew said:
I know some people on here use paddling pools as indoor runs! You can get rigid plastic ones from Argos

Sophie
x
Click to expand...

Hello

What we have thought about doing is buying a hutch for them, at the moment they are in a nero 2 pen and we thought we could turn this into a play area with tubes and toys in and then the hutch would become their home. Would the nero be big enough and also do you think with time they will get more comfortable with the enviroment they are in. At the moment as a temp measure I have lay a fleece under the sofa in the conservatory and they are underneath there (this is hollow) with food, water, toys and tunnels. Lenko is making this cooing noice, I have read on the internet that this is not good and then in a book it means thay are happy and content. What do I believe. ?:)
 
As they are in a nero two you will need to get a bigger cage as they grow anyways the recommend cage size for two piggies is 2ft by 4ft (nero 4). Checkout www.guineapigcages.com for ways to make large cages. I think a run should be slightly bigger than the cage. At the moment as they are small you could take the lid from your cage and place it on the floor and pop them in that as a run. I wouldnt recomend a travel cot as there nails may get caught in the mesh on the sides and if they wee on the matress eventually it will go mouldy. Good Luck
 
i have a run for mine which goes around there hutch so they have a little ladder for getting up into the hutch then down onto the grass:)
 
try screwfix

hiya, I have just made a cage for my piggy as i was sold a nero 2 from pets at home but i felt it was too small. for £18.99 you can get 17 grids from screwfix that just clip together any which way you like and you can make a fantastic playground for your pig. I use fleece on the bottom of mine which is nice and soft and easy to wash and dry also you don't get shavings everywhere:))
 
Hello

Thanks for all of your advice regarding the play pen I have brought a hutch and am currently using the cage part on a nero 2 as a play pen underneath a coffee table and they love it, have had some pop corning and they have been running around and going through the tunnels we have put in there for them. I went to a new shop called The Range and they had a play pen that was octaganol and collapsable and was only £20 so will invest in one of them at the weekend for when they get bigger. The next problem we have developed is Crumpy has started to nip us, we try and handle him and Lenko as much as we can so they get used to us but he will be lay there chilled as we are fussing him and then he will run up your chest and nip your nose. It doesn't hurt but is this his way of saying that he's had enough and wants to go into his hutch and all Lenko wants to do is curl up an a ball in his fleece.
 
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