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Advice needed

Ajay

Junior Guinea Pig
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Sep 10, 2019
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Hi we are looking at getting two guineas for my teenagers as first pets.
Our first thoughts were to house them inside year round and provide a run that we could put inside and outside. I have read quite a bit about guineas and am now In a quandary. If anyone could help it would be much appreciated.
* I am worried the house might be noisy for them as i believe they like quiet - the location I had found for them was in the same room as the washing machine and a room that has lots of through traffic.
*i am worried the temperature will be too drafty- I have a lobby that was another location I had earmarked but worried it may be draughty.
We do have a good sized garden but it is exposed and we could house in a shed but my thoughts are they would be separated too much from us.

If anyone could recommend a good indoor or outdoor cage also would be appreciated.

Any thoughts appreciated,
 
Welcome to the Forum, and well done for doing your research in advance.
:wel:
It is always lovely to meet people who are really thinking things through.

Our guinea pigs live in a corner of our open plan lounge/diner.
I have 2 kids (who were 10 and 8 years old when we first got our piggies) and we live in a neighbourhood filled with other kids.
Our house always has at least 2 (and usually more) kids in it and is certainly not quiet! My daughter plays the trumpet!

Initially we had planned for our piggies to live outside, but because of a cold snap we kept them indoors for a few weeks, and they never went back out.
Having them inside full time means it has been easy to bond and interact with them, and we certainly see a lot more of their personality and quirks.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that they get used to the noise, and they will learn pretty quickly that noise means people and people mean treats :))

As far as drafts go you could always cover part of their cage with a blanket or fleece in colder weather.
I do this anyway as I think they like having somewhere to shelter that is a bit less open.

Good luck with your decision and don't forget to share photos once you have your new family members.
 
Mine live in the front room. They are very happy there, despite having a teenage boy screaming at Fortnite regularly, music, vacuum...
 
Welcome to the Forum, and well done for doing your research in advance.
:wel:
It is always lovely to meet people who are really thinking things through.

Our guinea pigs live in a corner of our open plan lounge/diner.
I have 2 kids (who were 10 and 8 years old when we first got our piggies) and we live in a neighbourhood filled with other kids.
Our house always has at least 2 (and usually more) kids in it and is certainly not quiet! My daughter plays the trumpet!

Initially we had planned for our piggies to live outside, but because of a cold snap we kept them indoors for a few weeks, and they never went back out.
Having them inside full time means it has been easy to bond and interact with them, and we certainly see a lot more of their personality and quirks.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that they get used to the noise, and they will learn pretty quickly that noise means people and people mean treats :))

As far as drafts go you could always cover part of their cage with a blanket or fleece in colder weather.
I do this anyway as I think they like having somewhere to shelter that is a bit less open.

Good luck with your decision and don't forget to share photos once you have your new family members.
Thankyou so much for your advice , I never thought of a blanket . I’m sure we’ll get to learn as we go along. I just want to make sure the environment will be ok for them before we buy the cage. I’d much prefer for them to be inside if possible . 😃
 
Welcome to our friendly forum! Remember to get the correct cage size.

Cage Size Guide

C&C cages are good a lot of members have them. Mine are outside piggies as I have no room for them inside. When we move they will be in the garage which is attached to the house.
 
Welcome,

If you are getting two boys, you might need more room. If their cage is too small for the boys, they might start fighting.
I would also ask if they are boys or girls before putting them together in one cage.

Wish you the best, :tu:
 
Welcome,

If you are getting two boys, you might need more room. If their cage is too small for the boys, they might start fighting.
I would also ask if they are boys or girls before putting them together in one cage.

Wish you the best, :tu:
I was looking st a 120x 60 cage and trying to find a run that might attach if that’s possible? The guineas I have been looking at are two baby boars from same litter currently living in a group (3 months old) and two bonded boats 2.5 years old. Do you think that would be big enough and would you trust that the babies will still get on as they get older?
 
I’m sure bonded boats make good pets too, but I imagine they’d take up a lot of room!

As for the noise, I agree with everyone else. They will be terrified of everything to begin with, regardless of where they are, but when those noise become their new ‘normal’ they won’t bat an eyelid, especially if you talk to them in your ‘piggie voice’ when these noises happen for the first time, which helps them to realise that everything is okay. I have a large shop bought cage for my boys (once we get the mouse out of the walls of our house I hope to move them into a different room and upgrade) but my 6-7 month old brother boars (mine just autocorrected to ‘boards’ 😂) have gotten through the first teenage hormone spike okay. I also got a kids playpen to get them out for a run and floortime, so hopefully that will ease your mind a bit. But as everyone says, as big as you can afford to go is always good.

I’m sure you’ll be hooked on the little fellers in no time!
 
I was looking st a 120x 60 cage and trying to find a run that might attach if that’s possible? The guineas I have been looking at are two baby boars from same litter currently living in a group (3 months old) and two bonded boats 2.5 years old. Do you think that would be big enough and would you trust that the babies will still get on as they get older?
Those are really good questions.
I believe members here will all say bigger the better particularly for two boys living together.
I also believe there is a better chance of two baby boys getting along better in a bigger space. They will be able to run away and hide if they feel threatened.

Glad you are doing all your homework and figuring out before jumping into getting fur babies. :nod:
 
As these are your first guinea pigs I would give some serious consideration to the older, bonded pair.
If I understood correctly you are looking at a pair of babies OR an older bonded pair of males?

In this case the uncertainty is how the babies will feel about each other when their hormones go crazy in a few months time. For the most part well established pairs do survive this period with their relationship in tact, but getting boys who have already been there and done that will be a pretty safe bet.

The only other thing to consider is where you are getting these boars from.
If they are coming form a reliable rescue then you have nothing to worry about, but if they are coming from a breeder or pet shop you need to be a lot more careful.
It isn't unheard of for breeders to hand over their no longer needed 'stock' saying they are healthy and bonded, only for new owners to get them home and discover otherwise. Plus taking on an ex-breeder boar is a totally different scenario, rife with it's own potential problems and 2 ex-breeding boars are unlikely to ever be able to live together. I am currently working with an ex-breeder rabbit (not the same, but with some similar issues) and it has been a very long and difficult road to get him to adjust to 'normal' life and living full time with another rabbit. It is not something I would recommend for the feint of heart!
 
Thankyou for your advice, and yes it’s babies OR adults. The adults are someone’s pets who need to be re-homed due to a house move and the babies are from a breeder.
 
Thankyou for your advice, and yes it’s babies OR adults. The adults are someone’s pets who need to be re-homed due to a house move and the babies are from a breeder.
Then I personally would probably go with the older piggies.
I am not sure what country you are in, but I know that in many places animals from breeders often come with a host of health issues.
Of course this isn't the case everywhere, but it is something to bear in mind.
 
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