Basic Overview Question

Status
Not open for further replies.
GroomerGirl

GroomerGirl

Joined
Mar 30, 2011
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Maryland
I'm not sure where to put this so I'm putting it here. You can move it if you want. I'm a newbie, I'll figure it out.

I said this in my intro thread but I'm going to be getting some piggies, preferably females. There's a great vet nearby that cares for guinea pigs so I don't have to worry about finding a vet. I've had piggies before so feeding and bedding's not in question either.

My last experience with piggies was wonderful but I want to correct past mistakes. First off, for two or three girls, how big a cage should I get? How do you guys recycle bedding (I dumped it under the tree in my backyard before but I don't want to do that anymore)?

One of the issues with my female piggy was that she wasn't very friendly; she used to bite and didn't like being touched very much, she was also noisy. Was this just her personality or did I do something wrong? How can I prevent that in future? My boy was friendly but he didn't smell so good. That's one reason I want all girls, I know they don't smell as much.

How often do you give checkups at the vet? How much does this usually cost? What kind of toys are best for nails and teeth? What are the best treats to give them? How often should I exercise them? How do I quiet them down if they're being noisy?

Oh and the biggest question of all: what's the best place to get them? I got my last ones at a pet store and wound up paying some vet bills that could have been avoided. I'm not picky about the breed except I want only short haired piggies. I don't make a whole lot of money so I want to find some inexpensive piggies in good health who are young (as in less than a year old).

Thanks to anyone who answers these many questions!
 
The best place to get your girls would be from a rescue, they will be well handled and already bonded with each other.

I have a hutch that is 5ft x 3ft - in two levels too, although the ramp must be made secure and safe for the piggies as they can have accidents on the ramps. I have 3 girls and have always had girls.

I am at the moment using fleece on the upstairs of the hutch, downstairs will be shreaded paper as I dont like using shavings, my own personal choice. Under the fleece is towels and newspaper to absorb the urine, I am removing the fleece twice a day and shaking off the poos and I am liking this way of keeping them clean. I will replace the fleece once or twice a week - I dont know how often for my two yet as I have only had them two days.
 
Hi. I only just got my first piggy a few weeks ago and you have asked all the questions I wanted to. I got my piggy from pets at home, but not from the for sale section, but from the adoption section because he had been poorly and no-one wanted him so I adopted him.
I don't want to soundlike I know what I'm doing because I don't as he's my first piggy, but these are my thoughts...
He wee's and poo's so much and I find sawdust is best as it hides the smell, but I do have to completely change him out twice a week. I noticed last time I was in pets at home that they do lavender scented and lemon scented sawdust which I think I might give a try next time.
I put all the dirty sawdust in the compost bin, so if you have room for one then get one as you can put all your peelings and cuts grass in there too and it makes excellent compost for plants. I'm all for recycling!
If I were to get another piggy I would definitaly get one from a rescue centre - my piggy was an impulse buy (but one of the best I ever made), as I only popped to pets at home to buy some dog food and came home with a new piggy and all his bits and pieces.
Because my piggy was poorly as a baby he had been handled by the vet a lot as well as all the staff so he was used to being picked up and cuddled. He is quite happy to sit on my lap and fall asleep.
Hope you have luck finding a nice piggy to come and live with you.
 
hiya :) i try to get mine out for excerise in the run everyday if i can but it depends if i have time and the weather. if the weathers bad i bring in for floor time. but their very happy in there mansion of a hutch anyway. i think i just fuss over them too much rolleyes
i'v just changed from sawdust to newspaper, towels and fleece and they seem much happier all cosyed up. it's less messy aswel and will probebly work out cheaper in the long run :))
only one out of my 5 guinea pigs bite but hes only letting me know he needs a wee. :) but he likes to chew my hair to, even if i tie it up he will make it his mission to climb up me and get it. silly boy rolleyes
i got one of my pigs from pets at home another from a garden centre. they have a baby together. and i rescued 2 from people that didn't want them and they had been badly neglected and have cost me an arm and a leg. and it turns out one was pregnant when i rescued them mallethead. i think your best off going to a rescue centre or adopting them :)
good luck!
 
hayleyh said:
Hi. I only just got my first piggy a few weeks ago and you have asked all the questions I wanted to. I got my piggy from pets at home, but not from the for sale section, but from the adoption section because he had been poorly and no-one wanted him so I adopted him.
I don't want to soundlike I know what I'm doing because I don't as he's my first piggy, but these are my thoughts...
He wee's and poo's so much and I find sawdust is best as it hides the smell, but I do have to completely change him out twice a week. I noticed last time I was in pets at home that they do lavender scented and lemon scented sawdust which I think I might give a try next time.
I put all the dirty sawdust in the compost bin, so if you have room for one then get one as you can put all your peelings and cuts grass in there too and it makes excellent compost for plants. I'm all for recycling!
If I were to get another piggy I would definitaly get one from a rescue centre - my piggy was an impulse buy (but one of the best I ever made), as I only popped to pets at home to buy some dog food and came home with a new piggy and all his bits and pieces.
Because my piggy was poorly as a baby he had been handled by the vet a lot as well as all the staff so he was used to being picked up and cuddled. He is quite happy to sit on my lap and fall asleep.
Hope you have luck finding a nice piggy to come and live with you.
Click to expand...

I'd advise against using sawdust or anything scented for your piggies - and vets don't recommend it. I foolishly put a handful in my boars pen one evening mallethead (as a new owner) where they wee and one inhaled a speck, scared the hell out of me and spent the night piggy sitting expecting to rush him off to the vet. Lesson learned :(
 
Bedding depends on whether you are planning to keep your piggies indoors or outdoors.

Especially indoors cages and bedding has changed a lot over the last few years. Many of us have switched to washable fleece for bedding and to individually adaptable metal grid cages. You will have generally more interaction with having piggies inside.
If you are going for an outdoors hutch, you will have to think about winter protection.
We have ideas in our housing section. There is not one ideal solution; you will have to look around and see what is suiting you most.

The best place to get piggies from is definitely a reputable rescue. They know their charges, care for them and will only rehome them when they are well and ready (and healthy!). Not all rescue piggies have desperate stories. Apart from the obvious rescues there are ex pets (loved or unloved), but you also have rescue born babies when mummy came into rescue pregnant, so there is usually quite a range of characters and ages!
 
Hey there, I have a few more questions.

All right I looked them up and there really aren't many rescues near my area. And the rescues I looked at don't have much variety. Any other suggestions for places to look?

I only want to keep them inside. I don't know how much room I'll have. I'm thinking of getting a 2-story cage so it's slightly easier to keep them in a smaller space. Only problem is they're pretty pricey. Where can I maybe find a used or cheaper one?

I plan on letting them out to run around after work for a bit (after piggy-proofing my new place, wherever it is). What's the easiest and least time-consuming bedding to clean? Always having to dump out the bedding and replace it was messy and annoying.

I'm going to feed them pellets, I know that's fine. My last piggies loved apples and clementine slices when I could get them, are these okay to feed piggies? I didn't think about that before.

And, of course, I have a fun question: I've picked out some names for them but I can't decide which set to use. The choices are Biblical heroines (Esther and Deborah) or the Gilligan's Island girls (Ginger and Mary Ann). What do you think?
 
I have a c&c cage and they are fab as you can make them to fit the space you have available. Mine also has a upper "hay loft" so it's not a problem adding a second level.

Fruits generally should be given in moderation as they can cause mouth sores. Really they should be given a mix of fresh veg twice daily. I follow the ratewatchers diet for mine, though there is a comprehensive list on the forum of good foods and bad foods that is worthwhile reading through. They will also need a constant supply of good quality hay.

I use a combination of vet bed and fleece for mine. I still have alot of poop to sweep out but your going to get that no matter what you do. Mine just goes in the bin and the bedding gets washed. I do a full clean out twice a week with mine and do a sweep out daily.

As you said money might be an issue I'd strongly advise you save a small amount each month, just to cover emergencies incase you ever need to take one to the vet as it can prove to be costly.

As for behaviour all guinea pigs are different, I have some that love being handled and some that just don't like it at all. You just have to learn to respect what they like really. And if they start to pong a bit theres no harm in giving them the occasional bath :)
 
I am using fleece in my hutch which is outside, I spot clean - basically shake out the fleece, twice a day and change the fleece, towels and newspaper every 4 days, this is the first time I have tried this and I have to say how much I love this bedding, its environmentally friendly - the poops and veg etc is going to my friends compost heap and when dried the paper goes out to the recycling (I wont tell them whats been on it :)) ) and I have an economicl washing machine (and previously only did one load a week, now 2 loads so no big deal).

When they have use of downstairs I will use the animal dreams shredded paper which I currently have in a cat litter tray to minamise the wee patches on the fleece. My girls seem to really like the fleece so I am a big fan of using fleece.

Looking at the c&c cages, I think IMHO they work out cheaper and better that premade cages as you can design your own cage in what ever design you want, sadly in the uk getting hold of the grids seems to be the most difficult part but my local b&q have some - guess what I am buying next pay check - ready for the winter in home housing.
 
Unfortunately, my biggest issue is I suck at all art projects. I'm fairly certain I'd even screw the c&c cage up. I found some good ones on ebay so I won't worry about that for now. I plan on saving up each month to make sure they're taken care of. And if I can't afford to pay the vet bills, I'll be sure to give them to someone who can.

I think I'll use newspapers and change them once every few days. Now I just need to move out, get a budget, and buy the piggies and I'll definitely be sharing them with you! But that won't happen until June-ish.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top