Considering A Guinea Pig?

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KLY

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Hi everyone, I'm just brand new to this forum and have some questions for you experienced guinea pig owners.
Firstly: I am a student nurse and I'm in my last year of study (thank goodness!). Ever since my hamsters died this year I have missed taking care of an animal and I have just started considering adopting a couple of guinea pigs. I've had friends in the past who have had piggies and I fell in love with them! I have done plenty research about them but jist wanted to know if my schedule could fit in with piggies? How long can piggies be left for a day? I'd have my mum around to feel them during the day.
Secondly: I have at least enough space in my room for a 2x3.5 grid c&c cage with a couple lofts? Is that enough? I have a really long hallway so would let them go wild there when I am home. Also I think I can only keep them in my room so was wondering if they are really noisy at night since I'm a light sleeper? The odd rattle of a water bottle wouldn't bother me but do they constantly wheek during the night? I know my hamsters were moved downstairs because Bree and Phoenix loved to bite their bars!
Lastly: do they smell as bad as hamsters? I remember Bree had a sand banh but she'd pee in it rather than bathe in it. I know to spot clean everyday and deep clean once a week.

Thanks
From a very big animal lover :)
 
Hi and welcome!

Glad that you are doing your research beforehand. You may find our guide collection for Wannabe owners helpful:
Quick Information Bundle For Wannabe Owners
New Owners' " How To" Starter Kit

Guinea pigs are very vocal, especially young ones. They are crepuscular, i.e. most active during the Mornings and evenings although they are up and browsing occasionally during the day and the night. Bar gnawing is not as pronounced as with hamsters, but they can do it as an Attention seeking behaviour. Some piggies are also very noisy drinkers. Ideally, you don't have them in your bedroom.
All pets pong. Guinea pigs Need to eat a lot as their main source of Food is nutritionally poor hay and grass (up 80% of the daily Food intake). This results in lots of Poos which you Need to pick up once or twice daily. You also Need to clean their Cage regularly, as pee can stink - and they use pee spraying in their social behaviour, not just marking with a scent Gland.
If you can, please consider adopting Guinea pigs from one of the recommended rescues which have been vetted, so you can be guaranteed to only get healthy/quarantined and properly sexed and not pregnant Guinea pigs that are stably bonded and not prone to a fall-out when they hit the teenage years. They are not just for the feel good factor, but also by far the safest place you can get piggies from and not run the risk of some unpleasant surprises. If you prefer quieter piggies (especially during the night), go for adult ones that are already used to human interaction. Rescue bonded adult boars are also past the stage where fall-outs happen in teenage boars that have not been carefully character matched, so it doesn't matter which gender or combination you opt for. They have all their specific joys and challenges.

We can help you better if you please added your Country, state/province or UK county to your Details, so we can always tailor any advice or recommendations to what is available and doable where you are instead of keeping things as General as possible. We have members and enqiries from all over the world. Please click on your username on the top, then go to personal Details and scroll down to Location. Thank you!
 
Hi :wel:to the forum..
 
Thank you Lisa! I notice you are from Fife... so am I! Are there any piggy rescue centres nearby? I have tried looking but am failing to find anything.
I would rather adopt 2 adult piggies anyway as I feel they are wiser as they get older :)
 
Regarding noise: mine dont wheek during the night, but they do run about a fair bit. If their cage is on a solid surface like the floor, I don't hear the running much. If it's balanced on stools so there are spaces under the base of the cage their running makes quite a noise.

My friend recently got hamsters and the other day I was quite surprised by how strong tbe smell was by their cage. And it was pretty clean so not neglected or anything. Definitely smelt worse than my guinea pigs. BUT the hamsters cage is tiny and the guinea pigs cage is huge so that might make a difference in the concentration of smell.

A 2x3.5 C&C cage would be fine for 2 sows. Not sure about 2 boars, I think they need minimum 2x4.

Regarding hours at home, as long as you can feed them morning and evening they should be fine. During work weeks mine are alone for a good 9.5 - 10 hours a day.
I give pellets and veg when I wake up, top up their hay, spot clean poops. Go to work. About 11 hours later I top up hay again, more pellets and veg, and another spot clean.
Most important is to make sure they have e enough hay while you're out.
 
Welcome to the forum!

Our two sows are left during the day while we are at work / school and they are fine. We feed them pellets and veg in the morning and then again at tea time. We make sure they are always left with plenty of fresh hay. So I think it would be fine with your schedule.

Ours don't bite the bars (I remember that well with my hamsters as a child!) and don't wheek in the night but they can dash about which is sort of noisy especially when they run up the ramp. I personally would find that annoying when I was trying to sleep.

I think that cage size would be fine for two sows. Ours started in a 2x3 with 1x2 loft. We have since extended it to 2x4 and kept the loft. It seems pretty spacious and gives enough room for two pigloos plus toys / beds and still enough room for zoomies. Although ideally I would love them to have a little bit more space but given they take up half of what is supposed to be the dining room (the kids take up the other half with their craft table) I think 2x4 will be the limit!
 
Thanks everyone for making me feel welcome and giving me lots of information! I really appreciate it!
Happy New Year to you all when it comes!
 
I would definitely not have my two in my room. Their cage has a plastic bottom and sometimes if I'm watching tv late at night in the lounge all I hear is "pitter pitter pitter" as they chase each other round and round the cage even though they are on fleece. They are really noisy at night but they dont wheek at night though.
 
Hello and welcome to you
Great that you are doing your homework.
Piggies make great pets, but in answer to some of your questions - yes, they are noisy - they chatter to each other and to you; they rearrange their cages with alarming regularity, gnawing, dragging, burrowing; they can tell the time and remind you when you are late with breakfast or tea; they have incredible hearing and will shriek at the opening of a fridge or the rustle of a plastic bag in case it contains veggies. They think only of their bellies and where the next veg is coming from. Heaven help you if you want a lie in at the weekends. If the wheeking doesn't wake you, mine resort to clanking bowls together or chasing each other round shrieking in the dramatic fashion of -"I'm so hungry I will have to eat my cage mate and it's all your fault". They are noisy drinkers.
And as Wiebke has said, all pets pong. You won't believe the amount of poop one small piggy can produce. And as for the wee - they wee absolutely gallons by comparison with their tiny bodies. And they aren't fussy where they wee or poo. Beds, laps, carpets, your top are all fair game.
But would any of us be without our piggies? Absolutely not. We are all cavy slaves through choice. Because these intelligent, endearing creatures are so adorable. They burrow into your heart and quickly become part of your family. But they aren't an easy pet, and they aren't for everyone.
 
I've got to be the odd one out. I have to move my piggies into my bedroom when my Asthmatic daughter comes to stay & they don't make a sound. It's our hamsters that are noisy.
 
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The noise thing is the only thing thag I'd have a problem woth as I am such a light sleeper. The pitter patter wont bother me as such though :) it sounds somewhat soothing!
I may just have to wait until I move out and get my own place as my mum said I would have to keep it in my room.
Thanks everyone for answering all my questions :)
 
:wel:To the forum!
My guinea pigs are my life, and personally if you want to get a guinea pig then make sure you have the stuff you need and go for it! They really little fluff balls of love and if you have the right equipment they can be a big stress reliever, but if you have them out make sure to get a mat for them to sit on or they will wee on everything! Also I recommend that you get 2 piggies, as they are naturaly pack animals and will feel lonely without another pig :luv:
 
Hi, welcome to the forum! I'm also from Fife :D

I've heard of a few rescues in Fife, though never been there yet - hoping to rescue in the future! We got our three from Pets at Home but rescuing is definitely a great way to go! I think the one that I found had a Facebook page is based in Glenrothes, and Dunfermline :)
 
Hi and thanks!

I am grateful if you could tell me all about your guinea pigs :) I would love to take care of them and the cleaning out tome consuming stuff doesn't bother me :) if it did I wouldn't be considering a pet :)

Thanks!
 
Chancey said:
Hi, welcome to the forum! I'm also from Fife :D

I've heard of a few rescues in Fife, though never been there yet - hoping to rescue in the future! We got our three from Pets at Home but rescuing is definitely a great way to go! I think the one that I found had a Facebook page is based in Glenrothes, and Dunfermline :)
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Hi,
Unfortunately there are no recommended rescues in Fife at present. Something that we are lacking in Scotland in general. :( There is hope though as 2 great rescues are south of the border NEGPR Home Page and Se connecter à Facebook | Facebook who may consider rehoming with a suitable homecheck. A piggy train could then be organised ... We have several members on the forum who are also members of the above rescues including ourselves who could carry-out a homecheck. It is really worth the effort.. We have rehomed from NEGPR in the past. :love:

Lisa & Ali.. x
 
I should really re-phrase the noise aspect. I don't mind during the day :) by all means they can wheek, run, gnaw etc during the day. Our hamsters used to chew their bars from 7pm until 5am and I used to sit and watch tv when they made a racket. The only thing is during the night when we catch our beauty sleep :)
 
I have four hamsters in my bedroom. Two syrians and two roborovskis (all in separate cages). They never bite the bars thankfully. They all have big wheels, lots of tunnels, hides and stuff to chew and large cages (110 x 50cm or 80 x 48cm for the robos). Bar biting can be rather a nightmare!

I have had a trio of guinea pigs in my room in a plastic bottomed cage with lots of fitch bedding. They were surprisingly quiet. One did like to rattle her teeth on the ceramic waterbowl.

Hope you enjoy having yours in your room. I think it makes bonding happen nice and quickly.
 
flowerfairy said:
I have four hamsters in my bedroom. Two syrians and two roborovskis (all in separate cages). They never bite the bars thankfully. They all have big wheels, lots of tunnels, hides and stuff to chew and large cages (110 x 50cm or 80 x 48cm for the robos). Bar biting can be rather a nightmare!

I have had a trio of guinea pigs in my room in a plastic bottomed cage with lots of fitch bedding. They were surprisingly quiet. One did like to rattle her teeth on the ceramic waterbowl.

Hope you enjoy having yours in your room. I think it makes bonding happen nice and quickly.
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My hamsters were in the big Alaska cages with 3 levels and they still loved to chew their bars on the top floor!
I hope so! I feel some people are putting me off but I think they can't be as noisy as hamsters?
 
I love the alaska cage. So easy to get into with that lovely big front door.
 
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I think Oreo is probably quieter than my hamster! My hamster (Larry-Jasper) has such a loud wheel which he runs on all night long.

I don't have the Alaska for him, but I love the look of them! Jasper lives in an Ikea Billy Extension Cage.
 
I have two guinea pigs in a big pen (doesn't have bars or a plastic bottom) in my room and an African pygmy hedgehog. I wasn't going to have them in my room originally and I was worried at first that my two piggies would be too noisy, but I hardly notice them. They seem to settle into a routine really quickly and from when I first got them, they know that they get 3/4 of their veg in the evening and then the rest just before I go to bed, then its lights off and they seem to finish their veg and settle down for the night. Very occasionally I hear them, but they never have woken me up/made me get up to check on them. Mine also have a water bowl and are on fleece (with puppy pads underneath) with lots of places to sleep/hide.

I definitely believe they cope so well with a routine, so they know what to expect and when. My African pygmy hedgehog is a lot smaller but wayyyy louder than the two piggies by a mile as she is nocturnal! I also have a Syrian hamster and although she is not in my room she is out on the landing and even some nights I can hear her bombing about on her wheel. I might just be lucky with my two piggies but I am in the process of getting two more girls from a rescue so having four pigs might be a bit noisier haha! I must admit, I love having them in my room as whenever I'm walking past they always come to the door and greet me :luv: xx I would say it does take time for them to get used to you and bond as they are naturally shy but once they become more confident and settle they are so worth it and have such unique individual personalities, they are seriously addictive :)) x
 
lailajayne3 said:
I have two guinea pigs in a big pen (doesn't have bars or a plastic bottom) in my room and an African pygmy hedgehog. I wasn't going to have them in my room originally and I was worried at first that my two piggies would be too noisy, but I hardly notice them. They seem to settle into a routine really quickly and from when I first got them, they know that they get 3/4 of their veg in the evening and then the rest just before I go to bed, then its lights off and they seem to finish their veg and settle down for the night. Very occasionally I hear them, but they never have woken me up/made me get up to check on them. Mine also have a water bowl and are on fleece (with puppy pads underneath) with lots of places to sleep/hide.

I definitely believe they cope so well with a routine, so they know what to expect and when. My African pygmy hedgehog is a lot smaller but wayyyy louder than the two piggies by a mile as she is nocturnal! I also have a Syrian hamster and although she is not in my room she is out on the landing and even some nights I can hear her bombing about on her wheel. I might just be lucky with my two piggies but I am in the process of getting two more girls from a rescue so having four pigs might be a bit noisier haha! I must admit, I love having them in my room as whenever I'm walking past they always come to the door and greet me :luv: xx I would say it does take time for them to get used to you and bond as they are naturally shy but once they become more confident and settle they are so worth it and have such unique individual personalities, they are seriously addictive :)) x
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Can you let me know how you get on with your new piggies? I've just changed my room around for the 1st time in 12 years where a 2x3.5 cage could happily sit in my room and I am really struggling with the change in my room. I'm a person who does struggle with change! Will see if I get used to my room the way it is :)
 
For noisy drinkers, I suppose you could use water bowls? Mine used to live in a shed which the door closed right on to, so I couldn't fit a standard bottle on the front, so I used a bowl. All my boys except Truffle are bowl drinkers. Truffle is a long haired pig and he got his chin wet regularly and it started to affect him and it didn't dry and got cold. So now he has a bottle now.
 
Yes of course :nod: I'm adopting a Mum who's around 4 months and a baby who will be about 8-10 weeks old so they are a lot younger than my two 2 year old girls. So they might be a bit more lively - haha. Although I'm sure they'll learn a lot from my two.

I know what you mean about change! we have recently expanded the girls pen as I felt if I'm going to have a herd then I want quite a bit of space and I wasn't sure at first as it takes up a lot of room, but I've grown to love it! My two girls are loving having the space although they'll have to learn to share it soon! x
 
Oooo a herd of four. That answers a question I asked you on another thread lailajane.

I found the best hamster wheels are the silent runner (from exotic nutrition) and the karlie wooden wheel from zooplus (not sure if they do the syrian 28cm size any more though).

Hope your bonding goes well when the time comes!
 
flowerfairy said:
Oooo a herd of four. That answers a question I asked you on another thread lailajane.

I found the best hamster wheels are the silent runner (from exotic nutrition) and the karlie wooden wheel from zooplus (not sure if they do the syrian 28cm size any more though).

Hope your bonding goes well when the time comes!
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I've just replied to you on the other thread :D

Thank you, I'm nervous for them and really hope they all get on but at least the rescue will help me bond them x
 
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