Considering adopting guinea pigs - questions

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Apples

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Hi,

After a few years without any pets because of attending university abroad, my living situation may finally allow for adopting guinea pigs! I have experience with rabbits, but as this is the first time I am considering guinea pigs I do have a few questions even after reading the helpful guides on here (which are great by the way! Learned a lot from them!) which I'm hoping some of you may be able to help me out with.

First, I live in a small apartment and only have room for a 3*3 C&C cage (so roughly 110*110 cm, or 13 ft square). The surface area seems alright when looking at the guide on this forum, but the recommended cage size guides I read here and elsewhere on the internet only mention longer, narrower cages. Do piggies need the length specifically, or is a square cage of this size alright as well?
I would also be able to add a play pen for a some hours every other day, but they need to be happy with the amount of space they have during the rest of the day as well of course!

And how many piggies could live in such a cage? Two? Three?
Would 3 even be a good number? On one hand I can imagine it allows for more interaction between the pigs, but maybe there is also the risk that one would get lonely if the other two get really close?

Finally, about the food. I read a lot about timothy hay. Of course I want the best for my animals, but what's the difference between timothy hay and regular hay apart from the price? (if I compare what we pay for hay for our horse and the price of timothy hay, the latter is 25 times as expensive per kg :yikes: I'm not kidding, I did the math) And should you feed a combination of the two, or is it better to feed one of them?

Thanks!
 
:wel:

Fantastic you are doing your research first!

I am a rabbit and piggy owner myself - three rabbits and two piggies!

Its the overall area of the cage size on a single level which matters. But that is also the beauty of using c&c, they can be made into any size or shape you need - a 3x3 is absolutely fine.

In a cage of that size, you can have two boars. Boars can only live in pairs, so you could not have three boars anyway. Boar pairs do require a fair amount of space as they are more territorial, but a 3x3 would be fine.

Otherwise, you could fit in 3 piggies into a 3x3 - either three sows or a neutered boar with two sows. The only potential issue with having three sows is that there can sometimes be an outsider situation occurring - one piggy gets left out. Another consideration would be that if this was to occur and a piggy not be happy, would you have the space for a second cage and a fourth piggy so you can make two separate pairs? (C&C cages can be stacked one on top of the other).
Equally, it can be better to have less piggies in a bigger space - so this size cage would be lovely for two piggies - either a sow pair; a boar pair; or a neutered boar with one sow.

Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
Are Guinea Pigs For Me? - Wannabe Owners' Helpful Information

Any grass hay is absolutely fine - either one type or a variety. I use both meadow hay and soft cut Timothy hay. The meadow is primarily for bedding but they do nibble at it, but they much prefer to eat the Timothy hay rather than the meadow

A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)
 
Welcome to the forum.
Good for you doing all the research first.
Glad you find the forum helpful.
One thing to know about guinea pigs is that they are not cheap pets. Vet bills can be expensive so it’s worth setting up a vet fund.
This was one of the best bits of information I found here and the year I had over £600 in bills within a few months I was glad of it.

Hope you enjoy the forum as well as finding it helpful.
We will look forward to seeing pictures of your piggies when you get them.
 
Thanks all! Today I received the official permission from my landlord to get guinea pigs. Wasn't expecting any problems as loads of my neighbours own pets as well, but still I was really happy to receive that confirmation.

I will keep you updated when my new family members arrive!
 
Brilliant news, always good to get permission from landlords first x
 
Welcome! Start saving pennies now for any vets bills you might incur.. look forward to seeing who you get..
 
I promised to post some pictures of my piggies when I got them so here we go: I brought Bonkie (front) and Dumpty (back) home from the rescue a few weeks ago. They are wonderful!
Dumpty was really shy at first and hardly showed himself for the first few weeks, but now he is starting to feel more comfortable and joining the more adventurous Bonkie in her exploring the world around them.

IMG_20211023_192826.webp

Thank you all again for your help and advice!
 
What lovely piggies :love: :love: . My 2 old girls love to forage for their food. I scatter feed their pellets and their veg and they love to run around finding it. It gives them lots of stimulation (especially The Ever Beautiful Betsy who is blind because of cataracts) and mimics how they would find food in the wild.
 
They are lovely! I'm so happy you have become a guinea pig slave. So much fun and loveliness ahead 🙂
 
Apples said:
I promised to post some pictures of my piggies when I got them so here we go: I brought Bonkie (front) and Dumpty (back) home from the rescue a few weeks ago. They are wonderful!
Dumpty was really shy at first and hardly showed himself for the first few weeks, but now he is starting to feel more comfortable and joining the more adventurous Bonkie in her exploring the world around them.

View attachment 188271

Thank you all again for your help and advice!
Click to expand...
Oh my gosh they are gorgous😍
 
So cute! Congrats on the new little guys! :)
 
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