Do I or don’t I get two piggies? Advice needed!

Laura_Deakin

Laura_Deakin

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I’m seriously considering getting two 12 week old piggies from a lovely pet shop in the town where I live, however I can’t decide whether to or not for a few reasons... my sister and potentially my dad are allergic to the fur so I’d have to keep them outside in their hutch, we have a pergola where they can go which would allow them to have some sunlight and I’d let them have a run around in the garden daily, but if I wanted to bring them indoors I’m presuming that once they come in the house their hair would be everywhere, is there a way of preventing the spores from staying in the house once I’ve put them back outside? I’d clean and hoover around where they’ve been to reduce the chances of my dad and sister reacting, I just think I would want to be able to bring them in the house in the evenings etc to cuddle them etc especially when it’s cold outside in the winter.. so if anyone has any advice it’d be very much appreciated!

The other question I had was how much time should you spend with your piggies every day? I currently work sixteen hours a week (2 long days) but in the future I hope to move out and work full time, and I’d want to bring the piggies with me when I move into my own place of course, can this stress them out? Are there ways of preventing them from getting stressed when moving to different places? Thanks for any help given :)
 
Hello Welcome to the forum, sorry you thread got bumped down so fast...

Lots of piggies live outdoors, we have lots of members on here who keep there piggies outdoor or sometimes semi outdoor in a piggy shed.

There wouldn't be a way of preventing hair in the house i am afraid, it just depends how allergic your dad and sister are to them :( In the winter the piggies would really need to be bought indoors or at least into an out building pig s are not good with extremes of temperature either too cold or too hot, both are equally as dangerous to them.

As to time spending with pigs it varies. We have ours out once a week maybe, others on the forum a lot lot more. it all depends. We tend to interact at the cage with our girls for fuss and hand feeding so still have a good bond, our oldest girl is not a lap piggy and never has been so we respect her wishes and she gets lots of fuss in the cage. Chickpea is happy on lap so we normally have her out each week for a little.

The key thing is getting the right size hutch 120cm is min for two pigs the larger the better
 
sport_billy said:
Hello Welcome to the forum, sorry you thread got bumped down so fast...

Lots of piggies live outdoors, we have lots of members on here who keep there piggies outdoor or sometimes semi outdoor in a piggy shed.

There wouldn't be a way of preventing hair in the house i am afraid, it just depends how allergic your dad and sister are to them :( In the winter the piggies would really need to be bought indoors or at least into an out building pig s are not good with extremes of temperature either too cold or too hot, both are equally as dangerous to them.

As to time spending with pigs it varies. We have ours out once a week maybe, others on the forum a lot lot more. it all depends. We tend to interact at the cage with our girls for fuss and hand feeding so still have a good bond, our oldest girl is not a lap piggy and never has been so we respect her wishes and she gets lots of fuss in the cage. Chickpea is happy on lap so we normally have her out each week for a little.

The key thing is getting the right size hutch 120cm is min for two pigs the larger the better
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Hey thank you for your reply! I’m going to be ordering them next week! So excited but so nervous! I think I just worry about them getting ill and not knowing how to tell that they’re getting ill - because these would be my first pets, so I’m a brand new owner and don’t have any knowledge on them lol :) doing tonnes of research now!
 
Another thing is if you keep them outside in winter you can’t really bring them in then take them back out again. I think the change in temp isn’t good. And the hairs go everywhere unfortunately. We’ve found them in our (upstairs) bathroom (the boys are downstairs) and on plates. Beware if you cuddle them they will be on your clothes unless you cover yourself with something and leave it outside as well.

Pet shops are notorious for missexing. Make sure you check yourself. And if they’re ill within a certain amount of time I think you can claim the money back. They may also be more skittish.
 
Siikibam said:
Another thing is if you keep them outside in winter you can’t really bring them in then take them back out again. I think the change in temp isn’t good. And the hairs go everywhere unfortunately. We’ve found them in our (upstairs) bathroom (the boys are downstairs) and on plates. Beware if you cuddle them they will be on your clothes unless you cover yourself with something and leave it outside as well.

Pet shops are notorious for missexing. Make sure you check yourself. And if they’re ill within a certain amount of time I think you can claim the money back. They may also be more skittish.
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Hey thank you for your reply! Ahh that’s annoying :( I wanted to cuddle them inside on the sofa :( would the hair go everywhere even if I just kept them in an indoor cage & only in one area of the house? I’d hoover everywhere afterwards obviously.
 
I'm allergic to either the piggies or the hay (not sure which) and I just take antihistamines if I'm going to be spending a lot of time in their room, but I don't bother for the day to day stuff. I keep the room well ventilated (windows wide open as much as possible). It depends really how allergic they are. The hair and hay, which inevitably finds it's way everywhere, doesn't bother me too much.
 
Laura_Deakin said:
Hey thank you for your reply! Ahh that’s annoying :( I wanted to cuddle them inside on the sofa :( would the hair go everywhere even if I just kept them in an indoor cage & only in one area of the house? I’d hoover everywhere afterwards obviously.
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I think it’s likely they may go elsewhere outside where you keep them. I think it’s gotten ‘worse’ since I put them back on fleece...maybe I need to hoover them...How allergic are your dad and sister?
 
Siikibam said:
I think it’s likely they may go elsewhere outside where you keep them. I think it’s gotten ‘worse’ since I put them back on fleece...maybe I need to hoover them...How allergic are your dad and sister?
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She’s highly allergic and my dads only allergic if he touches them ... it’s my sister that’s the problem really, I mean she doesn’t live here she lives elsewhere but sometimes comes home now and again ... ahhh I don’t know what to do :/
 
I guess it depends how often she comes home (what happens when she reacts?) and most importantly whether your dad would be able to tolerate reacting to them...
 
Yeah she just starts sneezing repeatedly her eyes and nose go red and puffy and cant breathe properly i guess, and my dads touched them in the pet shop and he touched his face afterwards to see what would happen, he got a bit sneezy but it wasn't too bad, he washed his face and hands and then he was fine, it's just my sister thats the main concern... thanks for your help :)
 
Outdoor will need some extra care in cold weather there but I don't see keeping them in your own space in their cages being a problem with the allergies. You may need to clean it out a bit more with some disinfectant but if your other family members don't come around them, should be fine. Especially if they are kept outside most of the time and only need to chill indoors with mom for the weather.

Congrats on your two new babies coming and welcome! It's always exciting getting new family members. Pop through the threads and especially habitat and seasonal. Lots of great ideas both indoor and outdoor. I always go back there to get new ideas with some really creative members here.
 
Has your sister ever taken antihistamine before coming in contact/near them? Maybe try it and see. Only problem is putting her off coming round. The finding it hard to breathe is a bit of a difficult one to overlook....but if you can keep them outdoors then that would work 😁
 
Thanks for your reply :) sorry I’m late in responding! We’ve decided to get them and just keep them out doors :) I was also wondering how much vet fees are? Or does it vary depending on how experienced the vet is?
 
Vet fees can vary depending on the practice (vets) and also depends on what the problem is. If it was me I would start a vet fund (piggy bank) and start saving just incase. As more and more in the rescues we are seeing people surrendering their piggies as they’ve got a problem and they can’t afford the vets bills.
 
Thank you! How much do you think I should save a month? I was thinking around 20?
 
If you can afford to put that away then that’s great. Hopefully you will never need to use it. :tu:
 
It is a good idea to save as much as you can into a piggy fund. My Christian recently had a huuuuuuuuge abscess removed and with the cost of the surgery and meds the cost came to over £200. That is quite low compared to some procedures. You can easily run up vets bills -they tend to go up very rapidly. My vet has just put up the price of a consultation from £34 to £36 and although £2 doesn't seem much if all 5 of mine need to see the vet that soon adds up! Don't forget there is meds on top of the consultation fee.
 
How do you stop mice from getting in the hutch and pinching their food? We have a mouse in the garden that comes out now and again and I don’t know how to keep it away from the hutch, any ideas?
 
Laura_Deakin said:
Thanks for your reply :) sorry I’m late in responding! We’ve decided to get them and just keep them out doors :) I was also wondering how much vet fees are? Or does it vary depending on how experienced the vet is?
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Hi! Which country are you in? Please note that guinea pigs do not need only protection in winter, but also in summer as soon as temperatures climb over 30 C. Hutches and lawn runs can quickly become death traps. :(
Since the UK has generally a moderate climate, many people are not aware that guinea pigs can die from heat stroke.
Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes

A to mice; make sure that you use moskito mesh and that you only serve food in portions than be eaten in one go and don't hang around. Over 80% of the daily food intake should be unlimited hay, so your piggies are actively encouraged to eat what is best for their health, teeth and longevity anyway. ;)
Clean out your hutch very regularly and close any ramps overnight. Check the hutch weekly for any small holes and cracks.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Which country are you in? Please note that guinea pigs do not need only protection in winter, but also in summer as soon as temperatures climb over 30 C. Hutches and lawn runs can quickly become death traps. :(
Since the UK has generally a moderate climate, many people are not aware that guinea pigs can die from heat stroke.
Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes

A to mice; make sure that you use moskito mesh and that you only serve food in portions than be eaten in one go and don't hang around. Over 80% of the daily food intake should be unlimited hay, so your piggies are actively encouraged to eat what is best for their health, teeth and longevity anyway. ;)
Clean out your hutch very regularly and close any ramps overnight. Check the hutch weekly for any small holes and cracks.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I’ve got a water bottle in the downstairs of the hutch that has been in the freezer so they can rest against it if they get too hot. I’m in the UK but we are experiencing a bit of a heatwave atm and temperatures are reaching over 25 degrees some days. The hutch is well sheltered and is away from any direct sunlight, hope this is ok? Will need to bring them in if it gets too hot though.
 
Laura_Deakin said:
Thank you! I’ve got a water bottle in the downstairs of the hutch that has been in the freezer so they can rest against it if they get too hot. I’m in the UK but we are experiencing a bit of a heatwave atm and temperatures are reaching over 25 degrees some days. The hutch is well sheltered and is away from any direct sunlight, hope this is ok? Will need to bring them in if it gets too hot though.
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Please get them indoors once temperatures climb well over 25 C. We have seen so many outdoors piggies with heat stroke and got so mnay reports of deaths even from piggies left in shaded places. A hot breeze will still carry air that is 40-50 C across into shaded places. :(
Please read the full tips for the coming days. Babies with not yet fully developed immune systems are amongst the most at-risk groups, in addition to pregnant and nursing sows, the ill and frail and elderly.

Here is our new owners' guide collection by the way; you may find it very helpful: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
 
Wiebke said:
Please get them indoors once temperatures climb well over 25 C. We have seen so many outdoors piggies with heat stroke and got so mnay reports of deaths even from piggies left in shaded places. A hot breeze will still carry air that is 40-50 C across into shaded places. :(
Please read the full tips for the coming days. Babies with not yet fully developed immune systems are amongst the most at-risk groups, in addition to pregnant and nursing sows, the ill and frail and elderly.

Here is our new owners' guide collection by the way; you may find it very helpful: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
Click to expand...

Thank you! I may speak to the pet shop tomorrow and double check!
 
Can I use plastic instead of newspaper for their bedding? Because we had newspaper down and the bottle leaked and soaked the entire newspaper and bed. But idk if plastic would make it really hot?!
 
you can use plastic igloos when the temp reduces,to below 20 degrees centigrade.i would not be inclined to use plastic bedding ?due to guinea pigs attempting to chew on the plastic.i would either use fleece type bedding over the newspaper,or another absorbent bedding eg,hemp aubiose,fitch carefresh paper bedding,finacard cardboard bedding,in the guides there is an excellent thread/overview on bedding.there is alot to remember !:)
 
Laura_Deakin said:
Can I use plastic instead of newspaper for their bedding? Because we had newspaper down and the bottle leaked and soaked the entire newspaper and bed. But idk if plastic would make it really hot?!
Click to expand...

You need an absorbent bedding to soak up urine. I think I've basically used most of the common ones: wood shavings, paper bedding, fleece & old towels, fleece & uhaul blankets and now a fleece liner with an absorbent layer (bamboo fiber). You might try some sort of stone right under the water bottle spout. That helps keep the water off the bedding long enough for it to evaporate away. I use a single brick tile I bought at a home improvement store. They are very cheap.
 
Laura_Deakin said:
Can I use plastic instead of newspaper for their bedding? Because we had newspaper down and the bottle leaked and soaked the entire newspaper and bed. But idk if plastic would make it really hot?!
Click to expand...

Please do not use plastic bedding as your piggies will sit in their urine and become quickly very yucky, matted and sore; followed by serious problems like bumblefoot (foot infection).
You need absorbent bedding. Newspaper is not absorbent and neither is plastic. Use a drip dish underneath a bottle.
Take the time to read through out bedding overview of all the options available: Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview
All About Drinking And Bottles
 
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