First time owner.....help me pick my piggie

[Azpiggiemom]

I am a first time owner...well, I am getting a couple of pigs for my daughter for her birthday, but I am essentially the back-up responsible party and am pretty excited to bring piggies home too!

We have a local rescue group here in AZ but I'm totally lost as to what we should adopt.

My daughter really wanted a silkie..mostly b/c of the beautiful locks to brush, there is one silkie available, but she's been on her own and I don't really want to do that b/c of the need for socialization. This silkie is also a couple years old.

There are also a pair of baby boys who have bonded, but I'm told babies are harder to handle.

What type of pigs should we go for being that it's our first experience with pigs?

Thank you so much for any help! inbreeding

 

[mrs_tommo28]

Id go for the boys personally as they are a bonded pair and guinea pigs are generally happier pairs - with the one you would have to have a look about and get it too bond with a friend.
I have baby boy pigs and they are not hard at all to handle, they are lovely.

 

[Wiebke]

It would be good to have a pair. Can that lady piggy be bonded with a younger girl or a neutered boar?

Having an adult piggy is actually not that bad if she is used to being handled and you want a cuddly piggy; they tend to be appreciative of a good home! Skittish youngsters can be a handful at first and they can be quite loud at night, which may be a consideration depending on where they are living - although watching them can be fun, too!

Silkies (or here in Britain, shelties) need regular grooming, but if you keep the bum hair cut fairly short, you should be able to avoid the worst of the painful tangles.

I think in the end, it comes down to which piggie(s) speak more to your heart.

 

[ghostbusterbunny]

I am a first time owner...well, I am getting a couple of pigs for my daughter for her birthday, but I am essentially the back-up responsible party and am pretty excited to bring piggies home too!

We have a local rescue group here in AZ but I'm totally lost as to what we should adopt.

My daughter really wanted a silkie..mostly b/c of the beautiful locks to brush, there is one silkie available, but she's been on her own and I don't really want to do that b/c of the need for socialization. This silkie is also a couple years old.

There are also a pair of baby boys who have bonded, but I'm told babies are harder to handle.

What type of pigs should we go for being that it's our first experience with pigs?

Thank you so much for any help! inbreeding

Hmm! Babies are a lot harder to handle and if your daughter is younger she might well get bored quite easily as it can take months for babies to settle down. If she's older and understands that it takes quite some time then babies will be a nice alternative for you. Or, if you'd be willing to look for a friend for the silkie, older piggies are lovely. They're past the uncatchable baby stage and will be more than willing (on the whole) to sit and be cuddled and loved! If the silkie is on her own for a reason (aggressive with other sows or has been bullied) then it might be hard to find a friend, but if she is alone through no fault of her own then finding her a friend would be a possibility. That said, if she is alone for a reason and will be an indoor piggy, then taking her and smothering her with attention would be lovely too!

Personally, if someone asked me what to look for as first guinea pigs/for a child then I would actually say boars. I find boys to be a lot friendlier, more inquisitive and definitely more cuddle friendly! Right now I have lots of gorgeous girlies (16 of them to be precise!) and three lovely boys; one of which has been with me a couple of months now and he is so much different to all my girls. He's far more cuddle friendly and he just loves being smothered with attention! The other two boys are too new for me to comment on yet, but their cheeky personalities are already shining through; I think they're going to be lovely cuddle-monsters!

I think to be absolutely sure you're getting the right pigs for you and your daughter you should take her to the rescue group and see which piggies fit best with you. You might want a specific breed/gender/age but then when you meet somepig different your idea of what you want might be thrown out of the window when you meet different ones!

 

[Azpiggiemom]

thank you so much for the great replies!