Guinea pig breed?

Penguin2809

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Hi all, was wondering if anyone had an idea of what breed my little man might be. I haven't got him yet as he is only 6 weeks old! He's a little dirty because he is the runt and his brothers and sisters keep standing on him
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m from Wiltshire too! Click the attach files button below the text box. Can’t wait to see a pigture of him. 😊
 
Hi all, was wondering if anyone had an idea of what breed my little man might be. I haven't got him yet as he is only 6 weeks old! He's a little dirty because he is the runt and his brothers and sisters keep standing on him
Is it the piggy in your avatar? He looks really cute. I wonder whether he's a teddy, I don't know. Will he be kept with a friend?
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I’m from Wiltshire too! Click the attach files button below the text box. Can’t wait to see a pigture of him. 😊
This is possibly "Omlet". Haven't decided for definite on his name. Thanks for sharing how to upload a picture. And I'm not sure about getting one or 2. I was only planning on one until people kept telling me 2 is better. My plan was to let him sleep in doors and when I go to work to put him in his run outside and bring him in about 5 but then I got told they don't like the change in temperature. Which is fine, he can stay in doors all winter and I can buy a folding pen or something but if I went for 2 then I'm not sure the cages are big enough. Plus I want the little guy to bond with me. I have plenty of time on the weekends and in the evening I'll definite have time for him and if not one evening then my parents already love him.

He does need a bath/clean as you can see he's a little grubby and maybe a brush too.

Let me know if you have any thoughts or advice. Dont be too hard on me, I am a new guinea pig owner 😬😆
 

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Hello. He’s very sweet. Definitely get two (obviously of the same sex as you don’t want lots of babies 🤦🏻‍♀️). They love company of their own kind. They will still bond with you too. When you get them you will have to make sure they are both boys. I have two boars called Percy and Pepper. Omlet is a lovely name. Unless he is really dirty you don’t need to bath them as they find it very stressful. As for cages it depends if you decide to keep them in or out. Mine are in the garage. So it’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer. And also safe from cats and foxes. Only put them in a run if you are about to keep an eye on them. There’s so much info in the guides at the top of the page. Click on the three white lines at the top and take a look at the guides. Good luck. Love to see pictures once you get them home. 😍
 
He is gorgeous.
Please dont get just one though especially as he is so young (babies are desperate for companionship). They are highly social animals and must always be kept in character compatible pairs. A single piggy will become lonely and depressed and as lovely as it is that you can spend time with him, I'm afraid no amount of human contact is ever enough as you cannot speak the same language as him. It is in fact one of the five animal welfare rights that they are kept with a friend.

Two boars together need a cage 180x60cm (12 square feet). Boars are more territorial and they need a lot of space

They also do not need to be bathed as it isn’t good for their skin. He should be keeping himself clean.

Companionship
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

Cage Size Guide

New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information
 
How much does keeping 2 cost extra. My plan was to obviously give him hay, straw, nuggets and fresh greens. Spot pick his cage every day or at least every other day as they normal go to the loo in one area and then do a complete cage clean once a week maybe once every 2 weeks depending on smell and what it looks like. We normally have greens left over (uncooked) on weekends which will last a week for one. I was thinking about buying bag of carrots, leafy greens (cabbage) and apples when I have some left over. In the autumn I'll have carrot top leafs too as I grow my own. Obviously grass too. I was told a egg cup of nuggets a day for one was suitable?
 
Aw he's gorgeous. Babies especially need another with them. It's very outdated advice that one is OK.
 
Sorry what do you mean?
I mean in your preparations to start being a piggy owner you might get some wrong advice, like it being OK to keep one guinea pig, which is very out of date advice. It's illegal in Switzerland to keep one guinea pig. Even pets at homes pet shop refuse to sell one now.
Having seen how terribly anxious young ones can be on their own, it's especially an issue for young piggies.
 
And I don't think a male 6 week old guinea pig should still be in with his sisters. It's great you're asking advice on this forum, as it's usually far better advice than what we're given elsewhere.
 
How much does keeping 2 cost extra. My plan was to obviously give him hay, straw, nuggets and fresh greens. Spot pick his cage every day or at least every other day as they normal go to the loo in one area and then do a complete cage clean once a week maybe once every 2 weeks depending on smell and what it looks like. We normally have greens left over (uncooked) on weekends which will last a week for one. I was thinking about buying bag of carrots, leafy greens (cabbage) and apples when I have some left over. In the autumn I'll have carrot top leafs too as I grow my own. Obviously grass too. I was told a egg cup of nuggets a day for one was suitable?

It doesn’t cost much more to have two piggies but to be honest, for his welfare, having a friend is as essential to his care as having food, water etc. They don’t do well being kept alone and particularly as this piggy is so young, he will struggle if he doesn’t have a friend.
Please have a vet fund started also. Buying the piggies, cage, food is the cheapest part. Vet fees can be incredibly expensive - guinea pigs are not cheap pets to keep

They don’t tend to go to the toilet in one area - piggies cannot be litter trained and they tend to pee and poop everywhere. A full cage clean every two weeks won’t be enough. Mine get poop picked and wet bedding and hay removed twice a day, and a full clean once a week but sometimes a full clean needs to be done twice a week.

Please don’t give them straw, it’s too sharp, not edible and unsafe for guinea pigs as a bedding. They need loads of hay to eat.
Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

This is a collection of guides which are useful for people planning to get guinea pigs.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

The veggies you mention - carrots, cabbage and apple arent suitable as part of their daily diet. Carrots and apples are too high in sugar so should be nothing more than a very occasional treat, no more than one very small piece once per week. To be honest, fruit and such high sugar Items do not need to be in their diet at all. Cabbage can cause bloat so shouldn’t be fed often.
Its one tablespoon of nuggets per pig per day.
They need a vitamin c rich veggie daily.
They need one cup/50g of veg per day. Safe daily veggies are coriander, lettuce, cucumber, a green bean, bell pepper.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

As you are looking at boars, having lots of space and multiple of every item is so important to their ability to not have issues when they become teenagers. All hideys need to have two exits so no piggy can get cornered Inside it as that can lead to fights and injuries.
Do read all the green links which are being added - i know there are a lot - as they give lots of useful information about what they need.
 
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Welcome to the forum,
What a cute little boy.
You’ve had good advice already and please keep asking questions.
It’s how we all learn.
Hope you enjoy the forum.

I used to live in Wiltshire too - until we moved 2 years ago.
 
Welcome!

Please please get him a friend:) Have a good read of the links that everyone has posted. They are so useful and you will learn lots before your new arrivals move in.
 
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