Guinea Pigs in studio flats?

[dizzy]

Hi,

I’ve not been on here in years and this is hypothetical... does anyone keep piggies in a studio flat or just the room they sleep in? What are the pros and cons? How smelly are they?

Thanks in advance...

 

[Swissgreys]

I think it would depend a lot on the layout of the studio, the size of the cage and the bedding you used.
I find that the larger the cage the less smelly the piggies, and this also varies a bit from pig to pig.
What sort of cage and bedding did you have in mind?

 

[Lady Kelly]

As well as the advice from Swissgreys above you also need to check your tenancy agreement. It is very common for the standard assured shirt hold tenancy agreement to have either a blanket ban on pets or have a clause that it's only at the express permission of the landlord. If you hadn't sought permission and then had an inspection or if the landlord needed to carry out work and found out you would be in breach of your tenancy and could face eviction.

If you are lucky enough to own property in London then you need to check the leasehold again to make sure there are no rules against pets

 

[Black piggies]

I've found my guinea pigs are never smelly unless they're not cleaned out often enough. In summer this means cleaning them out often. I use a plastic glove to pick up poos at least once a day and change hay often so the only smell is the wee. I've used fitch bedding and fleece and the fitch is fantastic. (I asked permission of landlord and it was given, new landlord asked for a bit more deposit).
I think you need to consider noise more, the pigs will hate it if they're near a noisy TV or washing machine, and as a light sleeper they occasionally wake me up banging hideys together or bickering.

 

[dizzy]

Ahhh... thanks for the replies!

I’m considering a c and c cage as they seem to be the most practical and popular and there’s the option of increasing space. I don’t know enough about bedding options, other than I know not to use wood shavings.

 

[Siikibam]

I'd drive home the point of confirming with your landlord if you are renting. Luckily our landlord allowed us pets. I was initially to keep them outside but he then said I can keep them inside. They will be moving outside though. Probably next year now as the hutch is not yet finished.

Check you have the space for a cage and also where you would put them for floor time. The cage size will determine whether it's suitable or not. As for smelling, they'll smell if you don't change them regularly enough.