Guys why was I lied too guia pigs are definitely not cheap

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diva

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Okay so my guinea pigs were given away as the original owner has too many pets and couldn't look after the guinea pigs so my mum took them in I have now taken up the coat of looking after them because the rest of my family has lost interest as there too much hard work 🙄 bearing in mind I don't have a job I'm disabled and in college ATM so the only money I get is from the government a large portion of my money isn't even spent on me it's spent on my guinea pigs my mum wanting me to buy stuff for her because I have money and she is also not working and is a single mum and some spent on essentials like food travel etc I have had 3 vet appointment for my guinea pigs that has cost like over 200 pounds as well as getting more food and veg for them getting things for there cage etc with little to no help with the costs from my mum and now she says I waste my money on junk food which is mainly because I go to a hospitality and catering college and the hours are odd and sometimes I'm waitering tablets and when I cook I sometimes don't actually get to eat the food I make so I by food on the way home or have shopping that I put in the oven and stuff so now she is saying she wants to manage my money or at least see bank statements but she doesn't realise that the guia pigs don't just eat fruit and veg they need other things too like pellets and stuff and she keeps saying there cheap to look after what do I do to get her to see that there not cheap and maybe convince her to help pay and look after them because it's really difficult on my own and I love my guinea pigs and would love to maybe get a few younger rescues in the future but it's difficult doing it alone when everyone only wants to play with them and not help look after them too
 
Maybe you can show your mum the forum - there are lots of guides on how to care for them and the associated costs. They definitely aren’t cheap or easy pets though - vet fees alone can be a major source of financial stress.

We do have a few ways to help save a bit of money in caring for them in this guide:
Money crunch? - Practical saving tips for your guinea pig food bill

Hay needs to be their main daily food intake. They do need some veg but they definitely dont ever need to be given fruit (so maybe if you are buying fruit as well just for them then might be one way you can save money). They also do not need to be given pellets either (mine haven’t eaten pellets for a few years now), as long as you can provide a good variety of veg (coriander, romaine lettuce, bell pepper and cucumber are the four main staples which provide a good base and mix of nutrients, but it is still a good idea to add in something like spring greens once a week to provide trace elements which aren’t in the other veg). If you have access to a garden with grass that cannot be accessed by dogs or foxes (dog and fox pee is toxic to piggies), then grass (once their gut is used to it) can be given to help replace some of the veg portion of their diet in summer.
Things for their cage - obviously if you have disposable bedding then that is an ongoing cost and sometimes hides need to be replaced, but things like pet shop toys or treats aren’t needed. You can use any cardboard boxes and cut holes in, fill them with hay. Hide food amongst their hay or in boxes - just a few ideas which may help to replace any commercial ‘toys’ you normally buy for them
 
Thanks for the ideas and advice sorry for the late reply I have been busy but you I'll try home made toys and sadly I bought like 2 15kg bags of food not realising how big it was so now I have guinea pig food for days we are thinking of when my guinea pigs pass away or maybe later this year next year get baby guinea pigs idk what type of care they need but I'm looking into doing some research before I do anything but I'll deffo show this to my mum
 
diva said:
Thanks for the ideas and advice sorry for the late reply I have been busy but you I'll try home made toys and sadly I bought like 2 15kg bags of food not realising how big it was so now I have guinea pig food for days we are thinking of when my guinea pigs pass away or maybe later this year next year get baby guinea pigs idk what type of care they need but I'm looking into doing some research before I do anything but I'll deffo show this to my mum
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Baby piggies are cared for in exactly the same way as adults.

Make a note of when you opened the dry food. If they aren’t used within a certain amount of time after being opened (it’s either 3 or 6 months after opening) then it loses all its nutrients and isn’t any good to feed anymore. Given they can only have one tablespoon per pig per day, unfortunately you aren’t likely to get through a 15kg in the time span (unless you have a very large number of guinea pigs!)
 
you. That's why we were considering selling it for in smaller portions or giving it away to a local shelter but on a slide note we did end up getting another piggy but she is Peruvian an has hair that sheds everywhere lol she is only 12 weeks old but is very vocal when exited we called her popcorn as that her favourite thing to do at the moment she has bonded with 1 of my female guinea pigs her name is Luna but the other one doesn't seem too fond of her I think it's mainly because she thinks popcorn is way to active for her and she came keep up but all she does is give her a little headbutt when she is to close or does something she is uncomfortable with we are still keeping them separate we tried keeping popcorn overnight with Luna and she was very happy and completely fine and so we are giving it a bit longer and we're going to try and see if my other guinea pig meechie will warm up to her
 

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diva said:
you. That's why we were considering selling it for in smaller portions or giving it away to a local shelter but on a slide note we did end up getting another piggy but she is Peruvian an has hair that sheds everywhere lol she is only 12 weeks old but is very vocal when exited we called her popcorn as that her favourite thing to do at the moment she has bonded with 1 of my female guinea pigs her name is Luna but the other one doesn't seem too fond of her I think it's mainly because she thinks popcorn is way to active for her and she came keep up but all she does is give her a little headbutt when she is to close or does something she is uncomfortable with we are still keeping them separate we tried keeping popcorn overnight with Luna and she was very happy and completely fine and so we are giving it a bit longer and we're going to try and see if my other guinea pig meechie will warm up to her
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Who is living in the same cage with popcorn now?
As a baby she shouldn’t be alone

Bonding needs to be done between all three of them in one go - a hierarchy is formed from the top down and the baby would be at the bottom. It is expected that she will bear the brunt of dominance behaviours from an adult who is enforcing the hierarchy and teaching her how to behave. Dominance is normal and is never a reason to separate them.
It sounds like they did in fact all bond (because the behaviours you have reported are just minor dominance) but as you have separated them then I’m afraid that would all have ended.
She will not ‘warm up to her’ unless and until they are together in the same cage; it takes two weeks of them being together to finalise the hierarchy.
When you put them all back together, you are going to see the same dominance behaviours again as they will have to reestablish the entire relationship again as a trio so it will cause a further two weeks of bonding and hierarchy organisation.

If Luna and meechie were a pair and you have now separated Luna and popcorn off into a cage together leaving meechie alone; then this could damage the bond between Luna and meechie. This depends on who was dominant out of Luna and meechie. If Luna and popcorn are now together then Luna would have taken on the role of dominant (between her and meechie) but if meechie was the dominant out of her and Luna, then if you try to put them (Luna and meechie) back together, Luna may have to step down and lose a higher position which she may not be prepared to do.

I would suggest you put all three of them back in a neutral territory bonding pen asap (ie today) rather than risk leaving them apart for too long and then they refuse to go back together
 
you I separated popcorn from them but she is on the same room as the and the cages are right next to eachother I wasn't sure because I got her from someone else who was selling her and I got mixed answers when looking on if I should keep them all together or not I was just a bit scared as meechie can be very mean and start biting if she gets really upset and usually Luna has to correct her
Behaviour but for most of the day I have been putting them in the same cage as someone is always watching then at night I would separate but if not then I'll keep them all together
 
you I'll bring them together in a bigger cage today and then they should hopefully been fine with no issues I just wanted to make sure none of them got hurt because my older guinea pigs also seemed very tired after looking after her because ofc she has lots of energy 😂 I almost feel bad
 
All our bonding guides on here explain the process fully. The forum does not give mixed answers on this but looking elsewhere on the internet would cause confusion due to old and out of date methods which are still banded about.

You can’t put them together and then separate repeatedly - they either have to be properly bonded and together at all times or they must never be together.
To a guinea pig, each meeting is a full on bonding session and sadly as you separate them each night they never get to see the full process through to conclusion. Repeatedly being put in a bonding situation which they never get to complete causes stress and can actually cause them to not want to bond.

Bonding is a one time event - you put them on neutral territory and they either bond and stay together permanently from that moment or they don’t get on and are kept in separate cages for the rest of their lives.

You have to be aware that there’s something called nipping. Nipping does not break the skin. Nipping occurs as a gesture of power and lets the piggy feel the teeth as a way of a dominant piggy asserting their authority; it does not break the skin so categorically is not biting.
If meechie is the submissive out of her and Luna, then by putting popcorn in, it then makes meechie second in command and she will then assert her authority over popcorn. This is what must happen for them to have a functioning hierarchy.

Popcorn needs to be bonded in with them while she is still considered a baby. It is essential for her learning of how to socialise and understand the hierarchy.

This guide explains the whole process

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours

diva said:
you I'll bring them together in a bigger cage today and then they should hopefully been fine with no issues I just wanted to make sure none of them got hurt because my older guinea pigs also seemed very tired after looking after her because ofc she has lots of energy 😂 I almost feel bad
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How old are Luna and meechie?

These are some other guides you may find useful

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
The Herd, the Group and I: Investigating Guinea Pig Identity and Society
 
There sisters so 3 years old but coming up to 4 years old soon
 
diva said:
you I didn't know I feel bad now 😅 I'll only look on here for information for future reference
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It’s a great forum for the guinea pig guides and also cos there are experienced forum members that can offer advice like
@Piggies&buns has given you
Enjoy your piggies and I hope everyone gets on 🥰
 
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