hey newbie, wantin advice!

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cornish-fairy

Hiya, sayin hello and lookin for advice!

We have recently been given a indoor guniea pig cage, as hubby and I are lookin into gettin a guniea pig, this is new to us, we do have a rat and a gerbil at mo, so quite used to pets and the care they need and the time, and are willing to do this!

at the mo, our garden isnt suitable for a outdoor guniea pig!

Anyway, a couple questions,

  • do they need to be kept in pairs
  • are they vocal IE Noisey?
  • are they sociable?
  • whats the best food for them?
  • do they nip/bite?
  • Would it be best to get babies or try and rescue?
    (our rat is rescued!)
  • How long do they live for?
  • are they ok round children?

think thats it for now!

thanks
 
hi cornish-fairy,

I'm sure you will get lots of responses, but here is my two penneth

Guineas are very social animals, and will usually prefer to be kept in pairs or groups. Boars are usually kept in pairs, though some folk manage to get larger groups to bond.

They are quite chatty animals, and have a lot to say for themselves, especially where food is concerned, they have a lot of different vocalisations which you will learn.

They don't usually bite, but younger guineas may nip, and if they are frightened or not held properly then this may cause this.

They live for around 5-6 years, although they can live upto 8 or more years.

They are usually good with children. But children should never be allowed to carry them, as guinea pigs can be fatally injured if they are dropped, and they can be prone to wriggling, especially if they do not feel secure. Children should not have sole care for the guineas, they should be the adults responsibility. They need calm handling.

Foodwise - have a look at the food thread, theres loads of really good info on there. And rescue is always best! You can usually find babies at a rescue.

btw how big is your cage?

Good luck!
 
Welcome.
Yes, Yes, Yes, Nuggets, rarely, YES, 5 - 8 years, Yes.

Guineas are the best pets ever. The cage will need to a Nero 4 or equivalent for 2 piggies. (about 4') long. Two bonded boys, An older boy and a baby boy (my fave combo) or two girls would get along best together.

Where abouts are you then we can point you in the direction of your nearest rescue. Have fun on the forum.
x
 
Hi and welcome to the forum, you'll find it friendly and ever so helpful :)
we're in OZ (aka Australia) so hi from us :)
I'd go to the food section and housing and do some research in there.......
Now they can live up to 4-5 years on average, but then we've all seen some live way past that :)
Children are fine, but strict supervision is required as they may not realise not to squeeze and piggies are wriggly little things at times, well a lot of the time LOL, so perhaps you get the piggie out and then let the kids pat or cuddle but you put piggie back into cage......that sort of thing :)
Yes they're little chatterboxes but that's a healthy sign too, they love to be in pairs cause they then have a mate to be with :) they're not that noisey tho, only if you rattle a plastic bag or open up your fridge :))
Most don't bite, if they do just say no gently and offer food, my latest two girls were little biters they now rarely do it and its' now only cause they want something to eat............
Enjoy your research and ask away with questions.
 
hey,

thanks for the speedy replies! the cage is roughly 4ft (just under) by 2 ft, I would defo look at gettin a bigger one later on if needs be, but the people we got this from had one in there for 3 yrs!

I live in cornwall, uk, Not far from Truro if thats any help?

will defo have a nosey at the food section in a mo!

reason I'm asking about children, is I am currently pregnant, and would love a guinea pig and a baba to grow up together,
Thats cool how long they live, we had a rat live to 3yrs 9 months which apparently is rare!

is there any differences in boy/girl personalitys, i know with rats males are a lot more laid back and chilled, were as I find girls quite hyper!

I love chatty pets so thats cool! Yes I'm a loop,:(|) Ill sit there havin a convo with my rat whilst he grunts away back at me!

thanks again

**heads off to nosey round

x
 
I have got boys together and girls together both are great. People have preferences, but it's a personal thing. Just so long as, if you get boys, you would have two babies, or and older one (1 year +) with a wee babe. Two hormonal boys together is not a good idea - both want to be boss. My boys are more adventurous than my girls. I love them all. x
 
Hi welcome to the forum :)

4foot by 2foot is minimum for 2 piggies so should be fine, you can always get a bigger one later on as you say, have a look at the housing section at C&C cages, they're fab as you can make them as big or small as you like and add different levels etc :)

My pigs never bite but they do kick up a fuss when being picked up initially which can leave you with a couple of unintentional scratches but they're fine once on your knee etc.

I think most pigs ive around 5 years but I've heard of one that's 8 on this forum and i think there have probably been some older!

In terms of pet shop or rescue, this is a pro rescue forum so we'll always recommend you try to rescue a pair, if you go to rescue you can try to get a neutered male and a female, that way you get the best of both worlds in terms of which sex is better personality-wise :) I have 2 pairs of girls and a male/female pair, they all get on great with their cage-mates but the married couple are the cutest together lol, the male adores the female! If you go with rescue they're less likely to fall out because they've probably already been bonded a while! Failing that pet shop piggies are also very cute, i have 2 pairs from pet shops and they are just as lovely as my rescue pair.

In terms of food they need a bit of dried food, lots a of hay some veg once or twice a day!

They are noisy little things but in my experience only when they think they're being fed! So they make a racket when they see you but they won't keep you up at night!

Good luck finding some, they are lovely little animals and so suprising with how much personality they have and how different each one is :)
Emma
x
 
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cant add the the advice given, if * decide to get a piigy pair i would go rescue defo and dont just get 1 as the others have said... the one drawback with piggys is this......
YOU WILL BE PIGGY MAD FOR REST OF YOUR DAYS HA HA HA!:))
 
P.S.
congrats on your baby :) also, from experience on here, boy pairs are slightly more likely to fall out than girl pairs however that's not always the case and a lot less likely to happen with a rescue pair! Just something to bare in mind :) x
 
Hiya,
Jst thought Id update on this, I have done a lot research into this and looked into the feedin an care etc, and hubby and I have decided a lil guinea pig seems right for us, our home and our life style, if that makes any sense?

There are sadly no local rescue centres close to us, so we are going to look into a pet store brought pair, but in meantime will be lookin out in ads in papers and windows in case anyone is wishin to rehome any,
I didnt realise there were so many varities around! Some look amazin, I must admit I love the look of the Abyssinian, but id be hppy with any!
 
Good choice of pets, I'm sure you will become addicted as we all do here! I started with pet shop piggies as I din't know there were rescues out there, which later got me into the rescues (by the shedload! he he) Why not put an advert on here on the Rescue wanted threads (next to the rehoming one, can't remember it's exact name) Often rescues are willing to travel to you, it's worth a try. Good luck with your search. x
 
It's the 'Rescue Centre Wanted' section. Completely at a loss how to move around between threads. Ddurrrrr. Hope someone can help you out. xxxxx
 
Try the "guinea pig wanted" section; you will be a lot better off with rescue piggies - guaranteed no skin or other health trouble, or unwanted pregnancies. (I started with a shop bought pregnant piggie!) And you get already bonded piggies that will get on with each other. Some rescues are prepared to rehome further afield.

One more point - you should never keep rats and guinea pigs in the same room, as a rat will kill guinea pigs, if they get out for some reason. We had something like that happen on here not long ago.

I wish you all the best with your search!
 
Vickyt said:
One more point - you should never keep rats and guinea pigs in the same room, as a rat will kill guinea pigs, if they get out for some reason. We had something like that happen on here not long ago.

I wish you all the best with your search!
Click to expand...

OO blimey thanks for that warning, our rat is in a tank but sometimes has free run, think that will be restricted when we get a new addtion!!
learn somethin new everyday!
 
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