Hi. Can anyone advise?

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CaviesRock!

Hi Guys?
I am thinking about getting 2 Guinea Pigs from a Rescue! I have never kept them before, I have got two rabbits. Please can someone help me out on;
Housing
Care
Or anything else important?

Thanks
 
Hi there! Great that you're considering getting two rescue piggies.

I would recommend reading around this site at some of the posts.

www.guinealynx.info has excellent health and nutrition advice

www.cavyspirit.com for information on rescue and piggy social lives

www.guineapigcages.com for great ideas on designing a cage (I would personally recommend this over anything you could buy - it works out way cheaper and I can say that my pigs are happier than they've ever been!
 
Hi and welcome to the forum :)
Well done on considering rescue first, they will be a source of advice also. Where do you think your guineas will live, inside or in a heated shed? It is not recommended they live outside as our weather is too variable and they dont do well in the cold.
Minimum housing for 2 is 4 foot by 2 foot but bigger is better. They stll need exercise outside of their cage/hutch. Mine live indoors in large c & c cages-have a look at a site called cavyspirit for ideas!
There is a lot to consider from bedding/hay/type of dry food so have a look at the top of food section and top of housing for peoples opinions on these. Many do not recommend woodshavings now as it has been shown to cause respitory infections and skin complaints.
Most important is to source a good piggy competant vet. As you have rabbits already, you may have a good vet already but some know to their cost that a vet who doesnt know piggies can end up killing them.
I am sure others will come along with more advice O0
 
:)Thanks
They would probably live indoors, I was thinking a Nero 4 cage?

They would be out of that most of the day, they would have a run in the garden. The vet for my rabbits is great. She is great with all small animals (she gave a hamster an operation on its back) I just want to be all prepared for them!
 
Hels said:
Where are you?

You will get all the advice and help you need from all the lovely folk on the forum. :)

Welcome.
Helen.
x

Sheffield.
Thanks.x
 
welcome to the forums! from oz! :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: good luck choosing your piggies, cage and requirements. wishing you many happy years being owned by piggies. :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
hiya welcome to the forums.

i was told not to house piggies with rabbits, and they need fresh veg everyday,
but the guys on here are great and should be able to give you alot more clues,

i would do alot of research before actually getting them though.

:) :) :) :)
 
I don't think he was going to house his piggies with his bunnies :D
he did say he'd get a nero 4 and keep them indoors :D
nero 4s are good aslong as they get plenty of exercise but these are also good : www.cavycages.com
 
My bunnies wouldn't be in with the piggies- No way!

Thanks for that Link.x
 
Hi and welcome to this forum ,iam glad your thinking about keeping some piggies like other people have said you will get al the help you need on this brilliant forum where their are some very helpful people
 
Thanks Everyone.
Today I went to Pets at Home to get my Bunny hay, food etc. I bought 2 Guinea Pig books, and one leaflet. I have read the leaflet and found it great. I am going to read the books later on.

I am thinking about a Nero 4 cage? Is that too small? If so, what other cages can I use? Also, there was this Guinea Pig in the adoption centre, He was 6 months old, and was 'Donated by another Store!" :tickedoff: >:(
 
hiya a nero 4 should be fine for 2 piggies, ive got mine in a nero 3 deluxe and they seem happy enough :) and thats smaller than the nero 4

for housing there are a number of flooring you can choose from for the piggies, i personally have wood shavings for my girls outside (soon to change as i dont like shavings anymore) i have pro-fleece for lois as i need to keep her clean, and my 2 boys are on newspaper and hay, newspaper and hay is the cheapest option, and the easiest i dont like my pro-fleece anymore it takes ages to clean and brush all the muck up off etc... when i run out of newspaper and hay for the boys (i only use cheap hay for bedding and i buy more expensive stuff for them to eat) I use towels and 100% polyester sheet (voile), layer about 5 towels in he bottom of the cage and place the polyester sheet over the top weight it down in each corner, place the top wire cage bit on and just peg it on around the cage, and take the weights out, its so easy to sweep hay and poop off daily unlike fleece which everything sticks to - have a look in the housing section for lots of diff bedding ideas.

There are lots of different food on the marker too, which most of us have tried a few of, mine are on science selective pellets atm - id deffo go for a pellet food rather than a muesli one as it doesnt cause them to pick and choose which bits they eat therefore they are getting everything that they need from the food :) hay is a big factor in the diet, although your bunnies probably eat plenty of that anyway.. unlimited hay is recommended, help keep the teeth down and the digestive system in good working condition, they need fresh veg and the occasional fruit treat as they can't make their own vit C so they get this from the fresh foods.. if you have a look in the food section there is a shopping list and also reviews on different dried foods :)

Caring for a guinea pig is fairly easy as far as keeping them clean, fresh veg etc making sure they get the correct diet, are not too hot/cold, no where that it is drafty, not in a garage where fumes are, they cannot be kept anywhere around those plug in air freshners and its best not to spray air freshner in the same room as them, and as suggested above a good vet is always a plus!

If you get a long haired guinea pig then you need to allow time for brushing, and grooming on a daily basis only takes 5 mins to comb through the hair, and it needs a hair cut every few weeks if your keeping the fur short so as not become grubby, and possibly a bath if they get really grubby.

www.pamperedpiggies.co.uk <-- Good for toys, treats, bedding and general piggy stuff

www.gorgeousguineas.com <--- Good for bath time shampoo, they also have natural treatments for lice/other nasties

hope that helps :)
 
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Thanks for that Spudnik
I was thinking of having them in my bedroom, as its raily large, then letting them run around in that when I'm in. Then a run in the garden aswell. I was also thinking about one of those stands that the Nero cages can go on?

Lol Clare- Thanks x
 
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