How long do you spend with your piggies?

Jesse's pigs

Jesse's pigs

Adult Guinea Pig
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Just a bit of a small rant here 😂

As some of you know from my more recent threads, I am currently looking around for boars whom I can attempt to bond with my two who have fallen out. They are in stacked C and C cages, so ideally I want them to have a companion to share this space with.

My mum is arguing that I probably shouldn’t as I’m at work weekdays (or will be- I’m a student vet nurse and they want me on call now🥳🥳)8:30-6:30 with Saturday and Sunday off par every third weekend where I then have a Thursday off. She is saying I don’t have enough time to give them. But I spend my entire morning before work cleaning my boys, fresh hay etc, cuddles and then when I get home after eating dinner I sort them again with fresh hay,food,floortime etc. They also occupy my bedroom where I spend 90% of my time when home. In my head I feel I can totally do it, for me the more crucial questions are: do o have enough for vet bills (yes), enough space (yes) etc. I feel it is enough time and the whole reason I’m seeking companions is so they have a friend for when I am at work on shifts.

Is it silly of me to look for more when on this shift pattern?

(I cannot put the cages side by side due to the space in my room and I also own dogs with my bedroom being the safest space for them.)
 
Guinea pigs are quite happy with each other’s company.
The time mine get is very dependent on work.
They live next to my study and I work from home so I’m around but don necessarily give them lots of attention.
They get attention in the morning when I feed them and late afternoon when they get their veggies but some days that’s it except for a ‘hello’ in passing.
Other days I can sit by the cage and talk to them for longer.
 
Merab's Slave said:
Guinea pigs are quite happy with each other’s company.
The time mine get is very dependent on work.
They live next to my study and I work from home so I’m around but don necessarily give them lots of attention.
They get attention in the morning when I feed them and late afternoon when they get their veggies but some days that’s it except for a ‘hello’ in passing.
Other days I can sit by the cage and talk to them for longer.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Obviously I’m excited about the prospect of having more piggies in my life but the main reason I want more is for my current boys well-being as opposed to my own. Was just second guessing myself with my mums input but in my eyes I spend enough time with them and my hours aren’t that disorderly other than when I may get called out...but again if that happens they have each orher
 
I send hour morning . . Feed them breaky time. Then when home from work . . Tea with piggies and i can spend 2. 3. 4. Hours . That's during week . . Week end anything . .
They like breaky tho not when it's still dark and tea is fun time. . I hide food in hay and i have a brew watching them .
 
Since the start of the first covid lockdown I am home most of the time and in the room where the guinea pigs are. They prefer not to interact with me, the way they look at me tells me they think humans are stupid and only of use to bring food and clean their cages. Your piggies would much prefer to have a friend than be with you. As long as you have the time to clean them out, give health checks etc your boars would be much better off with a friend each to interact with.
 
As you have said, piggies need each other for interaction and companionship so having a friend for them each is better for them. As long as the basics (space, food, water, health etc) are met then will be happy. Don’t second guess yourself!

I have five furries (two piggies, three rabbits) and two aquariums. Two children. I’m employed four days a week. my day off and weekends are spend running our family business, house, children and animal stuff, as well I am involved in Girlguiding running two units. I’m rather busy! But my animals are my chill out time - I spend a good three hours every Friday morning playing with those who like to spend time with me (the rabbits) and being yelled at by those who want me to leave them alone (piggies), cleaning out hutches, clipping nails, weighing etc and then another hour or so cleaning out both aquariums but all of this my happy place! The other days, their needs are met - they are let out every day for exercise, fed, poop picked, a cuddle and made a fuss of (rabbits) they don’t get a huge amount of interaction with me on those days but they all have each other so everybody is perfectly happy!
 
My piggies don't really "do" human interaction that much. Yes I get them out for weighing, health checks and a quick cuddle but most of the time I just leave them to do bimbly piggy stuff in the own bimbly piggy way. They get fed pellets and forage daily (winter only for forage) and then they have a little treat every day (bit of coriander, lettuce etc) then they get put in the run. Then in the evening they go back in the hutch and scatterfed veg.
 
Yes the whole reason I have so many guinea pigs is so that they dont need me for companionship! They think I'm a harmless poop scooping hay and veggie dispensing idiot. They have very complex and meaningful relationships amongst themselves, which I like to watch when I can- but if you can provide the food, scoop the poops, provide a nice big cage, pay the vet bills... then they much prefer the company of other piggies- they only pretend to like us because we can open the fridge :)
 
I clean mine out in the morning and feed them and chat to them. I then chat to them during the day every time I walkmpast the pet room door and feed them again in the afternoon.

Not much time really but they have each other and most certainly dont need me for companionship.
 
Being retired I do spend quite a lot of time with the piggies. I do spend more time in winter with them, in summer months they are out in the run for most of the day, weather permitting. In winter months they like nothing better than a run around in the conservatory most afternoons and I like to either sew/read or just sit and watch them. Ginger and Posh will popcorn around and sometimes Ted will join in too. Ted loves a nap on my knee, he is the most human centered piggie I’ve ever come across (Bill was the same). We have sofa time every evening when all three have some grass. The girls prefer piggie company much more than human. I’m just there to do the feeding, cleaning and poop scoop! Oh and in Ted‘s case pay the vets bills!
 
Other than cleaning, feeding, health checks etc I just have cuddles 2-3 times a week and they have floor time for a few hours on a Saturday while I do a full cage clean I'll sit by the cage and sing to them when I can and hand feed pellets at various points throughout the day. Their cage is in the room you walk into when you come through the front door so I chat to them when I'm coming or going. They have a big cage and they have each other and they only really want me if I'm providing food anyway although spud loves cuddle time so he gets more cuddles than Gundham. I would love to give them more floor time but it's not really possible at the moment.
 
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