Moving to different house / room (HELP!)

[Rustieboi22]

Hello, budding Guinea Pig owners here! We haven't gotten our piggy yet but we will be getting it next week once we properly set up the cage (2x5 c&c) my room is going to be under renovation in a few months, so I was planning to move it to my boyfriend house for the time being till the renovation is done then move it back. My apartment is small and currently don't have any other space to offer as we have a pet dog as well hence the decision, we know the piggy will be stressed out during the time being; is there anything we can do to ease the situation?

 

[Deleted member 139433]

It is good that you are asking for advice prior to getting your pigs. Please note that you should not be getting just the one piggy. Pigs are very social animals and need company of their own kind.

Also be aware of keeping piggies with dogs. Dogs have a high prey drive and pigs can be easily frightened or stressed by dogs (or worse, should the dog get into the cage). I have a dog and pigs, but you have to carefully consider how you will make the situation work so that all are safe and happy.

You need to make sure that the cage you set up for the pigs is big enough. And make sure any potential pigs are correctly sexed to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

Please do read the new owner guides:
Wannabe and New Owners Information and Resources

 

[Rustieboi22]

It is good that you are asking for advice prior to getting your pigs. Please note that you should not be getting just the one piggy. Pigs are very social animals and need company of their own kind. Also be aware of keeping piggies with dogs. Dogs have a high prey drive and pigs can be easily frightened or stressed by dogs (or worse, should the dog get into the cage). I have a dog and pigs, but you have to carefully consider how you will make the situation work so that all are safe and happy.

Please do read the new owner guides:
Wannabe and New Owners Information and Resources

Ah yes that we've read up online, so we got 2 Guinea Pigs! Will post a photo of it here once we get them

 

[Deleted member 139433]

Ah yes that we've read up online, so we got 2 Guinea Pigs! Will post a photo of it here once we get them

Great. It would be nice to see some pictures, and pictures of the set up. You sound like you will be wonderful owners as you are already researching and asking for advice. This forum is amazing, so please do ask away!
Please have a look through all the different guides on here (from housing to diet etc). There is so much to learn when it comes to owning piggies.

 

[Rustieboi22]

Great. It would be nice to see some pictures, and pictures of the set up. You sound like you will be wonderful owners as you are already researching and asking for advice. This forum is amazing, so please do ask away!
Please have a look through all the different guides on here (from housing to diet etc). There is so much to learn when it comes to owning piggies.

Absolutely! but our current concern is that we will be moving the piggies from store to my room and once renovation starts, we will have to moved it to my boyfriend house and back again once renovation is done...since that’s our only solution right now; is there anything we can do to help ease the piggies of their stress?

 

[Claire W]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[Rustieboi22]

Hello and welcome to the forum

Thank you

 

[Swissgreys]

Absolutely! but our current concern is that we will be moving the piggies from store to my room and once renovation starts, we will have to moved it to my boyfriend house and back again once renovation is done...since that’s our only solution right now; is there anything we can do to help ease the piggies of their stress?

As long as their cage is kept the same they should deal with the move just fine.
Make sure to not fully clean out the cage on the day of their move - leave some of the bedding that smalls like 'home' in for them, and stick with the same layout until they feel safe.
If you have a feeding and cleaning routine try to stick without too, so there is a minimal amount of new things for them to process.

To be honest guinea pigs are actually quite adaptable as long as their basic needs are met, so I think they will be fine with the move.

 

[Rustieboi22]

As long as their cage is kept the same they should deal with the move just fine.
Make sure to not fully clean out the cage on the day of their move - leave some of the bedding that smalls like 'home' in for them, and stick with the same layout until they feel safe.
If you have a feeding and cleaning routine try to stick without too, so there is a minimal amount of new things for them to process.

To be honest guinea pigs are actually quite adaptable as long as their basic needs are met, so I think they will be fine with the move.

Thank you! This is extremely helpful

 

[Siikibam]

How long will they be at yours before you have to move them to your boyfriends? And how long will they live with him before they come home?

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, budding Guinea Pig owners here! We haven't gotten our piggy yet but we will be getting it next week once we properly set up the cage (2x5 c&c) my room is going to be under renovation in a few months, so I was planning to move it to my boyfriend house for the time being till the renovation is done then move it back. My apartment is small and currently don't have any other space to offer as we have a pet dog as well hence the decision, we know the piggy will be stressed out during the time being; is there anything we can do to ease the situation?

Hi!

Please NEVER get a single guinea pig; they are group animals and not wired to live on their own. Your cage is big enough to accomodate two of the same gender, so space won't be an issue. It is the single most loving and vital gift you can ever make a guinea pig; it is also crucial for their long term mental and physical wellbeing to have the round the clock stimulation from their own kind that no human can ever provide.
The SPCA Singapore does also have sometimes guinea pigs for adoption. It may be worth asking as they should be quarantined/treated and not come with all the usual pitfalls that can await the unwary.
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
Companionship
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites (The most common problems that can come with new guinea pigs)
Website: SPCA Singapore or Facebook: SPCA Singapore

Do not move your guinea pigs into new surroundings with new bedding - their cage should still carry the group scent and be marked as their territory - and hence be safe. If they are frightened by the noise of the dogs and the new surroundings, please place a sheet or towel over the cage for the first few days to give them an added feeling of security.
More tips on settling in new guinea pigs or guinea pigs after a move and how to make friends with your guinea pigs in ways that they instinctively understand ('piggy whispering') and also how you can avoid triggering their prey animal instincts: Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide

All these guides links are part of our much wider New Owners information and practical tips collection, which is one of the most comprehensive information resources currently around. We have taken care to make the advice as step-by-step, practical and precise as possible to be of real use to new owners. You may want to bookmark the link, browse, read and re-read at need. Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[Rustieboi22]

How long will they be at yours before you have to move them to your boyfriends? And how long will they live with him before they come home?

They will be living at my place for a month right after store bought and roughly a week or more at my boyfriend house before we move back again which was particularly why i was worried that they might be too stressed out by it

And we made a mistake by paying full instalment for the piggies already so we had to fetch them by next week so we don’t really have a choice right now

 

[Rustieboi22]

Hi!

Please NEVER get a single guinea pig; they are group animals and not wired to live on their own. Your cage is big enough to accomodate two of the same gender, so space won't be an issue. It is the single most loving and vital gift you can ever make a guinea pig; it is also crucial for their long term mental and physical wellbeing to have the round the clock stimulation from their own kind that no human can ever provide.
The SPCA Singapore does also have sometimes guinea pigs for adoption. It may be worth asking as they should be quarantined/treated and not come with all the usual pitfalls that can await the unwary.
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
Companionship
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites (The most common problems that can come with new guinea pigs)
Website: SPCA Singapore or Facebook: SPCA Singapore

Do not move your guinea pigs into new surroundings with new bedding - their cage should still carry the group scent and be marked as their territory - and hence be safe. If they are frightened by the noise of the dogs and the new surroundings, please place a sheet or towel over the cage for the first few days to give them an added feeling of security.
More tips on settling in new guinea pigs or guinea pigs after a move and how to make friends with your guinea pigs in ways that they instinctively understand ('piggy whispering') and also how you can avoid triggering their prey animal instincts: Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide

All these guides links are part of our much wider New Owners information and practical tips collection, which is one of the most comprehensive information resources currently around. We have taken care to make the advice as step-by-step, practical and precise as possible to be of real use to new owners. You may want to bookmark the link, browse, read and re-read at need. Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

Thank you! I’ll look up on that and yes i’m getting a pair of male piggies

 

[Siikibam]

That’s an okay timescale. They would have sorted the hierarchy by then. Make sure you have two of everything and leave in dirty bedding when they go to your boyfriend - as mentioned above. And make sure all hides have two exits.

I’m excited for you!

 

[Wiebke]

You will find a chapter with dos and don'ts with boars (including moves and cage extensions) in our comprehensive boar guide, which you should also find very helpful and interesting (it is another guide from the collection): A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

We cannot repeat everything for every poster at length as we are all doing this for free in our free time, which is why we are linking in our guides for more detailed background information and tips. Especially as it usually takes me several days to write a guide and make sure that it is complete, clear, precise and easy to understand and follow...

 

[Rustieboi22]

That’s an okay timescale. They would have sorted the hierarchy by then. Make sure you have two of everything and leave in dirty bedding when they go to your boyfriend - as mentioned above. And make sure all hides have two exits.

I’m excited for you!

Thank you so much! I feel so much relief hearing this!

 

[Rustieboi22]

You will find a chapter with dos and don'ts with boars (including moves and cage extensions) in our comprehensive boar guide, which you should also find very helpful and interesting (it is another guide from the collection): A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

We cannot repeat everything for every poster at length as we are all doing this for free in our free time, which is why we are linking in our guides for more detailed background information and tips. Especially as it usually takes me several days to write a guide and make sure that it is complete, clear, precise and easy to understand and follow...

Thank you so much, will definitely look up on your guide!