New Breeder.

[guineapigs]

Hey! I'm a new breeder. I will be receiving my guinea pigs on Friday. I am prepared, and nervous
I am rescuing them from a breeder who can no longer look after them. They are giving me everything, the hutch, food, water bottles, hay. They will be staying out side during the day, and I will buy them a indoor cage to keep them in during the evening. The piggies are about 1 year old.
How often do I clean the cage? How often do I feed them? How much floor time do they need?

I would like some tips, tricks and how to bond with my piggies.

Thankyou!

 

[Toffeewoffee]

If you do not know the basics on how often to clean them out etc and the fact they the female is now too old to breed from then i would not say you are prepared at all or a responsible breeder. The female guniea pigs pelvis would have probably fused by now so therefor would be impossible for her to give birth and will most likely result in her dying and most probably the babies too. DO NOT BREED FROM THESE GP's and please, do some more research first, its not as simple as putting a male and female GP together.

 

[flintstones]

Oh good, you'll be aware exactly how many pigs during labour, and how many are in rescues waiting homes, or end up snake food. I'm glad you've researched before deciding you wish to endanger an animals life and add to the homeless pig population.

If you had did your research, you would know you can't keep pigs outside and bring them in, in the evening.

Anyways, please have a look at the rules we don't discuss breeding as we are a pro-rescue forum and don't wish to add to the problem.

If you would like to keep your new pigs as pets, and end that horrid cycle of continous pregancies your in the right place and we can certainly help with there welfare.

I do hope you decide to give these poor pigs a rest. X

 

[lauralucy]

this is a rescue friendly forum so is against the rules to discuss breeding.
they need unlimited hay, pellets daily and veggies everyday. 2 piggies need a minimum of 4ft by 2ft plus floortime.

please do not breed these piggies have the boy neutered and then wait 6 weeks and let them live together.

there are too many piggies in rescues already and it really isnt fair to the poor girl!

they need cleaning out at least twice a week.

 

[Cgilchrist]

Hi this is a pro rescue forum [*]we do not discuss or condone intentional breeding due to many irrisponsible, inexperienced breeders out there. there are incredibly high risks in breeding and i belive 30% of pregenancies end very badly. [/*]there are millions of unwanted, overbred, disregarded piggies out there in rescues and you really do not need to add to the numbers. male piggies can become fertile at 3 weeks and females become fertile at around 5 weeks and immediately after birth of babies. KEEP YOU MALES AND FEMALES SEPERATE. Please take some time to find out about the living things you have 'rescued' and try to remeber they need a lot of care and attention and deserve to be properly cared for. They will need cleaning out at least twice a week, minimum size cage for 2 piggies is 120cm long at a bare minimum. they need unlimited GOOD QUALITY hay, good quality nuggets and freshh fruit and veg daily as they do not generate there own vitamin C.

 

[Suzygpr]

20% of pregnancies can end in the death of the mum if vet help isn't sought in time and even then it may not save them/babies.

At the rescue we have dozens of births from irresponsible breeding by people that do not know enough about what they are doing - and not knowing basics about cleaning out screams that you are not experienced.

20% of the pregnancies here have needed vet intervention
out of 15 pregs
one died before birth
one C section due to retained dead baby
One Oxytocin due to labour stopping before all the babies were delivered
3 births had still born babies
that's in the past 6 months

Over £500 in vets bills for just the c section and oxytocin births as they were in out of hours - GPs rarely give birth during vet opening hours. Would you know what an emergency birth looked like? Can you get to the emergency vet within 30 mins of problems occuring?

This is a non-breeding forum and we will not encourage you in this in anyway.

Don't want to take my word for it? Have a read of this and make up your own mind.
http://www.cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm

Breeders will tell you it's a load of rubbish but their horror stories of births are worse - they just don't talk about them - their attitude is when you have livestock (they don't class them as pets) you have deadstock. "After I've triple bagged them and taken a trip to the wheelie bin I'm over it."

 

[luluhound]

Hey! I'm a new breeder. I will be receiving my guinea pigs on Friday. I am prepared, and nervous
I am rescuing them from a breeder who can no longer look after them. They are giving me everything, the hutch, food, water bottles, hay. They will be staying out side during the day, and I will buy them a indoor cage to keep them in during the evening. The piggies are about 1 year old.
How often do I clean the cage? How often do I feed them? How much floor time do they need?

I would like some tips, tricks and how to bond with my piggies.

Thankyou!

You cannot breed from a female that is over a year old if she has`nt had a litter before, it could kill her cos the pelvis joins, well this is what I have been told, also I personally feel that putting them outdoors and then indoors, gives them too much of a change of temperature especially at the moment. Why not just enjoy them as pets, far to many unwanted piggies out there already.

 

[Hanwombat]

Oh good poor pigs - the previous breeders musn't care for them too much if she is giving them to somebody as inexperienced as yourself.

Find them new homes with knowledgeable people - you can't even breed with the female as her pelvic bones would be fused now and you could kill her.

 

[guineapigs]

Guys, when I say breeder, I mean I'm going to look after them ect, not ACCTUALLY breed them. I just would like some help on how to look after them.

 

[guineapigs]

If you do not know the basics on how often to clean them out etc and the fact they the female is now too old to breed from then i would not say you are prepared at all or a responsible breeder. The female guniea pigs pelvis would have probably fused by now so therefor would be impossible for her to give birth and will most likely result in her dying and most probably the babies too. DO NOT BREED FROM THESE GP's and please, do some more research first, its not as simple as putting a male and female GP together.

Oh good, you'll be aware exactly how many pigs during labour, and how many are in rescues waiting homes, or end up snake food. I'm glad you've researched before deciding you wish to endanger an animals life and add to the homeless pig population.

If you had did your research, you would know you can't keep pigs outside and bring them in, in the evening.

Anyways, please have a look at the rules we don't discuss breeding as we are a pro-rescue forum and don't wish to add to the problem.

If you would like to keep your new pigs as pets, and end that horrid cycle of continous pregancies your in the right place and we can certainly help with there welfare.

I do hope you decide to give these poor pigs a rest. X

this is a rescue friendly forum so is against the rules to discuss breeding.
they need unlimited hay, pellets daily and veggies everyday. 2 piggies need a minimum of 4ft by 2ft plus floortime.

please do not breed these piggies have the boy neutered and then wait 6 weeks and let them live together.

there are too many piggies in rescues already and it really isnt fair to the poor girl!

they need cleaning out at least twice a week.

Hi this is a pro rescue forum [*]we do not discuss or condone intentional breeding due to many irrisponsible, inexperienced breeders out there. there are incredibly high risks in breeding and i belive 30% of pregenancies end very badly. [/*]there are millions of unwanted, overbred, disregarded piggies out there in rescues and you really do not need to add to the numbers. male piggies can become fertile at 3 weeks and females become fertile at around 5 weeks and immediately after birth of babies. KEEP YOU MALES AND FEMALES SEPERATE. Please take some time to find out about the living things you have 'rescued' and try to remeber they need a lot of care and attention and deserve to be properly cared for. They will need cleaning out at least twice a week, minimum size cage for 2 piggies is 120cm long at a bare minimum. they need unlimited GOOD QUALITY hay, good quality nuggets and freshh fruit and veg daily as they do not generate there own vitamin C.

20% of pregnancies can end in the death of the mum if vet help isn't sought in time and even then it may not save them/babies.

At the rescue we have dozens of births from irresponsible breeding by people that do not know enough about what they are doing - and not knowing basics about cleaning out screams that you are not experienced.

20% of the pregnancies here have needed vet intervention
out of 15 pregs
one died before birth
one C section due to retained dead baby
One Oxytocin due to labour stopping before all the babies were delivered
3 births had still born babies
that's in the past 6 months

Over £500 in vets bills for just the c section and oxytocin births as they were in out of hours - GPs rarely give birth during vet opening hours. Would you know what an emergency birth looked like? Can you get to the emergency vet within 30 mins of problems occuring?

This is a non-breeding forum and we will not encourage you in this in anyway.

Don't want to take my word for it? Have a read of this and make up your own mind.
http://www.cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm

Breeders will tell you it's a load of rubbish but their horror stories of births are worse - they just don't talk about them - their attitude is when you have livestock (they don't class them as pets) you have deadstock. "After I've triple bagged them and taken a trip to the wheelie bin I'm over it."

You cannot breed from a female that is over a year old if she has`nt had a litter before, it could kill her cos the pelvis joins, well this is what I have been told, also I personally feel that putting them outdoors and then indoors, gives them too much of a change of temperature especially at the moment. Why not just enjoy them as pets, far to many unwanted piggies out there already.

Oh good poor pigs - the previous breeders musn't care for them too much if she is giving them to somebody as inexperienced as yourself.

Find them new homes with knowledgeable people - you can't even breed with the female as her pelvic bones would be fused now and you could kill her.

Guys, when I say breeder, I mean I'm going to look after them ect, not ACCTUALLY breed them. I just would like some help on how to look after them.

 

[Hanwombat]

Why did you do your thread title as new breeder?

 

[lauralucy]

your title is slightly misleading

have a look around the forum there is lots of useful information.

sorry if we come across as harsh we jsut care a lot about guinea pigs.

 

[Toffeewoffee]

So why does the title of the thread read "New Breeder" and why do you introduce yourself saying "Hi, I'm a new Breeder"??

 

[Bailey]

I'm confused you say in your first post (inc title)

New Breeder

[*]Hey! I'm a new breeder.[/*] I will be receiving my guinea pigs on Friday. I am prepared, and nervous
I am rescuing them from a breeder who can no longer look after them. They are giving me everything, the hutch, food, water bottles, hay. They will be staying out side during the day, and I will buy them a indoor cage to keep them in during the evening. The piggies are about 1 year old.
How often do I clean the cage? How often do I feed them? How much floor time do they need?

I would like some tips, tricks and how to bond with my piggies.

Thankyou!

Then you're not :{

 

[Cgilchrist]

ok well keep males and females seperate, i use vetbed on top of towels i find it is easier to keep clean and less smelly than woodshavings. the piggies need unlimited hay and veggies, if you look in the guinea pig care section you will see loads of useful tips and a guinea pig shopping list of safe veggies to give them. It is important to weight them weekly as they are very good at hiding illness and weight loss is the best way to tell. a fluctuation of 60g is normal. if you have girls you will need to weight them more regularly to do a pregenancy watch due to where they have come from. a good quality haybased pellet is the best food really as the muselli style encourages selective feeding so they will only get the bits they like and not a full balence of nutrients. they need fresh water daily. I would also look for the Guinea Pig first aid kit link on here as there are a few staples that you should have should they become unwell and stop eating. Piggies tummies need to be constantly working so if they stop eating it is vital that you syringe feed and get them to the vet as things get a lot more complicated when there tummys stop working. 2 emergency things you should get is critical care/science recovery (syringe food) and probiotic eg Fibreplex, avipro plus etc. these are available from most vets and online(cheaper usually) hope this is a good start

 

[Cgilchrist]

p.s I am giving you the benefit of the doubt here but still don't get why you put new breeder and now you are not? ?/

 

[Cgilchrist]

I'm confused you say in your first post (inc title)



Then you're not :{

Then again the rest of the post doesn't come across as a breeder wanting to know how to breed just asking advice on having piggies and bonding with them? plus saying 'rescued piggies from a breeder' would suggest that OP thinks breeding is something they need rescuing from? :{mallethead MY BRAIN HURTS! |) How very odd! or they could be {:|

 

[Bailey]

Some info you may find useful

Forum Rules - http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36529

Absolute beginners - http://www.guineapigwelfare.org.uk/the-pig-issue/absolute-beginners/


Guinea Pig Care - http://www.guineapigwelfare.org.uk/guinea-pig-care/

Companionship - http://www.guineapigwelfare.org.uk/guinea-pig-care/companionship-for-guinea-pigs/

Peter Gurney's site - http://www.petergurney.com/
Reference Section - http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=8


Guinea pigs are lovely adorable little animals and have such wonderful personalities. I'm sure you will love having them in your life. It's good that you want to know more before you get them, there is lots to learn, more than most non-piggy peeps could ever! imagine
I sincerely hope that you aren't planning on breeding them, you only have to look on rescue websites and places like preloved & freeads to see that the UK is already saturated with unwanted guinea pigs.

Then again the rest of the post doesn't come across as a breeder wanting to know how to breed just asking advice on having piggies and bonding with them? plus saying 'rescued piggies from a breeder' would suggest that OP thinks breeding is something they need rescuing from? :{mallethead MY BRAIN HURTS! |) How very odd! or they could be {:|

I think I should carry on with my stack paperwork, less confusing lol

 

[AudioHeart]

Hello and a big warm welcome to the forum,

Congratulations on your new arrivals, its an exciting time becoming a piggie parent! Talking and discussions of breeding, showing and planning breeding is not allowed on this forum, as been explained to you...we are rescue friendly!

The forum has lots of helpful advice, threads and information from healthcare, toys, behaviour to food and housing. If you take a look around you can find all the basics on piggie care.

Guinea pigs can live to eight years and more, so they are a life long commitment so consideration needs to be taken whether you can afford or want them for the foreseeable future. I'd strongly suggest setting up a 'vet fund' and putting some pennies away every week, as piggies are prone to illness just like any other animal to illnesses!

I have boars which live outdoors, so you can keep them outdoors but care must be taken to keep them warm and not in danger to becoming ill with cold related illnesses. My boys are kept in a shed, if possible you might want to consider putting them in an unused garage or shed with a window if you have one? This will keep them sheltered from the wind and rain, if they are kept in a shed/garage/outdoors i'd suggest buying a hutch cover or snuggle, or making your own (i use loft insulations and several layers of blankets).

You will need to separate the male and female, as you will end up with the female possibly pregnant and in danger esp if shes not had pups before. Another hutch will be needed, you could consider neutering the male so he can live with the female, quite a few rescues neuter their males so you could give a rescue near you a ring and see what vet they use as not all vets are cavy savy! Or another option is if you dont want to neuter the boy is to go to a local rescue and try boar and sow dating to find them a friend of their own gender, piggies should always be kept in pairs/groups as they are a herd animal and can become lonely and depressed on their own.



Feeding, you will need to give them unlimited amount of hay daily, alongside fresh fruit and veggies (as guinea's cant make their own vit. c) you may also consider giving them an egg cup full of pellets daily too. Any pet shop sugar treats should be given occasionally as they are full of sugar.

If you look in our housing section you can find a lot of reviews on housing and bedding which is suitable for you. If your housing the piggies on sawdust and hay they will need soiled bedding changed daily, and a thorough clean out once a week.

Piggies need exercise and space to explore and play so a run will be needed for outdoor and indoor play, toys should also be given to keep them occupied!


Hope this helps, please feel free to ask any more questions

Laura x

 

[Cgilchrist]

Some info you may find useful

Forum Rules - http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36529

Absolute beginners - http://www.guineapigwelfare.org.uk/the-pig-issue/absolute-beginners/


Guinea Pig Care - http://www.guineapigwelfare.org.uk/guinea-pig-care/

Companionship - http://www.guineapigwelfare.org.uk/guinea-pig-care/companionship-for-guinea-pigs/

Peter Gurney's site - http://www.petergurney.com/
Reference Section - http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=8


Guinea pigs are lovely adorable little animals and have such wonderful personalities. I'm sure you will love having them in your life. It's good that you want to know more before you get them, there is lots to learn, more than most non-piggy peeps could ever! imagine
I sincerely hope that you aren't planning on breeding them, you only have to look on rescue websites and places like preloved & freeads to see that the UK is already saturated with unwanted guinea pigs.



I think I should carry on with my stack paperwork, less confusing lol

I really need to work out how to do the links bit without coming put of my response box! all very flash |)

 

[Bailey]

If they are on a muesli type food when you get them, you may want to consider changing them over to a pellet food.
There are plenty around

• Burgess Excel (orange bag)
• Pets At Home Pellets
• Science Selective (purple bag)
• Wagg Optimum (available in bigger supermarkets)
• Burgess Cranberry

If you do swap them over, do it gradually so that their tummies get used to it.
Some companies will send you a free sample if you email them, Science Selective I have always found to be the most generous and quickest with samples.

 

[Bailey]

I really need to work out how to do the links bit without coming put of my response box! all very flash |)

I have two replie screens open lol and I copy & paste stuff around

 

[carrot_and_parsnip]

Hello, welcome to the forum! I'm glad to hear that you aren't going to breed these wee piggies, once you have them you will realise what a joy they are as pets, they have amazing and individual personalities, they give so much back to you and you'll realise why not breeding is for the best.
It's great that you have came here to seek out information on how to care for them properly, I think a lot of people underestimate the amount of time, effort and money involved in looking after them, but it's completely worth it! This site is an invaluable resource, there are so many helpful and knowledgeable members on the forum that you'll be sure to find answers to any questions you may have.
It's also an incredibly friendly forum which is very welcoming to new members.
Good luck with your new piggies, I look forward to seeing pigtures!

 

[Pepperdog]

I am getting things ready at my home for my 3 piggies which will be able to come home in 13 days (there is a baby and its too cold to live outside) and in the interim I am working hard between work to get the hutch ready.

I admit I was worried about a fox and cat problem in our town and asked if they could be outside daytime, inside night time and had a resounding no so I have made plans to create a fence around the hutch that will keep them safe from harm and am taking steps to secure the front of the hutch. I will be bringing them in for the colder months and that is also a planned time to repair and restore the hutch each year so I prolong the life of their home. Each descision is taken seriously and after consulting research so I can give them the best life with me as possible.

When searching for a second hand hutch I saw how many piggies were offered FTGH and some even with their hutches/cages. I give my animals a life time commitment and the best I can provide, although they dont cost as much as my dog does, you can be surprised with just how much they do cost you, especially if like me you dont want to just buy them any old shavings or hay etc.

I am sorry for the leacture and it may seem a little strange coming from a new piggie owner, I have had them before and they had the best care then. I volunteer in hound rescue charities and the amount of people that offer them FTGH is astounding, it is a bone of contention with any animal that ends up needed a new home. Would I breed from mine - I confess I considered it, but I know that I dont want to end up adding to the problems and I dont know the first thing about breeding piggies, I dont want to learn at the risk of my animals so I wont be breeding.

Stick around and ask questions, you can learn an awful lot of information from forums and I am still learning myself.

 

[daleksarah]

hi i think you may have just used the wrong word a breeder implies you just want to get the piggies to have babies so you can make money but i think the correct term you are after is new piggie slave (or owner)
welcome to the forum have you got 2 girls or boys?we hope you will share photos
theres loads of advice to be had on this forum just have a nosy through some threads.piggies need to be fed twice a day and they like lots of fresh veg.they need to be clean often and lots of us on here use fleece as bedding in our cages