New to having guinea pigs and want some info please

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Nikki o

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Hi 😃 we have just got 2 pigs and they are super cute, just wondering if we are doing right by feeding them plenty of hay and pellets. And how often should we be getting them out? Like a couple times a day or more? They make all sorts of squeaky noises and one was jumping round like a kangaroo lol! Kids found it hilarious. They dont seem to mind being picked up by myself or the kids. Thanks in advance xx
 
Welcome

yes they need lots of hay constantly but never lots of pellets. They should have just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day. They are the least important and least healthy part of the diet so make sure they never have constant access to pellets. They can have 50g/1 cup of veg per day but you need to introduce any new veggies into the diet slowly so as to not upset their tummies.

In terms of handling, follow your piggies lead. Most don’t like being held or picked up so you will just have to see how your goes.

the jumping about is called popcorning - it’s a sign of a happy piggy!

Ensure you get into the habit of weighing them every week. regular weight checks are the only way to know they are eating enough hay since you cannot judge hay intake by eye.

If you got them from a pet shop or breeder, please ensure you double check their sexes yourself. Unfortunately missexing is common and you don’t want to find out you’ve got a mixed sex pair.

Ensure their cage is big enough. If you’ve got two girls, then their cage needs to be a minimum of 120x60cm. If you’ve got two boys then they need a lot more room and a cage of 180x60cm is recommended. Lack of space between two boars can cause problems for their bond.

do look through all the guides on this site. There is a lot to take in, but the guides will help you and we can, of course, answer any questions you have

we would love to know more about your piggies, so do show us some pictures!
 
Piggies&buns said:
Welcome

yes they need lots of hay constantly but never lots of pellets. They should have just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day. They are the least important and least healthy part of the diet so make sure they never have constant access to pellets. They can have 50g/1 cup of veg per day but you need to introduce any new veggies into the diet slowly so as to not upset their tummies.

In terms of handling, follow your piggies lead. Most don’t like being held or picked up so you will just have to see how your goes.

the jumping about is called popcorning - it’s a sign of a happy piggy!

Ensure you get into the habit of weighing them every week. regular weight checks are the only way to know they are eating enough hay since you cannot judge hay intake by eye.

If you got them from a pet shop or breeder, please ensure you double check their sexes yourself. Unfortunately missexing is common and you don’t want to find out you’ve got a mixed sex pair.

Ensure their cage is big enough. If you’ve got two girls, then their cage needs to be a minimum of 120x60cm. If you’ve got two boys then they need a lot more room and a cage of 180x60cm is recommended. Lack of space between two boars can cause problems for their bond.

do look through all the guides on this site. There is a lot to take in, but the guides will help you and we can, of course, answer any questions you have

we would love to know more about your piggies, so do show us some pictures!
Click to expand...
Thank you, definitely 2 boys, they have a hutch with a big run, its huge. My 4 year old son keeps asking if he can get in there with them 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣 he moans when I tell him no! They also have a play pen that we put them in, with some balls and other toys, they seem happy enough running round playing. Thank you for your advice xx
 
Hi! There are a ton of guides on here that have all sorts of useful info. There's so much it's a little daunting to go through at first.
Here's a link to the food guide.
In general, they should get unlimited hay, 1 cup veggies a day per pig, 1 tbsp timothy hay based pellets per piggy per day.
There's also concerns about too much calcium causing bladder stones, so you have to limit certain kinds of veggies.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

I personally find frequent but more brief interactions (like 5-20 minutes at a time but like 5-10 times a day) with the piggies seem to be better tolerated than 1 really long session. On days I have a lot of free time I might spent upwards of 2 hours total per day with them, on busy days I might only get 20 minutes total.
Our piggies don't like being picked up, so we made their cage big enough so that we can get right into their pen and they come to us. Your 4 year old and I might be on the same wavelength on that one!
 
:wel:Are they indoors or out? And how old are they? Space needs to be in one level - additional floors don’t count. And how long have you had them? I’m glad they have a big enough hutch. Boars are particular about space 🙄. Enjoy them and post some photos.
 
Congratulations on the new additions to your family. Some pictures of your boys would be lovely 😊
 
:agr: Welcome! I recommend to read the resources in The New and Wannabe Guinea Pig Owners section. Pictures would be great!
 
I would say feed them a unlimited amounts of hay but only 1/4 cup of pellets for both of them (if there are two food bowls put 1/8 cup of pellets in each). and only a cup of veggies a day. also if they are jumping around that mean they are happy (its called popcorning). I love it when my pigiies do it too! Also i would say take them out at least 1 a day. since i saw your comment saying that you have a really big playpen and hutch. but normally i myslef take them out like 3 times a day since i have a 3 by 5 cage.
if you want any more info pls reply and i woudl glady answer. you can also get some info from- Sqeak Dreams, Little adventures, Saskia guiena pig resucue. And you can get some more info from Guinea pig cage stores website.
 
Lola.123 said:
I would say feed them a unlimited amounts of hay but only 1/4 cup of pellets for both of them (if there are two food bowls put 1/8 cup of pellets in each). and only a cup of veggies a day. also if they are jumping around that mean they are happy (its called popcorning). I love it when my pigiies do it too! Also i would say take them out at least 1 a day. since i saw your comment saying that you have a really big playpen and hutch. but normally i myslef take them out like 3 times a day since i have a 3 by 5 cage.
if you want any more info pls reply and i woudl glady answer. you can also get some info from- Sqeak Dreams, Little adventures, Saskia guiena pig resucue. And you can get some more info from Guinea pig cage stores website.
Click to expand...
An 1/8 of a cup is still more than the recommended tablespoon. And we have plenty of information on this forum.
 
ty, my piggies dont even like eating all the pellets for me that usally lasts two days since they mostly eat veg and hay. i will put a table sppon now
 
Your pigs sound very happy! You have entered a wonderful world, even if it is one full of poo and hay ending up in random places 💜
 
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