Newbie here. Complete Newbie

ladymuck83

ladymuck83

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
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Location
Wales
Hey all

I have adopted two lovely little guinea pigs. Mike and Roy. We think we may give them the Welsh versions of this Name.... Meic and Roi 🤣

Anyways any words of wisdom please send them my way. I’ve never had guinea pigs before but they were so lovely I couldn’t not have them. That and my son needed them in his life. It’s amazing how much less time he’s spent on the iPad since getting them. Even to pick up their poop!

I’m off to the housing section I need some questions answered :)
 
Welcome to our friendly forum! You have come to the right place for all things piggie. How old is your son? I have included the guides about piggies and children for you.

Here is a little night time reading.

Children And Guinea Pigs - A Guide For Parents
Children And Guinea Pigs - Age Appropriate Interaction And Responsibilities.
Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide

Start saving for a guinea pig fund then when you need to take your piggy to the vets the money is there. Piggies always need to see a vet at the most inconvenient times. You also need to find a vet that is cavy savvy (knows how to treat guinea pigs). Alot of vets say they treat guinea pigs but are not that good. I have a vet up the road from me who says they "treat" guinea pigs. I have been there once and that was one time too many! I now go to a vet around 15-20 mins drive away as they are so much better. The Vet Locator at the top of the page has a list of vets throughout the country that have been recommended by members where the service they and their piggies have received is very good (my own included) so you know you'll be in safe hands.
 
I can help by saying this

Vitamic c ( red bell peppers are the best)

Fibre ( lots of timothy hay)

Fresh water daily

Minimum size cage has to be 120cm x 60cm. I think 140cm x60 for two boars though

Having 2 pigs together( you have already)

Most important things to start with. ☝️

Welcome to the forum😁
 
ladymuck83 said:
Hey all

I have adopted two lovely little guinea pigs. Mike and Roy. We think we may give them the Welsh versions of this Name.... Meic and Roi 🤣

Anyways any words of wisdom please send them my way. I’ve never had guinea pigs before but they were so lovely I couldn’t not have them. That and my son needed them in his life. It’s amazing how much less time he’s spent on the iPad since getting them. Even to pick up their poop!

I’m off to the housing section I need some questions answered :)
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

Please take the time to read up on our new owners guide collection! You will find it both helpful and informative as we are specifically addressing all areas that we get the most questions and concerns from new owners about.
The guides range from settling in and making friends with your new piggies; family considerations; housing (including recommended cage sizes)/bedding/extreme weather care and lawn time tips, diet and daily/weekly care; understanding behaviour; learning what is normal and not and how to spot early signs of illness/how soon to see a vet etc.

You can access the New Owners Most Helpful Guides here via clicking on this link here: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

You are however welcome to ask any questions you have along the way in our various Care sections. Our full guide collection on a very wide range of topics is accessible via the shortcut on the top bar where you also find our recommended vets and rescues lists.

Since we have members from all over the world, you can help us tailor any recommendations to what is available and relevant for where you are straight away by adding your county to your account details by clicking on your username on the top bar. This makes it appear with every post you make and saves everybody time. Thank you!

PS: All my piggies have Welsh names, too. I am Swiss, but my husband is a Welshman and some of my piggies were actually adopted from rescues in Wales.
 
Hello and I hope you have read to all of the guides suggested above.

You have boars so I recommend two food & water bowls and two hideouts. This is to prevent any potential fighting! I must warn you that boars get very hormonal in the "teen years" which starts at 7 months old and ends at 14 months old. There may be a lot of signs of dominace displayed during this time, not sure if yours are babies or not...
Make sure they get unlimited hay and ALOT of it. Fresh veggies everyday can/should be offered. Any lettuce is fine except iceberg should be avoided.
How exciting (and terrifying lol) that this is your first time with guinea pigs. I know exactly how you feel being an unexpected owner. Best of luck, I'm sure they'll have a terrific life with you and your son. :)
 
Thanks everyone for your supportive and helpful replies. Great ideas there to take back!

:)
 
cavylover2002 said:
Hello and I hope you have read to all of the guides suggested above.

You have boars so I recommend two food & water bowls and two hideouts. This is to prevent any potential fighting! I must warn you that boars get very hormonal in the "teen years" which starts at 7 months old and ends at 14 months old. There may be a lot of signs of dominace displayed during this time, not sure if yours are babies or not...
Make sure they get unlimited hay and ALOT of it. Fresh veggies everyday can/should be offered. Any lettuce is fine except iceberg should be avoided.
How exciting (and terrifying lol) that this is your first time with guinea pigs. I know exactly how you feel being an unexpected owner. Best of luck, I'm sure they'll have a terrific life with you and your son. :)
Click to expand...

Thank u :) he’s so loving with them and gentle. They are about 8 months old I think :)
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

Please take the time to read up on our new owners guide collection! You will find it both helpful and informative as we are specifically addressing all areas that we get the most questions and concerns from new owners about.
The guides range from settling in and making friends with your new piggies; family considerations; housing (including recommended cage sizes)/bedding/extreme weather care and lawn time tips, diet and daily/weekly care; understanding behaviour; learning what is normal and not and how to spot early signs of illness/how soon to see a vet etc.

You can access the New Owners Most Helpful Guides here via clicking on this link here: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

You are however welcome to ask any questions you have along the way in our various Care sections. Our full guide collection on a very wide range of topics is accessible via the shortcut on the top bar where you also find our recommended vets and rescues lists.

Since we have members from all over the world, you can help us tailor any recommendations to what is available and relevant for where you are straight away by adding your county to your account details by clicking on your username on the top bar. This makes it appear with every post you make and saves everybody time. Thank you!

PS: All my piggies have Welsh names, too. I am Swiss, but my husband is a Welshman and some of my piggies were actually adopted from rescues in Wales.
Click to expand...
Yay 😀 more Welsh piggies thank u :)
 
ladymuck83 said:
Awwwww they gorgeous do they all get on together? Thanks for all the info :)
Click to expand...
Yes all of them get on very well. I have the highly unusual (and def not recommended) situation of 2 boys living with 3 girls. Dennis (tri colour teddy) has been bullied a bit by Christian (silver agouti) over the last few weeks but that seems to have settled down a bit now. I think Christian was having a bit of a testosterone spike.
 
Welcome to the forum
You’ve been pointed in the right direction for advice so enjoy the reading and feel free to ask questions.
We learn so much from each other here.
Lots of pictures please
 
Here they are not the best pic! Do your poop literally every minute. I feel like changing their cage daily!
 

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