None guineapig person here with lots of questions.

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

piggypig

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jul 19, 2008
Messages
66
Reaction score
0
Points
0
None guineapig person here with lots of questions.Updated!

Hi everyone. Am very interested in getting some guineapigs in the near future but need to do alot of research first. I did own 10 as a child (was sold two females but that wasnt the case and my mom let me keep all the babies) but its been a long time since then and I need to learn alot so seen as the rabbit forum I use is so helpful I figured here would be the best place to ask . so question time...

1, Would a 4ft double hutch with attached run for daytime be large enough for a pair and can they even use ramps?

2, I own rabbits which cost me a lot of "non emergency" vet care alone, do guineas need to be vaccinated, wormed or netured if keep in same sex pairs. If yes what are the rough costs of these?

3, Do they like to be handled and are they human friendly? I have a lot of spare time to spend with them.

I have alot to learn and I'm not going to rush into taking any on untill I am totally aware of their needs. I will go to a rescue for sure should i decide to go ahead :) Thanks for any help given.
 
Last edited:
Hiya and welcome to the forum! :)

4x2 double hutch with run would be ideal for the summer, have you thought about winter though? I made this mistake and got a 5x2 hutch only to find it wouldn't fit in my shed as it was too deep! The requirements are 4x2 single for a pair. :)

Guineas don't need vaccinations or neutered, I'm not sure or worming. I have never done it though and there is never a big thing about doing it on here so I would imagine it's ok to not do it but hopefully someone can answer that one. As for neutering boys can live with boys but it's tricky and you can get the fight for dominance happening. The best pairing would be a neutered boar and sow pairing. Spayed sows are hard to come by and are only done when a health emergency arises with them. I have six boars all in pairings so it can be done I find a baby boar and older boar works a treat or a submissive boar and dominant boar works too. An established pair at a rescue would probably be your best bet for any pairing, there are tons of pigs in rescues and boars to seem to need rehoming more so than sows because of the dominance factor which is sad really. Another thing neutering doesn't alter the behaviour of boars so only get a boar neutered if to be paired with a sow.

Guineas are naturally weary of people at first as in their natural habitat they are prey animals but once they gain your trust they enjoy being handled and of course nine times out of ten they love cuddles. You always get a couple that don't like it as much as others. I've two that aren't so keen (I have ten) but I just leave them be. They are all so different.

Good luck hunting for ideas, we are full of them here. It's a very friendly forum so any questions ask away! We were all new to this once, and even though I've had my little poppets a year I am still learning!

Louise
 
I would agree with Louise about the best pairings being a neutered boar with a sow or same sex litter mates.

Of my 7 piggies, all unrelated, only 2 sows live together because my lot are anti-social ;)
 
piggies

i have done an animal care course and read guinea pig books and they do mention worming for piggies. this is a link from peter gurney's site
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/worming.htm
for good reading here are some sites peter gurney the king of guinea pigs and guinea lynx
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/index.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/ any books by peter gurney are great reading and good to have for future reference.
the most important thing to do before you get you guinea pigs is to find a vet that knows about guinea pigs as a lot of them don't and are too ashamed to admit it.
welcome to the forum from us in south oz, vets who know about piggies are a rare comodity here.
good for you researching first, hope you have fun here, make heaps of friends and learn lots. :)p:)p:)p
 
It IS possible that guineas need worming...some owners worm regularly as a precaution, others only when needed. Guineas can get worms and it can eventually be fatal if not treated. I use a herbal wormer, but they are more at risk if out on the lawn regularly :)

Same sex pairs can be fine, boars do have less chance of working out but are so much more rewarding when they do! I have 6 boars in 3 pairs. Two or 3 sows are good or a neutered boar and sows. Neutering a boar, as has been said, does not change behaviour as with other animals. Costs for neutering vary from vet to vet and be wary and do a lot of research if considering neutering and get recommendations, as not that many vets are exotic specialists. I recently paid £74 to have a boar neutered and that was expensive but my vet is ace with pigs, so worth it in my mind.

Well done for asking questions first and for going for rescue :)
 
Thanks for all your replys, they've helped alot. With regards to winter time and the hutch, its not a problem as we have a car-port/garage type place that isnt used for cars and has ample room. Is the ramp ok for them then?. The only reason I ask is because I own a double hutch that I was given for my rabbits but they live in a shed and this hutch isnt big enough for rabbits anyway so its not being used.
 
piggy ramp

piggypig said:
Thanks for all your replys, they've helped alot. With regards to winter time and the hutch, its not a problem as we have a car-port/garage type place that isnt used for cars and has ample room. Is the ramp ok for them then?. The only reason I ask is because I own a double hutch that I was given for my rabbits but they live in a shed and this hutch isnt big enough for rabbits anyway so its not being used.
Click to expand...
perhaps put something along the side of the ramp so the piggies can't fall off and it should be find for them to use, a little piggy can do a lot of damage to itself if it falls of a ramp, perhaps put some wood along each side and your piggies should be fine.:)p:)p:)p
 
i asked this question a few weeks back and was told that it depends on the piggy, some will use ramps and some wont.mine wont lol he's in a double hutch but has never seen the bottom level lol.
 
ramp

linz said:
i asked this question a few weeks back and was told that it depends on the piggy, some will use ramps and some wont.mine wont lol he's in a double hutch but has never seen the bottom level lol.
Click to expand...
depends on how big the ramp is? i mean look at it from a piggies eye view, your are 6 inches of the ground and here is this steep ramp and a long way down. they must be sacred stiff of the drop.
so try putting something along the sides for added protection and along the ramp leave a food trail of their favourite food like cucumber or tomatoes for them to follow.
if this fails you could try and get a single storey cage for the piggies, as like people why shouldn't some piggies be scared of heights? good luck!
 
Thanks. The ramp is not that high but I can see how a side will make it seem a lot less scary and so much safer. Would defo try that.
 
linz said:
i asked this question a few weeks back and was told that it depends on the piggy, some will use ramps and some wont.mine wont lol he's in a double hutch but has never seen the bottom level lol.
Click to expand...

All my ramps have sides on. When i got Howie, an older rescue boar, he didn't know what to do but with a gentle nudge & watching the others he soon got the hang of it :)
 
A good thing is to put rubber on the ramp... the stuff that is non slip and they can grip it... That way they feel a bit more secure going up and down...
 
Sorr don't agree on the worming side, having a best friend who is a vet and vets all my piggies, she says they are not needed just a selling ploy, yes ppl use them but thats because they are available NOT because they are needed. If I am wrong then apologies but this is my experience and the experience of a vet.
 
beware they are addictive they are so adorable and you may find your self with many little pigs
 
to worm or not to worm

marias_email said:
Sorr don't agree on the worming side, having a best friend who is a vet and vets all my piggies, she says they are not needed just a selling ploy, yes ppl use them but thats because they are available NOT because they are needed. If I am wrong then apologies but this is my experience and the experience of a vet.
Click to expand...

i got the link for worming from the peter gurney site, and as i thought the late peter gurney was the king of guinea pigs i thought he knew what he was saying.
so now i am confused, worming is needed is piggies spend a lot of time on the lawn from what i can gather. will try and find out more.
 
Depending if you keep the piggies on the lawn where other animals could have been ... like cats, dogs etc.
I was told by my vet that they don't necessarily need worming when they are just indoor and running around indoors or in a large hutch with no contact to cat, dog or any other animal wee and poo. Otherwise he recommends worming them just in case.
 
I think it is a personal choice but none of mine have ever or will ever be wormed unless for some reason I have a problem, maybe its a question for MaryH, she will know!
 
MaryH has said that she doesn't worm her piggies (I am pretty sure). Apparently it is fairly rare for piggies to get worms. I know that some people use a herbal wormer and I guess if you choose to worm them that's probably what I would go for. Mine are not wormed either.
 
I have used a herbal wormer in the past, but only because my one of my piggies was having unexplained weight loss..yet eating like a horse! i have never wormed them on a regular basis, mine play out in the garden during summer but they have a built run so no other animals can get in there such as cats etc and ive had 2 of my girls for nearly 7 years and they havent been wormed once in all that time.
 
Apparantly ringworm is a fungal problem and shouldn't be treated with worming tablets anyway. I typed into google 'Do guinea pigs need worming' and every website said a straight NO x
 
Well after a long read of this site I decided I could give a pair of piggies a good home and had a quick look on ebay and preloved for things I could get ready for when I got some and I got more than just tunnels or toys, I got 2 beautiful boys that I just adore. They were unwanted because of a new baby and free to good home :( I couldnt help myself. My original plan was to get rescue ones but this was'nt to be as i fell in love. It doesnt bother me though as long as I dont support the pet trade. As yet they have no names but I'm working on it. I have a lot to learn so will be asking alot more questions. First one will be diet which I will ask in the right section. As for the ramp they use it fine. My partner made a new one that wasnt as steep and added a side and they zoom up and down it. So happy i got them and I love listening to the squeek. Thanks to everyone for your advice x
 
good for you

congratulations on the new piggies, can't wait to see pictures and to know a little about them.
here is a link of thread in food called guinea pig shopping list it lists the food you can and can't feed them, http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42
perhaps ask the person you got them from what they were being fed.
in the UK you have many dry foods like burgess, oxbow, excel, musuesli(sp) to name some so you can pick which one suits your piggies. also in the UK you have different hays like oaten, lucerne(too high in calcium), mountain, timothy and many more.
so good luck finding the right things for your piggies, when adding new food do it slowly so as to not upset their tummies.
here in south oz we don't have the variety of food, hays or toys for piggies, and the vets well some are too proud to say they know nothing about piggies.
which reminds me, finding a good piggy savy vet should be number one on your list so you know where they are before you need them.
tell people in UK where you live and they may know of a good vet or in health and illness there is a thread called recomended vets.
can't wait to see pictures, let them settle in for a day or two, talk to them and get them use to you being around.
good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of being a guinea pigs slave and your OH too:rose:rose:rose
 
choloe said:
congratulations on the new piggies, can't wait to see pictures and to know a little about them.
here is a link of thread in food called guinea pig shopping list it lists the food you can and can't feed them, http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42
perhaps ask the person you got them from what they were being fed.
in the UK you have many dry foods like burgess, oxbow, excel, musuesli(sp) to name some so you can pick which one suits your piggies. also in the UK you have different hays like oaten, lucerne(too high in calcium), mountain, timothy and many more.
so good luck finding the right things for your piggies, when adding new food do it slowly so as to not upset their tummies.
here in south oz we don't have the variety of food, hays or toys for piggies, and the vets well some are too proud to say they know nothing about piggies.
which reminds me, finding a good piggy savy vet should be number one on your list so you know where they are before you need them.
tell people in UK where you live and they may know of a good vet or in health and illness there is a thread called recomended vets.
can't wait to see pictures, let them settle in for a day or two, talk to them and get them use to you being around.
good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of being a guinea pigs slave and your OH too:rose:rose:rose
Click to expand...

Thats great,the link helps alot. I have some of their own food and will slowly change to a new food over the space of about a month as they have mix and I want them on pellets. Cant wait to get to know them :)x).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top