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should i bye a guinea pigg

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candypopie

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ive bought the cage and food and everyink but I'm not shure wether i should go ahead, if i do i will be keeping 2 in a large cage in my bedroom but wont they keep me awake at night squeaking and also my freind said they really stink is this true.
If i did get them should i get 2 adviseboys 2 girls or one of each i need your advise.
 
Firstly, please try to get piggies from a rescue centre. There are lots out there that need good homes. If you keep them clean they won't smell. Just sweep up the poops and take out any dirty bedding everyday and it will be ok. They probably won't keep you up by squeaking cuz they will be asleep at night too and if they do wake up they don't make too much noise unless they think you have food. The minimum size your cage should be is 4x2ft but lots of pet shops sell cages that are not big enough.
 
I think the question you have to ask yourself is, do I have the time to give them, do I want to commit to the amount of care required in keeping guinea pigs, can I afford their upkeep and vet bills and the ultimate question why do you want piggies. I ask as you seem uncertain and guinea pigs can live a long life.
 
mine do keep me a wake:)) they run around and weekkkk at night they are more active i think at night than the day i had them in my room when i first guineas and they did nothing but weeekkkkk and run around all night:))
also i dont think people realise how much time guineas really need its not a case of put them in the cage and thats that they need lap time and lots of TLC with your self every day for a few hours a day its not a case of there fine in there cage as there not and you need to give veg every day which is money again..really be sure before you have some has once you have them then your stuck to find a good home for them if you cant manage the time on themxx
 
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Guinea pigs do live for 4-7 years (some even longer) and are a real and longterm commitment. Ideally, they should not be kept in a bedroom, like most pets, as that can trigger allergies.

Here is a link that may help you think through whether you want to make this commitment. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36801

Guinea pigs need to be cleaned out regularly, if you want to keep them indoors - that keeps the smell down! Mine live on fleece with a newspaper and towel underlay and need to be changed every three days and spot cleaned at least once daily, ideally twice. Two guinea pigs will need a minimum cage of 2x4 ft ground space in order to allow them free movement.

If you want have guinea pigs - and they are lovely company - please contact your closest specialist rescue. You will get guaranteed healthy, properly sexed and non-pregnant piggies, non of which you can count on necessarily with a shop piggy. You will have to pass a home check; mainly to see whether your accommodation for the animals is conform to their requirements. But you will also get support and advice if you do rehome.

Here is a link to the website this forum is connected with; you can find rescue addresses on there: http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk
 
my son has a guinea pig in his bedroom and snoppy the guinea pig is not noisy at night he sleeps you sometimes hear him having a drink in the night he does all his wees and poos in one corner which gets cleaned everyday and all you can really smell is hay
 
well

i have given it alot of thought and i am now 100 percent shure that i am commited i have the time the space and the money to look after piggys and give them a good life.
 
if you are 100 sure then you should try and get your guinea pigs from a resce if possible i am sure they will be full to the brim after christmas
 
Welcome to the forum, candypopie!

I don't mean to be nosy, but can you confirm if you are a minor (under 16 ) and rely on your parents for anything or if you're independent?

I ask because it is vital that your parents are involved with this, if you rely on them for anything, as without their support you can't guarantee the committment through "thick and thin".
 
Not being harsh but please do some research before you get any. They shouldn't keep you up at night because they aren't nocturnal and only really make noise when you are making their meals! :(|)

I would recommend using fleece and when it is time to change, I wrap the old dirty fleece and empty it into the garden waste bin and it is so easy that way.
 
ive bought them

i bought 2 nine week old males from pets at home my mum said i had to get them from a pet shop i dont know why though
i called them persi and finni after persil and finish (because i name all of my pets after cleaning products)
persi is whiteish all over( i think thats called liluck or soment) he is verry calm and likes being handled but dosent like playing or running around however finni who is black brown and white likes running around more than being handled.
theve both setled in verry well and i think i made the right choice thanks for all you help.8)
 
candypopie said:
i bought 2 nine week old males from pets at home my mum said i had to get them from a pet shop i dont know why though
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Oh Dear...

You really need to think about your parents when owning pets. I'm 16 and own 4 rats, and i can tell you now ive had some hefty arguements on vet treatment etc because they think they arent worth the money. And its not even there money I'm spending its mine!

Also id recommend putting a certain amount of money away for a vet fund, so you always have money available if they get ill.
 
candypopie said:
ive bought the cage and food and everyink but I'm not shure wether i should go ahead, if i do i will be keeping 2 in a large cage in my bedroom but wont they keep me awake at night squeaking and also my freind said they really stink is this true.
If i did get them should i get 2 adviseboys 2 girls or one of each i need your advise.
Click to expand...

candypopie said:
i have given it alot of thought and i am now 100 percent shure that i am commited i have the time the space and the money to look after piggys and give them a good life.
Click to expand...


Not to be mean but everyone stressed to you how much of a big choice this was now your first "unsure" post was only an hour before saying you had given it alot of thought,I dont think you have!

candypopie said:
i bought 2 nine week old males from pets at home my mum said i had to get them from a pet shop i dont know why though
i called them persi and finni after persil and finish (because i name all of my pets after cleaning products)
persi is whiteish all over( i think thats called liluck or soment) he is verry calm and likes being handled but dosent like playing or running around however finni who is black brown and white likes running around more than being handled.
theve both setled in verry well and i think i made the right choice thanks for all you help.8)
Click to expand...

After everyone tried to help you go out and get petshop pigs who may be pregnant/mis sexed/sick!
If you cannot rescue because your not allowed to then are you allowed to take the pigs to the vet? or buy proper accessories for them?
They also need quite a large cage which i can guarantee you arent providing,
The need proper well balanced diets,you also need to find a piggy savvy vet.
Will your mum let you do all this and more?
It seems utterly ridiculous to me that you would take just over an hour to be sure of a commitment that could be up to ten years long and then around one day later get two pigs with barely enough knowledge.
Did you also know boys are more prone to falling out and if they do you will have to get two more pigs therefore increasing all of your current pig expenses.
You obviously didnt think anything through and i hope the pigs dont pay the price for that!
 
Bonnie I think that's a little harsh this is a new member who is only 13. It's done now and the best thing we can do is help rather than make feel like they can't post anymore.

I'm not saying you don't have a point - you have a very good point - but the route you took to say your point doesn't take into account the age of the poster.

candypopie Bonnie does make some good points and it may be worth putting some money aside each week for vets bills. How big is your cage? Pet shops usually mis-sell cages and sell very small ones for guineas who actually benefot from bigger cages. You can get less expensive bigger cages than some of the small pet shop ones if you shop right online.

Please have a read of the sticky on boars - I'm not sure where it is but will see if I can find it for you and post a link - it's well worth reading lots and lots about your new pets. They make wonderful pets but need a bit more care than people originally think or pet shops let you know.

If you have any other questions please ask. You can learn loads and loads of valuable advice on here.
 
Lisajazz said:
Bonnie I think that's a little harsh this is a new member who is only 13. It's done now and the best thing we can do is help rather than make feel like they can't post anymore.

I'm not saying you don't have a point - you have a very good point - but the route you took to say your point doesn't take into account the age of the poster.

candypopie Bonnie does make some good points and it may be worth putting some money aside each week for vets bills. How big is your cage? Pet shops usually mis-sell cages and sell very small ones for guineas who actually benefot from bigger cages. You can get less expensive bigger cages than some of the small pet shop ones if you shop right online.

Please have a read of the sticky on boars - I'm not sure where it is but will see if I can find it for you and post a link - it's well worth reading lots and lots about your new pets. They make wonderful pets but need a bit more care than people originally think or pet shops let you know.

If you have any other questions please ask. You can learn loads and loads of valuable advice on here.
Click to expand...

Yes i do agree i was a little harsh,i did not know the poster was that young,the way I'm thinking about it though is if she was mature enough to go get pets then I'm sure she is mature enough to handle what i said.
Any animal is a big responsibility and it should not be taken lightly.
 
I was allowed pets from a young age and really needed my mum's help and support as I wasn't old enough to understand the full implications of pet care. But then as my mum had greelighted the purchase she did give full support to me and to our pets (hamsters). At this age parental support is vital and having pets a real learning curve for future pet ownership and responsibility.

13 is an age that's getting mature but still needs support and friendly advice in order to take things on board. Harsh advice is likely to turn away - would have me. In fact I posted recently on a different guinea forum and someone was very harsh with me first post so I didn't go back and have no intentions of going back. And i'm 36.
 
I think parental support is a good point but i would like to add that as she is a minor the guinea pigs are actually the responsibility of the parents.

The parental support given will largerly depend on the parent my mum fork out a fortune on my rabbits as a child (11+) poppy and velvet both had over £1000 spent on medical bills on them, but my mum is also an animal lover and i think parents should not be "demonised" or made to feel the enemy.

With respect to getting the guinea pigs at least candypopie came to this site and started asking questions! this points that she does not want to ignorant or uniformed about piggy welfare, behaviour etc etc

She may not have been allowed to rehome from a rescue because her parents did not want strangers in her house/bedroom. MY mum as much as i would like rarely rescues (once that i can think of)animals from rescue places as she does not like strangers in the house and she does not like being judged, this does not mean she buys animals she takes in waifs and strays apart from the ponies.

candypopie - Keep asking questions!
 
by the way

i have been considering it for 6 months i just wanted to see what you said if you said deffinatly not i wouldnt have but as you didnt i got them, the cage is huge I'm not shure of the exact mesuerment though, they showed me and my mum in the pet shop that they are boys and showed us how to check their teeth and stuff, and my mum wanted to get them from pets at home cause she knows some one who works there and she trusts them more than strangers and she is willing to pay vett bills.:)p:pinbreeding8
 
Do you know where piggies or any other animal comes from when you buy from pet shops? Trust me by buying from petshops you are supporting a cause that you probably dont even realise! Heres a link to an article;

Petshops
(This link goes to FR but theres another link I'm trying to find which shows you pictures of all small pets in a rodent farm. Trust me the one ill find is one of the better ones. Even though it speaks about rats, it hold true to all pets sold in petshops)

Oh and never ever trust petshops, their word should never be taken above anyone elses. The amount of times people have come onto the rat forum I'm on and told us what the petshops have told them, its unbelievable tbh.

For example, Rats are split in vareties and on the basis of the position of their ears. Dumbo meaning there ears are rounder and at the side of their head, and top ear which means on the top of their head. Now theirs no difference between them AT ALL except there ears. However petshops will commonly tell you they shouldnt be kept together, dumbos are lazier, dumbos grow bigger/smaller than top ears etc. Trust me Pet shop people are commonly mis informed, and they just love thinking they are the experts. Ofcourse i am generalizing I'm sure there are some who know what they are talking about.
 
Welcome to the forum Candypopie, its been a bit of a baptism of fire for you so far but the people here care a LOT about piggies so passions run deep. Stick with us, you'll learn a lot on this forum, I certainly have.
 
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