twiams
Adult Guinea Pig
As a bit of a chatter box i love to just write random essays about things, especially piggies, i started a blog and this was one of my first articles, i wanted to share it with you guys to get some feedback.
This is aimed at people looking into guinea pigs or maybe even new owners too.
Please let me know if you feel i've missed anything.
Thanks.
So you want to get a guinea pig ?
Firstly, i’m Pro rescue, i think that adopting piggies should be your first priority, baby pet shop guinea pigs can look very cute and be small little babies, but they are often miss-sexed, or ill, rescues often have pregnant pigs come in and so do have baby piggies too ! Not only will you be having a new family member you’ll be giving the piggy a new start and a chance for a better life !This aside, you firstly need to find a rescue in your area.
http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk/
So lets start with a list of what you need !
A Cage, Guinea pigs also need alot of space, a cage must be the minimum of a 120cm long cage for 2 guinea pigs and obviously guinea pigs are social creatures so should be kept in pairs or small groups, boys however are often advised to be kept in just pairs due to fighting in any groups of larger size. Girls can be kept in anything from 2 or more deppending how they all get on and how much space they have ! Also, with a neutered boar, you can keep them with any number of girls.
Please remember neutering guinea pigs, unlike most animals, doesn’t change there behaviour so will not help if two piggies are fighting !
This website should help you with cages, it recommends a C&C cage, it will explain it on the website there lovely and alot more versatile than a shop bought cage. Remember Bigger is better and so if the space is available make your cage bigger than minimum!
Also extra floors do not count in the minimum space and are counted as “extras†at least one level of the cage should meet minimum size requirements.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/
A Run, Referring back to needing alot of space, guinea pigs need alot of exercise ! As exercise balls and wheels are out of the question, you need a run or a safe area for piggies to play in, a run should be bigger than the piggies actual living space so there cage basically, this run can be for indoor and outdoor or you can have one for each !
Remember though with piggies having a run outside, start with a small amount of time and slowly increase as most piggies will stuff themselves full of grass and if they aren’t use to eating grass it can be harmful.
Food, the most important thing to a piggy ! Nuggets are the base of a piggies diet, there is alot of mixed feed’s that i wouldn’t recommend due to promoting selective feeding, in a mixed food, each different coloured piece holds a different nutrient, and as each piece tastes different piggies will eat what they like and not get everything they need where as in nuggets all the nutrients and in the same pellet ! Nuggets usually look like guinea pig poo basically, there are several brands that people use and personally i use Burgess,
http://www.burgesspetcare.co.uk/
On top of nuggets, they need hay available at all times, this should be in a hay rack off the floor so that the piggies don’t urinate on it and then eat it (Yucky!) also hay can be used in the cage for extra warm bedding, stuffing in a box is very cosy for any pig ! Hay is useful for keeping the teeth in good order too, so helping keep down any dentist bills !
Also piggies need daily fresh veggies, theres a list of veggies you can feed them here
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42
You should make sure you have two separate bowls, one for veg and one for nuggets, with boars, it’s sometimes recommended to have 2 food bowls available to them, so they can have there own bowl and food, this can help prevent any fighting !
When it comes to water, like hay, this must be available at all times ! Water should be kept in a bottle on the side of the cage to prevent knocking over any water bowls and causing a wet cage and a soggy piggy!
What comes next ?
Bedding, there is so much bedding to choose from, Sawdust is great but often the dust in it can be dangerous for there breathing, and sometimes it can get in the piggies eye causing damage, i’ve experienced both of these things.
Carefresh is a safer paper based bedding which alot of people love, although expensive cheaper brands can be bought such as Megazorb ,
Vet bed, this is a bedding that requires alot more work, and need’s to be changed and washed and poop scooped regularly, along with the similar fleece as a bedding, fleece requires daily poop scooping and washing around every 3 days but it looks great and piggies find it super comfey ! You can also buy fleecy pet products such as tunnels and cosy sacks/ bed’s to go in your piggies cage from people such as Pawsup !
http://www.pawsup4cosypets.co.uk/
Vet Bills, guinea pigs do need fairly regular nail clipping and untill you feel safe yourself doing this you may want it done by a vet costing between £4-£10 a time, on the other hand if you adopt the rescue may provide this service free of charge ! Also you could learn to do it yourself !
http://www.guinealynx.info/nails.html
As i mentioned in bedding piggies do sometimes just end up hurting themselves with different things and this can total up vet bills a bit, so it’s good to know you have money saved for things like this!
Toys! Piggies need something to keep them active, tunnels, willow balls, and natural treats are great, as well as the essential hidey places like igloos ! But not all toys need to be bought, piggies can find fun in simple things like paper bags and toilet rolls, once you start searching you can find some really great and cheap ideas !
Toys to avoid include wheels and balls, unlike most other rodents guinea pigs have very delicate backs that could be injured very easily by an item like this. Also leads and harnesses, guinea pigs are not dogs and should not be treated like on, they are very different animals and do not like being restricted by anything, especially a harness.
Time, Piggies require alot of time ! they like to be loved and played with, they require there run around time for about an hour and more if you can daily, they also need you to take the time to chop up there veggies every day, so if you don’t have the time to do all these things including the piggie shopping they may not be the right pet for you !
Obviously the starting up cost is alot more then day to day costs, if you go into your local pet shop they can help you price things up and you can get a good idea of a rough cost.They may recommend things like water drops for vitamins and these just aren’t necessary and can sometimes put piggies off there water.
Another cost is if you become an addict like myself and many others.I started of with just 2 and within 4 months i had 5 and i still want more haha!
So now i’ve covered the basics !
Good luck with your pottential piggie future !
This is aimed at people looking into guinea pigs or maybe even new owners too.
Please let me know if you feel i've missed anything.
Thanks.
So you want to get a guinea pig ?
Firstly, i’m Pro rescue, i think that adopting piggies should be your first priority, baby pet shop guinea pigs can look very cute and be small little babies, but they are often miss-sexed, or ill, rescues often have pregnant pigs come in and so do have baby piggies too ! Not only will you be having a new family member you’ll be giving the piggy a new start and a chance for a better life !This aside, you firstly need to find a rescue in your area.
http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk/
So lets start with a list of what you need !
A Cage, Guinea pigs also need alot of space, a cage must be the minimum of a 120cm long cage for 2 guinea pigs and obviously guinea pigs are social creatures so should be kept in pairs or small groups, boys however are often advised to be kept in just pairs due to fighting in any groups of larger size. Girls can be kept in anything from 2 or more deppending how they all get on and how much space they have ! Also, with a neutered boar, you can keep them with any number of girls.
Please remember neutering guinea pigs, unlike most animals, doesn’t change there behaviour so will not help if two piggies are fighting !
This website should help you with cages, it recommends a C&C cage, it will explain it on the website there lovely and alot more versatile than a shop bought cage. Remember Bigger is better and so if the space is available make your cage bigger than minimum!
Also extra floors do not count in the minimum space and are counted as “extras†at least one level of the cage should meet minimum size requirements.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/
A Run, Referring back to needing alot of space, guinea pigs need alot of exercise ! As exercise balls and wheels are out of the question, you need a run or a safe area for piggies to play in, a run should be bigger than the piggies actual living space so there cage basically, this run can be for indoor and outdoor or you can have one for each !
Remember though with piggies having a run outside, start with a small amount of time and slowly increase as most piggies will stuff themselves full of grass and if they aren’t use to eating grass it can be harmful.
Food, the most important thing to a piggy ! Nuggets are the base of a piggies diet, there is alot of mixed feed’s that i wouldn’t recommend due to promoting selective feeding, in a mixed food, each different coloured piece holds a different nutrient, and as each piece tastes different piggies will eat what they like and not get everything they need where as in nuggets all the nutrients and in the same pellet ! Nuggets usually look like guinea pig poo basically, there are several brands that people use and personally i use Burgess,
http://www.burgesspetcare.co.uk/
On top of nuggets, they need hay available at all times, this should be in a hay rack off the floor so that the piggies don’t urinate on it and then eat it (Yucky!) also hay can be used in the cage for extra warm bedding, stuffing in a box is very cosy for any pig ! Hay is useful for keeping the teeth in good order too, so helping keep down any dentist bills !
Also piggies need daily fresh veggies, theres a list of veggies you can feed them here
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42
You should make sure you have two separate bowls, one for veg and one for nuggets, with boars, it’s sometimes recommended to have 2 food bowls available to them, so they can have there own bowl and food, this can help prevent any fighting !
When it comes to water, like hay, this must be available at all times ! Water should be kept in a bottle on the side of the cage to prevent knocking over any water bowls and causing a wet cage and a soggy piggy!
What comes next ?
Bedding, there is so much bedding to choose from, Sawdust is great but often the dust in it can be dangerous for there breathing, and sometimes it can get in the piggies eye causing damage, i’ve experienced both of these things.
Carefresh is a safer paper based bedding which alot of people love, although expensive cheaper brands can be bought such as Megazorb ,
Vet bed, this is a bedding that requires alot more work, and need’s to be changed and washed and poop scooped regularly, along with the similar fleece as a bedding, fleece requires daily poop scooping and washing around every 3 days but it looks great and piggies find it super comfey ! You can also buy fleecy pet products such as tunnels and cosy sacks/ bed’s to go in your piggies cage from people such as Pawsup !
http://www.pawsup4cosypets.co.uk/
Vet Bills, guinea pigs do need fairly regular nail clipping and untill you feel safe yourself doing this you may want it done by a vet costing between £4-£10 a time, on the other hand if you adopt the rescue may provide this service free of charge ! Also you could learn to do it yourself !
http://www.guinealynx.info/nails.html
As i mentioned in bedding piggies do sometimes just end up hurting themselves with different things and this can total up vet bills a bit, so it’s good to know you have money saved for things like this!
Toys! Piggies need something to keep them active, tunnels, willow balls, and natural treats are great, as well as the essential hidey places like igloos ! But not all toys need to be bought, piggies can find fun in simple things like paper bags and toilet rolls, once you start searching you can find some really great and cheap ideas !
Toys to avoid include wheels and balls, unlike most other rodents guinea pigs have very delicate backs that could be injured very easily by an item like this. Also leads and harnesses, guinea pigs are not dogs and should not be treated like on, they are very different animals and do not like being restricted by anything, especially a harness.
Time, Piggies require alot of time ! they like to be loved and played with, they require there run around time for about an hour and more if you can daily, they also need you to take the time to chop up there veggies every day, so if you don’t have the time to do all these things including the piggie shopping they may not be the right pet for you !
Obviously the starting up cost is alot more then day to day costs, if you go into your local pet shop they can help you price things up and you can get a good idea of a rough cost.They may recommend things like water drops for vitamins and these just aren’t necessary and can sometimes put piggies off there water.
Another cost is if you become an addict like myself and many others.I started of with just 2 and within 4 months i had 5 and i still want more haha!
So now i’ve covered the basics !
Good luck with your pottential piggie future !
x