Guinea Pig owners help please!

DaniBearxx · 02-08-2014, 08:21 PM

Hey everyone! I am getting a guinea pig tomorrow from a friend who is giving hers away. I know alittle bit about the pet but not much. Is there anything you can tell me about them, stuff I should know? I'm doing a lot of research and preparing for tomorrow. Just want some advice from owners

**Alexander** · 02-08-2014, 08:58 PM

I have had two Guinea pigs, And one thing you should never do is put two of them in one cage they will immediately become enemies...

racinghamster · 02-09-2014, 02:12 AM

Hi. Guinea pigs are wonderful creatures and should really be kept in same sex pairs where possible, but if the one you are getting is a male (a boar) then he should be kept alone unless a good rescue or breeder could pair him up with a baby boar for you. Adult males are more tricky to pair up. Females are easier, but I would still never try introductions unless you had good advice from another guinea pig person to help and advise if your not sure about doing this.

There are some wonderful websites to advise you. I will post a few here for you to get started.

Guinea Lynx :: A Medical and Care Guide for Your Guinea Pig

PETERGURNEY.COM

Peter Gurney's Guinea Pig Health Guide Pages

Guinea Pig Care and Health Information

These should give you some decent information, but being in the US, there will possibly be clubs over there you could also contact. Feed a small amount of decent pelleted food each day, but the main diet should consist of good quality hay 24/7 and fresh veggies. Guinea pigs lack vitamin C so they get this from their food. The person you are getting the guinea pig from should also provide you with information about what they have been feeding and possibly give you some with the guinea pig. If you want to change the food to a better one, this needs to be done gradually.

Hope this basic advice will be helpful. x

**Hamsterz4Life** · 02-09-2014, 03:22 AM

I know I am not really helping but I recommend you check out some YouTube Channels like Piggiepigpigs. They have a great knowledge for guinea pigs and If You Spent 2/3 hours watching her channel, you would gain quite alot of useful knowledge.

My advice would be, to gain their trust. Guinea's are generally quite shy and the fact this guinea pig will be moving, will add to the stress. Let it out in the garden and play with you. But don't be too controlling they like freedom. And Veggies.

Best Of Luck

crazygal330 · 02-09-2014, 07:55 AM

Guineas are very social animals and really benefit from company especially girls who are much easier to introduce and can live in big groups called herds. Guinea lynx is my favourite website for care advice. They are pretty skittish creatures.
I have had my 3 boys for two years and they are only just getting used to being picked up and still run for cover when we try to catch them.

Munchalot · 02-09-2014, 08:48 AM

Guinea pigs are lovely little things. I can't wait for a time when I have the time and resource to keep them again. We used to have two sows called Freckles and Giggles, and they were the best of friends.

Everyone has already given you some great advice.
The diet is definitely something that needs attention. There are a lot of people that feed their piggies solely a muesli type food and nothing else, or even worse - rabbit food. Never feed your piggie rabbit food, because as already mentioned they essentially need a lot of Vitamin C in their diet because unlike us their bodies are unable to synthesize their own, and rabbit food doesn't contain the required amount.
A pelleted food is better than a muesli. Mixed muesli foods are often too high in cereal content, encourage them to be selective eaters, and are often bad for their teeth as they don't do much to wear down the teeth. Plus a lot of them have added syrups and molasses.
A high quality pellet is best, but only as a part of the diet. You must give fresh pellets every day (don't just top up the bowl) as Vitamin C quickly destroys when exposed (fresh air) and the Vitamin quantity in the food will depreciate.
They must constantly have access to good quality hay, preferably a mix of several hays to get more benefit from them. The hay is a big part of their diet, and you can give them fresh fruits and veg as well. You can give them herbs and fresh grass if they cannot be grazed outside, as well as dandelion (leaf and flower) and some other leafy greens high in vit C such as kale and broccoli. Fruit-wise, you can give them a small piece of apple, but as a treat. Leafy vegetables are better than fruit, and too much fruit with upset their tummies.
Obviously, if you are collecting grass and plants outside, make sure it has not been sprayed with any pesticides or weed killer, or contaminated by other animals (e.g. cat or dog faeces/urine).

They are very funny, inquisitive little creatures, but they need plenty of places to hide otherwise they will become stressed. This is easier if you are housing the piggie indoors, but give him/her some tunnels, hidey boxes or a large bendy bridge so he/she can hide away.
They don't seem to cope very well with the cold, and they need a place that's warm, dry and consistent in temperature to live in. If you are using a barred cage, put it in a place where there is no exposure to draughts or where the temperature may fluctuate. Give plenty of warm dry bedding as they like to hide in it as well as eat it.

The websites/channels already mentioned are all great place to find advice.

When you get your little piggie we'll want photos!

x

HammieandMerlin · 02-09-2014, 09:21 AM

Lots of great advice here.
I have two boars, and make sure that you give your pig/pigs enough space. C &C cages (cube and coroplast) are definitely the most cost effective for the size you will get.
Try to find a place that you can buy your hay in bulk, because they need it constantly.

One cup of veggies every day is a must, and guinealynx is a great source for identifying which veggies are best

I would 100% recommend using fleece bedding rather than shavings or carefresh, it is so much cheaper in the long run, and much cleaner. You can put U haul blankets underneath that and it soaks everything up really well.

I use a litter box with paper litter in it for where I put their water bottles, hay bag, and pellets, just to keep everything clean

Hope that helps

DaniBearxx · 02-10-2014, 08:51 AM

Thank you everyone for the amazing advice- I truly appreciate it. I picked up my little girl yesterday, she is dusty brown with long hair. Her name is Reese's. My stepmom & I gave her a small haircut because she couldn't see without throwing her face up to move the hair. She is relatively calm and an absolute sweetheart, she was already making noise and letting us pet her and even pick her up with out any fuss.

I was really disappointed with I picked her up because I picked her up in a small plastic tub that she could barely move in, the tub looked disgusting and like it hadn't been cleaned in quite awhile, no toys, no hay, a broken water bottle that had barely any water in it, and an empty food bowl. I ran to the store right after bringing her home so I could get what she needed. I got her a giant water bottle, a big bag of timothy hay, more food, and a giant tub so she move. I plan on getting a C&C tub asap. But, we have limited funds. I am a high school student trying to save up for a trip to Atlanta, GA for color guard/marching band competition. And recently someone hacked into my family's bank account and took everything we had, so we're still waiting for the bank to get that back to us. I also do not plan on getting another guinea pig anytime soon. I do not have the funds or space for another one. but, maybe in the future! But, she's extremely happy and up making noises as we speak, going to play with her soon.

thanks again everyone for the advice!

racinghamster · 02-10-2014, 09:28 AM

Sounds like she has landed in a better home with you, so at least that`s a positive step for her. Poor love. A large floor enclosure would be great for her, or indeed a very big barred cage if that`s all you can find. Give her some boxes and things to play in and she should be a happy pig!

That`s not so good about the hacking, so I hope your bank refunds what your family lost. x

Pilgrim77 · 02-10-2014, 09:31 AM

Just to add to what people have already said - if you're strapped for cash you could make an outdoor run for her relatively cheaply! Just a couple of bits of wood and some chicken wire from your nearest hardware store. We had a big one for our guinea pigs to use in summer. They often cost quite a bit if you buy them in the shop.

And yeah give her lots of attention - I've had 4 guinea pigs in the past and they always seem happier the more the get out for a run out and you handle them!