Guinea Pig VS Ferret

[cafarmgirl]

I voted stick with chickens! I've had several gp's while growing up and got one for my kids when they were younger. Great pets, funny little personalities but like everybody says, cage cleaning gets old. Never had a ferret, illegal here in CA although lots of people have them, and also for all the above reasons listed. IMO chickens are by far easier then either.

 

[wegotchickens]

Thanks for the posts, everyone!

I talked over the pros and cons with her. Especially about the weasle-chick-killer aspect. I'd mentioned that yesterday, but this time I asked her how she'd feel if it was her silkie chicks (from eggs we're currently incubating) that were victims. "oh."

She originally wanted a rat, but DH finds them as objectionable as ferrets & snakes... So no rats,snakes or ferrets.


We're going to keep checking into the GP situation. I think some from a breeder would be different from what we see in pet stores. I do think it would be a good 'starter' pet of her very own. She knows about cage cleaning, since her sister bred hamsters for quite a while.
And we already got her a cage large enough for 2 GP's, with a deep solid bottom about 4" deep. They'll have to kick hard to get the litter kicked out. She didn't know we already had GP supplies

And she knows about their supplements from her previous 6 months of GP research. She was already scouting vitamin C sources they could both enjoy

That's why the ferret thing caught me off-guard. She fell in love. I think we pushed her back out of it.
It was a cute little ferret though....

 

[kagedgoddess]

we've had ferrets and hamsters and hedgehogs,snakes sugar gliders, newts, chickens, rabbit, dogs, cats, ...rats, turtles, tortoises, fish, mice... i *think* thats it. of all ferrets were the Most entertaining. we have an albino now and he is a lap ferret. h could care less about the chickens brooder right next door, But he is a marshall ferret and let me say,he smells more tha our non marshall ferrets did no matter wht we do. however, ALL animals smell. one bff had gps and one bff had ferrets. both smells equally bad, However bffs ferret smell lingered YEARS after its death. rats smell too. a Hedgehog is an awesome pet, low maintence and dont need cage cleanings as often as others. Hated the hamsters. sugar gliders smell and Pee outside their cage. however, have you checked out "Skinny Pigs"? they are hairless guinea pigs. pet store in VAB sells them. kinda neat, i had never scene them before. NE ways, save the ferret for when she moves out on her own. it'll keep her from getting lonely and you wont have to del with the cage not getting cleaned.

 

[cutiepieacres]

Quote:
I too think it would be a good idea to try to locate a breeder in your area, not only are they usually healthier and haven't been shipped around to get to the store but a lot of breeders handle their babies daily and you will be able to get a more socialized and family ready pet. I have rescued a number of pigs out of the stores when they are obviously sick or pregnant or from people trying to dump them and they really are much more skittish and un-handled and take a lot more time to get them to come out of their shells and some never really become as friendly as a baby handled from day one.

Good luck on your pig search!!!! Always so exciting

 

[poultryhaven]

I voted stick with chickens lol
I say you shuld get her a few seramas

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
Had Seramas. Sold 'em. After d'Uccles, the Seramas were just too flighty and aloof.

Hard to find a GP breeder. Found one in mid-TN, but he isn't breeding any right now. Told her to wait until Thanksgiving, since we're doing to Rock Island the. Maybe it will be easier to find a breeder up North. Seem to be more that way when I was searching online, anyway...

 

[wegotchickens]

So we found a sweet Guinea Pig at an Animal Shelter about 45 minutes from the house (in another county). Went and got the little darling. It was love at first site for DD.

But Cinderella may be knocked up. Am now reading about GP pregnancy needs. And hoping DH doesn't hit the roof when the little ones arrive. Because I'm fairly certain we have little ones on the way (calling the vet to see if they know more about GP's than the AS did).

 

[cutiepieacres]

yay!!! That was so nice to offer your home to a pig in need especially a possibly pregnant girl.

Make sure she is getting a quality alfalfa based pellet. You can free feed her. Give her unlimited amounts of grass hay with those pellets. You can start her off slowly with veggies but if shes not used to them just a tiny bit at first so you dont give her a tummy ache then work you way up over a couple a weeks to a handful of veggies a day. Small amount of fruits are good too. Cilantro, kale, bell pepper are some favorites around here. Carrots, apple(no seeds) seasonal melons, strawberries are also loved in smaller amounts as they contain more sugar.

Make sure her cage is large enough that she can excersize and if shes not huge yet you can let her have floor time to run around supervised. Once you notice a big belly stop picking her up unless you have to.

When you go to the vet have them check for mites/lice, its pretty common and they can treat it easily.


And the most important where are the pictures!!!!!

 

[wegotchickens]

Sorry. Forgot to download the pics.

The shelter knew NOTHING about GP's, so I doubt she had anything very nutritious. Her cage at home is 2'x4' with a shelf above for her feed & water. We put a whole bag of alfalfa hay in the base of the cage (solid plastic so it won't hurt piggie feet). I think the pellets we got are pretty good, but am going to check again to make sure when I get home. We've given her a few yogurt treats, hiding them in the food to make sure she found the bin (she did).

Yesterday we gave her some zuchini and 3 baby carrots. Apparently she's as fond of zuchini as my DD (NOT), but the carrots were a big hit. That's the only fresh food we've given her so far. I'm going to collect her a handful of dandelion greens when I get home tonight. We do have an apple that no one's eaten, so we may give her a bit of that, too.
Do they like Basil? I have a TON of basil...

Her appointment with the vet is 5:30 tomorrow.
She's a small girl and her belly already seems way large to me. We're making sure we support her legs and belly any time we get her out. I feel like we need to make sure we get her out each day so she'll stay sociable. We'll see what the vet says tomorrow. She hasn't really run around on the floor yet. DD just pets and cuddles her. I'm supposed to also be getting a brush for Cinderella. And finding an old blanket in case she makes a mess on the floor when she's running around.

 

[Ashmeade]

I have feed all my guinea pigs cheerios for main diet and carrots as primary treats (and to provide vitamen C), as well as hay and other fruit and veg treats).

They have done quite well on this and lived a long time.

VERY important too, to keep them out and away from drafts.