Please tell me about Guinea pigs

[taraann81]

I think I have decided against the piggies, I can't handle smelly indoor pets and after researching the appropriate size cages, I don't think I'm willing to give up that much space in any of my rooms.

Thanks everyone.

 

[chinbunny]

Don't let these guys discourage you because they think they stink. they don't. The thing is you have to keep the cage clean. it takes a long time for a guinea pig cage to smell bad. Cleaning them once or twice a week helps keep the smell down. I have had several piggies. they make excellent pets, and they will wheek at you once they figure out the refridgerator contains food.

One thing they will need is vitamin c. Other then what is in their feed. You can water soluable vitamins to add to their water. Or you can crush up a vit tab you get from any pharmacy and mix it with their food.

Guinea pigs are fairly easy to care for. Boys and girls will need their own cages, but can be kept in same sex pairs (or more).

You want to make sure they eat vitamin c enriched pellets. You can also give them a very small amount of carrots(mine the baby carrots),and lettuce. Feed the leafy stuff like romain, not iceberg.

the cages don't take up much room. I have my little guy in something a little bigger then a 2x3. that is more then planty of romm for a couple of cages. If you get the pet shop kind, you can stack them.

Many guinea pig breeders keep theirs in cages much smaller, like lidless large rubber maid container storage bins.

 

[PineappleMama]

Cavies are a lot of work. They won't tell you that at the shop, but they are.

They need a clean, and large, home in order to be happy. The most awesome cages ever, really look in the photo albums they are AMAZING....

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

Their diet is also kinda special. Lots of Great Info on how to keep your piggies healthy and happy is available here...

http://www.cavyspirit.com/care.htm

You do NOT want to put girls and boys together as they WILL breed, and thanks to having TWO uteri they can have anywhere from one to EIGHT babies at a go! And since those babies are born four on the floor, with teeth and claws, pregnancy and birth are very hard on mom. Some sources say there's a 1 and 5 chance of mom dying, which to me is too high, when you could just get two girls or two boys instead. And, that's not to mention how pricey a trip to the vet can be if something goes wrong.... and lest we forget that a girl piggie can get preggers as early as THREE WEEKS OLD! GAH! And you thought it was rabbits that multiplied! So, if mom and dd have been with dad you've got good odds of one or both of them being preggers already... best bet is to get two boys!!

Read More Here... http://www.cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm

They are totally worth the effort. They are friendly, cuddly, happy little boggens. OMG you should see them popcorn (go to youtube, it's hilarious) but you do need a fair bit of space, time to love them (they do LIKE attention!), and the money for the proper diet and vet care. If you've got those things, then by all means adopt some piggies today!!

Oh, and a side note. Piggies have very rigid spines, rather like horses, so whatever you do don't put them in a hamster ball or a harness. Either can cause injury to the spine.

 

[1 Florida chick]

I think you made the right decision based on your criteria for what you expected!

I had several guinea pigs over the years and they are DEFINATELY stinky (compared to not having an animal at all). I've had a rabbit before and it's about the same smell. I personally didn't think mine were stinky at all, but I recognize they were to others (like my DH)! Also, it's best to choose females as males will scent if you let them run out of their cage. They are also very social animals and I always felt bad for not having more than 1 at a time, but I didn't have the space for 2! Anyone wanting one I highly recommend making your own cage because the ones they sell at the store are WAAAY too small. If I had the space and the time to pay them attention I would LOVE to have guinea pigs again!

 

[taraann81]

I was originally planning on making a c&C cage. But I have been convince not to get them. I don't expect them to have no odour. I am sure with appropriate sized cages and regular cleaning they don't smell that bad. But I think they will just have to wait, OR I could offer to take these guys and find them homes my self. The people who have them, already sold the cage and they are keeping all 3 in an aquarium. I haven't seen the aquarium but assume that that would have to be a pretty HUGE aquarium to be of adequate size for 3 pigs.

I duuno.

 

[Alabama ee]

The people I got ours had 2 in a 10 gallon one. She did not have them long...She had got 2 , and the female was pregnant. She had 3 babies. She put the male in another 10 gallon aquarium. We got one of the female babies, and someone else before us got another. About 2 weeks later, all of hers died. I think it was because they were in an aquarium. It is hard for an aquarium to air out. Especially for multiple ones in one cage. I don't think she changed the bedding very much either. Anyway, all of hers got colds and died. Ours was ok when we got her . Ours never had a cold. She is a also a very spoiled fuzz ball.

Anyway, sounds like if you do get the Guinea's, it will be like a rescue. It does not sound like the present owners are taking good care of them.

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
They aren't that bad, nor difficult to take care of. You just got to keep them in something where they have ventilation. If they were kept in something like an aquarium, or the cage was never cleaned,then they would smell really bad.

 

[amity3520]

I had one fabulous guinea pig that I adopted when he was probably about 6 months old. He wasn't a huge fan of being held, but never bit, and he would just sit in my lap and allow me to pet him and stuff, so he wasn't too skittish. We had him for a few years before he got some type of infection and died at the vet's

I still miss his little guinea pig noises, and he would greet me whenever I walked into the room! I think they have more personality than rabbits, but the cage can get stinky if not cleaned frequently.

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
I had one that lived till he was about 5-6 years old. Which is old for a guinea pig. He was an american named squeeks and one heck of a show pig.

We won all of his classes I entered him. then kept him as a pet when he was retired.

My current guy is a texel. Those are the ones that have the long wavy hair. Got him for free from a breeder at a rabbit. Never showed him. He is brown with dutch markings. Currently suffering from a respiratory infection due to his age and his immune system dropping. But he's a sweet little guy.

Guinea pigs are soooo much fun!

 

[dntd]

I have always had gp's, our just got stolen though. We feed ours rabbit pellets with either vitamin c crushed into the food or high vitamin c foods, never had any health issues.We used a rubbermaid bucket for a cage but our last one was house trained, litter trained and never chewed! I don't think i'll get another one for a long while since we are starting with meat rabbits and 16 chicks in march. Unless your planning on breeding (which they happen to pop the babies out then the babies almost instantly go off on thier own feeding rarely) I would find a young male gp for the dad.