A couple of questions about piggies :)

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Fidgetthefirst

Fidgetthefirst

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I really want a pair of piggies! My friend had one and i loved him! {I actually was going to have him as she didnt care for him properly :() And my mom said for definite i can have my sisters room when she moves out next year, and i'd have the space for a piggie :) so just got a few questions :)

-How much on average (as i know different bedding&food costs different amounts)would a Guinea Pig pair cost a month? Approx.

-I would like to get a pair- but there is no way id have room for two cages, Guinea pigs appear to be easier to keep in groups - would this cage be okay to split in half until they were re- introduced if they did fight?
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/120_cm_cages/83034

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That cage is suitable for 2 sows :) I'm not sure if it would be big enough for two if it was sectioned off?

If you went to a rescue and got a pair there would be less chance of them falling out as the rescue spends time making sure they are a good match.

I'm not really sure how much my two cost me a month, I haven't really added it up. I think hay is the biggest expense though. Mine are bedded on fleece so that doesn't cost me anything apart from the initial expense of buying it, then running the washing machine.
A bag of food is about £6 (Science Selective) and will last 2-3 months. Hay the rabbits eat that too, but I spend £20 on it. You can buy big bales which work out cheaper but I can't store those. Then the cost of veggies which isn't too much really.
 
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It doesn't cost an awful lot of money per month (not incl vet bills)
If you buy woodshavings & or hay from a shop it'll cost more but if you can get it from a horse suppilers yard it's much cheaper, I pay £6(ish) for a huge sack of woodshavings and £5 for a bale of hay.
Mine have woodshaving and hay in their hutches but they have all day acess to their runs too which has fleece on the floor and loads of hay.
So they can choose where they want to be at anytime in the day and I lock the hutch door at teatime.
I'm sure if you got sow guinea pigs from a rescue they're usually paired already with another (or more) sows.
 
:) Yerp I agree with the above, a rescue is a good place to get a pair of well bonded piggies :)

I'd suggest a playpen (indoor and outdoor) for them too as well as a cage so they can get regular exercise.

Monthly it costs me quite a bit due to my boys being outdoors in a shed:)

I'm going through three large hales of bay a month so that comes to around £15-18.
Two bags of salad mix a week comes to...£2....£8
The nuggets are lasting my 2 months (a bag is £5) so that £2.50 a month.
And I don't use sawdust atm :)
So overall, £25ish

However I do usually buy them so exel herbage hay fornightly which is £5 a bag too...so it's around the £30 mark, but as a I mentioned before mine are kept outdoors, when mine were kept indoors a big bale would last me fornightly :)

:))
 
I did want to rescue some - i just looked on my closest RSPCA and they have quite a few, so i'll end up going there probably :)
I will get a playpen for outside - but inside i'll just them roam a piggie proof room! I let my hamster run around our big back room every night, he loves it :)
I think i'd have to go with woodshavings - my mom couldn't deal with anymore washing!

And the reason i looked at the cost per month is because i'm going to ask my mom first - save up, get everything ready, then get some piggies! :) Because piggies need more space of course than hamsters - so i think she might be a bit more iffy, so if i tell her i'll pay for everything, it should be fine :)
And i save up my dinner money - £10 a week, so in a month i'll get £40, and my mom will help me out anyway if its needed :)
Thanks guys! :)
 
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-c-cHi,

£40 a month should be more than enough for food/hay/ etc and if you are using fleece the cost will be less:))


It costs me about £15-20 a month on average for food etc for 5 piggies. I would advise putting a little a side each month in a 'piggy bank' for unexpected vet bills
 
I was just going to recommend the same!

Please put some money away for vet bills every month so you are not caught out with not being able to afford the appropriate vet care.

Here is a link that helps you think about what having guinea pigs involves in the cold light of the day. You and your mum might find it helpful; it is good to discuss things before you have the piggies.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36801
 
I read that last night :) - and yeah, i'll keep spare money :)
I think piggies are definetley for me ;) I will definetley be here for the next 5 years - and lots of uni's that are a possibility for me allow animals :)

I'm just worried about what my mom will say - you may of noticed i haven't mentioned my dad before ;) well he says no to everything, but then doesn't mind it, for example.. after we lost our dog Sandie 8 year ago, he said were not having another, we got a jack russell 2 years ago without him properly agreeing - and he loves him, my cat - we didn't properly ask, again he didn't mind, my hamster he doesn't mind - i know it kind of sounds irresponsible - but if we ever brought a pet home without him knowing, he'd moan, but as long as i take care of it (which of course i do!) he doesn't mind really :)


but yeah - i would really love some piggies but i just dont think she'll let me, but if i play i right, it should be fine :)

And another question!
Would this cage be ok for two females? (sows?)
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/100_cm_cages/204586#more
I just measured the 120 cage and it does fit, but its a very tight squeeze, so I'm wondering would thatbe okay, i will add another tier thing :) And they would have plently of excercise outside the cage :D
 
I'd be quite impressed if my daughter took as much time & effort as you do when she wanted new things.
You sound responsible enough so I'm not sure why your mum would mind (if your paying for them and looking after them).
I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing your piggies (if you get some).
If more people did research like you then I think there would be less animals in rescues, so well done for thinking things through xx
 
Guinea-wiggles said:
I'd be quite impressed if my daughter took as much time & effort as you do when she wanted new things.
You sound responsible enough so I'm not sure why your mum would mind (if your paying for them and looking after them).
I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing your piggies (if you get some).
If more people did research like you then I think there would be less animals in rescues, so well done for thinking things through xx
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! Means alot :) xx I'd like to do something in animal rescue when I'm older :)
 
Piggy Insurance

Hi
You and your parents might want to consider Insuring your Piggies- this has been a real bone of contention as it can be really expensive- I have only had to pay out £25 for a tiny tube of cream for Truffles conjunctivitis since I have had my two (they are nearly a year old ) - there is a broker or company called Pearson Insurance who have a Cavy Insurance policy that covers up to £750 per piggy (it doesnt include teeth and some other things - I am going to ring up and buy the policy in the morning so will be asking more questions ) the costs are the best Ive seen -its £52.50 a year for 2 - 5 piggies £68.25 for 6-20 piggies and about £42 for a sole piggy -

On the subject of a piggy cage ,we had a huge bookcase about 6ft long 4ft wide and just over 2 ft deep - we took out the shelves laid it flat on the floor and bagged some old estate agents signs made from correx to line the bottom and sides of it and voila! a posh piggy pen - lined with thick newspaper and a covering of sawdust with hay and houses at one end two running tunnels and some toys - you dont have to spend a fortune on your piggies - neighbours are also a good source of veg for piggies I have donations bought in to me at work from customers who know I have piggies - you could also ask the school canteen for any suitable leftover veg and look at the local shops and supermarkets for veg that gets marked down at the end of the day - and dont forget in the summer they love dandelion leaves and clean grass.

Hope you get your Piggies - you sound like you will make a great piggy mum!
 
Thank you also very much! I hope i can, and will! :)

haha, our school don't do salad, our schools pretty unhealthy! But our fridge is always full of it :) I love making things for my hamsters cage - hammocks, beds, etc - but it would be even easier with piggies as they can have fleece in their cage :) I spend hardly any on my hammy! - commercial treats don't come close to a bit of lettuce! rolleyes So i know how to keep costs down :D
I would love to make a cage - i love those C&C cages, but sadly, it just couldn't be an option, i also own a cat and dog and they are always wondering in and out of my room!
How long in the garden in summer would you reccomend? And are dandelions just out of the ground (of course no sprayed ones) safe?
 
Use fleece, then all you need to buy is hay, I've had my boys a month now & am still on my original bag as they have a hay manger. Food bag £5 and will last weeks I'm still on original, Altho its coming to an end now. The most expensive thing for me is the veg, but that is because I choose to spend a fair bit. You can get cheaper.. So once you're set up you won't have to pay out too much a month... Vets is very expensive, so make sure you can fund that if you have a problem. My boys were unfortunately sold to me with ringworm & cost me £76 trip to the vets a week ago, that was painful!
 
Could you wash fleece in like the bath? or sink, theres no way i could put it in the washing machine, we have so much washing, it never ends :( ( 8 people in the house, one of them a newborn baby!) How many fleeces would you reccomend, i know primark do fleece for a couple of pounds :)
Do the fleeces absorb the smell, thats what I'm worried about :/

The vet thing - I'm worried about, do you have to take your pig to the vets for a check up every year as some people say, you might not think a little trip to the vets is long, but my poor parents don't stop! They pyshically, do not have the time of course, if they needed to go, my mom would, but if its just for a check up, i don't think she could tbh :(

Oh! I as for the veggies :) how much would you give to one guinea pig a day? as well as normal piggie mix, or pellets, and hay? They seem to eat tonnes! :))
 
Ugh, i wish you could edit, not just before 5 minutes -_-

Anyway, the whole vet thing, is putting me off now :( But i suppose, if my mom allows the animal to come into the house, she has to pitch in :) And tbf to her, sshe took my hamster to the vet and itwas only a minor thing :)
I'm going to talk to her next year (tomorrow!;)) about it, well know in a few months, if I'm still interested :) I don't want to just get them and it be a faze :) (you see, i regularly* have fazes of obsessions with certain animals ;)) They look like such lovely animals, and i only wish i had the space when my friends piggie needed rehoming :(
 
Hub and I went to the range yesterday and i saw they have a bloomin great cage in there, 39.99 which I thought was excellent value for money concidering the size, and it came with a hay rack and bottle. I think it may have come with something else as well but it was high up on a shelf and I couldnt see. Bug bag of wagg guinea pig food 11.99 excellent price I thought. Going to be going there again soon me thinks.-c
 
Fidgetthefirst said:
I read that last night :) - and yeah, i'll keep spare money :)
I think piggies are definetley for me ;) I will definetley be here for the next 5 years - and lots of uni's that are a possibility for me allow animals :)

I'm just worried about what my mom will say - you may of noticed i haven't mentioned my dad before ;) well he says no to everything, but then doesn't mind it, for example.. after we lost our dog Sandie 8 year ago, he said were not having another, we got a jack russell 2 years ago without him properly agreeing - and he loves him, my cat - we didn't properly ask, again he didn't mind, my hamster he doesn't mind - i know it kind of sounds irresponsible - but if we ever brought a pet home without him knowing, he'd moan, but as long as i take care of it (which of course i do!) he doesn't mind really :)


but yeah - i would really love some piggies but i just dont think she'll let me, but if i play i right, it should be fine :)

And another question!
Would this cage be ok for two females? (sows?)
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/100_cm_cages/204586#more
I just measured the 120 cage and it does fit, but its a very tight squeeze, so I'm wondering would thatbe okay, i will add another tier thing :) And they would have plently of excercise outside the cage :D
Click to expand...


That cage is too small - you want 60x120 cm minimum for girls or a bonded pair (sow and neutered boar), ideally more for two boys. It doesn't look like much, but believe me, it makes a huge difference in the size!

I bought this cage on recommendation from the RSPCA when I rehomed Nerys and Nia from them: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/guinea_pig_cages/120_cm_cages/83034
It generally costs less than £40 (plus shipping) and is the cheapest cage of that size.
 
Wiebke said:
That cage is too small - you want 60x120 cm minimum for girls or a bonded pair (sow and neutered boar), ideally more for two boys. It doesn't look like much, but believe me, it makes a huge difference in the size!

I bought this cage on recommendation from the RSPCA when I rehomed Nerys and Nia from them: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/guinea_pig_cages/120_cm_cages/83034
It generally costs less than £40 (plus shipping) and is the cheapest cage of that size.
Click to expand...

Thats the one i picked out first to get :D I said above it will fit in my the room, but will be a tight squeeze, but i dont have a double bed like my sister so it will fit fine I'm sure, is that skyline, 1m 20cm? (awful with measurements!)
 
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