A Few Questions....

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DylElla

DylElla

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I have been matched up by a rescue to two beautiful young boys for our first piggies. Any tips or advice on keeping boys?

How many food bowls for 2 piggies - two each (one for veg and one for nuggets) so 4 bowls total?

My hutch is three storey with three bedroom areas. How would you set the floors up? Food on one level or spilt the bowls? Cozy area at the top with fleece tunnel, snuggle sack etc?

Hay holder - necessary or just spread the hay through the hutch?

Thank you
 
From what I've read boars don't like to share so a bowl each for pellets and a bowl each for veg sounds good. Also 2 water bottles per level, and at least 2 hideys it preferably more. Also probably best if you have hideys on every level.

There should be some hay off the floor as they tend to wee and poo all over it otherwise
 
DylElla said:
I have been matched up by a rescue to two beautiful young boys for our first piggies. Any tips or advice on keeping boys?

How many food bowls for 2 piggies - two each (one for veg and one for nuggets) so 4 bowls total?

My hutch is three storey with three bedroom areas. How would you set the floors up? Food on one level or spilt the bowls? Cozy area at the top with fleece tunnel, snuggle sack etc?

Hay holder - necessary or just spread the hay through the hutch?

Thank you
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Hi

How old are your boys?

I would recommend to feed pellets and veg in smaller portions 2-3 times a day, so they get eaten up in one go and don't hang around. This means food hogging is minimised and you also have less of a risk to attract mice, rats and other vermin in a hutch.
Make sure that the boys have access to hay (which should make up to 80% of the daily food intake) and water on each level; ideally creating at least one area to dive into soft hay (meadow or orchard hay rather then stalky timothy hay because of eye pokes).

You will find that guinea pigs will mostly use one level, but depending on their bond, may choose another level as their special territory. Any cage or hutch is measured as to the size of their main level, never mind how may you offer. Guinea pigs are ground roamers by nature. I would leave the final arrangement and more permanent furnishings until they have settled in and you can see their preferences etc.

Boars: A guide to successful companionship.
 
The boys are nearly 11 weeks. I've been and bought meadow hay for bedding and I was thinking of putting some in a small cardboard box or litter box? Any recommendations on a hay holder to keep it off the floor? I've bought Timothy hay for food hay.

There are three bedroom areas in the hutch and I'll put two hiding areas on each level. Food bowls all on one level or different?
 
DylElla said:
The boys are nearly 11 weeks. I've been and bought meadow hay for bedding and I was thinking of putting some in a small cardboard box or litter box? Any recommendations on a hay holder to keep it off the floor? I've bought Timothy hay for food hay.

There are three bedroom areas in the hutch and I'll put two hiding areas on each level. Food bowls all on one level or different?
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I wasted so much money on fancy hay holders, but I've found that plain ceramic dishes work best. I use these for Timothy/Oat hay into for eating, and putting the softer hay into a shoe box or something like that is a good idea, piggies love diving into a big pile of hay :)
 
I agree with beans and toast. My boys have no interest in hay holders. They have 2 bowls one for pellets and one for hay. My boys are well bonded so when it's veggie time I just place down one plate of veg and they share it. It never lasts long so then I remove the plate. Best of luck with your new additions :)
 
Thank you, I had read to scatter the veg through the hutch to encourage them to forage as they would in the wild?
 
Eh I don't know about that. Guinea pigs have been domestic for a long time. I also find food spread out in the cage can often get wee'd or poo'd on and then they refuse to eat it and it just becomes more to clean up. You also want to remove uneaten veg within an hour of placing it in the cage as to not attract flies or other pests. Probably better to keep veg in one spot per piggy so they know where to find it and so it doesn't go to waste. If your boys are friendly with each other you may be able to do what I do and just place veg in the middle of their main level (my cage is only one level so you'll have to see where they usually abide) and honestly my two demolish it in minutes with no fights whatsoever
 
Thanks, I wasn't sure about the foraging thing either. I'll just put the food in the one place for them. I'll see what the foster family do with them too and chat to them about how they do their food as if they're used to sharing a veg bowl then I should be OK to carry that on.
 
You can scatter some of the food in their hay to encourage foraging. I do this from time to time, just be sure that if there is any left over, to take it out so it doesn't rot or attract flies. My two love it when I put some pepper and carrot chunks into their hay, they love forraging around for it, makes it a bit more interesting for them too :nod:
 
As long as there's hay and water on every level it would be better to only have actually food bowls (for pellets and veg) on one level.

Given that the whole area will be very new to them it might also be a good idea to put them in just one level for a week or so to allow them to adjust, before opening up the other levels.
Not a necessity but might be less scary for them.
 
Sorry to jump in on a post, will piggies not eat Meadow hay then? That's all I've given mine.. do I need to give them Timothy hat in their hay rack? What's the difference and where do I get it? x
 
Todite88 said:
Sorry to jump in on a post, will piggies not eat Meadow hay then? That's all I've given mine.. do I need to give them Timothy hat in their hay rack? What's the difference and where do I get it? x
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Mine are eating both. I can see they prefer the Timothy hay because as soon as I put it in they go straight for it but I've seen them eating the meadow hay too. If you're in the uk I got my Timothy hay in B&M, £1.99 for the bag I think, got my meadow hay in there too, £3 for a big bag.
 
Todite88 said:
Sorry to jump in on a post, will piggies not eat Meadow hay then? That's all I've given mine.. do I need to give them Timothy hat in their hay rack? What's the difference and where do I get it? x
Click to expand...

Mine only get meadow hay and they love it!

I also forage feed my girl's veg, except cucumber - it's so wet their bedding sticks to it so that goes on the food bowls!
 
Ok good stuff was panicking that I hadn't given them the right hay to eat and they owuld be starving and maybe that's why they've eaten all the veg offered lol. I don't need to panic can pick up some Timothy hay when I get chance over the next few days. Thanks folks x
 
I had to un-Velcro the ramp tunnel and carry them into the run in that, then they sat in it the whole time but I needed to get them out to clean it. Once they were out they had a run around, ate their veg and hay and generally had a nice time. Ernie went straight into his snuggle sack to go back in the hutch, Hugo took some convincing but I managed to herd him in eventually.

Should I put them in the run again tomorrow?
 
Ernie was in there already munching some pepper I'd put in. Hugo I kind of had to block his exits off with my hand while herding him towards the sack. I put some pepper at the bottom for him too.
 
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