Advice For A Newbie?!

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Loobyg83

Loobyg83

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi Everyone! My husband has agreed to allow me to get my daughter a pair of guinea pigs for her birthday (I am soooo excited!) so I have been reading and researching as much as I can but I have a few questions. I am planning on a 2x4 c and c cage in our dining room area with a 2x5 in the garden as a run.

Thing is it is starting to get chilly in Mid Wales now so I am thinking indoor runs too. Although the cage would be in the dining room it is open plan with the lounge so it can get a bit noisy, therefore an indoor run which I can put in the kitchen or in the lounge, depending on the noise levels of the family seemed a good idea. Is this a good option: (the medium version)? If not what indoor pens are best? At what temperature should/shouldn't they be going out?

I work from home so the piggies will have my company most of the day, as well as the girls evenings and weekends and I have read up on how to read behavior and the limitations of my will-be-6 yrs olds capabilities. She regularly helps me clean the chickens out and looks after them and is aware of suitable and unsuitable behavior around pets. However, any tips on this front would be appreciated!

I have loads more questions but my mind has gone blank.... The only other I can remember is that our nearest rescue centre is 45 mins away by car. Is this too long a journey for them in terms of stress etc? I would like to rescue some in need of a home ideally. Otherwise our local farm park sometimes has some for sale. What should I be looking for in a healthy piggie?

Thanks for reading :)
 
Oooh, remembered another question! I have read that they sleep in short bursts through the day and night rather than 'all in one'. Does this mean they need night time illumination?
 
Hi and welcome. Exciting times!
Mine have never had night time illumination, it shouldn't be an issue.
Noise wise, well although it can take piggies quite a while to settle in it doesn't tend to be about the noise. Having regular hustle and bustle going on can actually bring them out of the shells as they are less likely to scarper as soon as they hear human activity close-by, as 'family room' pigs will hear it often. Noises will frighten them at first, but as soon as they are used to it and used to constant human activity the can get quite bold :)
45 minutes should be ok in terms of journey time. Plenty of pigs have travelled greater journies.

What to look for in a healthy piggy, well, one that is bright and alert. Skitting away from you can actually be a good sign. Good skin, shiny fur. Bald patches behind the ears are normal, all pigs have these. Good firm poops.... no runny eyes or nose or crusty ears.
Getting from a rescue as planned could be good, as you are often better able to choose based on personality, and a good rescue can give plenty of advice. Being as your daughter will be looking forward to interacting with her pets a rescue pig CAN be already people-friendly and used to handling, but it's something you need to ask, and 'try-before-you-buy', so to speak. There are bad rescues though, so it's worth doing a bit of research.
 
Critter said:
Hi and welcome. Exciting times!
Mine have never had night time illumination, it shouldn't be an issue.
Noise wise, well although it can take piggies quite a while to settle in it doesn't tend to be about the noise. Having regular hustle and bustle going on can actually bring them out of the shells as they are less likely to scarper as soon as they hear human activity close-by, as 'family room' pigs will hear it often. Noises will frighten them at first, but as soon as they are used to it and used to constant human activity the can get quite bold :)
45 minutes should be ok in terms of journey time. Plenty of pigs have travelled greater journies.

What to look for in a healthy piggy, well, one that is bright and alert. Skitting away from you can actually be a good sign. Good skin, shiny fur. Bald patches behind the ears are normal, all pigs have these. Good firm poops.... no runny eyes or nose or crusty ears.
Getting from a rescue as planned could be good, as you are often better able to choose based on personality, and a good rescue can give plenty of advice. Being as your daughter will be looking forward to interacting with her pets a rescue pig CAN be already people-friendly and used to handling, but it's something you need to ask, and 'try-before-you-buy', so to speak. There are bad rescues though, so it's worth doing a bit of research.
Click to expand...

I can defently agree with the bad rescue part.. There is a bar at the top of the page that will give you good recommended rescues near you, well worth looking at!
My boys never have light at night as they are in our bedroom. And like critter said the more noise and activity the better I think. I don't think you'll have to worry about the distance :-)
Good luck and look forward to hearing all about them when you get them!
 
Thanks folks, the rescue near us I found on here so assuming its a good one (Glynneath)! I realise 'normal' hustle and bustle is good for them but it occured to me that when my girls were shrieking at (the apparently hilarious) Curious George on TV earlier it might have been a bit much. Likewise with the shooting games hubby plays on the PS4 in the evenings (they make me jump at times!). How does that indoor pen look for piggies? Is there a better option? :)
 
Thanks PiggieOwner. I did consider a c and c indoor run - using the 5x2 outdoor run inside - but as it will sometimes be on carpet and sometimes on the laminate floor I wasn't sure what I would use for a base? There is also the issue of storing the run. The canvas one folds down into a bag whereas the c and c one would potentially remain bulky? Is this not the case? The 2x5 wouldn't fit inside as a 2x5, but a 3x4 set up should, but I was led to believe that changing between and storing away would be potential issues.
 
this all boils down to personal preference.

I'm afraid I bought several set ups before I got one I was happy with . I love C&C cages as indoor cages .
 
Loobyg83 said:
Thanks PiggieOwner. I did consider a c and c indoor run - using the 5x2 outdoor run inside - but as it will sometimes be on carpet and sometimes on the laminate floor I wasn't sure what I would use for a base? There is also the issue of storing the run. The canvas one folds down into a bag whereas the c and c one would potentially remain bulky? Is this not the case? The 2x5 wouldn't fit inside as a 2x5, but a 3x4 set up should, but I was led to believe that changing between and storing away would be potential issues.
Click to expand...

We use a c&c run, we have cable tied together around 25 grids so it folds out... Very easy to store and it makes it portable, you can adapt to any shape. For flooring we use a picnic sheet from dunhelm with a fleece blanket on top.
 
Welcome to the forum by the way, lovely to have you here. The rescue you mentioned are excellent :)
 
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