completely new to guniea pigs - help & advice needed

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LucyJK

I have always kept rabbits and infact still have one old boy left. Although I love rabbits, they dont make ideal childrens pets, so am looking to get some piggies instead.

We are viewing a guinea pig at a rescue on saturday, so would like some advice first as after reading through some posts on here guinea pigs seem very different to keep than bunnies. (i understand all the dietry differences though)

We have a spare hutch - its a large one as used to be for bunnies, no run as yet as hubby needs to make one ! how big and what does the run have to be like ?

I didnt realise guinea pigs could be kept on carpet or vet bed, do you put a 'litter' tray in then ? my rabbits have always been kept on newspaper (easy to sweep out daily) with shredded paper bedding and hay in a haynet/rack

Also do they have to come inside in the winter as my bunnies have always wintered outside.

what would i need to have to pass a homecheck

so sorry i know so many questions !
 
Welcome to the forum. An important difference is that guinea pigs are sociable animals and need company of their own kind, so you should be looking for a pair from the rescue.

Some guineas live indoors, often on vet-bed or fleece (take a look in the cage and hutch gallery in the housing bit to give you some ideas), others live in hutches either in sheds or outside. Guineas cannot cope with extremes of temperature and can get heat-stroke or suffer from cold, so this needs to be kept in mind when positioning the hutch. Indoor pigs are great fun and if you've got space then you could consider it, they're very interactive pets.

The general recommended size for a pair of pigs is 4' x 2' and then a run for the grass. Each rescue has their own criteria, but homechecks are usually quite informal and friendly and if you haven't had guineas then a good time to ask questions!

Good luck

Sophie
x
 
thanks ,yes that rescue only has one guinea pig which we were hoping too get then get another one froom another rescue ? or not adviseable ?
 
Nothing to add to Sophie's great advice, but welcome to the forum, Lucy. :)
 
its a 6mths old female, can you believe they got her when she was just 4mths old due to her owner losing interest - after such a short time :(
 
I run a rescue myself, so I can easily believe it, unfortunately! :{

She should pair up ok but perhaps you could take her with you to the other rescue to choose a friend, that's what we usually do here with single piggies, as not all of them are compatible personalities! Also if she's been living alone for a bit it might be more difficult to introduce her - should be fine though. Your other option is a neutered boar.

Sophie
x
 
Please be aware that guinea pigs are NOT "children's pets"! They have also different nutritional demands from rabbits and should not be kept with together with them (i.e. share a run!).

The ultimate responsibility for their care lies with you, and smaller children should never handle guinea pigs unsupervised!
Guinea pigs take time to settle and should not be handled until they have had time to get their bearings in their new surroundings.

Other than that, enjoy your guinea pig. If it is a female, you can pair it with another sow or a neutered boar; if it is an unneutered boar, you should look for another boy to pair him with.
 
thank you Vicky, I am aware of all the above.

We have lots of animals (4horses, 2 dogs, 1 rabbit, 2 budgies and lots of fish) they are all my responsibilty and the children 'help' with this. My children have always been taught to handle animals with care and only when I'm there. I would prefer guinea pigs as they are more of a child friendly size than a rabbit.

I know they cant be kept with rabbits and the guinea pigs will be seperate from them at all times.

the rescue did tell me it was fine to keep the piggie with the rabbit but I have done my research and knew this was incorrect
 
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LucyJK said:
thank you Vicky, I am aware of all the above.

We have lots of animals (4horses, 2 dogs, 1 rabbit, 2 budgies and lots of fish) they are all my responsibilty and the children 'help' with this. My children have always been taught to handle animals with care and only when I'm there. I would prefer guinea pigs as they are more of a child friendly size than a rabbit.

I know they cant be kept with rabbits and the guinea pigs will be seperate at all times.
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Thanks - I thought you would know, but wanted to make sure! There are unfortunately too many people out there who don't; and still a lot of misinformation as well.

If you are not sure whether your girl might want to bond with another girl, you can always look out for a neutered boar; cross gender pairings are usually very stable. I have had several of them. Provided you don't mind your children watching some recreational sex! If you can't take your girl to find her own new friend, this would be a good route to go to make sure the two of them will get on.

I still remember the fun we had as children building obstacle courses in the run for our guinea pigs...

Here is a link to the guinea pig rescue website with adresses of rescues.
http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk
You could also start a thread in the "guinea pig wanted" section on this forum. Some rescues rehome further afield, provided you have passed a homecheck from a local rescue and can arrange a pick-up.
 
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I would prefer to pair her, as I dont like animals being kept on their own :(

I used to have 3 rabbits as think they should live in pairs or more but gradually they have died and I only have one old boy left but dont really want to get another one, still he seems happy enough !
 
LucyJK said:
I would prefer to pair her, as I dont like animals being kept on their own :(

I used to have 3 rabbits as think they should live in pairs or more but gradually they have died and I only have one old boy left but dont really want to get another one, still he seems happy enough !
Click to expand...

Guinea pigs are definitely happy in company! I wish you good luck with your search, but be aware that not all rescues may allow you to take your own pet.

You might also consider settling your girl in first while you're looking for a new friend. As you have passed one homecheck already, it is usually easier and quicker adopting another piggy. (And thank you for going that route!)
Most rescues have more animals than on their website due to illness, pregnancy or recovery from neutering, so it's worth ringing around, if you've got several rescues within reasonable reach!
 
it is usually easier and quicker adopting another piggy. (And thank you for going that route!)


i only get animals from rescues - NEVER bought from a pet shop before, too many unwanteds out there :(
 
LucyJK said:
it is usually easier and quicker adopting another piggy. (And thank you for going that route!)
Click to expand...


i only get animals from rescues - NEVER bought from a pet shop before, too many unwanteds out there :(
 
LucyJK said:
I have always kept rabbits and infact still have one old boy left. Although I love rabbits, they dont make ideal childrens pets, so am looking to get some piggies instead.

We are viewing a guinea pig at a rescue on saturday, so would like some advice first as after reading through some posts on here guinea pigs seem very different to keep than bunnies. (i understand all the dietry differences though)

We have a spare hutch - its a large one as used to be for bunnies, no run as yet as hubby needs to make one ! how big and what does the run have to be like ?

I didnt realise guinea pigs could be kept on carpet or vet bed, do you put a 'litter' tray in then ? my rabbits have always been kept on newspaper (easy to sweep out daily) with shredded paper bedding and hay in a haynet/rack

Also do they have to come inside in the winter as my bunnies have always wintered outside.

what would i need to have to pass a homecheck

so sorry i know so many questions !
Click to expand...

Hi Lucy
Indoor piggies are kept on vetbed &/or fleece but not many people use it in outdoor hutches.
Litter trays with piggies are mainly a waste of time as most poop & pee wherever they wish, tho' some will choose a specific corner & may well use a tray tho' i've never used one with any of mine :)

The run should be much the same as you would have for bunnies; wooden frame with meshed sides & top, with or without a hinged lid (your preference). Rescues usually have their own specifications but for 2 piggies i'd not have one any smaller than 4ft x 2ft which is also the min hutch requirement for 2.

My piggies hutches are inside a shed & they stay out in winter, if your hutch is in a sheltered part of the garden & is well covered for the bad weather then there is no reason why the piggies can't stay out for winter.
Wether you bring them in for winter is personal preference; Some piggy owners bring them in for the winter months & put them back out in summer. I personally worry far more about keeping them cool on the hot days than i do keeping them warm on the colder days.

There are many types of bedding you can use for them - have a look at the reviews at the top of this section.
I use newspaper topped with short- cropped straw & in winter hay on top of that with a pile in their bedding area to allow them to burrow in it to keep warm. I do have hay in hayracks for them to eat but they will usually pull this down too :(|)

The criteria for a homecheck varies between rescues. I've been homechecked various times by different rescues & all looked at hutch size; the right size for the number of piggies & where it was situated. What bedding i use (some rescues will not rehome piggies to live on woodshavings). A basic knowledge of their dietary requirements ie: hay at all times, fresh veggies each day, dry food (pelleted food stops them selectively feeding) fresh water daily. Some have asked what vet i use.
Homecheckers aren't out to snoop round your home (as some think) they are purely there to see if your set-up is adequate for the animal you wish to adopt. They're really friendly & will gladly answer any questions you have as both your goals are the same. To rehome/give a home to an animal in need. :)

Good Luck, i hope you get your girl & she gets a friend :)
 
Hi Lucy, welcome to the forum :) It's great you are looking at rescue!

Not much to add to what has already been said, but would just perhaps say that I would personally rephrase:

Vickyt said:
Provided you don't mind your children watching some recreational sex!
Click to expand...

with "hormonal mounting" which will likely wear off, as animals do not use sex as a recreational activity :)
 
boureki said:
Hi Lucy, welcome to the forum :) It's great you are looking at rescue!

Not much to add to what has already been said, but would just perhaps say that I would personally rephrase:



with "hormonal mounting" which will likely wear off, as animals do not use sex as a recreational activity :)
Click to expand...


LOL they are used to it as I help at a shetland pony stud !
 
Sorry about my misformulation - I only wanted to point out the fact that a neutered male is still as sexually active as a full one, which has been a bit of a problem for the odd mum with small children.
 
Vickyt said:
Sorry about my misformulation - I only wanted to point out the fact that a neutered male is still as sexually active as a full one, which has been a bit of a problem for the odd mum with small children.
Click to expand...

Not in all cases. I've had 3 neutered boars, 1 of them didn't show any interest whatsoever, he was 3. The 2yr old i adopted got excited when he was introduced to new females but quietened down rather quickly after having his advances rebuffed. My latest boar to be neutered, aged almost 2 (who was a total nightmare with other male piggies) did a bit of chasing, no mounting & was just generally excited to share his home with other piggies.

As we know same sex pairings mount for different reasons, non of which are sexual :)
 
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