General questions about guinea pigs!

[LittleGremlin]

Hi, I have been looking into the care of guinea pigs as I would like to own a pair however they’re quite a few gaps in my knowledge. I am from England which will effect some of the questions I am going to list below. Thanks!

Firstly I have only really seen the minimum size for cages debated, i saw a 120 online but when going into a pet shop it looked really small so I was wondering if the information I saw was misleading? (I have also looked a little into c&c I am unsure on how big I should built one)

Another question is with their diet I know that they need pellets (along with fresh veggies and hay) but is there any brands of pellets that are sutible for them that I can buy that aren’t too pricey!

A final question is, can I litter train them as I have done to previous animals of mine?

Thank you so much for any replies I really want to have the best care I can possibly give for when I get them!

 

[Veggies Galore]

to the forum

Here is a thread about cage size. Cage Size Guide

And here is our diet guide... Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets


Have you considered rescuing guinea pigs? Are you near any of our recommended rescues? Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues

 

[LittleGremlin]

to the forum

Here is a thread about cage size. Cage Size Guide

And here is our diet guide... Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets


Have you considered rescuing guinea pigs? Are you near any of our recommended rescues? Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues

Thanks I am going to have a look through all of that now!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Well done for researching first!

Bigger is always better when it comes to cage size. Keep piggies in too small a cage and it can cause behavioural issues which may result in fights and separated piggies. A 120 is an absolute minimum for rspca welfare standard but on this site we recommended a bigger size as a minimum - 2x4 c&c as a minimum which is approx 140cm. this is for two females. Males need even bigger as a minimum - 2x5 c&c at least.

Pellets - it really comes down to what you prefer to use. There is a nugget comparison guide which you may find useful. Ultimately though, pellets are not an important part of their diet. They should only have just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day. 80% of their diet is made up of hay. Read the guides in the food section for more information, Nugget Comparison Chart

They can’t be litter trained. Piggies are messy little things!

Another piece of advice is to ensure you can save up some money regularly, perhaps monthly, for a vet fund. Treatment can be very expensive, potentially running into hundreds of pounds for some medical problems.

 

[Siikibam]

Good advise has been given, particularly those links. What I would say regarding pellets is to leave them on their current ones (when you get them that is) and then you can always (gradually) change them to what you want later on.