Guinea pig buddi

[Aladar101]

New addition to the family. This lil guy right here

 

[Siikibam]

Very cute. What’s his name and does he have a buddy? Piggies are herd animals so need to live in a pair (same sex or neutered if a boy living with a girl).

A suggestion on food. Please get your boy pellets rather than a muesli mix. It stops selective feeding and is best for them.

have a read of the threads I’ve linked below. Otherwise we’d love more pigtures

Boars, sows or mixed pairs; babies or adults?
Companionship
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Pellets Or Muesli / Dry Mix?

 

[Wiebke]

New addition to the family. This lil guy right here

Hi and welcome

What pretty lemon agouti and cream chap!

Please be aware that guinea pigs are social animals that should not be kept alone. They really need round the clock company of their own kind. Sadly Switzerland is still the only country where it is officially illegal to sell or own single guinea pigs. The very best and most loving gift ever you can make a guinea pig is company of their own kind.
Companionship
Here is some fascinating information about guinea pigs as a species: Guinea Pig Facts - An Overview
Guinea pigs are also ground roaming, so they need all the space they can get to stay happy and healthy. Sadly too many pet shops still sell cages that are far too small.
Cage Size Guide
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
Please also make sure that you feed a good diet. The main food of guinea pigs (over 80% of what they should eat in a day) is unlimited hay in order to stay healthy and live a normal life span of 5-7 years. Please do NOT overfeed fattening pellets; give just 1 tablespoon a day but buy good quality low calcium pellets instead of feeding lots of junk mix with empty, fatting fillers.
Guinea pigs also need a small but healthy portion of mixed veg that provide a wide range of nutrients. Just lettuce and carrots is not good; carrots are very sugary anyway and can contribute to obesity in the longer term in combination with too much pellets and lack of exercise. Lettuce is not particularly high in nutrients. Veg and pellets are more in the way of a daily treat and not the mainstay of the diet.
A good hay based diet will easily add 1-2 years to your guinea pig's life and will mean that it has a better chance to live healthily for longer. With a good diet you can avoid teeth to overgrow, bladder stones and gut problems and also avoid any long term health problems caused by malnutrition like scurvy (vitamin C deficiency). Grass and hay contain vitamin C, so the more hay your piggy eats, the better. It is also present in fresh herbs and sweet peppers. Fruit should only be a special treat because too much/too often can cause potentially fatal lip infection.
Please have a look at our sample diet picture: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

However, most guinea pigs need a vet sooner or later. Please make sure that you (or your family) save up for vet care on a weekly bases as part of the normal pet maintenance cost. Vet care is the largest life time budget post in any pet's life. Guinea pigs are too small to wait for days until they can get vet care; they will need it quickly and that means that you need to have the money available. We see so many teenagers in distress over ill guinea pigs because they fail a beloved pet's trust in the most important way. I would rather like to spare you this experience.

Here are our tips on how you can settle in your new pet and make friends with him in his own language. Please keep in mind that guinea pigs are prey animals with prey animal instincts and very complex social interaction which consists of sounds, body language (part of which you can mimic) as well as smells (pheromones).
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs

Please also double-check the gender of your guinea pigs upon arrival. Here is a list of the most common problems that can come with newly bought piggies: What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hello and welcome to the forum x

 

[Aladar101]

Thank y'all for the warm welcome and the information it is very informative. I haven't had a guiena pig since i was a kid i didnt know all this inglfo on them. His name is I don't know haven't came up with a good one for him yet was thinking Freddy K. We have him a friend coming he was just born

 

[Merab]

What a gorgeous boy he is.
Great news about a companion for him.
Welcome to the forum.
Hope you enjoy being here and as well as learning a lot, have fun

 

[Wiebke]

Thank y'all for the warm welcome and the information it is very informative. I haven't had a guiena pig since i was a kid i didnt know all this inglfo on them. His name is I don't know haven't came up with a good one for him yet was thinking Freddy K. We have him a friend coming he was just born

So much has changed in the piggy world in the last decade...

Your little boy will name himself, don't fear!

We have got a very extensive collection of guides on a wide range of topics, which you can access via the guide shortcut on the top bar. This format allows us to update our guides whenever needed, add new ones and avoid being outdated soon after publishing...
But the guides make a good resource and they are often very interesting.

Our understanding of guinea pigs as a species with specific needs, much more complex social interaction than anticipated in research and of course medical care have made great strides.
The internet has also helped to develop an understanding on welfare recommendations that bridge the extreme demands for piggy palaces which are unattainable for the majority of owners with the reality of what pet shops are churning out, but it is all a process and never a 'we have got it all right now and forever'.

You are at all times welcome to ask any questions you have in our Care sections; the most sensitive of which are specially monitored by experienced members. Unlike social media we can provide ongoing support through an illness, a bonding or fall-out, or after a loss.

But we also have a very friendly and inclusive community on here which you are of course welcome to join.