Guinea Pigs And Visitor Allergies

[cyanidebaby]

Hello Everyone,

Since November last year, I have been considering adding another pet to my family, but I'm having real trouble as my dad is allergic to pretty much everything. I already have a dog, and I think any more pets would drive him mad YET he does not live here, and I sort of feel like I can't not get something because someone might want to pop by. I was wondering, for my dad's sake, would it help to get an indoor cage, but then get an outdoor shed so I can re-locate them a few days before he's due to arrive? Would that curb the asthma/allergy issue?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

Severe allergies in the family can be a major problem!

So your dad is just visiting you every now and then for a few days and is not popping in all the time on short or no notice?

I gather that you are living in the UK? (As we have members from all over the world, advice on practical solutions depends on your location. We would be grateful id you added your country, state or (for the UK) your county/general area, so we can always give you the appropriate advice straight away).

 

[cyanidebaby]

Sorry about that, done. Sometimes he pops in from work, but not without letting me know. I'd still have time to steam clean the place.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you!

Do you have a room your dad wouldn't come into? Alternatively, considering that you are fairly up north, you may think about an insulated heatable year round shed for them to live in, so you have a lot less stress with steam cleaning, but still have room to sit, interact and play with your piggies. We have several members who could help you with practical advice if you wish to go down that route, as they have piggy sheds of their own.

 

[cyanidebaby]

Thanks,

Can you still have lidless C&C cages in heated sheds? I have cerebral palsy you see, and one of the great things about guineas in this respect is that you can have open cages, so if I were worried about dropping them while trying to handle them, I could wait for the carers to come to help me get them out safely (they come 4 times a day) but still be able to pet them in their cage when the carers weren't around, it would also make cleaning much easier for me

I don't really have a room he doesn't go into. My house is pretty small.

 

[Wiebke]

Yes, you can have a C&C in a shed - at any height that is convenient to you and use the space underneath for piggy stuff storage. For very cold nights and frosty days, you can additionally use microwaveable snugglesafes and hay filled cardboard boxes for them to snuggle into.

 

[madguinealady]

i have open c&c cages and mine are on the floor. I have sore joints so they are on fleece with litter trays. Can sit in mine and find this a lot easier than normal cages. Have hamsters and a gerbil and find these really difficult to clean out, hurts like hell.If you have open c&c in the shed you could peg fleece over the cage as well to trap heat and there are cat beds and cosies that they could snuggle in to.I use plastic coated grids rather than metal grids as my house is cold and i thought these might be warmer.Would you have someone to help you with the cleaning out?They are quite high maintenance.

 

[cyanidebaby]

i have open c&c cages and mine are on the floor. I have sore joints so they are on fleece with litter trays. Can sit in mine and find this a lot easier than normal cages. Have hamsters and a gerbil and find these really difficult to clean out, hurts like hell.If you have open c&c in the shed you could peg fleece over the cage as well to trap heat and there are cat beds and cosies that they could snuggle in to.I use plastic coated grids rather than metal grids as my house is cold and i thought these might be warmer.Would you have someone to help you with the cleaning out?They are quite high maintenance.

Wow, nice cage, thanks for sharing Yes, my care team have said they will help so I'm all good on that score