Elivercury
New Born Pup
Hi all, first post here.
Background: My fiance has wanted a dog for ages, but it wouldn't be fair to it as we live in a flat and both work so it wouldn't have a quality of life we would be comfortable with. We were at centreparks and ended up holding a few guinea pigs and she has falling in love with the idea of having them as on the surface they would be more flat friendly, would be ok without us during the day and also seem quite content to sit on your lap chewing and being cuddled, which is really what she wants out of a pet.
I've read through pretty much every stickied thread in the newcomers forum, so have a relatively good idea of what to expect, but still have assorted questions that haven't been answered to my full satisfaction. I've no intention of getting animals that we would not be able to adequately look after as it won't be good for any of us.
In terms of financial commitments, we should be able to comfortably afford afford two guinea pigs including initial outlay, vet bills and food/bedding costs (and no doubt regular toy purchases...). Likewise, I think we'd ideally opt for a pre-bonded adult male and female or pair of females - boars seem more tricky and probably not great for novices, likewise the bonding process seems like something better attempted by those more experienced. That said, there aren't any rescues within 60 miles of us except the SPCA and they have no GPs at the moment.
My real questions relate to the following: I've seen that GPs require a few hours of human interaction per day, which I am confident we could manage easily, however they would be left unattended for a good 8-9 hour stint during the day while we work. I'm assuming this isn't likely to be an issue as they'll have each other for company but could someone please confirm whether this is correct?
What sort of space do GPs need for exercise outside of their cage? We'd be keeping them in our flat as mentioned and while we can likely find space for a reasonably sized cage (plan to go for 150cmx60cm for two), if they are requiring further outside space this will likely be a dealbreaker. We do have access to a green outside, but I've serious reservations about using it due to it also being the area most people take their dogs to the toilet.
Additionally, I have been considering holidays and weekend visits to family and friends - I imagine for the majority of times we could get a friend to pop in and look after the GPs, but ultimately there will be times such a Christmas where this just isn't an option. So A) Would a new person taking care of the GPs occasionally distress them? B) How well to GPs travel and can they put up with reduced space for a temporary period or would a full sized cage still be required?
Would appreciate some answers to the above questions, as we would both like to have GPs, but as previously mentioned, we won't get them unless we can offer them a happy life.
Thanks in advance!
Elivercury.
Background: My fiance has wanted a dog for ages, but it wouldn't be fair to it as we live in a flat and both work so it wouldn't have a quality of life we would be comfortable with. We were at centreparks and ended up holding a few guinea pigs and she has falling in love with the idea of having them as on the surface they would be more flat friendly, would be ok without us during the day and also seem quite content to sit on your lap chewing and being cuddled, which is really what she wants out of a pet.
I've read through pretty much every stickied thread in the newcomers forum, so have a relatively good idea of what to expect, but still have assorted questions that haven't been answered to my full satisfaction. I've no intention of getting animals that we would not be able to adequately look after as it won't be good for any of us.
In terms of financial commitments, we should be able to comfortably afford afford two guinea pigs including initial outlay, vet bills and food/bedding costs (and no doubt regular toy purchases...). Likewise, I think we'd ideally opt for a pre-bonded adult male and female or pair of females - boars seem more tricky and probably not great for novices, likewise the bonding process seems like something better attempted by those more experienced. That said, there aren't any rescues within 60 miles of us except the SPCA and they have no GPs at the moment.
My real questions relate to the following: I've seen that GPs require a few hours of human interaction per day, which I am confident we could manage easily, however they would be left unattended for a good 8-9 hour stint during the day while we work. I'm assuming this isn't likely to be an issue as they'll have each other for company but could someone please confirm whether this is correct?
What sort of space do GPs need for exercise outside of their cage? We'd be keeping them in our flat as mentioned and while we can likely find space for a reasonably sized cage (plan to go for 150cmx60cm for two), if they are requiring further outside space this will likely be a dealbreaker. We do have access to a green outside, but I've serious reservations about using it due to it also being the area most people take their dogs to the toilet.
Additionally, I have been considering holidays and weekend visits to family and friends - I imagine for the majority of times we could get a friend to pop in and look after the GPs, but ultimately there will be times such a Christmas where this just isn't an option. So A) Would a new person taking care of the GPs occasionally distress them? B) How well to GPs travel and can they put up with reduced space for a temporary period or would a full sized cage still be required?
Would appreciate some answers to the above questions, as we would both like to have GPs, but as previously mentioned, we won't get them unless we can offer them a happy life.
Thanks in advance!
Elivercury.
to the forum. i'm glad to hear you're doing your research. 
