Lone Guinea Pig Or Smaller Cage For 2

C

Curly2412

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Dec 12, 2017
Messages
15
Reaction score
12
Points
75
Hi, I previously had one guinea pig who has passed away and am now concerned keeping one alone is cruel.

I have the cavie 100 and for 2 sows I know they really need the cavie 120. The cage though is in the utility and under a cupboard and I cannot fit a bigger cage and have nowhere else in the house for one.
So do I buy one lone piggie again who has plenty of room?

Two sows in the cage I have

Or buy a hutch for outside but then it's cold and I've lost a guinea pig before to pneumonia which is why I now prefer them inside.

Pleaseee help!
 
Curly2412 said:
Hi, I previously had one guinea pig who has passed away and am now concerned keeping one alone is cruel.

I have the cavie 100 and for 2 sows I know they really need the cavie 120. The cage though is in the utility and under a cupboard and I cannot fit a bigger cage and have nowhere else in the house for one.
So do I buy one lone piggie again who has plenty of room?

Two sows in the cage I have

Or buy a hutch for outside but then it's cold and I've lost a guinea pig before to pneumonia which is why I now prefer them inside.

Pleaseee help!
Click to expand...
As you will know it's the bigger the better for any animal if they are in a cage!
Again, it is always best for them to have a friend.
I certainly wouldn't suggest an outside hutch in this cold weather as if you are buying they will be from a warm shop. If you are going to a rescue centre they will want to ensure th a t you have enough room to keep them.
Can you honestly say that they would have lots of floortime with you too if you have very limited space?
Not wishing to sound so negative but you have obviously been thinking of what's best for future piggies and already concerned about not having enough space for them!
These are just my thoughts too as I don't know your full home situation!
Great that you are called ruefully thinking things through and haven't just
Jumped in a bought another 1 or 2 piggies. Xx
 
Janice C said:
Autocorrect again! Should say carefully thinking - not called ruefully!
Click to expand...
I have a living room that goes into the utility where the cage would be, then into the kitchen and bathroom and my last guinea pig had free rein of these spaces when he was out. The reason for lack of space is I still live with my parents and my mum is in a wheelchair and so wants a guinea pig(s) downstairs so she gets to see them and floor space is precious so that my mum can move around easily in the house and so the counter top in utility is the only space available :/
Thanks for your comment!
 
It's a difficult one really, it's a fine line between wanting and loving a pet and being able to give them exactly what they need unfortunately. Have you considered a hammy or maybe 2 gerbils if space is an issue? They also like to climb so if you have that space with another level I'm sure they'd love that.

I have 5 piggies in a big enclosure in my living room and also have a disabled mother that I live with. There's still room for her to move around and spend time with the piggies (she adores them) but they also have plenty of space since we removed furniture we didn't need etc.

I guess what I mean to say is that we need to adjust around our piggies rather than the other way round, as harsh as it sounds. I personally think that one piggy on his/her own isn't a nice way to live but also that having the space for a good quality of life is also key. I don't mean to be a party pooper but I hope to help with your question honestly as you clearly care about the welfare of potential pets :)

When I look into getting a pet I always make sure I can give them everything they need 100% without compromise. That's why I have recently decided that a small group of quails in my house is probably not going to work for me :whistle:
 
Hi and welcome! I agree with a lot of the other posters that it's good you are researching before getting piggies.
Your space is a bit small, but if they have unlimited access to a larger area you could probably pull it off.
I'm wondering, as @Cavy Kung-Fu suggests, that a different pet might be good. I'm thinking rats. They can live over several levels, so you could have them in a smaller footprint than guineas. They also tend to be very interactive animals in my experience, and can learn so much. Good luck whatever you decide x
 
Reenie said:
Hi and welcome! I agree with a lot of the other posters that it's good you are researching before getting piggies.
Your space is a bit small, but if they have unlimited access to a larger area you could probably pull it off.
I'm wondering, as @Cavy Kung-Fu suggests, that a different pet might be good. I'm thinking rats. They can live over several levels, so you could have them in a smaller footprint than guineas. They also tend to be very interactive animals in my experience, and can learn so much. Good luck whatever you decide x
Click to expand...
Thank you for yours and everyone's replies! I've 2 gorgeous teddy piggies who are still only a few months old in a rescue so I think I will adopt them and for now will make do with smaller cage and plenty of floor time through the whole of my downstairs and in the mean time attempt to construct my own cage so that it can be larger and fit perfectly to the space that I have!
I've had rats previously and loved them but piggies are what I love most and I have around 14 years experience with them so I really think that with lots of floor time and soon a more appropriate cage I will be able to give them a good quality of life.
Thank you!
 
If they are getting plenty of floor space that's perfect. Inside is perfect, the only thing is whether they will be exposed to noise, washing machine etc, they may be happy with it, or used to it. My OH was drilling the other day & he Had to stop within seconds as my piggies went mental.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top