My Parents Don't Care About Our Guinea Pigs Tiny Cage!

[ZippyThePiggie]

So I still live with my parents and a couple of years ago they brought our first family pet, 3 guinea pigs. The first year was great and they had a cage perfect for them (they were young and still growing then). But now they live in an inside, bearly 2×3 cage when they should have really a 2x5. My parents also feed them way too much and I'm scared to feed them as my parents have already fed them loads. They also don't let me take them out at all, even in their run because of foxes even though I always stay with them. I tried talking to my parents and they couldn't care less. They think they are doing great at looking after them but they are harming my poor piggies! And they always shout at me for not feeding them. What shall I do?

 

[madguinealady]

Poor you.I don't honestly have an answer.I don't understand their reasoning as they claim to love them but aren't looking after them properly.Just give them hay, they can't suffer from eating too much of that.If it's pellets they are overfeeding them with show them some info on this forum.Are you allowed to get them out and handle them?

 

[ZippyThePiggie]

Poor you.I don't honestly have an answer.I don't understand their reasoning as they claim to love them but aren't looking after them properly.Just give them hay, they can't suffer from eating too much of that.If it's pellets they are overfeeding them with show them some info on this forum.Are you allowed to get them out and handle them?

Thanks for replying. Okay I'll show them soon. I think there's some info on the packet too. I am only aloud to take them out shortly everyday to check on them and groom our long haired. I'm also trying to convince them to stop buying sawdust as a bedding as one of our piggies has recently started coughing and I think it's linked to dust. But I'll definitely show them info from this site. I'm not really an expert myself but I'm learning as much as I can.

 

[madguinealady]

None of us are experts.I'm still learning and have kept guinea pigs since I was a teenager (thirty odd years ago)and rabbits.There is always something new to learn or things I have forgotten.

 

[AuntyC]

Hi there. This is not an uncommon thing to happen, so don't think you are alone with this problem. Ongoing research means that ways of keeping guinea pigs ( and other small animals!) that were seen as OK some years ago has now been shown to be bad for the piggies. Care and welfare moves onwards, and education is the key thing here, whether it comes from a good small-animal vet or experienced people on this forum, or The Guinea Pig Magazine. I hope you can find a way to put your views across, keep trying!