new guinea pig owner :D

[laurelandhardy]

hi guys I have two babyish guinea pigs that I have owned for about a month. they are around two and a half months old and are both un- castrated males. (names are laurel and hardy btw)

so my questions

what is the best hay/feed/veg/ bedding/ size accommodation for them?
currently they are given unlimited timothy/meadow hay and some times hay from my horses yard if I am running out (is this acceptable?) they are given pets at home own brand nuggets, they get carrots, broccoli and cabbage (anything else they should have?) and they are kept on a mixed bedding of megazorb and paper pellets. (my main concern is the size of the accommodation, I am worried that it is to small but I have limited space:S
also should they be castrated?
finally I am worried about the grazing to my pets- I would love them to be able to be outside and graze however I own a dog and he pees and poos on the grass- does this mean I wont be able to put them out?
many thanks to any replys xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

The minimum RSPCA space recommendation is 2x4 ft; for boars we recommend a minimum of 2x5 ft. Have a look through our members' cages gallery at the top of this section for inspiration! You can also always think about going two storey if you are limited on space.

You can find out what veg you can feed in this thread from our food section here: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?17-Food
Ideally you feed about 50g/1 cupful of veg per piggy per day in as many servings as you like. Please include at least on high vitamin C veg or fresh herb like a slice of pepper, a floret or chunk of stem of broccoli, a sprig of coriander/cilantro, parsley, dill, mint or basil. Please vary between these. Don't feed tomato and fruit more than twice weekly.

Neutering is only necessary if you want each boar living with a sow; unlike with rabbits, neutering will not essentially change boar behaviour. The key to a successful boar bond is character compatibility.
Here is our boar guide from the behaviour section: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?76162-Boars-A-guide-to-successful-companionship
Boars go through a hormonal phase in their teenage months until they settle down again as mature adults at around 12-15 months old.

 

[Cute_Guineapigs]

I've had my first boar piggies around 4 months so I'm not too experienced but will help where I can.

I own a dog as well so when spring comes, I'll be putting a run on the grass so that the dog can't access the grass that the piggies will be eating. It's too cold now for indoor piggies to be put outside to run around. However they should still get daily exercise indoors, either in a playpen or in a piggies-proof room. I let my piggies out for between 4-6 hours everyday.

My piggies love oxbow western Timothy hay which I buy from the hay experts.co.uk. I also get ings hay from hay for pets as bedding. I use megazorb as a base layer of the cage and then a good layer of hay on top. I also give them dried herbs and they get fed Science Selective guinea pig.

As long as the hay for your horse it's just meadow hay and not haylage, this should be fine as I used to feed farm bales to my rabbits.