New Skinny Pig Owner :)

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Hollyyy

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Hello everyone!
I'm new to the forum, I have owned furry guinea pigs in the past but I will be getting my first ever skinny pig at the end of January! :)
I've done plenty of research and feel like I'm prepared for him arriving, I'm just worried about keeping him warm at night as our home can get quite chilly in winter times, I was wondering if using a heat mat on thermostat could be used and also it would be great to see any of your skinny pig set ups!
Thank you for your help!
 
Hello and welcome to the forum! I don't own any skinny pigs but there are a few members on here who do and will probably be along to offer advice :)
 
Hi and welcome to the forum!


Please do not use an electronic heat pad he is not a reptile and there is a risk if it goes wrong he could get burnt ( if that's one you meant :) I use a mini thermostatic radiator all day and night and keep the room warm Constantly.

The temp being between 18c and 20c.

Please buy some snuggle safe microwavable pads. You heat them for 6 mins and they stay at a safe warm temp and stay at that temp all night. Just using these pads isn't enough in winter however they still need some form of regular heating.

Please do not use any creams on their skin apart from Humilac spray and cold pressed organic coconut oil.

They will get dry skin so it's imperative they are moisturized at least once every 2 weeks or more depending on the skin. Depends on the pig.

Be prepared for a more highly strung pig. They are not as laid back and relaxed as furry pigs.

You will have more poop and urine and they eat ALOT. 2 of my boys go through a 16kg bag of hay every 3 weeks. I have to keep an eye on their water too. Some days they drink nearly a whole bottle by lunchtime. I give them 2 bottles when at work.

Is he going to be alone? As with any pigs they need company. He may get depressed if alone.

Last but not least... we are pro rescue so will always promote getting piggies from there. If you are buying from a breeder please rethink. Skinnies were an accident. A genetic mutation in a lab.

They have problems and some are being dumped as people are finding them hard to deal with or are lied to about them being hypoallergenic. Please do not support the ever growing breeder conveyer belt.


Hope this helps. We have many threads on Skinnies here.

@helen105281

@Dindypig

@Briony_S

Also own Skinnies :)
 
I have them in a C&C set up. 2x4 each. Side by side. I use fleece liners, fleece pigloos, fleece hideys. Nothing sharp that could scrape their skin

I file their nails after cutting them as sharp bits left can cut their skin too :)
 
I have 1 skinny pig (sadly I lost my other one on Tuesday). It is great you are doing your research. I would recommend a Snuggle Safe heatpad, my Katie loves them. One tip I do have is try to keep your skinny at a good weight, mine have always been petite and Phoebe lost a bit when the weather got colder and then when she got ill (unrelated to the cold) we found that no matter how much food she ate and how much extra food we syringed into her, she just dropped at such a fast rate that we lost her. My other skinny Katie is a heart pig, so her weight is a battle too. I know other skinny owners on here have skinnies that are much bigger, so I think with mine it may have been down to poor breeding before they ended up in rescue.

You will find that they are much louder, faster, and eat and poo a lot more than hairy pigs. Will your skinny be having a friend? they can live really well with hairies.
 
Hello I was planning on getting him a furry friend but with me getting a boy I'm not sure whether to buy a boy or get a female and have one of them neutered as I don't want any babies! I've used the snuggle safe pads before as I also own pygmy hedgehogs so I also know where to get nice fleece liners and beds ect as this is what I use for my hedgehogs, so what would people recommened another boy or a girl friend?
 
If you're going for a boy this will need to be " boar dated " properly. Else you may end up with two separate boys. My two were brothers came together, lived together then after 3 months fell out big time.

If you want to get a girl same thing but nutering takes time post op and you have to wait the exact time before pairing else you WILL have babies. Def easier and more heard of to neuter a boy.

Have tagged Wiebke as she's very much in the know about this bit of the subject :)
 
How do you mean nose dated? He's from an all but one male litter so could possibly get one of his brothers but I was looking more at getting a furry pig
 
Boar dating is where you take your boar to another and see how they get on over a period of time. You cant ( like with any animal) just bring another home and expect they will get on.

They need to be slowly introduced. A lot of recues offer Boar dating.

As I said before I have two brothers thry fell out. Depends very much on the pig personalities!
 
Have you ever own of a single boar been kept happily on there own?
 
Guinea pigs are social animals and love company. Even if they spent 24 hrs a day with humans still does not give them the same interaction as another pig does.

The only thing like that that I know LIKES to be solitary is a hamster!

Please don't leave him as one. It's not fair. They need company :).
 
I think what it comes down too is you need to think of time and money.

He will need extra food giving him everyday. He will need cleaning out more.
And the money for neutering is around a min of £60.

Plus your post op care of him. Please look at all the threads regarding skinnies. Nutering. Boar dating. :) alot of good advice in them.
 
Hi and welcome!

Great that you are doing your research beforehand! It would be great if you thought about getting two guinea pigs.

I assume that you have read our information threads about skinnies at the top of our breed section?
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/caring-for-skinny-guinea-pigs.38166/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/skinny-pigs-and-clothes.122798/

Boars don't need to be litter mates to get on. The key is character compatibility and mutual liking. Brothers are as likely to fall out as any other combination. A number of UK rescues now has got skinnies, which they are very careful about rehoming (if at all), but it may be worth contacting any to see whether you could bring your boy for dating.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/companionship.37654/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-sows-or-mixed-pairs-babies-or-adults.108944/

Have you made sure that your allergy is really down to the hair and not down to the urine? Many people are not aware that they are reacting to allergens in the urine (which guinea pigs tend to spray around).

With members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state or (for the UK) your county or city to your details, so we always can tailor our advice and recommendations to what is available or possible where you are. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to your location.
 
I have done lots of research and feel very prepared for my skinny pigs arrival I was just wondering about heating and now worried about introducing another male to him, i don't have any allergies so I'll be fine
 
Hollyyy said:
I have done lots of research and feel very prepared for my skinny pigs arrival I was just wondering about heating and now worried about introducing another male to him, i don't have any allergies so I'll be fine
Click to expand...

In that case, you can look at any male companion. If your skinny is a baby, he may profit from being dated with an adult "uncle boar" who helps him to socialise and who is past the teenage hormones himself; the age difference will also keep the dominance issue clearer. Letting the piggies choose each other goes a long way towards stablising the bond.
 
Its good you're prepared. As stated read all the threads regarding Introducing etc. I have been advised that when introducing boars after they reach maturity is better as the hormones settled down. :)
 
So you would suggest maybe introducing an adult male in with him?
 
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