Hi I’m a uni student thinking about getting a Guinea pig. I only come home at weekends though and my mum works 9-5. Is letting them out only in the evening during weekdays ok? Or is that cruel and they need out more? (Obviously id get them a big enclosure)
Also if I got them when I was home for 6 months but then went back to uni would they not bond that well with me?
Thanks
Hi and welcome
It is great that you are doing your research beforehand.
Please be aware that guinea pigs are group animals and that they should not be kept on their own. They really need the round the clock company of their own kind for comfort and stimulation, and for their own mental health welfare. Single guinea pigs are a lot more prone to attention seeking behaviours (any way they get your time since just an hour on weekday is not enough for them, including disrupted nights), picky eating (they lack the stimulation from the 'I want what you have reflex' of group piggies) and they can also lose the zest for life that comes from company and be more prone to illnesses.
Also be aware that if you want a guinea pig because of all those 'cute' videos on social media that they do not reflect reality but what humans want to watch. Who would post a video of their wiggly or tweaking piggies wanting to go home after just a short pet even though that is what most people experience and where they start off? If you heed your piggies, the majority of them usually wants to go back home within abour 5-15 minutes on your lap. Sleeping on the sofa with you while you are watching a human film is not an activity that they would choose naturally to spend their time.
Our enrichment guide will show you how you can turn the time together and mealtimes into shared fun time and our piggy whispering guide tells you how to make friends with them in their own language instead of waiting until they have figured our humans.
As you are a student, there is one really big sticky point - vet cost. The average healthy life span of guinea pigs is about 4-7 years but most piggies will need to see a vet sooner rather than later and may need an emergency operation. That very quickly runs into the hundreds of pounds or dollars. As a student you are not eligible for free PDSA support.
There is unfortunately no such thing as a cheap pet. And as pets go, piggies are actually one of the more labour-intensive pets since their main diet is hay/grass - and that means lots of waste poos from two runs through the gut to break down the nutritious fibre fully.
Our Wannabe Owners collection deals with all the aspects you need to take into consideration when researching whether guinea pigs are the right pet for you. Please take the time to read the information; you will find it very useful.
Here is our Owner's collection, which may give you a bit more of a realistic view of what real life owners deal with - in the good and in bad, as it addresses all the little and larger questions that most of us come up against in everyday piggy life:
Are Guinea Pigs For Me? - Wannabe Owners' Helpful Information
