Wanna Be Piggies Owner + Q

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Choola

Choola

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Hi everyone.
I'm seriously thinking about rescuing two guinea pigs later in June/ July. I've been doing my research about 2-3 months now about their lifestyle, needs ect. But yet I have some questions that keeps me awake at night :doh:

  • How do you keep piggies weight chart? Do you make it on computer or are there other possible ways?
  • Does piggies really like stuffed animals like teddy bears? I saw some pictures on internet...
  • What grass is the best to grow for piggies?
  • What hay is best to use?
  • Do you need to bath guinea pigs? if so, how often?
  • Does anyone has any experience with Pennard or Crown (Nutfield) vets?
I am sure there going to be more questions once I will actually start to buy everything, but before that I want to know as much as possible about responsibilities of being a piggies mommy:wub:
 
you can just write down piggies weight in a book. If there are two piggies you wont need a toy, mine dont bother with them.Grass type not sure of and meadow hay is great for them to rummage about in, timothy hay is coarser so should be in racks to avoid hay pokes. Bathing them depends on the pigs. My longer haired girls need bathed more than my short haired girls.
 
Hello and welcome! It's wonderful that you're doing your researching beforehand :)

To add to the points above, meadow hay and timothy hay are absolutely fine. Alfalfa hay is high in calcium and only recommended for pregnant piggies. Bathing is only generally recommended when treating skin conditions, such as fungal. You may need to quickly wash their bums to freshen them up, but the frequency of this depends on the pig - some seem to be a lot cleaner than others.
 
Thank you @madguinealady and @Jerrybelly for taking time to answer this.
What shampoo is best to use?
Oh, and about the cages, what is better to use metal grid mesh cubes or plastic? Thank you.
 
There is no hard and fast rule about cages - just bear in mind that the RSPCA recommends that the minimum cage size for two guinea pigs should be 120cm x 60cm x 45cm.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...ing-guineas-that-have-come-as-a-shock.112950/

A lot of forum members keep their guinea pigs in hutches but it is too cold to have them outdoors in a hutch during the winter - unless you have some sort of heating such as in a shed.

I keep my guinea pigs indoors during the winter and outdoors in the summer.

Again, there is no hard and fast rule about the best sort of indoor accommodation. I am a big fan of the C&C cages but I am sure other forum members will be able to tell you of some other good cages. If you choose a C&C set up, the minimum recommended size for 2 guinea pigs is 3x2 but - the bigger the better. Boars need more space than sows. You will find lots ideas in the 2 threads below ...

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/member-gallery-c-c-cages-homemade-cages.53210/

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/member-gallery-hutches.53209/

I am so pleased that you are doing your research before going ahead and getting some guinea pigs. I have had my guinea pigs for nearly a year now and I wouldn't be without them. I would recommend any potential guinea pig owner to read this thread.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...ing-guineas-that-have-come-as-a-shock.112950/
 
Thank you @PiggieOwner I will go through all threads you provided me.

My other half is not very impressed by C&C cages mainly because we have a dog. We were thinking to put piggies in my studio where dog is not allowed, but we don't want any accidents!
We were thinking about these cages:

http://www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk/rabbit-x59x50cm-large-indoor-rabbit-guinea-cage-p-16630.html
and
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/120_cm_cages/14083

Later I was thinking to add more space for piggies. This is snot my final decision yet ( as it keeps changing every time I read more information!)


I'm still surprised that people don't research beforehand! When we decided to get a dog, we were searching for a perfect dog for almost 11 months before we decided to rescue Ūla.For fishtank I needed 3 months and thanks to P@H it went very bad at beginning...
 
Choola said:
Thank you @PiggieOwner I will go through all threads you provided me.

My other half is not very impressed by C&C cages mainly because we have a dog. We were thinking to put piggies in my studio where dog is not allowed, but we don't want any accidents!
We were thinking about these cages:

http://www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk/rabbit-x59x50cm-large-indoor-rabbit-guinea-cage-p-16630.html
and
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/120_cm_cages/14083

Later I was thinking to add more space for piggies. This is snot my final decision yet ( as it keeps changing every time I read more information!)


I'm still surprised that people don't research beforehand! When we decided to get a dog, we were searching for a perfect dog for almost 11 months before we decided to rescue Ūla.For fishtank I needed 3 months and thanks to P@H it went very bad at beginning...
Click to expand...


Either of these 2 cages should be fine. I see what you mean about avoiding potential accidents with having a dog around.
 
@PiggieOwner it's from internet. shame the way it cuts it it does't show the joke :)
 

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The Ferplast cages are popular. I've had 2 for several years and never had any problems.

Gorgeous Guineas do an excellent range of natural shampoos for healthy piggies: http://www.gorgeousguineas.co.uk/

If your piggies ever develop any skin complaints, then medicated shampoos need to come from the vet - please avoid anything from pet shops.
 
@Jerrybelly thank you very much. Which shampoos have you tried from there? Any recommendations?

I am not big fan of pet shops and try to avoid it as much as possible.
 
Choola said:
@Jerrybelly thank you very much. Which shampoos have you tried from there? Any recommendations?

I am not big fan of pet shops and try to avoid it as much as possible.
Click to expand...

On the rare occasions that my boys get particularly stinky, and a quick bum bath just won't do, then I use the Gorgeous Guineas 'Just for Boars'. It smells really nice!
 
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