you all know I'm new here so I have a few questions. question1:If I were to get a guinea guy any time soon what kind of guinea pig would you recommend. question2: if you have any advice tell me please. thankyou pig lover!
What Advice Do You Have
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Hi and welcome!
Could you please add your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can really give you the kind of recommendations you are looking for? Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. We have got members and enquiries from all over the world. Thank you!
You may find our information for wannabe owners helpful. The different threads discuss in detail the various aspects that you want to consider before getting guinea pigs, especially if you want them as family pets. I would recommend to take your time to read through them so you can avoid costly mistakes and ultimately failure as a pet owner - with your pets having to pay the bill.
Quick Information Bundle For Wannabe Owners
We generally recommend using one of our recommended good standard rescues that help you avoid the usual pitfalls for the unwary newbie, like unhandled skittish piggies, unmatched personalities which can lead to fall-outs, health issues in shop and breeder piggies and unplanned pregnancies. You will also have to consider what you prefer - older guinea pigs that are used to being handled and that will settle in much more quickly or skittish youngsters that you need to slowly make friends with to get them past the prey animal instincts.
You have to be aware that the normal life span of healthy guinea pigs is 5-7 years. That is a quite a long commitment that you may want to think about twice, especially if you are planning to have guinea pigs as family pets - the care is down to you for the duration of their whole lives, especially with smaller children that lose interest rather quickly. Rescues ans free-ads are full of no longer wanted ex-children's pets. Please do not add to that misery!
Alex2016
Junior Guinea Pig
I'd try to get a rescue pig, also as big as cage as poss avoiding the shop brought cages. Cc cages are meant to be very good ! Hope you get a piggy soon !
Please always make it two - guinea pigs are group animals and suited to living alone!
Alex2016
Junior Guinea Pig
Sorry should have been clear, rescue pigs ! Nice Long hair pair in pets at home near me been their 5 months so sad 
thanks for the advice
Namaah
Junior Guinea Pig
Breeds dont make much difference in guinea pig but short haired guinea pig are a bit less work as they dont need as much care for their fur. My boy only has medium length hair and I still need to comb his hair regularly to get the tangles out and trim the hair around his male parts or it gets all caught up in them.
Get a pair of guinea pigs from the start, preferably a well matched pair from a good rescue who will make sure they are suitably bonded before they put them up for adoption
Make sure your cage is large enough from the start aswell, atleast 2' by 4' . When I got my first guinea pig i bought the cage the petshop recommended and then later found out it was far too small. I had to rearrange my livingroom to fit in the new cage and wasted £50 on a cage.
Find a vet that is experienced with guinea pigs and start saving a little each week incase you ever need to go to the vets. You dont want to leave it until you urgently need a vet to start trying to find one. I've read a lot of stories on here of people taking their pigs to any vet and then having to go to a guinea pig vet because the first vet didn't know enough and having to pay both vets.
Last bit of advice is to read as much of the sticky posts on here as possible, there is so much good advice and information on here to help you take great care of your guinea pigs.
Get a pair of guinea pigs from the start, preferably a well matched pair from a good rescue who will make sure they are suitably bonded before they put them up for adoption
Make sure your cage is large enough from the start aswell, atleast 2' by 4' . When I got my first guinea pig i bought the cage the petshop recommended and then later found out it was far too small. I had to rearrange my livingroom to fit in the new cage and wasted £50 on a cage.
Find a vet that is experienced with guinea pigs and start saving a little each week incase you ever need to go to the vets. You dont want to leave it until you urgently need a vet to start trying to find one. I've read a lot of stories on here of people taking their pigs to any vet and then having to go to a guinea pig vet because the first vet didn't know enough and having to pay both vets.
Last bit of advice is to read as much of the sticky posts on here as possible, there is so much good advice and information on here to help you take great care of your guinea pigs.
Freela
Senior Guinea Pig
Breed doesn't make a whole lot of difference... it is really up to you to find a guinea pig that you connect with. Longer haired pig do require more grooming, but you can always trim hair back so it's less work. There probably aren't a lot of long-haired pigs running around with their full coats, as it's a lot of work! It's better to have a pair- they are social animals and appreciate the company, and as an owner it's more fun to observe a lot more of their natural behaviors when you see them interact. Make sure that you have two of the same sex to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
I agree with earlier advice to find a vet with guinea pig experience before you need one... proper vet care makes a big difference. I lost a pig who might have survived with better vet care, so I've learned that lesson the hard way.
Hmmm... expect them to be nervous at first. Guinea pigs are prey animals and are naturally cautious. Expect them to take some time to get to trust you. I like to handle new pigs for a short time daily, give them a blanket to burrow into while they are on my lap, and give them treats during lap time so they associate it with good things. Read up on some of the normal settling in things and normal guinea pig behaviors in the stickies at the top of the page to have a sense of what to expect.
Best of luck... it's a great forum, definitely feel free to ask questions!
I agree with earlier advice to find a vet with guinea pig experience before you need one... proper vet care makes a big difference. I lost a pig who might have survived with better vet care, so I've learned that lesson the hard way.
Hmmm... expect them to be nervous at first. Guinea pigs are prey animals and are naturally cautious. Expect them to take some time to get to trust you. I like to handle new pigs for a short time daily, give them a blanket to burrow into while they are on my lap, and give them treats during lap time so they associate it with good things. Read up on some of the normal settling in things and normal guinea pig behaviors in the stickies at the top of the page to have a sense of what to expect.
Best of luck... it's a great forum, definitely feel free to ask questions!
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