What Questions To Ask A Breeder And What To Look For When Visiting Their Piggies?

Status
Not open for further replies.
MissBubblegum

MissBubblegum

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
Jul 15, 2014
Messages
521
Reaction score
322
Points
500
Location
Caithness, Scotland
So I will soon be a piggy Mummy! I am so excited!

A local breeder (more a hooby breeder with just a few pairs) has just had babies which are a week old and in 7 weeks they will be needing homes. I have reserved 2.

So what kind of questions should I be asking? And if I get to visit them and their parents before they are ready, what should I be checking?

I am so excited! But this next 7 weeks is going to be agonising lol
 
Have you reserved boars or girls?

When you visit, look for cleanliness, hutch/cage sizes, what kind of food they are getting (pellets are preferable to cheap muesli mixes); are the bottles clean and contain fresh water? Have they got fresh hay?

Itchiness, bare skin patches, nervousness, long nails etc. will tell you a lot about the quality of care the piggies receive.

Ask how she treats mites for instance. Many breeders just use a low dosed, cheap and ineffective shop spray; the best product is xeno spot on. At which age does she separate baby boars (three weeks old) and how often does she breed an individual sow (ideally not more than twice)?

There are some very caring and careful breeders out there, but unfortunately, some of the most neglected piggies also come from so called hobby breeders. Look at the corners you are not shown and peek at the other piggies or rabbits.
 
Thanks Wiebke! I am so nervous its liked expecting a baby haha

I haven't resereved any sex because they haven't been sexed yet (or atleast not sexed 100% possitive). the litter was 3 so which ever sex is 2 of I get dibs, hehe.

what age should boars be seperated at?
 
Thank you. I would prefer girls so it is a slight worry that I may get a pregnant one, so finegsr crossed! she seems experianced though so hopfully all will be well.
 
hehe lil. Maybe if a strike a good repour with the breeder I might ask that just for a laugh!

thanks wiebke, i read through that thread and it was very interesting and useful. I didnt know younger piggies were more prone to heat stroke than older piggies so I will look into one of those freeze pods I have been seeing people talking about here as the weather in the UK this summer has been stupidly hot!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top