Question for Guinea Pig owners?

Question

My little brother and I are considering buying one-two guinea pigs. What are some of the better varieties/ cheaper varieties to look for? Anything first time owners should be aware of? Tips and advice are very much appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

first: Understand that if you get two piggies cleaning their cage once a week is not going to cut it. Guinea Pigs poop a lot so you and your brother are going to have to make shifts to clean the cage.



Second: Varieties? It's a lot easier to find the short haired and their easier to take care of. A long haired cavy are a little more maintenance. It's also easier to actually get a piggy at petsmart than a shelter but go to a place that you're most comfortable with because every piggy needs a home. Plus I don't think shelter piggies are for first time owners, but thats just my personal opinion.



Third: Deffinately do price checks and plan because you can wind up spending a lot of money initially. Store cages are small and expensive. You would be better off if you built a cage when it comes to price. When I built mine I spent less than half of what I would have paid if I bought that tiny store cage. Although if you suck at math or measurements I suggest you get your dad to build it lol. cavyspirits.com I think is the website that gives you directions on building the cages.



fourth: If you decide to buid the cage I don't think you should buy the bedding stuff cause that will go out fast and its expensive lol. I put down towls and on top I have a fleece. The fleece does a great job with not absorbing the pee. The pee should go through the fleece to be absorbed into the towl.



Fifth: when you do get your piggy/piggies be sure to bond with them. Take steps when you bond. Don't try to hold it too much. For the first day just be near the cage so the piggy/piggies can get used to your presence. What I did was I actually slept beside the cage for the first two nights and stayed near my piggy for most of the day. This helped the bonding process a lot. Then I tried to hand feed him and he didn't start eating out of my hand until the fourth day. Then I tried to pet him and hold him. They won't like this but it must be done. But it also depends on the piggy. Everyone can give you advice all day long but its best to adapt with your piggy. I am a first time guinea pig owner but not a first time animal owner so I'm not completely lost when it comes to my piggy. After just two weeks me and my piggy are best buds. He's my baby and I don't see how I could have lived without him. I know many people won't like me for saying this but I bought mine a petsmart. It was a very nice petsmart though. I picked the guinea pig that seemed the most sociable. My piggy came right up to the glass when I came to the glass. I knew then that I would take him home. So you might want to get a more sociable piggy.



Sixth: If you do buy a piggy from the store beware of bad stores. Do not buy from a pet store where there are piggies and rabbits in the same cage. Also if the piggies are in bad condition or have been in fights then leave the store. I went to a pet supermarket for price checking and they had their piggies in the same cage as the rabbits and two of the piggies had been fighting so one of their nose's was torn up. The employees were incompitant and my mom and I didn't go back. So I think you should be fine.



Also its best to do research outside of opinions because most of the time thats what people on yahoo answers are giving you. Good luck..

Answer 2

try adopting a guinea pig and give an abandon guinea pig (or guinea pigs) a seconf chance at a forever home! :3



a great place to look is http://petfinder.com/



try using a pet store as a last resort! Pet store guinea pigs come from small animal mills (they are no different then puppy mills). These mills can care less about health and temperament of the animals and those many of the animals have health issues and sometimes temperament issues.



for example: for the last month the pet store I work for has gotten nothing but sick guinea pigs (these animals come from mills!) I do not mind giving this guys meds because I want them to feel better and find a home, but I hate the fact that the mill could care less about the animals and just breeds like crazy resulting in sick animals.



Anyhow, why support such a disgusting practice?



more info:



no store bought cage is big enough for a guinea pig. Check out this site for guinea pig cages that are big enough.

http://guineapigcages.com/



for more info on guinea pigs, please read the following sites:

http://cavyspirit.com/

http://guinealynx.com/



also, I recommend two guinea pigs as they are herd animals and herd animals live better in at least a pair.





Good luck!

Answer 3

Yes definatly get two

most guinea pig breeds are easy to look after the only difference between guinea pigs (apart from their personalities) is their coat type and their size.

Bigger guinea pigs obviously need more room that smaller ones.

Short hairs cost less (in terms of guinea pig grooming supplys and time) as opposed to long haird ones.

All guinea pigs are cheap when it comes to purchasing ones including pure breed GPs.

Shelters and rescues are better to get a guinea pig from because their usually neutered/spayed and your saving a piggies life.

Anyway I hope this helps

Good luck

Answer 4

Tips- be sure to socialize them fairly soon after getting them. They need that relationship established fast, and they love attention. Also, you should get them checked out by a vet, or someone who knows a lot about the specific breed right after getting them. Do not use cedar bedding it is very harmful to their respiratory system and some of their organs. And, unlike rabbits, guinea pigs should not be in a cage with wire to walk on. Good luck!!!!

Answer 5

Did you know?



Guinea pig body info



bullet Body temperature is 99 - 103°F

bullet Heart rate is 240-350 beats per minute

bullet Respiratory rate is 40-150 breaths per minute

bullet An average adult male weights 900-1200 grams or roughly 2 - 2.5 pounds

bullet An average adult female weighs 700 - 900 grams or roughly 1.5 - 2 pounds

bullet Life span is 4 - 8 years

bullet Guinea pig's teeth are open-rooted, that is they continue to grow

bullet Guinea pigs are strict herbivores.





Common Cavy Mistakes and Misconceptions













While this is not intended to be a care list, we would like to share some of the common mistakes, misconceptions, and lack of information people have about cavy care and cavy management.



#1 Cage Size Too Small

This is the most common problem we see at our rescue. Please see Guinea Pig Cages for lots of great cage info and proper size requirements.



#2 Male Guinea Pigs will Fight

Wrong. It depends on the personalities of the guinea pigs. Many, many males live together in pairs or trios and are quite happy with no fights. Some sows will not get along and cannot be housed together. It all depends on the individual guinea pigs.



#3 No Hay or Hay as a Treat ONLY or Wrong Hay

Not giving guinea pigs unlimited Timothy Hay around the clock is a big mistake. Many people don't seem to know that guinea pigs NEED hay. Many people buy the hay they find at the pet store, the most commonly found packaged hay is Alfalfa hay. Many people buy Alfalfa hay because that is what the pet store people told them to buy. Alfalfa hay should only be given to pregnant mothers and growing babies. Alfalfa hay has too much calcium and other nutrients which can cause bladder stones in guinea pigs. Timothy hay helps their digestive system and is the best way to help keep their molars ground down and healthy.



#4 Not Keeping Nails Trimmed

This is a common problem. Guinea pig nails need to be trimmed about once every 4-6 weeks. They can curl and grow back into the pad causing pain and infections. It's very easy to do on your own. See this Guinea Lynx page for more info.



#5 Vitamin Drops in the Water



DO NOT USE the vitamin drops in the water!

The only supplement a healthy cavy needs is Vitamin C. The vitamin drops that you buy at the pet store contain additional vitamins and minerals which can potentially be toxic to them.



Vitamin C deteriorates rapidly in WATER and in LIGHT.



Cavies drink varying amounts of water. There is no way to know how much Vitamin C your cavy is actually getting.



Adult cavies need 30-50 mg per day of C. The drops make the water taste bad, thereby discouraging many cavies from drinking water---not good!



Suggested Vitamin C supplementing:

Your healthy cavy shouldn't need additional Vitamin C supplements IF your cavy is getting proper fresh greens and some fruits and high quality, fresh guinea pig pellets on a daily basis. You should not give your cavy a diet high in fruits to ensure they get adequate vitamin C.



To supplement, get the chewable 'Vitamin C only' tablets for adults or children. To ensure proper dosage, divide up the tablet and then crush it, or crush it and then divide it up. If you have a 500 mg tablet, then one cavy needs 1/10 of that daily. It's best to divide it up into two doses, one in the morning, one in the evening. You can mix the powder or chunks in with their pellets or sprinkle it on their veggies. An easy way to crush a tablet is between two tablespoons.



You can also dose the C directly, especially if you have a sick or needy cavy. Purchase some liquid vitamin C from a health food or drug store. We use a flavored GNC brand and the piggies like it. It says one teaspoon equals 5 ml and that is 500 mg of C. So we divide 500/5 and we get 100 mg in 1 ml. So, for a 50 mg dose (divided in 2--am and pm), we give .25 ml in the morning and .25 ml in the evening. Of course you need a little syringe to do this--also available at a drug store or vet. (1 ml = 1 cc) If you have a very sick or pregnant cavy, you can double the dose.



#6 Giant Exercise Balls and Wheels

Wrong. These are big health hazards to your guinea pig. They can cause spinal injuries and foot and ankle injuries leading to very difficult, life threatening problems. DO NOT USE these products.



#7 Same old food, day in day out

Guinea pigs like and need a variety of fresh vegetables and some fruits, just like we do. Make sure you focus on high-quality greens and veggies which are high in vitamin C and low in calcium. See this Guinea Lynx page for more info.







#8 If I get two guinea pigs, they won't bond with me!

Guinea pigs are a social, herd animal and normally do much better, and are healthier and happier in pairs or trios. They will still bond with you. By having two, you give them a happier life when you are not around. The cost and care of two is not much more than one.





#99 Buying a Pig in Pet Store

Do you have any idea how many people come to our rescue with stories of unknowingly buying sick guinea pigs from pet stores only to have them die a week later? Quite a few. You should ALWAYS check the shelters and rescues first. For information, please see either the Adopting or the Surrendering page on finding a guinea pig to adopt.













HOPE THIS HELPS,

-Amanda

Answer 6

Make sure to pay attention to him or her. But a small box for it to chew on. You could get a sock, fill it with hay and hang it in the cage for it to play with. Buy a big cage and put a plastic house in there. Clean the cage once a week. Hope this helped.

Answer 7

you have 2 have 2 because if you just have 1 it gets lonely.

The bedding gets VERY expensive.

Answer 8

there pretty just buy it feed it play with it an give it water!