Guinea pig help

[babydaisy_09]

hey im new here. im going to get a guinea pig somtime soon and i was wondering if you guys can give me some advise.:D and does anyone have a bunny and a guinea pig? because i have a bunny and i was wondering if its alright if they can play together? My bunny is a netherland dwarf mix so hes not that big hes only 5 punds or so.:D

[tikeyas_mom]

ok here is a great site I am also a user on, it is alot like Pet talk but it is about guinea pig :). here is a link...

www.cavycompedium.com

I love it :) my user name there is WhiteWolf. I dont own a guinea pig but I want one soooooo bad, Thats why I joined the forum at cavycompedium :)

no rabbits and guinea pigs cannot be housed together but they can have supervised play time :). Rabbits will hurt the guinea pig or make the guinea pig the underdog. which isnt good.

Guinea pigs have a totally different diet plan then rabbit, they dont produce vitamin "C" on their own so they need vitamin suppliments, or a good supply os if in their diet :).

I hope to adopt a female from my local spca, hopefully you can give a loving home to a guinea pig :) .. I suggest after doing ALOT of research on guinea pigs, get one (even better two) from your local shelter :):) ..

Hope I helped.

ps check out the link ;)

[cali]

I have 11 guinea pigs so I can help with any questions you have(assuming I know the answer of coarse) :) ok check out www.cavycages.com its one of the best piggie sites on the web, and show you how to make cheap easy cages that are the proper size for a guinea pig:D it also give lots of great info on the care of piggies:D yes a bunny and a guinea pig can have supervised playtimes together, assuming the bunny is either female or neutered male, intact males tend to harrass guinea pigs. TM is right bunny and guinea pigs cannot be fed the same thing piggies are just like people in the fact that they cannot produce there own vit. C, so they need guinea pig pellets(NOT a seed or fiesta mix, as these can cause a piggie to choke, plus are fattning) they need alfelfa hey until 6 month sthen timothy hey or some other grass hey. plus they need LOTS of dark leafy greens from day one. just like a bunny they do need there claws clipped regularly, however most pigs nails are small enugh to be clipped with human nail clippers without harm. if ya have anymore questions just ask:)

[tikeyas_mom]

Cali I am questions :o. lol mind if I ask you??

[cali]

sure, I dont mind :p

[babydaisy_09]

thanks for all your help!! and my bunny and the pig wont be housing together. (my bunny Oz is very protective of his food) i was just wondering if they could play together because my bunny loves playing with all animals. we have a 7 year old sheltie so he thinks that all animals are dogs. they love playing together its sooo cute:D thanks again for all your help!!!

[ChloeLove]

Whoa! :eek: I am joining cavy compendium...that looks like an awesome site!! :D

Edited to add: They have such awesome smilies too!! :D :eek:

[shellonabeach]

I wouldn't even let them play together, rabbits have such powerful back legs that one kick and you have a dead/fatally injured pig, even a small rabbit can cause a fatal injury. Also rabbits can carry Bordetella which does not affect them but is fatal to pigs.

Also you MUST get 2 pigs, they need companionship, getting only one simply is not fair.

If you are wanting a playmate for the rabbit why not get him another rabbit?

Is your rabbit neutered? I ask because if he mounts the guinea pig he could badly damage the pigs back.

[tikeyas_mom]

shell I was reading on a couple sites from google. that you dont HAVE to have two guinea pigs, one can live happily on its own if it gets enough love. Some guinea pigs if not giving enough room in a cage will fight and bicker with eachother, what are your views cali on having LONE guinea pigs?

[cali]

yes you dont HAVE to have 2 piggies. I have 11 but 1 is kept alone in my room, he enjoys it much better then being with the other pigs, from my own observations girls do better in pairs or groups but males have no problems being alone, as long as they get extra lap and foor time, there is nothing wronge with being alone, smudge loves it, he hated being with blizzard or spud, he just attacked them and started fights now he cuddle up to me, and visits happy and plays with his toys and responds to his name, and is just very sweet, being alone allows me to spend more one on one time with him and he loves it:)

[tikeyas_mom]

thats what I thought, I wanted to get a male guinea pig anyways *an adult* from the spca, and they arnt housed together. So I dont think it would be smart to house two adult male together since they have been alone all their lives. I am just getting one pig. I desided that a while ago. but thanks for your input cali ;)

[shellonabeach]

I have taken adult males who have been forced to live alone for years and put them together with no problems, they have infact formed very strong bonds with one another.

To be choosing to only get one pig is utterly selfish, and anyone can write anything and put it on the internet it is not always true or factual. Of course TM you will listen to what YOU want to hear since you have already decided to only get ONE pig.

TM I will ask now, it has been on my mind a while, but what has happened to Sage's 2 sons? I know you went and got 2 rats. What is happening with Sage, are you going to do the right thing and get her a companion????

A good site about pigs and how social they are is cavyspirit, a site I would trust as it is written by a cavy rescuer, someone who selflessly devotes her life to doing what is best for cavies.

http://cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm

[tikeyas_mom]

I have taken adult males who have been forced to live alone for years and put them together with no problems, they have infact formed very strong bonds with one another.

=REALLY, well I am just going on by what ppl say on sites but if you infact have had two male guinea pigs live together peacefully I am greatful for your input.

To be choosing to only get one pig is utterly selfish, and anyone can write anything and put it on the internet it is not always true or factual.
= Good point.

Of course TM you will listen to what YOU want to hear since you have already decided to only get ONE pig.
= what are you talking about??? :confused: you are assuming I dont care what you say.

TM I will ask now, it has been on my mind a while, but what has happened to Sage's 2 sons?
= I gave them away together.(even though you could have pmed me if you wondered so bad :rolleyes:

I know you went and got 2 rats.
= yes I did ;)

What is happening with Sage, are you going to do the right thing and get her a companion????
= I guess I am not going to do the right thing, and get her a friend, because I dont want to risk sexing the next one wrong.

A good site about pigs and how social they are is cavyspirit, a site I would trust as it is written by a cavy rescuer, someone who selflessly devotes her life to doing what is best for cavies.
=I'll check it out ;).

[CathyBogart]

The excellent G.P. rescue near me will not adopt out single pigs, because it's unfair to the animal. All of their males are altered and live iwth a female companion, or a male in rarer cases. It's like rats: it's just not fair to have only one. :)

[tikeyas_mom]

Originally posted by WolfChan
The excellent G.P. rescue near me will not adopt out single pigs, because it's unfair to the animal. All of their males are altered and live iwth a female companion, or a male in rarer cases. It's like rats: it's just not fair to have only one. :)

ok thanks :). I will try to find a male that is altered, which will be hard :( .

[zanzanfergie]

Guinea pigs do need a companion. You're right, Cali, that not all guinea pigs get along - that does not mean that they will be happy alone. Two of my guinea pigs do not get along well at all, so I've separated the six of them into two hutches. They are very close groups. Some of them even have 'best friends' - Opal and Kennedi have been together since the moment they were born (they are sisters) and are never apart, even when out for a run. No matter how many pets a guinea pig gets I do not think it is comparable to the companionship of another guinea pig.
And TM, if you do get a male, please get a neutered one. If you got one from the SPCA wouldn't it already be done? If it was neutered you could even have a male and female - Maverick was neutered, and he got along fine with all of our females. :)

[tikeyas_mom]

Originally posted by zanzanfergie
Guinea pigs do need a companion. You're right, Cali, that not all guinea pigs get along - that does not mean that they will be happy alone. Two of my guinea pigs do not get along well at all, so I've separated the six of them into two hutches. They are very close groups. Some of them even have 'best friends' - Opal and Kennedi have been together since the moment they were born (they are sisters) and are never apart, even when out for a run. No matter how many pets a guinea pig gets I do not think it is comparable to the companionship of another guinea pig.
And TM, if you do get a male, please get a neutered one. If you got one from the SPCA wouldn't it already be done? If it was neutered you could even have a male and female - Maverick was neutered, and he got along fine with all of our females. :)

The spca only neuters dogs and cats befor adopting them out :(:(.