Guinie pigs?!?!!?

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

GUESS WHAT!!!

Eric came home yesterday and told me he wanted to get a guinie pig. He said he saw one while he was shopping around and thought he was so cute!! :eek:

This is the same guy that wont let me have a dog!!!!!:rolleyes:

But I would love to have a guinie pig too... I think it would be fun.

So he wanted me to find out what guinie pigs are like.. do they cuddle ever?? He says if we get one he wants to be able to pick it up.

[Jods]

Guniea pigs dont really cuddle, but they will sit with you and it would seem like cuddling I guess LOL... They are very cute animals they do love attention though mine screams whenvever he hears me enter the room. He does not liked to be picked up though so we only pick him up to clean his cage, or give him a bath. Yes we bathe him because he has such long hair it gets matted and discolored I mean really long you can;t even see his face so we even cut his hair away from his eyes sometimes. The reason he doesn't like to be picked up is because my brother bought him at a pet shop and Shaggy was already a little older and he didn't take care for him so he never liked being picked up. my mom and I have taken him over and care for him. I have had a guniea pig that loves to be picked up Piggy Sue was her named she passed on to the RB she also squeeled when I came into the room. Guniea pigs need loads of attention just like any other pet and before you get one you should check out some sights they have great information before getting one. I would suggest a big cage..... They are people on here that have had gunia pigs and know more then I do they will post later probably... I hear them mention a site called cavy something or other if you search posts you will find it..... Good luck!:D

[Buddy Blaze Lover]

Oh yes, most guinea pigs LOVE to cuddle! Domino also squeaks every time I walk past his cage...he loves attention, and food!! I'd just say cavies are little, fat bundles of love! (hehe):D

[cali]

some like to cuddle and some dont. some will run to the front of the cage to be picked up, but many will run away. you do have to remeber that they are prey animals, so a big creatur scopping them up is gonna make them run lol while they can live alone, its better if they are in pairs, females are better in groups then males. they do need a rather large cage, most petstore cages are rather small, expessally for the price, but you can build a C&C cage that would be 3-4 times the size for half the price lol coroplast is only $13CDN here and the cubes are $10-20 depending on where you go. they do need hay, and pellets not that mix with seed and junk in it because they are not good for piggies and seeds can cause them to choke. they also need veggies the darker green the better for Vit. C.

back on the cuddling once you are holding the piggie they will usually cuddle, like they will sit on your lap for a while, but there are piggie that are more cuddly then others. for example a few of mine love to cuddle and others will scream and kick if you try to cuddle them. :eek:

[chrissycat21]

Guinea pigs love to cuddle!

Please don't buy a guinea pig from a pet store! There are SO many homeless guinea pigs, just as many as cats and dogs! Please call local shelters that could possibly have guinea pigs. Most of the time shelters euthenize the guinea pigs right a way and only deal with cats and dogs.

If you get a guinea pig it is best to buy two or three, they like the company of other guinea pigs. If you need to find a cheap, easy way to build a cage for you piggies, try cavycages.com.

Ok, while I'm at it I'll throw in a lot of general care info that lots of petstores leave out....

Guinea pigs need to be taken out of their cage once a day (if you can't take them out atleast once a day than I think it would be best to get atleast 2). My piggy, Taffy, loves to cuddle. His 8th birthday will be in April (atleast I think!) Piggies need fresh vegetables and fruits every day. Taffy gets a huge salad every night, lettuce, spinnach, carrots, peppers, and whatever else we have in the house. They need alfalfa hay until they reach a year, and than swich them over to timothy hay since alfalfa has way too much calcium. Hay should always be available, same with pellets.

The cage needs to be cleaned atleast once a week or it will start to smell. Try spot cleaning it if you can, than it could last a little longer.

I have SO much more info that I can share if needed, if you want to know anything else just PM me or post on this board!

[guineapiggie13]

Guinea Pigs do love to cuddle, but they should get lots of exercise as well. They eat vegetables (no nuts or seeds) only, and they should get veggies daily. Guinea pigs need alfalfa or Timothy Hay (alfalfa has more fats) and pellets with vitamin c (vitamin c is crucial). They are very adorable; they will learn to recognize you, and squeal loudly for a treat. Mine recognize the word "treat", and they start wheeking away! For hygiene, chrissycat21 has already stated you need to clean their cage. They should also have a water bottle, but you can have a bowl instead. These bowls get really dirty full of pine shavings, etc. and a water bottle is better. Plus, if you get two, make sure they are the same gender, or you could end up with quite a lot of guinea pigs! Also, only two male guinea pigs that have known each other should be kept together, or if they just met, they can fight. I hope this info helps!:)

[chrissycat21]

I just remembered some other things....

Cedar and pine bedding is bad for them and can make them sick. If you use pine bedding make sure it is kiln dried.

Like guineapiggie said, fresh water should always be available. (I thought that was sort of a given. :) )

Two males that are not from the same litter will not always fight. Nutering a male will not change his behavior any. Two females may fight if they are not introduced correctly. (Same with males)

[guster girl]

I would get a young one if you can, so, they can get used to being handled easier. They are usually really timid at first, and, you have to catch them quickly. Ha ha, but, my RB guinea pig, Angus, was a total love bug. He was really nervous at first. I just made sure to hold him as often as possible, to get him used to people. I let a lot of different people hold him, too. He would chirp at us when he heard us enter the room, and, stand up on his hind legs to let us know he wanted out of his cage. He was so awesome, I loved him and miss him a lot, still. He was a great pet, and, died at about five years of age. Very cuddly little guy, and, pretty low maintenance as far as pets go. Just give them as much attention as possible, water (if I remember correctly, you have to add Vitamin C to the water), guinea pig food, alfalfa, and, some fresh veggies daily. They don't climb a lot like a rat or hamster, as far as my experiences go. I don't know that many of them run on wheels, but, I do know they'll run in a big rodent ball if you introduce it to them early on (again, only going on my experience). But, we used to just let Angus run around a safe area where it was open and he couldn't hide under or behind anything, and, we made sure there wasn't anything he could chew on, like electrical cords and things like that. And, we'd just play with him on the floor, he used to run laps around the area we had blocked off for him, popping straight up in the air (I've heard it called "popcorning") and bucking like a wild bronc. He was hysterical! Anywho....let us know if you get one! I think you should get two, though, I've heard they enjoy company. :) You do have to bathe them once in awhile, brush them regularly and cut their nails. But, if you get them used to it young (just like with puppies and kittens), it's not that hard later. Good luck!

[guineapiggie13]

I use pine it isn't that bad, but I always thought [B]only[/B Cedar was.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Thanks so much everybody for the great information.

I will let him read through and do whatever else research he feels like he needs to do...
I will be excited if he decides to get one....

How about Tinky though.... she is the *QUEEN* of this house... do you think she will growl and react to a guinie pig like she does other cats??

[guineapiggie13]

How old is Tinky? It depends if they care to even see the new pet, and I think usually older cats seem to ignore anything new. When I brought my guinea pigs home, we have two 18-year old cats and we just introduced them through the cage bars. I have to say- they could care less! Of course, one cat is blind, but the other just sits and watches them. I recommend spending lots of time with Tinky as well as the guinea pig, so neither feel sort of ignored.

[tatsxxx11]

All the other piggie moms have already given you great advice...but one thing I would like to stress, PLEASE adopt from a shelter! There are so many surrenders out there:( Happily our shleter's piggies are guaranteed a home at the shelter, should they not be adopted!:)

Also, they have very fragile spines. Dropping them, holding them on their backs, allowing them to climb stairs can be dangerous. And so are those ball thingys. They are not recommended for guinea pigs as they are for hamsters, mice, etc.

Large cardboard tubes make great toys:D They love to explore!

Many piggies are labeled as not lovable, not liking to be handled, but I have found that this most often comes from a lack of being handeled by their previous owners/exposure to humans. With time and lots of daily handling, my Moon has come to love cuddling and being held. Rosie's always been a love bug:)

Yes, they are VERY social animals and if you don't have the time for daily playtime, handling, do consider getting a playmate. But keep them in separate cages and don't allow them to interact outside of their cages unless you are sure they are same sex or one is "altered."

Their nails need regualr clipping...easy once you get the knack and if your pig's not a squirmer. Mne have come to love manicure time/bath time!

My cats LOVE the pigs and the pigs LOVE when the cats come to the cage to explore and wheek like crazy:D Oliver loves eating the hay that's fallen out of the cage:rolleyes:

Pigs cannot manufacture Vit. C, so if unless you supplement their diet with lots of good fruits and veggies, do add the Vit C supplement to their water. But it must be changed daily as the Vit C breaks down quickly when exposed to daylight. My "pocket pet vet" recommends a small slice of orange every few days; the girls love though it stains their cheeks:D But not too much; the high acid contact can cause mouth sores.

Parsley and spinach are piggie favorites but give in moderation as too much can result in the formation of bladder stones. Rommaine lettuce is a good green to feel regularly. No iceberg though; it's mostly water.

Playtime at our house is in a large bathroom, safely away from the dogs and cats, wires, cords and other things that might harm them. They get about an hour of "free roam" every day.

OH!!! Piggies are very sensitive to temp. changes. Many piggies have died from heat stroke, having been left outdoors in the sun without adequate shading. Pref. temps are from 65-75 degrees. Try to keep them away from drafts. But my girls love to go out in my fenced in garden during the summer where they can munch on fresh grass and herbs. But watch out for hawks, that can swoop down and scoop up a piggie in a flash, so never leave them unsupervised outdoors!

Here's a link to a great cavy forum. Lots of very experienced cavy people, great info. and lots of support:)

Good luck! Can't wait to hear what the decision is:)

Cavy Forum (http://www.cavycompendium.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=83)

[PJ's Mom]

Originally posted by tatsxxx11
...but one thing I would like to stress, PLEASE adopt from a shelter! There are so many surrenders out there:( Happily our shleter's piggies are guaranteed a home at the shelter, should they not be adopted!:)

I can't add anything other than this is the best advice you can have. At the time we got our pigs, we didn't know there were piggie rescues or piggies at the shelters. We got ours from the pet store. While we love our pigs to death, there's always that special feeling you get when you know you've saved a life. :)

[guineapiglover4ever]

ohh guinea pigs are really great pets i have one and she whines and talks and cuddles with me
heres a picture srry if it doest work
u might want to have a girl the boys seem to be more aggressive

http://img9.imgspot.com/u/04/303/20/DSCN0912.JPG

more to come

[guineapiglover4ever]

http://img6.imgspot.com/u/04/303/20/DSCN0834.JPG

[guineapiglover4ever]

http://img8.imgspot.com/u/04/303/20/DSCN0915.JPG

[chrissycat21]

Originally posted by guineapiglover4ever

u might want to have a girl the boys seem to be more aggressive



more to come

I have to disagree. :) I have had Taffy, my male guinea pig, for around 7 1/2 years now. He has never been aggresive. It just depends on the personsality of the guinea pig. I have met some VERY aggressive female pigs. :)