guinea pigs...

Hi Everyone!

By now, I dont think we are ever going to get another dog...So I went and did a check on small animals and found Guinea pigs. Can anyone tell me about them? Are the in-expensive? or expensive? anything will be appreciated! :)

Thanks!

Guinea pigs are great! :D

They can be kind of costly though - but it's just the bedding. But it depends on how you buy it - the small bags of aspen are $7 at the market and only last one week, but an extra-large bag of aspen is $12 at the pet store and lasts for 6 weeks! So it depends on where you shop.

They need a big cage, and if you get two pigs (they like company!) then I suggest you make a C&C cage (more info is at http://cavycages.com/ ). A petstore cage definately isn't big enough for two pigs. One pig is okay in a petstore cage though, as long as you give her/him lots of time out of the cage.

Guinea pigs are very friendly after they get to know you, but are shy at first. They have to eat veggies that have vitamin C in them every day or they'll get sick. They're noisy guys too, so be prepared to be woken up by them (especially if you have their cage in your bedroom.... like I do! :p) But they're very sweet, and I love their 'wheeking.' ^_^

And I think that's about it. Getting a book on guinea pigs is a good idea before you bring home a pig. Good luck! :D

Thanks! I just love guinea pigs. My friend has 2 of them, and I love holding them. Thanks for the info. How long can they live? And is a male better or female better?

They live for 5+ years, and some people have said as long as 10! I don't know personally though because I've never lost a piggy, my Amelia is 1 and Lily is 2.

I've have females, but from what I've heard neither gender really has any advantages or disadvantages, it's all up to you. :) Oh, but males are less likely to accept another pig later, so if you only get one male to begin with you might not be able to get another male later or they could fight. But really it depends on the individual pig. :)

guinea pigs are awsome animals, I love them they are one of my favorites!! I love the calico colored ones :D. I am gettying two when I move out, from the spca, i already have a C&C cage that i made when my mom said I was alloud to get a guinea. but she changed her mind.

We have two G. Pigs. They`re so cute but so timid. I can show you pics if ya wanna. One`s name is Herbie, we`ve had him for about 4 yrs. He`s gotten used to us so he`s more outgoing than Wilbur. Wilbur is our other G.Pig. We got him in August of 2003. He`s still scared of us most of the time, but he`s so cute. When they`re happy they`ll popcorn. It`s fun to watch.


For cages, like tikeyas_mom said, you can build a cavy cage. That`s what we did, and it`s not expensive at all. go to www.cavycages.com and there you can see how to build one. Thelmer(my bunny) has one of those and it`s three levels.


Want/ need more info? PM me or post w/ questions I don`t mind answering!

BTW: Herbert and wilbur never fight. Herbert acctually tries to"establish dominence"(he mounts him).

I had a guniea pig named Otto. I got him in 1994, and had him til' 1998. I had to put him down.. because of a tooth problem.. He was only 4 years old, but I loved that piggy. He was the most affectionate pet I ever had.. and he was my FIRST pet I ever owned and took care of. I would definitely get a guniea pig again if I could, but having two dogs is a handful for me right now, and my little Rosie (beagle) would love to go after the piggy.. :rolleyes: They are quite enjoyable to be around with! :D Trust me, they are great pets, and they LOVE to cuddle!

I -personally- prefer boy piggies, but it's a size/looks thing more than a personality thing. I looove big piggies!

Would you think a cat would bother a G pig? My mom says that maggie would.

Barclay is a woose so he`s kinda afraind of them but sleeps by or on herbies cage ALL the time. Some times he sleeps with his paw in the cage but he never tries to hurt them. It`s very cute!

bedding can be expenisve, but i used towels for cheeky and friend and that cut the costs way down and made it alot easier. i think friend didn;t like the dust from the shavings
i don't think they are very expensive to feed here, but i wouldn't know because i haven't had a piggie here in america