Member Advice on Guinea Pigs

For my daughters 7th birthday she requested a guinea pig I did some research and discovered that its better to have 2 or 3 rather than one as they are happier in groups and don’t make very good solitary pets, some people recommended keeping one with a rabbit and a good friend of mine (now) breeds them and wouldn’t recommend that option as rabbits can be quite aggressive, so two piggies it was.

Grandad make her a hutch it is about 1ft wide by 3 ft long with water proof roofing material and an arch leading to bedding area. Both the bedding area and the main hutch are accessible by a door each (for cleaning purposes). My husband made her a run it is triangular is shape with a door, netting over the middle area, with wooden areas at each end about a foot wide each to provide shade from the summer heat.

The two guinea pigs both female (cresta and soda) were 8 weeks old and brought from a breeder they were long haired and cost £12 each (boys were £7) but unfortunately soda died at six months old (not sure why) so Cresta was left alone.

I called a lady who runs a rescue centre and she had loads of adult females wanting loving homes and we just needed a friend for Cresta, so off we went and came back with another two a skinny black short haired one (blackie) and a tri-coloured absian cross (Georgina) and all was well for about 18 months, then blackie who never was very well, obviously been bullied and bitten judging by the scars, developed a tumour and despite £30 of vets bills she died.

Georgie and Cresta lived quite happily until about 1 month ago when I found her dead in there bed with Cresta still cuddling up to her, not sure how old she was so may have been just old age, poor Cresta (alone again).

Now she has piglet a baby piggy about 9 weeks old little tri-colour very similar to Georgina, we were worried Cresta wouldn’t take to her but she thinks she her mum and really looks out for her, ah bless alls well that ends well (hopefully).

Anyway back to the accommodation, since Guinea Pigs are a bit sensitive to cold, we haven’t got a shed, or a garage which isn’t used, so we bring them indoors about November depends on the weather they won’t go back out till May, so I have brought a new indoor cage its like a large bucket really, about two foot wide and three foot long and it curves up about a foot and with a large clear lid which slots of the top. It has a hay rack and a clip it food trough, we line it with newspaper fill up with and inch or two of wood shavings, put in a large cardboard box, (which they eat) some straw and a water bottle and they can go in a back room.

They need to be cleaned out regularly, when we had three it had to be twice a week.
They need fresh fruit and veg every day, vitamin drops in the water, claws need to be trimmed and sometimes teeth too. The long haired one gets matt’s in her hair quite a lot, so they need grooming, bathing, and in Cesta’s case hair cuts too. They have a variety of vocal sounds up to 16 different one (not that I’ve counted) and the baby chatters away like mad, she just fits in your hand and had doubled in size in two week, what a piggy she is.

Food

Well actually then can be quite fussy, they love tomatoes, lettuce, cress, red pepper, spinach, broccoli, pea pods, apples, beansprouts, aubergine, cucumber

Not so keen but will eat, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, leek, oranges

Always provide unlimited Guinea mix, Hay, Water

The vegtables I get from a local farm and they they provide loads of spinach in plastic bags for 40p and when Cresta hears a carrier bags now, she squeals with delight, they are very endearing. So even if im just putting the shopping away I end up giving the pigs some more vegtables.

By the way although Cresta and Soda were £12 (pedigrees) Blackie and Georgina were a fiver each and the new piggie was £10, however there is now a postcard in the pet shop selling babies for £3.00 and £5.00 so price varies. They are suitable for children of all ages as they never bite and are very placid I think their stratagy is, sit still and hide and hopefully you will go away, no such luck.