Hello

[Rattie Mom]

I found my way to this forum, while doing research on piggies. We are currently owned by a dog, cat, 2 bunnies and a whole mischief of ratties. But I have yet to have the pleasure of being loved by piggies.

I'm hoping to learn a lot here. So when the time comes to adopt a couple of piggies, we'll be ready.

I see there is also have a rattie forum, So I'll spend some time there as well. I was a moderator on the Rat Palace forum, so perhaps I might be able to share rattie experiences, stories and pics.

I must admit...I have a TON of guinea pig questions right now. Mainly those that will help me determine if we are the right "parents" for piggies.

Debbie and her zoo

[wickedrodent]

Welcome!

Ask away at any questions you might have; we are here to help.

I am getting my two ratties babies on Sunday. Are you a member of Rats Rule as well?

[cs275]

Welcome, new myself but in love with my pigs. They are super fun and loyal and cuddly! trust me, good choice if you adopt

[wickedrodent]

cs275- While I agree that pigs make excellent pets, they are not always suited for everyone. Same goes with every other animal. Pigs aren't as social as ratties but some tend to be people friendly and like being petted. It all depends what you are looking for in a pet..

[Rattie Mom]

Thanks for the welcome

I have a few questions while researching about piggies...and I'm not sure where to put them (the questions that is). I hope it's ok to ask here...but if they should be put into a different area that might give me a better chance of getting lots of replies, please let me know. thanks

Because I do have other animals...I really want to make sure we are right for piggies too. My thought is that I could build a guinea pig area on top of our bunny crate. Their crate is an xtra large dog crate. So the top is 4ft x 3 ft. I've seen some great ideas on this site. We would make sure it's a closed in area.

Our bunny area is in our kitchen. While we are home, their crate is open and they have free range of kitchen. I know that bunns and piggies are not supposed to be housed together because of their different dietary needs....but is it possible for them to have free range time together? If not, what is an appropriate out of cage time for piggies? I would like for both the bunnies and piggies to have lots of play time...but if they need to be separate, I wonder if a couple hours a day is ok, or do they need more?

I have heard that males are very difficult to litterbox train. But are females easily litter trained? Is it best to adopt a couple of babies or adults? What are the pro's and cons of each? I want to adopt rescues for sure....so you might want to take that into consideration when answering these questions.

Like WickedRodent mentioned ratties are extremely social. When we adopted our bunnies, I was a tiny bit dissapointed (though I knew this ahead of time) that they weren't nearly as social. We love our bunnies dearly, but they just aren't into cuddling and loves, like the rats are. Are piggies very similiar in that way to bunnies? Or do I have a chance that I might bond even more with the piggies than the bunns?

Ok, I've asked enough questions for my first round. Thanks so much, in advance, for the replies.

[wickedrodent]

I will try and help as best as I can.

Our bunny area is in our kitchen. While we are home, their crate is open and they have free range of kitchen. I know that bunns and piggies are not supposed to be housed together because of their different dietary needs....but is it possible for them to have free range time together?

Nope, Rabbits and Pigs should never be together. Its very easy for a guinea pig to be injured if the rabbit accidenly (or purposly) kicks them.

If not, what is an appropriate out of cage time for piggies? I would like for both the bunnies and piggies to have lots of play time...but if they need to be separate, I wonder if a couple hours a day is ok, or do they need more?

A couple hours a day would be great!

I have heard that males are very difficult to litterbox train. But are females easily litter trained?

It really doesn't matter on the gender, it all depends on the pig. My females pottytrained easily, my male refuses to go anywhere but on fleece. He won't step foot on carefresh.

Is it best to adopt a couple of babies or adults? What are the pro's and cons of each? I want to adopt rescues for sure....so you might want to take that into consideration when answering these questions.

Findind a bonded pair is always the best. I would try and find a 1+ year pair; most people tend to adopt the babies and it leaves them homeless. Plus, older pigs might already be used to people (unless they came from a really bad situation and haven't been in the shelter very long).

With my pigs, the two girls came bonded (they were almost 1 year) and they were already completly people friendly. Dudley (my male) was opposite. He was SO scared of everything. Too a long time to get him to even let us pet him.

Like WickedRodent mentioned ratties are extremely social. When we adopted our bunnies, I was a tiny bit dissapointed (though I knew this ahead of time) that they weren't nearly as social. We love our bunnies dearly, but they just aren't into cuddling and loves, like the rats are. Are piggies very similiar in that way to bunnies? Or do I have a chance that I might bond even more with the piggies than the bunns?

I have never had rabbits so I cannot really compare. However, pigs are more.. independant that rats. Most don't like to cuddle, some will tolerate it, but only for short periods of time. Most will allow you to pet them, but some do not even like that. I would compare them to cats more than anything else (temperment wise).

Hope that helps some!

[Rattie Mom]

Thank you. That was helpful.

I had a feeling about the bunnies/piggies....but just had to ask. I've heard both good and bad...and thought I'd be safe and make sure.

I would plan to try using fleece in the piggie cage/area, with something in the litter box (either the wood pellets or yesterday's news, as that's what we have for the bunnies and ratties).

There are definitely more adults needing homes. So hopefully when the time comes, I'll find a pair of lovely little ladies that might be social. A good friend of mine adopted a couple of piggies. I pet sat for her while she was away. But her piggies are so terrified of humans, that when I walked over to their area to feed them, just looking at them, they ran and hid from me. I tried to offer them a piece of apple while they were in their box and they both came tearing out and ran around like mad, trying to get away from me. :**(. And I didn't even try to pet them.

Oh I did forget a question. While you have your piggies out for play time, will they go to the litter box (if they are trained that is), or will you have lots to clean up after they get done playing? Both our bunnies and ratties are litter box trained and are very good about using the box, even while out for playtime. Just wondering if it's possible with piggies too?

[wickedrodent]

Piggies are very very hard to potty train fully. More often than not you can get them to pee in the litterbox all the time but its nearly impossible to get them to not poop everywhere. A good insentive is putting the hayrack about the litterbox.