General New guinea pig owner confused about housing/# of guinea pigs

[melinaidk]

Today i got my first guinea pig which is also my first pet ever other than a fish and i feel like a horrible owner.
first, i buy him from a pet store. mistake (broken link removed) .
then i let the guy working at the pet store convince me that a tank would be a great home for a guinea pig. mistake (broken link removed) .
after that, i do research and find out that guinea pigs are herding animals and need companionship yet my mom is completely against having two. mistake (broken link removed) (i will honestly cuddle with this guinea pig in the morning before i go to school and from the minute i get home to the minute i go to bed if it'll be happy.)
now, my mom refused to order me a c&c cage. mistake (broken link removed) . i ordered a 30x18 cage with the detachable cage top. is that big enough?

i just feel like a bad person and a bad pet owner.
if it helps, i know a person with a guinea pig and i might be able to schedule guinea pig playdates???? is that even a thing???? would that work???
i just need help

 

[Soecara]

No that cage would not be big enough, if c&c cages are an absolute no go then the only pet store cage that is even close to big enough (it meets the minimum cage size for two guinea pigs, which is also the minimum size for one) is a Midwest guinea pig habitat. It is also possible to connect two or more Midwest cages together to make a bigger cage if that is something you want to pursue in the future.

Here is a link to the Midwest cage with a lid on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Interactive-Guinea-Habitat-Plus/dp/B001NJ0DQ8
Here is a link to the basic Midwest cage with no lid https://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Home...s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1430014738&sr=1-17

Guinea pig play dates are a bad idea because every time the guinea pigs would meet they would establish dominance, only to be split up which is very stressful.

 

[melinaidk]

i have no room in my house for a nine foot cage. i bought a large playpen so that while i do homework or eat dinner my guinea pig can roam around and explore and watch the action.

 

[pepperbelle]

Hi! Welcome! Any pix?

You are NOT a bad piggy mom. You are here looking for some advice, which in my opinion is the first main sign that you care about your pig and want to do what is best for him.

For 1 pig, you could build a very basic 2x3 c&c cage. That is only 42" long and 28" wide. It really does not take up much space, once you set it up. Can you show some pics to your parents? A c&c is a lot more affordable than a store bought cage.

 

[melinaidk]

yes, but she was very insistant because she grew up with a guinea pig in that certain type of cage. the largest i could fit in my house is maybe 3x2.

 

[PumpkinJuly]

The Midwest is NOT nine feet long! It is 47 inches long and 27 inches wide. I own one and it was a great starter cage and can fit one piggie comfortably. The Midwest is an already water-proof cage with the vinyl bottom. But it doesn't have an actual floor to hold up the vinyl bottom so if you wanted to put it anywhere be warned the only floor is the vinyl (but it is water proof). If you buy the Midwest Interactive Guinea Pig Habitat Plus it comes with a top but I used it as a bottom by zip-tying it. If you can't fit a C&C or afford it / unable to find supplies the Midwest is really helpful.

If you can find space for a Midwest then you can fit a 2x3 C&C. The Midwest is about 4 grids long but only 1.5 grids wide. (each grid is 14 inches by the way). I hope this helped. If you have any questions I can help! I had to build like 4 different cages.

 

[PumpkinJuly]

View attachment 73784
yes, but she was very insistant because she grew up with a guinea pig in that certain type of cage. the largest i could fit in my house is maybe 3x2.

A 2x3 is perfect! It's the minimum size for a piggie and if you could fit it you should definitely attempt it!

 

[melinaidk]

ok i will talk to my mom in the morning. also, any advice about the whole one guinea pig thing?

 

[ciaraelise]

My best advice on how to appeal to your parents about this topic is that it is /your/ guinea pig and although they are spending their money you only ask because you and to provide the best care for your new family member. If you have the finances to provide your pig with the best life possible, in your opinion its worth it. Always I would suggest showing your enthusiasm for a bigger cage by possibly making a trade off with your parents? You could do x,y,z chores. Also finding good sources for proper guineapig care can help.

Ultimately unless you are paying for the things for your piggies, its your parents decision on what products to purchase. Just do your best as a new pig parent good luck!!!

 

[pepperbelle]

ok i will talk to my mom in the morning. also, any advice about the whole one guinea pig thing?

Explain to her that a sufficiently sized cage for 1 piggy is also big enough for 2 (ie. A Midwest cage) so space-wise, a friend will not take up any extra room. Also feeding one extra mouth and cleaning extra poops is really no big deal if you already have one. A second piggy adds only a very small bit of extra expense in terms of feeding. Also explain to her that they are herd animals and thrive best in pairs or groups.

That all being said though, please remember that:

1. If you get your pig a friend, you will be responsible for the vet needs of two animals, not one.
2. Pet stores suck at sexing pigs, so be sure to check the gender of your piggy's future friend yourself! Otherwise you will go from 1 pig to 2 plus many babies.
3. There is always a chance your 2 pigs will not get along. You have to be prepared to cage them seperately if this does turn out to be the case.

I am not trying to scare you away from getting your piggy a friend, because I am all about pigs living in pairs or groups! But these are important facts you should consider before making your decision.

 

[melinaidk]

Explain to her that a sufficiently sized cage for 1 piggy is also big enough for 2 (ie. A Midwest cage) so space-wise, a friend will not take up any extra room. Also feeding one extra mouth and cleaning extra poops is really no big deal if you already have one. A second piggy adds only a very small bit of extra expense in terms of feeding. Also explain to her that they are herd animals and thrive best in pairs or groups.

That all being said though, please remember that:

1. If you get your pig a friend, you will be responsible for the vet needs of two animals, not one.
2. Pet stores suck at sexing pigs, so be sure to check the gender of your piggy's future friend yourself! Otherwise you will go from 1 pig to 2 plus many babies.
3. There is always a chance your 2 pigs will not get along. You have to be prepared to cage them seperately if this does turn out to be the case.

I am not trying to scare you away from getting your piggy a friend, because I am all about pigs living in pairs or groups! But these are important facts you should consider before making your decision.

like i said my mother is very insistant and stuck in her ways. she refused to order the c&c because she thinks its unnecessary. the cage we ordered is only a little bit smaller than the standard size but we also ordered a playpen for him to be in 99% of the time. if i also let him roam around my room or outside will that be a good substitute?

 

[ciaraelise]

Pigs can't be potty trained or litter trained so if you let him roam in your room (as long as its piggy proofed-no wires, small places to get behind or under etc. ) she will probably pee and poop wherever she wants.

And taking a pig outside its okay in small doses-as long as they are enclosed and have a lot of shade and safety. Also they love grass and but you have to be 100% positive that there are no pesticides or fertilizers or anything else on the grass they are on.

 

[newpiggieowners]

like i said my mother is very insistant and stuck in her ways. she refused to order the c&c because she thinks its unnecessary. the cage we ordered is only a little bit smaller than the standard size but we also ordered a playpen for him to be in 99% of the time. if i also let him roam around my room or outside will that be a good substitute?

Can I suggest to make your own if money is an issue? We got our cubes at Bed Bath and Beyond for 16 dollars (with the 20% off coupon), and then got two sheets of coroplast at Home Depot-for $13 a piece.

 

[melinaidk]

Can I suggest to make your own if money is an issue? We got our cubes at Bed Bath and Beyond for 16 dollars (with the 20% off coupon), and then got two sheets of coroplast at Home Depot-for $13 a piece.

money isnt the issue. i talked to my mother about it this morning and she yelled at me for being ungrateful. im stuck.

 

[pepperbelle]

money isnt the issue. i talked to my mother about it this morning and she yelled at me for being ungrateful. im stuck.

ok well don't fight with your mother or you will only make it worse. I don't see how it's about u being ungrateful tho. You are speaking up for the well being of the animal, not trying to buy stuff for yourself.

Is the cage u ordered returnable? Do u have any of your own money u can use to buy some grids and Coro? You can build a nice cage for like $40-50 USD.

If you can't get a new cage now, maybe it's something you can look into down the road.

 

[barb.shield]

Today i got my first guinea pig which is also my first pet ever other than a fish and i feel like a horrible owner.
first, i buy him from a pet store. mistake (broken link removed) .
then i let the guy working at the pet store convince me that a tank would be a great home for a guinea pig. mistake (broken link removed) .
after that, i do research and find out that guinea pigs are herding animals and need companionship yet my mom is completely against having two. mistake (broken link removed) (i will honestly cuddle with this guinea pig in the morning before i go to school and from the minute i get home to the minute i go to bed if it'll be happy.)
now, my mom refused to order me a c&c cage. mistake (broken link removed) . i ordered a 30x18 cage with the detachable cage top. is that big enough?

i just feel like a bad person and a bad pet owner.
if it helps, i know a person with a guinea pig and i might be able to schedule guinea pig playdates???? is that even a thing???? would that work???
i just need help

Hi, if you live in BC Canada, I may be able to help with cage. We are parents to 3 piggies, we started with a pair but adopted a 3rd who is housed separately. We started with a Midwest and switched over to c&c. They are much happier.

 

[gpiggies]

money isnt the issue. i talked to my mother about it this morning and she yelled at me for being ungrateful. im stuck.

So you're stuck with your store-bought cage or..? Given your situation, I'd do either of the following:

Try returning the tank and cage and get your money back. Using that money buy grids and coroplast and make your own 2x3 CC cage. That way if you choose to house 1 piggy, it'll meet the minimum space requirements. I don't agree with keeping one piggy, but that's your choice/situation.

If you can't return the tank+cage and get a bigger one AND you can't get a friend for your piggy, honestly I'd return the pig. It might not be what you want to hear, but it's for the best for that piggie. You not knowing and being misinformed from the petstore employee is one thing, but now that you DO know, it's your responsibility to make better choices. To live alone AND in a tiny cage is not the best life for your piggy. If they had to live alone but had a big enough cage, that's one thing. But not having both is unfair to them. And perhaps returning the piggy will show your mom that you're serious about being a pet owner and you're placing THEIR needs before your desire to own a pet.