Hello :)

Akiira · Aug 11, 2015

Hey there, I'm Akii. I just joined this site so I'm going to introduce myself.

I'm a teenage girl with lots of interests and hobbies. The biggest ones being music (I play piano, flute, and bass clarinet), dance (swing and square), and art.
I have always had a love for all animals, my favorite being wolves. I developed an interest in guinea pigs at a very early age. My household currently ownstwo dogs, four cats, a lot of chickens (like twenty something?), and a canary. (and there are rumors of my sister getting a hamster... maybe) So definitely animal central, and we've always been that way.

The first time I had guinea pigs we had three sows. There was Alisha the American shorthair, Storm the Abyssinian, and Princess the mystery longhair (I think she was a silkie but I'm not sure). That was a long time ago and since then we've moved so the whole set up is different.
I don't currently own any guinea pigs but I am looking into getting some soon. I joined this site so that I can make sure I get everything set up right and so that I can build a good community of guinea pig lovers in case I run into any trouble once I get mine.
I've done a lot of research on housing and breeds and things like that and I am so excited! There are some kinks I need to work out before I can really start pursuing guinea pigs (like where to put the cage).
Right now the tentative plan is to get two sows. I really love the fuzzy and longhair breeds, but I don't know if those will be reasonable or not (just because of maintenance and being able to actually get the piggy).

So, yeah, hi.

Cavies4EverEver · Aug 11, 2015

Welcome to the Forum! I am happy to see that you are doing your research.

Look into a C&C cage, You can do so much with the grids and pretty much customize the cage.

Things for care you will need:
Water Bottles
Timothy Hay
Pellets
Hideys
a Variety of vegetables

Some bonus stuff:

Snuggle Sack
Wood Chews
Ceramic bowls so your pellets dont get flipped over (learned this the hard way)

Things not to get:
Pet Store Snacks
Pet store guinea pigs
yogurt/nut based snacks
Guinea pig food that has colorful bits

you can actually order a lot of the stuff you need on this site. There are also links everywhere for people selling stuff you need and resources.

And last but not least: Please adopt... There are so many guinea pigs that need homes.

Thats all for now

CavyChrissy · Aug 11, 2015

Hi again, I think I just responded to your other post! This site helped me a ton in preparing for my pigs also. @Bacon4EverEver gave a great list of basic supplies to get started. I would recommend starting with just the basics and over time you will see what works for you and what doesn't. For example, I bought this awesome looking hay rack on Amazon that I thought was a simple perfect design... and then the hay just kept falling out the sides and bottom and making a mess! So now I have coroplast pieces zip-tied to the sides and a little box along the bottom to catch the pieces.

Also, do make sure you have a vet fund set aside also. My girls were healthy and came from a good rescue. But within a week or so Snickers had blood in her urine and there goes $200 at the vet.

Hope you find some great pigs!

Akiira · Aug 11, 2015

Thanks for the advice guys!

I am definitely hoping to adopt if I can. I just don't know how hard it will be for me to find a guinea pig that needs a new home, so I might have to get one from a breeder. I have no interest in getting one from a pet store, I've heard about too many people that have had issues with them.

Oh, and I do have one question, what about wheels? I know they make wheels big enough for guinea pigs and advertise them as such, but I also recall reading something about them being a bad idea a while ago and I can't actually remember the reasoning behind it. When we had guinea pigs while I was little we had a wheel but they didn't really use it much.

wombats · Aug 11, 2015

Please, do not buy from a breeder. There are too many guinea pigs in need of a good home, and breeding guinea pigs is a risky business that more often leads to the death of the mother or her babies. Guinea pig birth just puts too much stress on the mother (and the babies are also very large, adding to the risk) and breeding them is just irresponsible. Buying from a breeder supports this. I hope you understand, and if you can tell us your state/area (NOT full address) maybe someone can refer you to a guinea pig rescue.

And you would be right--guinea pigs are not very flexible (like say, a mouse or hamster, and even then for rats and mice the wheel should be plastic with no rungs...it can break their tail if it gets caught) and wheels can cause some serious back injuries.

On a positive note, I'm glad you're doing your research before you adopt! It sounds to me like you'll be a responsible guinea pig owner and that's great to see.

Akiira · Aug 11, 2015

Thanks for answering my question.

I will adopt if I can. I'm going to start looking for shelters and such soon (once I confirm that it is possible for me to have a guinea pig, I have to work out where to put a hutch and stuff like that). I have always preferred the idea of adopting over purchasing from a breeder when possible. Right now all of our pets (except for the birds) where strays and shelter animals.

Cavies4EverEver · Aug 11, 2015

Akiira said:
Thanks for answering my question.

I will adopt if I can. I'm going to start looking for shelters and such soon (once I confirm that it is possible for me to have a guinea pig, I have to work out where to put a hutch and stuff like that). I have always preferred the idea of adopting over purchasing from a breeder when possible. Right now all of our pets (except for the birds) where strays and shelter animals.

Well good luck, I hope that you find a perfect Pair of piggies!

Also a small note on the breeders, pet stores buy their pigs from breeders, and a lot of the time the pigs are sick, lethal, or roan due to the guinea pigs constantly multiplying with their sisters/ brothers/ mothers/ fathers. Rescued pigs are the way to go. If you live in the south, there is a small pet rescue called pigs n buns. They take very good care of their piggies and are always looking to give them good homes.

Akiira · Aug 11, 2015

Okay. I just looked it up and there is a guinea pig rescue/shelter not incredibly far from me. So yup, adopting for me!

I just thought of another question. What is the main difference between owning boars and owning sows? With most animals I prefer having girls because of things like usually they're more docile and don't smell quite as much. Is that true for guinea pigs? And are there any other big differences?

Cavies4EverEver · Aug 11, 2015

Akiira said:
Okay. I just looked it up and there is a guinea pig rescue/shelter not incredibly far from me. So yup, adopting for me!

I just thought of another question. What is the main difference between owning boars and owning sows? With most animals I prefer having girls because of things like usually they're more docile and don't smell quite as much. Is that true for guinea pigs? And are there any other big differences?

There are pros and cons with Both:

Boars are territorial, but when put in a bigger cage, they tend to be more friendly.

Sows you can can more than 2 in a cage and they dont have a lot of territorial issues, however, getting sows from anyone always is a risk because you can come accross an accidental pregnancy.

Boars grow a little larger than sows do.

And boars/ Sows dont really smell unless you dont clean their cage for a long time. They smell about the same, I would go to the rescue, gender aside and find a pair that you like.. Play with them a little, see what kinds of personalities they have.

Akiira · Aug 11, 2015

I see. I think right now I'm still leaning towards sows. That's what we had last time and they where a real joy (although I get a feeling that will be true for all guinea pigs, sow or boar).

Cavies4EverEver · Aug 11, 2015

Akiira said:
I see. I think right now I'm still leaning towards sows. That's what we had last time and they where a real joy (although I get a feeling that will be true for all guinea pigs, sow or boar).

Just look arround, gender aside, if there is a personality of a certain pig that you like, your best bet would be to go with that

Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Hello :)

Akiira

Active Member

Cavies4EverEver

Cavy Quiet

CavyChrissy

Well-known Member

Akiira

Active Member

wombats

Well-known Member

Akiira

Active Member

Cavies4EverEver

Cavy Quiet

Akiira

Active Member

Cavies4EverEver

Cavy Quiet

Akiira

Active Member

Cavies4EverEver

Cavy Quiet

Similar threads

Share this Page

Newest members

Online statistics

Key Resources

Members online