Maybe you need to take the time to read our rules and policies.
Guinea pigs require time, proper caging, proper diet and they are not cheap to maintain. It's best to get a pair of same sex pigs because they are very social creatures. If you can't get a pair, I honestly don't recommend getting any. Also they should be adopted from a shelter/rescue and not bought from a breeder or petstore.
They can be quite expensive to maintain. There are the initial costs of caging, toys, hidey houses to consider. You don't want to keep them crammed in a small petstore cage. You will need a cage measuring at least 7.5 sq. ft. (2x3 C&C) for 2 sows and 10 sq. ft. (2x4 C&C) for boars. The grids can be found usually at Target for around $15-20 per box and one box will make a 2x3 or 2x4 cage. Then there is coroplast for the cage bottom. Costs of coroplast range from around $10-25 per sheet. A sheet is 4'x8' and will easily make a bottom for the above mentioned cage sizes.
Then there is the cost of hidey houses. You can buy commercially made ones such as pigloos, fiddlesticks, etc. or you can make your own using items from around the house such as cardboard boxes. You can even buy some items from dollar stores or discount stores and make your own. Large salad bowls or large baskets can be modified with doors cut into them.
There are a variety of toys that you can purchase or make for your pigs. Many don't cost anything. See
https://www.guineapigcages.com/toys.htm for ideas.
Then after all that there are other costs to maintain your pigs. There is bedding costs. Using aspen or kiln dried pine shavings is relatively cheap, but if you use other types such as carefresh, the costs will be a bit higher. There is an alternative which is fleece and/or towels.
There is the cost of food. You need a high quality plain pellet such as Oxbow or Kleenmama's. The majority of pellets in petstores and other stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, etc. are garbage and should not be fed. Avoid pellet mixes at all costs.
In addition to a high quality plain pellet, you will need a source of grass hay. If you buy it in bulkk you can save money but you need to be able to store it properly. Types of grass hays are timothy, bluegrass, bermuda, brome, meadow and orchard grass.
Then there are the veggies. You need to offer a large variety of veggies to ensure your pigs get the proper amount of vitamin C. You need to feed at the minimum, 1 cup of fresh veggies per day to your pigs. Check out our diet and nutrition forum for more info on veggies. Veggies aren't cheap. Most of us spend $10-30 or more per week on veggies depending on how many pigs we are feeding.
Then all good pig owners should set aside funds for the vet. You never know when an emergency will arise or when your pig might suddenly get sick. Having a vet fund that you put money into will be one of the most important things you can do to ensure the health of your furry little friends. Nothing breaks my heart more than to see people post that their pig is ill but they aren't taking it to the vet because they can't afford it. If you are going to get pets, you must be able to afford vet care.
