Getting our first piggy(s) today

lolo666 · May 6, 2012

I have had a guinea pig in the past (like over 10 years ago) and have decided to get another one now that I have a family. We have several kids and am hoping a guinea pig will be a good pet to have.

We were given 3 options to get one today but Im kind of on the fence and looking for opinions.

1. 1 Male piggy. he comes with a cage but I have a feeling it will be too small from everything Ive been researching. plus he was with his sister and they just got separated so I have a feeling he will be very lonely and need a friend soon. but he is free. the lady doesnt seem super knowledgeable as she is just rehoming him for a friend.so id have to make a big cage myself/

2 &3 are from the same house. they were a set of 4 females and the woman will not split them up less than pairs since they were bonded. She has already given me plenty of info on all of the types and their diet.

2 of them would cost me $25 (with no cage) however if I take all 4 for $50 I get them plus a 3X6 C&C cage...

my hubby will be kind of shocked if i come home with more than one but id rather get them together for the investment aspect.

any opinions?

I am prepping my fleece now and have found plenty of towels for their bedding already. I am super excited for this.

jowasaurus · May 6, 2012

Honestly, with me having 6 of my own, I say just go for it. With that large of a C&C, if you have room for it, they'd be golden. You have this site and the information obtained from the current pet parent. It does take time and they'll need daily care. Vet costs have the possibility of being VERY high, if one gets sick and it isn't caught fast enough, they could all get sick. But I love having more than just one or two.

If you're getting them today, I wouldn't just get the 2 with no cage. C&C cages take a good few hours to build and set up with having the cut the coroplast.

At the same time, if you haven't had a pet in a while, maybe starting off with the one male and adopting another shortly would be better in terms of learning time management for cleaning and care, and you'd have a small cage until you could find the time to build the largr one?

But, I would go with the few with the large living quarters!
[Either way, I demand to see pictures! haha]

lolo666 · May 6, 2012

jowasaurus said:
Honestly, with me having 6 of my own, I say just go for it. With that large of a C&C, if you have room for it, they'd be golden. You have this site and the information obtained from the current pet parent. It does take time and they'll need daily care. Vet costs have the possibility of being VERY high, if one gets sick and it isn't caught fast enough, they could all get sick. But I love having more than just one or two.

If you're getting them today, I wouldn't just get the 2 with no cage. C&C cages take a good few hours to build and set up with having the cut the coroplast.

At the same time, if you haven't had a pet in a while, maybe starting off with the one male and adopting another shortly would be better in terms of learning time management for cleaning and care, and you'd have a small cage until you could find the time to build the largr one?

But, I would go with the few with the large living quarters!
[Either way, I demand to see pictures! haha]

we do have a dog as is but he is a large dog. he towers over me when he stands up. the kids play with him but the kids can only be so involved with the responsibility of it due to his size. plus thats daddys dog, if you know what I mean.

I am thinking the 4 as they will basically come with everything I will need for them. my only concerns in 1 of them is a long hair (i have no idea how to groom it and dont want to hurt her) and the smell. hubby will KILL me if it stinks up my whole house. I have been doing research so I think I have an idea to manage it but it still is 4 animals.

CritterLuvva · May 6, 2012

Guinea pigs are herd animals and, as such, need at least one buddy to flourish. If you go with the male, I would get another to bond with him as soon as you can get your C&C together. (It'd be even better if you could build your C&C before adopting any piggies!)

The 3x6 with 4 females sounds like a great deal. That's quite a lot of space for the piggies! Remember to consider your budget in making your choice, though. The cost of fresh vegetables, hay, pellets and any other need can build up. Also, as jowasaurus said, you'll need to consider the cost of veterinary care. I plan on having a vet emergency fund set aside for any problems that may arise. (I'm on as a researcher until we're- hubby and I- a bit more stable and can get piggies of our own.)

Every one is going to want pigtures! Welcome to the cavy club!

CritterLuvva · May 6, 2012

@lolo666 We must have been busy typing at the same time!

The long haired piggy will need to be brushed daily and the cage will have to be spot cleaned every day as well, with a thorough cleaning preferably once a week. Once a month, give them all a bath and trim their nails.

Piggies don't stink unless they're not cared for properly- this I know from personal experience! Although I've never had any of my own, I was helping someone out with hers and know a little about that at least.

lolo666 · May 6, 2012

CritterLuvva said:
Guinea pigs are herd animals and, as such, need at least one buddy to flourish. If you go with the male, I would get another to bond with him as soon as you can get your C&C together. (It'd be even better if you could build your C&C before adopting any piggies!)

The 3x6 with 4 females sounds like a great deal. That's quite a lot of space for the piggies! Remember to consider your budget in making your choice, though. The cost of fresh vegetables, hay, pellets and any other need can build up. Also, as jowasaurus said, you'll need to consider the cost of veterinary care. I plan on having a vet emergency fund set aside for any problems that may arise. (I'm on as a researcher until we're- hubby and I- a bit more stable and can get piggies of our own.)

Every one is going to want pigtures! Welcome to the cavy club!

I have been thinking about that as well. (or trying to

its so hard when you get excited when stuff like this falls in my lap. )
we are starting to plant our garden next week so I have already bought seeds specifically for the piggies. Since we live in farmland I can get hay pretty easy. The only thing I am worried about is vet prices.

BlueButterfly · May 6, 2012

I don't think long hairs are that bad, I don't have one though. But I've heard all you have to do is brush daily, and give them a trim once a week. Doesn't sound that bad at all. There's probably more of a possibility of them needing baths then short hairs.

You'll probably have to add a top to the cage, to keep out the dog. He might be completely uninterested, but why take a chance?

And about the smell, if you change their bedding regularly, they shouldn't smell bad at all. Boys sometimes make a very, very bad smell. But if you're getting girls, you don't need to worry about that.

CritterLuvva · May 6, 2012

@BlueButterfly Really? Long hairs need to be bathed every week too? I hadn't heard that. It still wouldn't bother me to have a long haired though. It'd be fun! (I have way too much time on my hands!)

I agree with you about the top. I forgot to mention the dog in my post. I'd be nervous such a large animal would get into the cage, even with a lid. Mine will have their own room; if I had that big of a dog, I'd keep the door shut!

I disagree with you about the girls. I saw a post on here somewhere, someone mentioned even girls can be smelly. The more she would clean the cage, the worse the cage would smell. She finally realized this dominant little female just wanted a little of her smell in there and quit cleaning it quite so thoroughly so she could have just that. The cage stopped smelling to high heaven after a while.

Here's a thought, though it has its risks. You could take all 5 piggies if you wanted and have the boar fixed. After he's been fixed, you can put him in with the girls. You'll want to talk to a vet about the costs and the risks before you decide to go with what I'm suggesting (before you get him at all), but it is a thought. And at least you could give them all a good home.

lolo666 · May 6, 2012

BlueButterfly said:
I don't think long hairs are that bad, I don't have one though. But I've heard all you have to do is brush daily, and give them a trim once a week. Doesn't sound that bad at all. There's probably more of a possibility of them needing baths then short hairs.

You'll probably have to add a top to the cage, to keep out the dog. He might be completely uninterested, but why take a chance?

And about the smell, if you change their bedding regularly, they shouldn't smell bad at all. Boys sometimes make a very, very bad smell. But if you're getting girls, you don't need to worry about that.

our dog is basically confined to the kitchen as he has a major chewing problem and I would like my furniture left alone. you can buy him 100 bones and chew toys but he still prefers my daughters toys.

we are hoping to put the piggies in the living room or upstairs so they will be far away from him for the most part.

CritterLuvva · May 6, 2012

that's a small area; does he get exercise? :?:

lolo666 · May 6, 2012

CritterLuvva said:
that's a small area; does he get exercise? :?:

gets walked constantly and is outside often. we have a huge kitchen/dining room/office thats all attached in addition to the porch.

BlueButterfly · May 6, 2012

lolo666 said:
our dog is basically confined to the kitchen as he has a major chewing problem and I would like my furniture left alone. you can buy him 100 bones and chew toys but he still prefers my daughters toys.

we are hoping to put the piggies in the living room or upstairs so they will be far away from him for the most part.

Ah, okay. Just checking. As long as he doesn't bother them, nothing would happen anyway. But better safe then sorry.

@CritterLuvva- I think you read my post wrong. I said that there's a higher chance of them needing a bath then a short hair. As far as I know, long hairs don't need baths, unless they start to smell or get something in their fur.

lolo666 · May 6, 2012

lolo666 said:
gets walked constantly and is outside often. we have a huge kitchen/dining room/office thats all attached in addition to the porch.

i realized it probably sounds like we have our husky in a box. we dont i promise. he does get roam of the house only extremely supervised...

foggycreekcavy · May 6, 2012

You don't need to brush long haired pigs daily. In fact, they hate being brushed, because it pulls on their hair. What you do need to do is keep the hair trimmed short so it doesn't mat and get stuff tangled in it. Then just check once a week or so for any mats and cut them out.

Long haired pigs don't need to be bathed weekly. As with short haired pigs, only bathe if necessary. If you keep their long hair trimmed so they don't soak up urine, and keep the cage cleaned, they are fine.

However, I don't think 4 pigs are a good choice at this point, and that cage is huge and will take up a large amount of space, and also doesn't have a lid, which is very important with a husky. It only takes a split second and a dog can grab a pig.

I think a better option would be to build your own 2x4 C&C Cage, and either take one of these pairs of females, or keep looking for another pair.

Inle_Rabbit · May 6, 2012

When I was first thinking about getting guinea pigs I found 3 females in a large C&C at Craig's List. I decided not to get them because I wasn't sure of the number of guinea pigs or that large of a cage. With everything I have learned since then it was a very good deal and would have been worth it.

Currently I have 4 male guinea pigs in a 2x7 C&C. They are not stinky smelly and they have been a great joy to watch run and interact with each other. Since I started out with 1 guinea pig and added each guinea pig one at a time after that I can say that there isn't that much more work involved with 4 guinea pigs as compared to 2 guinea pigs. The biggest thing is they eat so many veggies!! (1 cup, per pig, per day) it isn't the expense for us that is the problem with that but the space it takes up in the fridge! So many veggies. lol

If you have the space and finances to do it I would take the 4 girls.

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