Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Introducing Myself . . .

mamattorney

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Posts
227
Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Messages
227
Hello everyone. I am a mother to three lovely children who desperately want a guinea pig. I thought that signing up to take the class guinea pig home for a long weekend would give them a guinea pig fix and that they would realize that the idea of a guinea pig is great, but that they didn't really want one of their own. WRONG!!! Muffin (the classroom guinea pig) is hands-down the world's greatest guinea pig ambassador because instead of coming to the conclusion that they didn't really want one after 4 days of piggy-sitting, our entire family (including myself and my husband) instead fell head over heels in love with her.

So . . . I'm planning/researching behind my kids' backs to get them a guinea pig, knowing that while I optimistically hope otherwise, I am resigned that it will end up being MY guinea pig since I will eventually end up being the one who takes care of it/them. The same way/reason the family dog listens only to me - because she knows who's the boss and who takes care of her. Anyway, my thought is to get everything ready and give the kids the cage and all necessary add ons for Christmas with a certificate good for one or two guinea pigs in the cage. We'll get the actual animal/s after the holidays when things settle back down.

I haven't decided on one or two yet. I live in a major metropolitan area and there are a million guinea pigs available on craigslist at all times, so it just depends on what's available when we are ready to go. I have several questions to post in the forums - about whether we should absolutely get 2 or if one would be OK, about the cage and a couple of other random questions. But, I wanted to introduce myself first. So . . . hello. Nice to meet you!
 

suzilovespiggie

Cavy Champion, Previous Forum Moderator
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Posts
2,752
Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
2,752
Hello there. Welcome. You have come to the right place. All things piggie and the very best info right here. Ask all the questions you will like. Will be very glad to answer all and put your mind at ease. (What a great gift from Santa for your whole family!)

You will want 2. Piggies are very social animals. They live in herds in the wild. You will want a same sex pair. Finding a bonded pair at a shelter or on craigslist would be awesome. With a bonded pair you wont have to worry about introductions. Building a c&c cage is the way to go. They can be made just the right size and are cheaper than store bought cages that are way to small and way to expensive. The home page wil have all the info you will need.

Check out all the great threads that will give you all the info you will need for health care and very happy piggies. We have a great community here of members who love and are very passionate about GP's. Everyone will be very happy to welcome you in and help in any way they can.
Again Welcome!
 

nibbler100

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 10, 2011
Posts
517
Joined
Nov 10, 2011
Messages
517
(broken link removed)(broken link removed) Pretty much said it all! lol, although you'll most likely have a hard time finding some of the supplies for a C&C cage. post a thread or even hear, a lot of people are willing to help out with that kinda stuff.
When picking out your new family member make sour there the same sex.. people on Craig's list are notorious for selling opposite sex pigs, if you get females you'll want to know if they had any contact with male piggies as wall.. you could end up with a preggers pig. Did you know they cant produce there own viteman C? this is why pigs need a lot of fresh veggies like green peepers. Also.. look around the thread.. its helpful.. dont be afraid to ask or comment on something.. everyone hear loves feed back and loves answering Q's. I personnel troll the medical thread a lot (im a hypochondria when it comes to my pigs XD)
 

dalilover

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Posts
4
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
4
Hello!

I am new to the cavy lifestyle, but I can completely understand becoming hooked. They are such sentient, social and loving creatures that it is easy to have an instant inter-species connection with them.

On the topic of having one or two, this is my personal opinion (just my opinion). Besides the fact that guinea pigs are social creatures that travel in large packs of up to 50 in the wild, I personally believe that no creature should be alone, especially if they spend time in a cage. It is my feeling that when we bring any species into our home that they are given awareness and respect of their needs and wants just as we would a fellow human being. This is why I have both a playpen for daytime and a 2x3 C&C cage (soon to grow) for bedtime. I also keep their cages with interesting, rotating objects to entertain and stimulate them. I live in a 900 sq foot apartment with four people (myself, my husband and our boys, 19 & 13). I have to say that they are the easiest animals for whom I have ever cared!

I think that people of every age can have an affinity for these sweet creatures. I know that I get as much, or more, from them than they do from me! Enjoy! :)
 

deardulcie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 12, 2012
Posts
432
Joined
Aug 12, 2012
Messages
432
Mamattorney......welcome to the Forum! Nice to see another professional woman joining our ranks. :goodvibes


Professional woman here, too!! Welcome to the Forum...THE place for pig info. I bought both of my C & C enclosures as kits from the
Guinea Pig Cages Store. FABOO enclosures, fast, and with excellent instructions. I didn't have time to scout around for the correct bottoms and grids, nor did I want to mess with cutting and scoring the coro. It came ready to roll.:cool:
 

mufasa

Well-known Member
Cavy Gazer
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Posts
2,872
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Messages
2,872
Welcome! You've come to the perfect spot for everything and anything you need to know. It's way too easy to fall in love with these furry little cuties. I adopted my first piggy, Mufasa, because I write a pet products column and planned to use him to try out products for reviews. I thought he'd be a mindless little creature, but I immediately fell in love when I discovered how much personality he had. I made the mistake of getting him at a pet store and was devastated when he died 15 days later, but I was hooked on pig ownership.

Adopted from Craigslist is a great idea, especially after the holidays (I got one of my current girls from CL). Just wait a bit and kids who got pigs for Christmas will be bored with them and there will tons flooding CL. Good luck on finding the perfect pair for your family.
 

Jewel G. Pig

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Posts
31
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
31
Try to get 2. Also go on petfinder and adopt one rather than buying from petco or petsmart
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

Top