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Thinking of getting piggies... A few questions.

still_crimson

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Well I literally just joined. My name is Jen and I had one piggy about 20 years ago as a child. Sadly he was kept in a small pet store cage on cedar bedding, we didn't know any better. I did spend time with him every day and he was a very active little guy. He lived about three years and was the sweetest little thing. Thinking of trying it again. I am looking at a 2x4 c&c cage, as that's the largest I have room for. Read through some forums and did some research but still have some confusion. I don't know whether to try males or females. I have read about getting a bonded pair, but not sure how that takes place. If I buy two as babies that are housed together do they stay bonded? If they don't get along I read that splitting up a 2x4 is not big enough. Also I'm allergic to hay and was wondering if there is some that's less dusty than others, if not I will prob just take allergy meds. Also I read females pee less/smell less. Is there any truth to this? Lastly I have been looking at rescuing instead of a pet store but can't find any at shelters near me so I have been looking at craigslist, but the only pairs I have found were male/female and I don't want babies. Other than that I only see listings for a single pig and don't want to risk getting two from separate places and them not being able to get along and not having a cage big enough to split up. SO do I just get one to rehome and pamper it with a bigger cage or two from a pet store? I know they should be kept in pairs but I figure at least if I got one that was already a single pig he or she would at least have a much bigger home. SO confused...
 

CavyMama

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I don't know whether to try males or females.

That part is really up to you. Each one has its own set of challenges. Males can develop impaction and need their anal sac cleaned. Females can develop ovarian cysts. As for which is easier/more fun, that has more to do with the individual personalities of each pig. I've only ever had males so I can't really speak to comparing the two but even those who have had both will probably tell you it has less to do with gender and more to do with each pig individually.

I have read about getting a bonded pair, but not sure how that takes place. If I buy two as babies that are housed together do they stay bonded? If they don't get along I read that splitting up a 2x4 is not big enough.

It depends. A bonded pair will often stay bonded but sometimes circumstances will change that. If a pair was bonded as babies then go through puberty together, they might come out the other side, not bonded anymore. On the flipside, you could have two separate pigs, not bonded at all, become bonded. If the photo unloader worked for me I could show you two of my first guinea pigs, Shammy & Peppy. Came from different places at different times, ended up bonded almost immediately.

Splitting a 2X4 is not big enough. That would only allow each pig a space of 2X2. The minimum for 1 pig is 2X3. Not getting along is not the end of the world. It doesn't mean they never will. It doesn't mean you need to just separate them and that's that. There are things you can do to get them to get along.


Also I'm allergic to hay and was wondering if there is some that's less dusty than others, if not I will prob just take allergy meds.
If you buy hay in the bag at the store, sure enough, you will have hay dust at the bottom. We recommended Kleenmama's Hayloft. It's the freshest hay you will ever come across and my pigs go bananas for it. Most hay is going to have at least a little dust. That's just the nature of hay.

Also I read females pee less/smell less. Is there any truth to this?
No

Lastly I have been looking at rescuing instead of a pet store but can't find any at shelters near me so I have been looking at craigslist, but the only pairs I have found were male/female and I don't want babies. Other than that I only see listings for a single pig and don't want to risk getting two from separate places and them not being able to get along and not having a cage big enough to split up. SO do I just get one to rehome and pamper it with a bigger cage or two from a pet store? I know they should be kept in pairs but I figure at least if I got one that was already a single pig he or she would at least have a much bigger home. SO confused...

Have you looked on Petfinder using your zipcode. Many people come on here saying there are no shelters or rescues nearby and are surprised to find some they weren't aware of once they checked petinder. As for Craigslist, patience is your friend. You also have to be very careful that the ads aren't posted by breeders looking to unload their stock.
 

Artista

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Another difference between male and females is you have to clean the anal sac of the males which is a turn off for some as could be boar glue (semen).
 

Rywen

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I'm allergic to Timothy hay but I'm not allergic to Orchard hay, or the Bluegrass hay KMS hayloft sells online. Both are perfectly good for piggies and can be fed instead of Timothy hay (and pet stores sell the orchard hay). I have a recently bonded pair, I adopted Ferb from a coworker's family who didn't have time for him anymore. I adopted Penny from a local guinea pig rescue. I had Ferb neutered and then Penny was already spayed by the rescue's vet. There are always people looking to rehome piggies (especially so soon after Easter). Try guineapigzone and petfinder. Good luck!
 

Aertyn

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I have boys and girls, on terms of care level they are pretty much the same. My boys need a little more but that's mostly because they are both long haired so I do spend extra time every week trimming their 'pants' as I call it because they can get a bit grotty. I do also have to check their sheaths on a daily basis (because of the long fur it can sometimes get stuck when the penis retracts back into it's sheath). As far as anal sack cleanings go I don't really do it, I house my boys on fleece so they don't get shavings stuck there and I prefer not to do weekly cleans (over-cleaning anal sacks can actually damage the delicate skin, causing infection, it's similar in humans to how you shouldn't use cotton buds to clean your ears out because you do more harm than good, you damage the fine hairs and inflame the skin).

I tend to find boys a bit more laid back and cuddly. Ihave had 6 over the past 10 years and all have been cuddlebugs and absolute sweethearts, whilst the girls I've had have been a but more adventurous and unwilling to do laptime and prefer to race around on the floor and come over every now and then to see if the human has food. Boys do have a bit of a 'musk' but they only do that after a cage clean (I do partial cage cleans because of this, fleece gets swapped out on weekends and fleece beds mid-week so they always have something that smells like them in the cage and they are less likely to stink the room up).

Pigs crop up in shelters all the time, do your research and prepare your supplies (get the cage and fleece etc) and just wait it out until a pair comes up for adoption. Also a lot of guinea pig rescues foster pigs and will have them spread out further than what their rescue location is (I fostered for a rescue here in Melbourne, Australia and I'm about 45 minutes from her and there are other even further out and we piggy trained pigs to locations further afield a couple of times).
 

still_crimson

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Thanks so much for all the replies! I'm definitely going to wait. I try to look as early as I can because I want to be one of the first to reply on craigslist. I have horrible luck with that stuff and my experience in general has been that about 75% of people don't reply or I am told that what they had posted is gone but they never bothered to take down the ad. CavyMama you said there were things I could do to help if 2 piggies don't get along without having to split the cage, as it would be too small for that. What would those be? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I'm prepared in advance instead of possible having an issue down the road and just then learning about these things.
I have tried using pet finder in the past and all that seems to come up is cats and dogs, but I will keep an eye out. I definitely don't want to promote mills.... And thanks to all regarding the suggestions on the hay! There is an Orschlens Farm and home near me so I will def. check them out for hay.
Also any thoughts on the bedding? I definitely want to do fleece and am stuck between piggy bedspreads and fleece flippers. The less bending over I have to do while cleaning the better for me, as I have a slipped disc in my lower back. So I'm trying to figure out which would be easiest. I know the flippers come out easily, but have read people having issues with pee getting in between the cracks and having to scrub down the cloroplast (sp?) My only concern with the bedspreads is how hard is it to get it over the sidewalls of the plastic with the panels being so close? Both look like great products, just a bit different from each other and I would like to get an idea of what would work best for me prior to spending the $$.
Again thanks to all for the replies. Sorry to bombard with all the questions but being that I had more than one I thought it more practical to ask all in one thread than post in several different areas.
 

Aertyn

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If you have back problems, try putting the cage up on a table instead. I have the same back problem and really wish I could go back to that but with 3 cages and 7 pigs I don't have the space for the tables anymore. The 3 grids in the middle fold out (the panel of wood is there to keep it more solid as I couldn't use the connectors (made the cage a teensy bit too big for the table). To get the fleece hooked over the back I used a step stool so I wasn't having to lean up and over (I'm pretty short, about 5"2).

DSCN5114.jpg
 

CavyMama

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CavyMama you said there were things I could do to help if 2 piggies don't get along without having to split the cage, as it would be too small for that. What would those be?

First think about pre-emptively heading off any spats before they start. Make sure the cage you have is large enough to accommodate two pigs. Two males will need more room than two females. Make sure there is at least two of everything. Make sure hideys have multiple openings.

You have to allow for normal dominance behavior without running to immediately separate at the first sign of anything. They need to work things out before things smooth over. Chasing, mounting, chattering teeth are all normal dominance behaviors and should not lead to you separating them. The only exception to this is if blood is drawn.

If it gets to where enough time passes and they are still squabbling, try bringing you can try a buddy bath as a last resort.

I have tried using pet finder in the past and all that seems to come up is cats and dogs,
You have to check the "Small & Furry" box then under "breed" type: guinea pig.

I definitely want to do fleece and am stuck between piggy bedspreads and fleece flippers.
I have used both. Piggy Bedspreads are nice. The side flaps fit over the coroplast perfectly at first but I found that enough times through the wash and they began to shrink, to the point where I couldn't fit them over the sides and the side flaps were developing holes because of it. Also, the soft vinyl used on the bottom became cracked. They are expensive and if I am paying that much for them, I want them to last.

Fleece Flippers are nice because if one section is soiled, you can simply flip it over instead of taking the entire thing out to wash.
 
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still_crimson

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Thanks again for the replies. I definitely have some things to think about. As a 2x4 c&c is the biggest I have room for I will probably try to find two girls. I am going to try a corner tent, although am not sure if it will work with the cages with the lid, as the grids look overlapped. A cozy tunnel and a cozy cave. The cave is the only one that isn't open on both ends. I really like your cage btw!
 

Starthecavy123

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Sorry I just noticed this thread. All your questions have been pretty much covered. So all there is left to say is welcome to the forum. :)
 

still_crimson

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Thanks! Ordered my 2x4 c&c cage and decided on fleece flippers. Can't wait til it gets here.
 
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