Want a Guinea Pig(s) Wanting to adopt a pair of piggies.. BUT?

[chetanshah]

Hi Guys
I am new to this forum as a member but been following a lot pf posts lately.

A little Background:
I am from South Africa.
Me and my wife live in a small apartment and are working for 8-9 hours a day. we both go to work and come home at about same time everyday.
We are both home on weekends.
We are very keen on adopting a pair of Guinea pigs but have a couple of concerns

1. Can they stay alone(in the same cage) for 9 hours daily? If so, what care do I need to take? Once we are home we will give them maximum time.
2. How loud they are? I have read this a lot of times but I just need to know, will the neighbors hear them frequently??

If we are home on weekends will the pigs get surprised on Monday when suddenly we are going to work? and will it affect their nature?

 

[just8be8free]

They are not very loud, it depends on guinea pig. But even the loudest guinea pig wouldn't be heard from the neighbours. That's not a worry at all.
And they will get used to you coming and going from Sunday to Monday, as long as they have unlimited hay, food and fresh water they will be good. Probably give them some toys to break their boredom. But one of the most important things is that they have a another guinea pig of the same gender and a good sized cage.

 

[PandaPiggle]

As long as you get a pair, they won't mind you going to work. I'm a PhD student, so I work the weirdest hours, sometimes weekends, sometimes I'm not home until midnight, or I'm in the office before 6 am, and the guinea pigs never mind as long as they're fed and their cage is clean. As long as you make sure to handle them frequently and give them veggies so they associate you with food, they really won't mind you being gone.

They can get a little loud when they think you've got veggies, but other than that mine are a pretty quiet bunch.

The only concern about adopting a pair is that you really need to make sure you've got a good sized cage because if the cage is too small they can fight more, or possibly not get along, just because they don't have space to be pigs.

 

[chetanshah]

They are not very loud, it depends on guinea pig. But even the loudest guinea pig wouldn't be heard from the neighbours. That's not a worry at all.
And they will get used to you coming and going from Sunday to Monday, as long as they have unlimited hay, food and fresh water they will be good. Probably give them some toys to
break their boredom. But one of the most important things is that they have a another guinea pig of the same gender and a good sized cage.

Exactly what we had in mind.
We are planning for a good cage fit for 2 piggies, some toys, and lots of hay, food and water.
I am just glad its OK to have them without having someone @ home for 24hours.
I will keep posting updates on how it goes, but in SA its very hard to get C&C cage material!

 

[just8be8free]

@chetanshah
It's hard in Australia too, right now I have a pretty small cage but I intend on expanding

and don't buy guinea pigs from pet shops unless you absolutely can't get it from anywhere else

 

[chetanshah]

As long as you get a pair, they won't mind you going to work. I'm a PhD student, so I work the weirdest hours, sometimes weekends, sometimes I'm not home until midnight, or I'm in the office before 6 am, and the guinea pigs never mind as long as they're fed and their cage is clean. As long as you make sure to handle them frequently and give them veggies so they associate you with food, they really won't mind you being gone.

They can get a little loud when they think you've got veggies, but other than that mine are a pretty quiet bunch.

The only concern about adopting a pair is that you really need to make sure you've got a good sized cage because if the cage is too small they can fight more, or possibly not get along, just because they don't have space to be pigs.

Awesome! ya we are planning for a same sex, same age pair. mostly females
The cage would be a standard 2 storey cage with ample space for 2.
And if they get loud when we are around, we wont mind it.
The only concern is if they are loud and we are at work.
But I guess as long as they have enough space and food and toys as well, it wont be a problem?

 

[chetanshah]

@chetanshah
It's hard in Australia too, right now I have a pretty small cage but I intend on expanding

and don't buy guinea pigs from pet shops unless you absolutely can't get it from anywhere else

is your cage like the ones the pet shops sell? (broken link removed)

no I am not adopting from shops first I am checking with pet lovers here. Unfortunately, In my city we don't have a rescue home something like that for Guinea Pigs!

 

[just8be8free]

Yes, I got it from gumtree. But it's too small. How big is the cage you are planning to get?

 

[chetanshah]

Yes, I got it from gumtree. But it's too small. How big is the cage you are planning to get?

about 2(width) X 4(length) Grids (if we talk in c&c terms). and about 2 grids in height and upper level will be 2X2

Something like this
https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/Shared/images/products/candc-cages-two-level.jpg

 

[just8be8free]

That size is good, but I'm not 100% sure but I've heard that a 2 by 5 cage is better, then again I'm not 100% sure.
could someone correct me if I'm wrong?

 

[wombats]

For two MALES, yes, it should be 2x5. For sows, 2x4 is just fine but if you have the space, use it.

 

[chetanshah]

how about a cage which is 56cm(l) 32cm(w) and 42cm(tall). it has 2 levels and 2 ladders to go up to level 2 from both sides. also both the sides on level2 are connected with a bridge.
so there is ample space to play .

 

[chetanshah]

it looks something like this
It looks something like this
https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDgwMA==/z/AnQAAOSw3ydVnC9l/$_20.jpg

 

[just8be8free]

how about a cage which is 56cm(l) 32cm(w) and 42cm(tall). it has 2 levels and 2 ladders to go up to level 2 from both sides. also both the sides on level2 are connected with a bridge.
so there is ample space to play .

That is a really small cage!!! I don't think that's big enough for 1 let alone 2. It needs to be 1sq metre. So either 100cm(l) and 100cm(w)
or
200cm(l) and 50cm(w)
or anything that equals 1sq metre.

 

[traceyennis]

how about a cage which is 56cm(l) 32cm(w) and 42cm(tall). it has 2 levels and 2 ladders to go up to level 2 from both sides. also both the sides on level2 are connected with a bridge.
so there is ample space to play .

Please do not buy that cage, it is far too small for 2 guinea pigs and looks like it is only fit for birds.

Ideally you want a cage that is at minimum a 2 x 3 which is 72 cm width and 108 cm length. It does not need to be 100 cm x 100 although bigger is always better. I would not recommend you follow the advice of having a cage that is 50 cm wide as that in my opinion is too narrow and could lead to a pig being trapped in a corner.

If you are having trouble buying a suitable cage then I would suggest you look at the alternative cages section for some inspiration and look into making a cage yourself that will meet the recommended size for 2 guinea pigs.