General I've Never Had a Pet Before, I Think It's Time.

[jesterfive]

Soo, I saw a video of some pet guinea pigs .

I felt the irresistible urge to own some and to care for them. How would I get started?

So far, for the cage I plan on buying this https://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6070...UTF8&qid=1410378524&sr=8-6&keywords=coroplast

^ How big of a cage could I make from that? Would it big enough to house say.. 2-3 guinea pigs?

Also if you guys could maybe do a complete list of things I would need to buy to raise some guinea pigs that would be appreciated as well.

How much would it cost for start up and monthly?

Maybe a feeding routine/schedule?

And last but not least, how would one go about cleaning the cage and how often?

Anything else helpful you can think of, that would be cool too!



I just wana raise some piggies so bad but I'm not sure where to start ..

 

[Heather Ost]

I don't know how big of a cage that will make but I'm guessing it won't be big enough for 3 piggies. If you don't really have experience building things from scratch, I would pay the extra to buy a cage from this website. That's what I did. I was told that a 2x3.5 is the minimum space required for two boars so that's what I got because I have a small apartment and yeah they're happy but I feel like it's too small.

My (broken link removed) suggestion would be to read this website religiously for a few weeks. Go through old threads. Read everything.

For me, with the fleece and the cage and the piggies it easily cost me nearly $400 upfront. Pet stores will lie and say that guinea pigs are beginner pets DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. Don't get a piggy from the pet store either. I made that mistake and I love my pig but don't do it, seriously.

There are definitely do's and don't's of guinea pig care but a lot of it boils down to opinion, which is why I recommend you read everything on this website so you can see everyone else's perspective and form your own opinion.

If you're 100% positive you want a guinea pig here's what I would do if I could do it all over again:

1. Figure out how many pigs I want (I wanted 2 because 1 would be lonely and my apartment is not big enough for 3.) and how big of a cage I would need.
2. Get the cage.
3. Figure out what kind of bedding I want to use (I decided to go with fleece) and get that too.
4. Figure out where the cage should go. If you have any predator pets you might want to keep the guinea pigs in a closed off room but remember, it's healthier for guinea pigs to be in rooms that get more attention.
5. Figure out a diet routine. You can adjust this later. There's a great thread in the Nutrition subsection that helped me figure out what to feed my GPs. I feed them pellets and vegetables in the morning and then vegetables in the evening. They get a steady diet of timothy hay. My pigs get green/red leaf lettuce and bell pepper with every meal and then I alternate between cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and carrots as an add-in.
6. Now get all the fun stuff but do your research first, pet store toys and treats can be unhealthy and also flat-out dangerous.
7. Figure out what sex you want. You can only pair a male and a female if one of them is fixed. I was told that males are friendlier than females (I don't know if this is true). So I went with males. What I didn't realize is that you have to clean out their anal glands and penises if you get a male.
8. Okay you have all the goodies, you know what sex you want, you're ready to get the GPs NOT. Now you get to educate yourself on how to make bonding easier for your guinea pigs. I didn't do this step because I didn't even think of it as a problem. As a result I spent a lot of time feeling stressed.
9. Okay now you can get your GPs. Try not to get them from a breeder.

I'm sorry this was so long, I hope it was helpful.

TLDR: Read this forum a LOT.

 

[bpatters]

Heather Ost gave you some really good information.

In addition to reading this forum, there are also good articles at www.cavyspirit.com, and there's a guinea pig care booklet at https://www.guinealynx.info.

Do some reading about fleece before you make up your mind. Many people love it, but there are a bunch of us who don't, and there are other alternatives.

For cages, bigger is always better. Don't skimp on the size and try to "make do" with a small cage -- your pigs will be happier with room to run around.

Also, if you're going to get three pigs, find a good rescue and get a trio that's been together. That's much easier than trying to introduce a third pig to a bonded pair.

 

[jesterfive]

Wow, that's an enormous amount of information. I'll definitely do a bit more research before I decide to buy one.

Thanks!

 

[Rywen]

Welcome to the forum! You need at least two, they are happiest with a companion. Also adopt, don't shop, there are many piggies out there up for adoption or rehoming that need good homes.

 

[jesterfive]

Welcome to the forum! You need at least two, they are happiest with a companion. Also adopt, don't shop, there are many piggies out there up for adoption or rehoming that need good homes.

Sorry if I'm being ignorant but, what is the difference?

 

[RockieGuineaPig]

Sorry if I'm being ignorant but, what is the difference?

There's a huge difference. When we mean to adopt and don't shop, we're saying to adopt from a rescue shelter who specialize in small animals, which requires to fill out forms so whoever you are buying from knows the guinea pig is going to a good home. Not a pet store where they thrown guinea pigs in tiny cages, looking for money, and not caring what type of home they go to, as long as they are bought. Also, when you buy from a pet store, you're just somewhat supporting them and isn't going to help the breeding they do to "stock" up on pigs. When I last went to Petsmart, there were like, 4-5 guinea pigs in this aquarium and was too small for even one pig.

 

[jesterfive]

There's a huge difference. When we mean to adopt and don't shop, we're saying to adopt from a rescue shelter who specialize in small animals, which requires to fill out forms so whoever you are buying from knows the guinea pig is going to a good home. Not a pet store where they thrown guinea pigs in tiny cages, looking for money, and not caring what type of home they go to, as long as they are bought. Also, when you buy from a pet store, you're just somewhat supporting them and isn't going to help the breeding they do to "stock" up on pigs. When I last went to Petsmart, there were like, 4-5 guinea pigs in this aquarium and was too small for even one pig.

Oh god, that's morbid. Is it more expensive?

 

[pigger123]

If you mean is "it more expensive?" as far as the initial adoption cost, then yes, it typically is. A pig from a shelter or rescue usually has a slightly higher adoption fee than the cost from a pet store. This is because the shelter or rescue is nearly always non-profit, usually relies largely on donations, and spends more to care for the pigs because they provide them with better food and housing than a pet store will.

However, pet store pigs often come with mites, URIs, or even pregnancy if they were mis-sexed, and that ends up being more expensive to pay for a good exotic vet and/or an additional litter of babies.

The initial cost of a pig is really nothing compared to the amount you will need to spend on them throughout their lifetime, so it's not really that important. What is important is that adoption supports proper treatment of animals, gives a home to the homeless, and helps work towards a better future with fewer breeders and pet mills that abuse the animals and add to the overpopulation. Buying from a pet store is never justifiable, even though you may be "saving" that one pig. All that does is open up another space for another pig that came from a pet mill where females are kept in filthy and cramped conditions, fed a bad diet, and forced to churn out litter after litter, and then their babies get shipped off to a pet store where they're treated as "stock" and advertised as inexpensive low-maintenance starter pets that can be kept in small cages and not paid attention too.

 

[jesterfive]

If you mean is "it more expensive?" as far as the initial adoption cost, then yes, it typically is. A pig from a shelter or rescue usually has a slightly higher adoption fee than the cost from a pet store. This is because the shelter or rescue is nearly always non-profit, usually relies largely on donations, and spends more to care for the pigs because they provide them with better food and housing than a pet store will.

However, pet store pigs often come with mites, URIs, or even pregnancy if they were mis-sexed, and that ends up being more expensive to pay for a good exotic vet and/or an additional litter of babies.

The initial cost of a pig is really nothing compared to the amount you will need to spend on them throughout their lifetime, so it's not really that important. What is important is that adoption supports proper treatment of animals, gives a home to the homeless, and helps work towards a better future with fewer breeders and pet mills that abuse the animals and add to the overpopulation. Buying from a pet store is never justifiable, even though you may be "saving" that one pig. All that does is open up another space for another pig that came from a pet mill where females are kept in filthy and cramped conditions, fed a bad diet, and forced to churn out litter after litter, and then their babies get shipped off to a pet store where they're treated as "stock" and advertised as inexpensive low-maintenance starter pets that can be kept in small cages and not paid attention too.

Hmm, the life cycle of guinea pigs are pretty sad. Lol

Would it be ok to buy 2 female pigs from my nearby petco? I don't have access to a car so it would be very troublesome to find a adoption center.

 

[Heather Ost]

Wow I feel really flattered, thanks bpatters.

Something else about breeding, when giving birth the moms have a really high rate of dying. Buying from Petco would be buying from the conditions pigger123 just listed. You may not have an adoption center in your area (I don't have one in the entire state) but if you're patient some will pop up on Craigslist.

 

[CritterSlave]

No that would not be ok. Pet store pigs come from breeding mills. They are bred back to back in horrid cramped conditions with no medical care, no proper diet, and the pigs are inbred and treated like garbage. You could also check craigslist for pigs needing new homes just make sure to avoid breeders as back yard breeder conditions are just as bad as the large breeding mills.

 

[Heather Ost]

OH yeah in case your area doesn't have a Craigslist section near you! I would bet $100 that your area has at least one Facebook "garage sale" page. You could use one of those to say you're looking to adopt.

 

[Princess_Piggie]

You can also look on petfinder, guineapigzone, and put a "wanted" add up on craiglist, because some people have guinea pigs they don't want anymore and don't think ti put an adoption add up. Some rescues will also bring the pigs to you if they've been particularly hard to rehome (maybe one has a medical condition, or is a little older than people prefer)

 

[pigger123]

Hmm, the life cycle of guinea pigs are pretty sad. Lol

Would it be ok to buy 2 female pigs from my nearby petco? I don't have access to a car so it would be very troublesome to find a adoption center.

I don't see how this is funny... Yes, the place that pet store pigs come from is very sad. And that's why we are telling you to adopt. And no, it would not be okay to buy any pigs from any pet store.

 

[jesterfive]

I don't see how this is funny... Yes, the place that pet store pigs come from is very sad. And that's why we are telling you to adopt. And no, it would not be okay to buy any pigs from any pet store.

No one finds it funny.

 

[guineapigcraz27]

I urge you and so does everyone else here to please please please please adopt dont shop. You are only supporting the system not trying to put an end to it.

 

[Painter]

Jester, take your time setting things up , have every thing ready ..... We love guinea pigs here, we know they take a lot of time . We also know there are a lot of pigs out there without a real home , my local animal shelter has guinea pigs , please call around and check guinea pig rescues on the internet , you will be happier down the road

 

[guineapigcraz27]

No one finds it funny.

Then why did you put "Lol" after it?

 

[jesterfive]

Then why did you put "Lol" after it?

It's a way of talking, it's the internet.

Now we can either start a long ass argument over this or you can let it go, because no one finds it funny.