Questions About Guinea Pigs! (Hi I'm New)

[Zofia]

Hi everyone! I just joined Guinea Pig Cages, but I'm not new to forums and animals at all :crazy:. I have a community fish tank with Neon Tetras, Bettas and Snails and in the past I've had a couple of hamsters. I'm also on Hamster Hideout Forum and Fishlore! Anyway, I'm going to be getting 2 Guinea pigs at the beginning of 2018, and even though I pretty much know the basics I still have a few questions.

1) I'm going to have the bottom be lined with fleece, with either newspapers or old rags beneath it, but at what settings do you wash and dry fleece so it stays nice and cozy? I'm thinking delicates on both but what are your thoughts?

2) I'm going to be looking at Petfinder to adopt, or calling different pet stores asking if they have any for adoption, have any of you adopted from a pet store such as Petco or PetSmart? What were the fees for them?

3) I'm going to getting the Midwest cage, without the ramp. I know this is a good cage but do any of you have it and have any tips or thoughts on it? I've thought about a C&C cage, which is practically the same thing but I really am set on the Midwest.

4) What pellet brand is best? I know pellets are only a tiny part of their diet, most of it is hay or veggies, but what's an good brand of them? Sunburst is a good brand for hamster foods, is it good with Guinea pig food as well?

5) 1 or 2 hides? Since I plan on getting 2 (obviously) I think I'm only going to get 1 hide, but would 2 benefit them more? I plan on having fleece hanging to have sort of a hide in a corner too, and the hide will most likely be a large wooden type that's super common, not the plastic one because I know they'll chew on it and I don't want them getting hurt because of the plastic.

6) What type of hay? I know to always have a ton of hay in their cage, but what type? I'm going to be getting it from a local farm to save money but what type would you recommend? They have grass hay, mixed hay, alfalfa hay and wheat straw.

I know they also need toys and chews, I'm going to make DIY tunnels with fleece and buy a bunch of wooden chews.

Thank you guys for your help!

 

[bpatters]

The Midwest cage is not large enough for two pigs, and especially not two boars. Look at the main page of this site for info on C&C cages, which can be made very cheaply, or purchased from https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com.

Sunburst is not a good guinea pig food. The best two on the market at KMS Hayloft and Oxbow. KMS is fresher.

The plastic hideys won't hurt them, as they're basically unchewable. The wooden one will get terribly nasty. Just make sure that any hidey you buy/make has two doors. Otherwise, it's just an invitation for one pig to trap another and get its face slashed. Fleece forests are great. Those and a couple of cuddle cups will do just fine.

You need a long strand grass hay -- timothy, meadow, blue, orchard or brome. It can have some alfalfa mix if your pigs are less than six months old, but alfalfa has too much calcium for older pigs.

They don't need toys and chews. A very pigs will play, but most ignore them. And I've never had a pig that chewed on wooden things. You can get them if you like, but don't go overboard, and don't be surprised if they totally ignore them.

 

[Guinea2002]

You can usually add on Midwest Cages so it can be bigger

 

[sonsofpiggies]

I myself thought Midwest cages were suitable for piggies but just one alone isn't pig enough. I can always get 2 and put them together.

I wash my fleece on delicate and it seems to be fine (if I should be using a different models let me know!)

For bedding I'd suggest a bottom lay of puppy pads 2 towels on top of pads and then fleece! But I've also heard wood pellets under the fleece does wonders as well! News paper though will make that area smell horrible within hours!

As for petstore adoptions they should be free? One of my pigs i adopted from petsmart was free and I've also adopted hamsters and they were free at petco. This was also in 2 different counties LA and San Bernardino it could be different in other states though. I

I would also suggest 2 hide house just in case one pig claims it the other pig will have another house! In general you're going to want 2 of everything to avoid and fights.

Wishing you the best of luck with your piggies!!! [emoji173][emoji173][emoji173][emoji173]

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

 

[CrystalCavy]

Q#4) I'd say Oxbow. That brand is REALLY good, and I'd definitely recommend it. Also, if the piggies are under 6 months, they should have unlimitedalfalfa based pellets.

Q#5) You should have at least 1 hide per piggie. If you have 2 guinea pigs, then you should have at least 2 hides.

Q#6) For guinea pigs under 6 months I'm pretty sure you need to feed them alfalfa hay, or at least a bit of alfalfa hay. But when they are adults, they shouldn't be getting alfalfa unless they're pregnant.

 

[Zofia]

The Midwest cage is not large enough for two pigs, and especially not two boars. Look at the main page of this site for info on C&C cages, which can be made very cheaply, or purchased from https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com.

Sunburst is not a good guinea pig food. The best two on the market at KMS Hayloft and Oxbow. KMS is fresher.

The plastic hideys won't hurt them, as they're basically unchewable. The wooden one will get terribly nasty. Just make sure that any hidey you buy/make has two doors. Otherwise, it's just an invitation for one pig to trap another and get its face slashed. Fleece forests are great. Those and a couple of cuddle cups will do just fine.

You need a long strand grass hay -- timothy, meadow, blue, orchard or brome. It can have some alfalfa mix if your pigs are less than six months old, but alfalfa has too much calcium for older pigs.

They don't need toys and chews. A very pigs will play, but most ignore them. And I've never had a pig that chewed on wooden things. You can get them if you like, but don't go overboard, and don't be surprised if they totally ignore them.

I plan on getting 2 females, the average C&C cage is only a bit larger than a Midwest I found.

I'm looking around on the hides, I'm really set on a wooden one with 2 openings. I can't find one online but I see them in stores all the time, so that should be fine.

I probably will just get some wooden toys such as wooden bridges or hanging toys, my main concern would just be to keep their teeth trimmed, but I guess the hay will take care of it.

Thanks for your help!

 

[bpatters]

They don't need things to chew on to keep their teeth trimmed. The grinding action of the molars keeps both the molars and the incisors at the right length. I've had several senior pigs, and none of them have ever chewed anything except their hay, pellets and veggies.