Want a Guinea Pig(s) Thinking of getting a guinea pig, first time owner. Had hamsters know not same pets

[nikittyy]

Hi! I am new to this site, and basically new to guinea pigs in general.

I have previously owned a hamster for about three years, and he died of natural causes about a year and a half ago. I was surprised by how much his death affected me, and I still miss him. Going into owning him, I never thought I would become as attached to him as I did, (he was a Christmas gift) but nevertheless I was delighted by how sweet and friendly he was. He never bit, and I could hold him without him as well as pet him, or let him scurry around a flat surface. We have also owned four rabbits, (at different times) which were decent pets. They all had very distinct personalities, and I definitely preferred the sweeter females over the more aggressive, territorial males. However, I do not have any background or experience with guinea pigs, and am sort of at a loss of where to start gaining knowledge on them.

Should I buy from a pet store, or is that completely off the table? Are they generally clean, or am I going to have to take certain measures to control odors and bedding everywhere? Are the cages difficult to clean out? Is one gender nicer/less aggressive than the other? Is it difficult to bond with them, and are they constantly trying to get away from you, or do they allow you to hold them for an extended period of time? Is it possible to build your own cage? I am already pretty well acquainted with C&C cages as I've done a bit of research on that; and frankly the cages they sell in pet stores absolutely horrify me due to their size. Are they potty trainable? Any other general tips or tricks to help you bond with them as well as maintenance and care would be helpful.

Do you think I would be a responsible owner? I am a 17 year old female, and would be its primary care taker.

 

[PandaPiggle]

This is a great place to get advice on piggies! I read this forum so much before I got my first piggie, but I was too shy to join until almost a year later. You should never get a singular guinea pig because almost all piggies need a companion. Pet stores should be off the table. Piggies there are often mis-sexed or ill. If you can find a local rescue that's the best, or a shelter, and you can also try Craigslist.

The best odor and mess control bedding is fleece over wood pellets, but you have to wash the fleece weekly. Then the only major mess is hay, but if you've had bunnies then you're used to that. They are not litter trainable, although some will have strong preferences for a certain part of the cage (usually a corner) and make most mess in there, but none of mine are like that. There isn't a significant difference in human interaction between boys and girls, the boys can be a little more aggressive with each other, but if you can get an already bonded pair then you should be set. As for a cage, you can totally make a C&C! You just need some coroplast and grids, and I believe there are instructions somewhere around here. It's not hard at all!

Given that you're 17, there are two big questions to ask. First, ask yourself what are you doing after high school? If you're going to college, will you be able to take them with you? Or are you planning on getting a job and an apartment... will you be able to find a pet-friendly apartment? 2. If they need to go to the vet, do I have the money or do my parents need to pay? If your parents would pay then you've got to make sure they're okay with that. You're asking all the right questions about adoption and care, but guinea pigs have long lives (some up to 10 years) so you have to be prepared for the long haul. If you are totally prepared then it sounds like you'd be a responsible owner!

 

[CavyChrissy]

I'm impressed that you have so many good questions before adopting! I just can't help go in to proud mom mode when I read a post like this (see, I'm already dorking out like your own mom probably does...). Anyway, my daughter had a hamster that passed away a few months ago and last week we adopted our first pair of guinea pigs, so it sounds like I have a similar experience. I would definitely recommend a rescue - the great thing about rescues is that the fosters often really get to know their pigs and can give you lots of info on their personalities. At a pet store, they have no idea what each pig is like. Also when you visit a pig at a foster or rescue, you'll probably get to spend more quality time with the pigs to decide if you want them. When we visited our foster, we met in her laundry/mud room and got to sit on the floor and interact with the pigs for probably 30 minutes. Honestly that time helped me see how awesome and calm Lucy and Snickers were and make the decision to get them.

Also, @PandaPiggle makes a good point, what are your plans after high school? Maybe you could consider adopting an older pair (and sorry if this sounds morbid) that you might only have for a few years before they pass and then if college/life gets busy, you aren't burdened with them? And if you find you still want pigs, you can always adopt another pair looking for a new home.

And definitely consider the cost - I'm already up over $400 between adoption fee, cage (which was a bit high I admit since I went a bit nutty and built a big one), supplies, food, and an unexpected vet trip (blood in the urine, turned out to be a UTI and possible beginnings of stones). But I would recommend you have at least $300 ready to spend.

Good luck with your research! These forums helped me learn a ton before I adopted.

 

[lizpow]

It's great to see your really doing your research. Avoid pet stores but if you willing to double check genders some pet stores have adoptions for guinea pigs that other people have brought in

There are many options for Oder control I personally like to make fleece liners that don't need layering and are machine washable. But there are lots of options out there you can find. Especially on YouTube.

If you use fleece you can sweep up poops (I suggest composting them) and I have successfully potty trained my piggy so that keeps smell and mess down.

There are also lots of options about which gender is better and that's hard to sum up. Again I suggest YouTube as each gender has its own personal potential health issues and I chose female because the thought of possibly needing to unblock male behinds really grossed me out. That being said female have plenty of their own potential problems that you ought to research (for example ovarian cysts are possible). There are also people who say one gender is friendlier and one is more relaxed (I don't know which is which sorry) but I think it is more a matter of their own personalities.

As far as bonding goes my pig will wheek for attention and veggies. She always runs when I try to pick her up but she enjoys lap time and has jumped in my lap if I sit in her cage. Almost all pigs will run when you try to pick them up if you are towering above them even if they enjoy cuddling. My Hazel also recognizes each member of my family as separate people and wheeks differently for each of us (and at different times as my dad only gives her veg if he is cutting himself some but I pretty much go to feed her right when I come in) so in all I've found them to love attention and snuggles if you tame them properly and take you time.

There are many ways to build cages. I suggest making a completely separate thread for that as there are a lot of cool ways to do it. (Yes pet store cages horrify me too)

I 100% believe GPs are potty trainable. As long as they want to be . Hazel hasn't peed outside of her litter tray in eight weeks and I've had her for ten. GPs will probably never exclusively poo on a littler tray as they are little poop factories that are always running. I suggest sweeping poop out once or twice a day, if you use fleece, and composting them. It takes less than two minutes and looks so neat this way.

The best way I've bonded with my piggy is to sit in her cage in the corner so she can avoid me if she wants and clicker train her completely by her choice. You know when their not enjoying it. You can't start off with this as they must warm up to you first.

I really really love clicker training! It's great!

Lastly I don't know if you know but it is so so important to have at least two. You probably noticed I spoke singularly about my pig but this is temporary and not by my choice. This Saturday we are taking a drive to get her a friend. A pair is important for so so many reasons and having one will not only negatively effect the pig in so many ways but it will effect how it bonds with you because it will be nervous without a friend. I suggest looking into how being lonely effects guinea pigs even if you were already planning for two because it's good to know as general GP owner information.

I am 16 and female also and the primary care giver for my piggy (soon to be piggies, I promise) I've been doing research for a year and a half and still learn new things here and there (which I love). It depends so much on individual piggies for so many things. I made absolutely certain that I could commit the next 4-7 and possibly more years I did when I took Hazel from my schools bio room. (She is two and a half-ish). One last (yes I really mean last this time) thing is that GPs are not cheap to care for and you should consider carefully coming up with what you will need to budget for you GPs and possibly go a while putting that money aside and seeing if it really works out to not have that money for other things. (After you have decided you could possibly use that money for initial expenses such as food bowl, water battle, cage, ect? That's just how I like to do it) my parents help out with the veggies expenses which I didn't plan for so that's nice.

I had two hamster (separate of course)before having piggies and they are incredibly different. And honestly while guine pig care is more expensive and takes more cleaning and while I love my hammy and having GPs doesn't change that, I personally find that owning GPs is so much more rewarding.

If you would like more detail on anything I've touched on in this just lmk. And if you ever have questions in the future I'd love to help as best as I can.

 

[lizpow]

When I was looking into GPs owning I whet and got a job right away and the first couple of pay checks when right into reserve for possible unexpected vet bills.

 

[Fay]

Welcome to the forums! You've come to the right place

I'd recommend starting out by fully reading the care and medical guides at www.guinealynx.info - they will cover a lot of the basics and it's a well respected source of accurate care/medical information.

You can also use the forums search engine to find answers to your questions. I'd especially recommend checking out the nutrition chart in the diet section of the forums as well as the photo gallery for cage ideas. Also keep in mind that exotic vets can be very expensive so make sure you have some dedicated funds saved up.

Please adopt rather than buy guinea pigs, there are so many out there in need of a good home. Also, one thing to note about pet stores is that they will try to sell you items that are bad or even harmful to your guinea pig. Like small cages, yoghurt drops, and pellets with bits and seeds in it. Do NOT trust what a pet store tells you, even some vets do not know enough about pigs so always make sure to do research.

Best of luck!