Who has guinea pigs?
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Who has guinea pigs?Tell me what breed of guinea pigs you have, what their names are, what they're like etc. I'm interested to see how many people actually have them.
I have two, ones long haired and one's shorthaired, and they're called Coffee and Biscuit. Biscuit is quite shy but Coffee is always out and about
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?I have twenty.
3 Perus - Einstein, Tess, Ozzy
3 Coronet X - Skye, Kalani, Sora
2 Crested - Jess and Jenny
3 Abby - Tigger, Munchie, Chip
8 Short haired Smooths - Malteaser, Izzy, Flossie, Panda, Butterscotch, Muffin, Bean, Leah
1 Crossbreed - Willow
Ozzy and Sora are buddies and live together, Teaser and Chip are a girl/neutered boy pair and are happily married and Einstein, the lucky bugger, calls all the other 15 girls his own.
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?Wow 20 guinea pigs!! I wish I had that many but I don't have enough room to keep them all. It must be a lot of work cleaning them out and feeding them all(Original post by ghostbusterbunny)
I have twenty.
3 Perus - Einstein, Tess, Ozzy
3 Coronet X - Skye, Kalani, Sora
2 Crested - Jess and Jenny
3 Abby - Tigger, Munchie, Chip
8 Short haired Smooths - Malteaser, Izzy, Flossie, Panda, Butterscotch, Muffin, Bean, Leah
1 Crossbreed - Willow
Ozzy and Sora are buddies and live together, Teaser and Chip are a girl/neutered boy pair and are happily married and Einstein, the lucky bugger, calls all the other 15 girls his own.
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?I did when I was a kid, we had a brown short haired one called Gem with red eyes, and Magic, a texel with a white body and black head and a half orange face. We'd give them fresh veg in the morning and as soon as the fridge opened we'd hear them shouting at us hehe
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?It was actually harder when I had 9 as I had 5 hutches to clean out! Now I have two hutches and a shed floor ~ which takes less time to clean than hutches.(Original post by m4nurul3)
Wow 20 guinea pigs!! I wish I had that many but I don't have enough room to keep them all. It must be a lot of work cleaning them out and feeding them all
Feeding them is fine - they just eat a LOT. Gotta buy everything in bulk and hay/shavings by the bale rather than by the bag.
*shrug* Wouldn't have it any other way, they're great. -
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?My kids have got 2, Fluffy is 4 years old with very long hair which is bad for us as she pees and then sits in it for hours so she is bathed once a week, our newest one is Frank who is a black swiss with a white flash around his mouth, he is just over a year old and weighs 4 pounds of pure muscle and he talks a lot.
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?2 female short haired guinea pigs(Original post by m4nurul3)
Tell me what breed of guinea pigs you have, what their names are, what they're like etc. I'm interested to see how many people actually have them.
I have two, ones long haired and one's shorthaired, and they're called Coffee and Biscuit. Biscuit is quite shy but Coffee is always out and about
1 is dutch (black & white) and the other one is brown & white
Josie (black & white) is fairly hyper and doesn't let anybody stroke her
Poppy (brown & white) is fairly chubby and placid and lets anyone stroke her if you're gentle enough -
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?hey, pleased i found this topic
piggies are one of the animals im considering getting (rats being another) we have hamsters and a mouse already
just got a few questions
are they expensive to look after?
how big a cage do they need, could someone post a example (along with price) of one
is it ok to get two or is it best to have more?
what best boy/boy or girl/girl?
are they nocturnal or are they awake through the day?
do they make a lot of noise?
can they wander about the house alone or will they chew/bite things?
are they friendly? do they bite you?
can you cuddle and stroke them or are they like hamsters and always want to be out exploring?
how much do they cost from a pet shop?
what do they eat? -
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?Not particularly. It's expensive to start out with piggies as obviously you need to pay for the cage/accessories etc.(Original post by tinktinktinkerbell)
are they expensive to look after?
At minimum a 120cm cage for a pair. Something like this is ideal (and at the moment very reasonably priced). Pet shops will tell you a 100 cage (or smaller) is suitable for a pair, but trust me; the extra space is necessary and you'll get much more out of piggies if they have the space to be guinea pigs.how big a cage do they need, could someone post a example (along with price) of one
Two is fine, they need company so I'd either have two, or 4+ (not a trio as you get one left out). But if you're starting out, definitely two!is it ok to get two or is it best to have more?
Totally up to you. Boys can smell a bit more than girls; but I actually find boys to be friendlier than girls.what best boy/boy or girl/girl?
They are nappers, they don't 'sleep' like a hamster - so they will be active at all times depending on when they nap.are they nocturnal or are they awake through the day?
Generally no, but they soon learn to link sounds with food and will wheek at you when they want food - like this.do they make a lot of noise?
If you mean out of the cage, they can but not on their own. They will chew things as they investigate things with their mouths. If you want to let them out of the cage I would suggest a playpen with walls and a fleece blankie to catch any 'accidents'.can they wander about the house alone or will they chew/bite things?
I have had 36 guinea pigs, not one of them has bitten me. You've got to severely irk a guinea pig for it to bite. They are not like hamsters that are easily tamed, but they will, on the whole, happily sit for cuddles and will start coming up to you in time. Taming a guinea pig is a long process - they are naturally prey animals and WILL run away from you; some guinea pigs never stop doing that.are they friendly? do they bite you?
I covered the cuddling, but the exploring - depends on the pig! I've got one girl that won't sit still and is always on the go but most of my pigs will sit still!can you cuddle and stroke them or are they like hamsters and always want to be out exploring?
I would recommend a rescue above a pet shop all the time. By going rescue you know you're getting healthy, sexed, non-pregnant piggies - I've got 15 pigs from the same rescue and all of them have been absolutely perfect for me! However, if you choose to go to a pet shop, you're looking at anything from £10-22 per pig; depending on where you go.how much do they cost from a pet shop?
Guinea pig pellets/muesli (I would always recommend pellets); hay (should make up 80% of their diet) and fruit/vegetables (I can give you a list if you want).what do they eat?
Hope that helps! -
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?oh wow some great advice there, thank so so much(Original post by ghostbusterbunny)
Not particularly. It's expensive to start out with piggies as obviously you need to pay for the cage/accessories etc.
At minimum a 120cm cage for a pair. Something like this is ideal (and at the moment very reasonably priced). Pet shops will tell you a 100 cage (or smaller) is suitable for a pair, but trust me; the extra space is necessary and you'll get much more out of piggies if they have the space to be guinea pigs.
Two is fine, they need company so I'd either have two, or 4+ (not a trio as you get one left out). But if you're starting out, definitely two!
Totally up to you. Boys can smell a bit more than girls; but I actually find boys to be friendlier than girls.
They are nappers, they don't 'sleep' like a hamster - so they will be active at all times depending on when they nap.
Generally no, but they soon learn to link sounds with food and will wheek at you when they want food - like this.
If you mean out of the cage, they can but not on their own. They will chew things as they investigate things with their mouths. If you want to let them out of the cage I would suggest a playpen with walls and a fleece blankie to catch any 'accidents'.
I have had 36 guinea pigs, not one of them has bitten me. You've got to severely irk a guinea pig for it to bite. They are not like hamsters that are easily tamed, but they will, on the whole, happily sit for cuddles and will start coming up to you in time. Taming a guinea pig is a long process - they are naturally prey animals and WILL run away from you; some guinea pigs never stop doing that.
I covered the cuddling, but the exploring - depends on the pig! I've got one girl that won't sit still and is always on the go but most of my pigs will sit still!
I would recommend a rescue above a pet shop all the time. By going rescue you know you're getting healthy, sexed, non-pregnant piggies - I've got 15 pigs from the same rescue and all of them have been absolutely perfect for me! However, if you choose to go to a pet shop, you're looking at anything from £10-22 per pig; depending on where you go.
Guinea pig pellets/muesli (I would always recommend pellets); hay (should make up 80% of their diet) and fruit/vegetables (I can give you a list if you want).
Hope that helps!
yes i would love a list of food that they can have if you dont mind please -
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?http://www.milhaven-rescue.com/feeding-your-piggy/ - this is a good page.(Original post by tinktinktinkerbell)
oh wow some great advice there, thank so so much
yes i would love a list of food that they can have if you dont mind please
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?thank you again, i rated your other post, i will rate this one when i can(Original post by ghostbusterbunny)
http://www.milhaven-rescue.com/feeding-your-piggy/ - this is a good page.
you're very helpful, thank you -
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Re: Who has guinea pigs?I had 10 guinea pigs (not all at the same time) during childhood with the last one being when I was 17. After 9 years without them I convinced my boyfriend to let me get two. So I rescued two about 1.5 weeks ago. They are called Lise and Lotta. Both are short-haired. Lise is totally white and quite chubby! Lotta is black and white and a lot slimmer. They are almost 4. I love guineas so much!
