I already have quite a few pets, Cat, Dog, Hermit Crabs, Fish .. but i just cannot seem to get enough! I LOVE animals alot and have lately been highly interested in Guinea Pigs. I know exactly how to care for them but I can't seem to make up my mind. And also, i have a large hutch and I really am unsure of where in the house I should put it, my Dog and hermit crabs inhabit my bedroom as it is and im not sure if adding guinea pigs will over crowd it but my Dog might have to learn to sleep in her own room. My room is really big though, so space is not a problem. My parents are ok with the idea as I try hard at school but if I didn't want them so bad then they wouldn't consider it. Also if anyone has any ideas for a different material other than linolem for a substitute of corflute or the stuff for the bottom of c & c cages it would be much appreciated (i am in australia and the materials are hard to come by). Thanks for all your help:)
That's great that you know so much already and that you are getting them from a shelter! You will not regret getting guinea pigs . Since you love animals and if want something to get along with like you do your cat and dog, but are small, then guinea pigs are for you.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com I just adopted 2 males and already love them so much!
I have a C & C cage. I also didn't not want to have to find coroplast or linoleum. So am using a floor rug instead, got the idea from another person on a cage website.
I went to the store and bought a nice rug, one with the harder shorter carpet on it, (anything fluffy and pigs might eat it) and made sure it was bigger then my cage so I could fold it up and create walls with it. It was not expensive.
It's been working well so far, had it for a week now. The bedding I use over the rug it is fleece. If you have not head of this here is a site for more info:
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/bedd ... The person I got the rug idea from does not using bedding over the rug, and so the pigs pee right on it, and about once a week it has to be hand washed.
I'd say fleece is the best way to go if you want to use a rug. Even if you put the wood shaving bedding on top, pee may get though onto the rug. With fleece it won't, and that makes it easier since you don't have to clean the rug once a week.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
If you have any more questions about this feel free to email me at rockstar_teddy@yahoo.com
you should definitely get guinea pigs cuz they're awesome?
I didn't read all of that but adopt a hamster
=D
Well considering you can not just get ONE guinea pig and they need a 8.5 sq ft cage, yes they will overcrowd your room, thats a 100% guarantee. But just some added info
Diet: They do not make their own sufficient amounts of Vitamin C so they need you to supply it. They need to have a plain timothy based pellet food. No extra pieces like nuts or seeds. Oxbow, Kleenmama's, and Sweet Meadow are good brands . Always have an unlimited supply of hay in the cage and fresh, clean water daily. Each morning and evening they need 1 cup of mixed veggies each.
The best cages are C & C cages, made of cubes and coroplast. This is a great site for making them,
http://www.guineapigcages.com/. That site also has alternative cages for bottoms instead of coro or linoleum. You can use extra cubes to make a pen to take them out to eat grass in, only in the warm months though , and in the evening, around sunset.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Companions: Guinea Pigs should never live alone, they will be happier, healthier, and live longer if they are kept with a cagemate or more. Males with males, and females with females, to avoid any pregnancies. Or you can neuter one male and keep him with many females, but never more than one male with a group of females. A MUST READ:
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm Bonding: They are very shy and nervous creatures at first especially. Once they are used to you being a part of their life, they are fun loving and joyful little things. You must take it slow, let him be for the first 24 hours at least and let him get used to his new cage. Then you can begin to reach in and stroke in for a second and offer him a veggie each time. After about 4 days of that you can pick him up and stroke him. Do it near his cage though, he'll get really nervous if you take him to another room. Hold, talk to, and feed him whenever you have 10 minutes or so. In 3 weeks he will be a tamed piggy.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Other good sites:
http://www.cavyspirit.com/care.htm http://www.guinealynx.info/ http://www.jackiesguineapiggies.com/ Adoption is the best choice, pet stores often sell sick or pregnant pigs
