Guinea Pig Advice

Hi,

Oscar has a Guinea Pig (called Hugzi) who is handled for approx 20-30 minutes every day. Not necessarily all in one go but I make sure he spends time with him every day so that he learns how to look after him and Hugzi doens't get used to not being handled and ends up afraid of people.

I clean out his hutch every 2/3 days which I'm told is more often than is necessary but I'd rather do it a lot to prevent any unnecessary smells in the house. After all, his nose is more sensitive than mine and if I think he smells bad it would be horrendous for him.

I make sure that he also gets fresh air seeing as he lives in the house and he has a run both inside and out (depending on the weather of course). He is fed on piggy food from the pet shop and has fruit, carrots, etc also. he has toys alsthoug i've never seen him playing with any.

I grew up with piggies, rabbits, hamsters etc and all the usual small pets that kids have. But I don't remmeber how I looked after them atthe time.

So my question is - am I doing anythig wrong? Is Hugzi being handled enough? Or too much? He isn't overweight but not thin by anymeans either so he's getting enough to eat. He's tri-coloured, long-haired so it can be difficult to tell sometimes.
He seems content and happy but how would I know if he wasn't?
Is there anything else I could do for him? Am I missing anything or overdoing things?

Laura xx

how long does he get out for a run for? how big is his hutch? does he get hay? how old is he? and also, (last question, i promise) would you consider another guinea?

i think 2/3 days for cleaning the hutch is right, i personally wouldnt leave it any longer than that.

Hi,

He is taken out of his hutch and handled by Oscar and/or mywself every day without fail. His hutch that he spends time in that is in the house is 70cm x 150cm with a small bit at the end sectioned off. He has plenty of hay at all times and is never without food or water.

he has a run in the house (in Oscar's playroom) which runs the length of the room (just over 3m) with toys, a wheel etc in there. he also has a huge hutch (abotu twic ethe size of the inside one) outside behind the first shed which he goes into when the weather is good. He also has a collapsible run (my Brother made it for us so I could move it around easily) that goes in the garden. This is about 1m wide and about 4m long but has corner and corridors.

In this weather and the cold that we've had recently, he's been kept indoors and so has only recently used the indoor run. When the weather improves he'll spend time in the outside run and during the summer he'll be in the hutch outside.

I've no idea how old he is. My brother got him for Oscar's 5th birthday in August from freecycle of all places. Apparently he'd gone to some guy's house to get some speakers for his computer he'd seen and asked about the pig 'cos his fur was all matted and he was really stinky. The guy told him he could have him - so he did.
When I first got him from my brother I took him to the vet just to check him over to make sure he was OK healthwise but didn't think to ask about age. Is there an easy way to check? or is it all guesswork?
He has a lovely nature. it took me ages to get all the matted fur combed out. Fortunately it wasn't so bad that it had to be cut out. I Must admit, I never thought I'd get so attached to him. I hadn't though tof getting another pig but if it will make him happy I suppose I could.
I know the big hutch and the runs would be big enough for 2 of them but do you think the indoor hutch is big enough? I don't have the space for another hutch (unless I get rid of Oscar's toys) so they'd have to share.

Also, I've heard that 2 males will definitely fight. Is this true? If so, I'd ahve to get a female but do they get speyed or neutered in the same way as dogs? I knwo these are probably really obvious questions, but as an adult I've nevre kept small anuimals. it was always as a kid and my aprents made all the important decisions about them.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Laura xx

he sounds like he has a great life with you! he is a lucky pig, only thing is... how big is the wheel he has? if they are too small and the guineas back is bent, it can cause them problems. i was always warned away from them when i had mine.

i think with the age it is all guess work, its more easy to tell when they are either young or old and as they have a shortish life span, doesnt leave much in the middle to try and be accurate might be wrong on that though. i knew my piggies age so never was something i thought of finding out lol.

they dont have to have another guinea, but they do much prefer to be in pairs as they are such sociable wee things. when one of my guineas died i was so worried about the one who was left, and my parents refused to let me get another. she was old though, so they didnt think she would live much longer. she managed over a year though, and she was ok on her own but was more timid and lost loads of weight, not sure if that was age though.

no, males wont 'definitely' fight. i have known two males to live happily together and always read that it is just down to the individual piggies. two males may fight, two females may fight, a mixed sex pair may fight... but they could also get on like best mates, there is no way to know. and they can get spayed/neutered. i was going to suggest that if they didnt get along, you could always have them seperated but close together so they could still 'talk'... but if you dont have the space that wont be an option.

i had two sisters, and they had many wee squabbles but it never went into a fight. lacey just tried to be the boss of poor wee cagney, but she just expected it happily lol.

Hi Laura,

Sounds like you are on the right tracks with him. Get rid of the wheel though. Guinea pigs don't really do toys! They're more of a tunnel to hide in kind of creature. Another guinea pigs is the ideal as they do like to be kept in pairs. 2 males can be kept together quite happily they only tend to fight when they can smell the ladies. However, it may be easier to introduce him to a female. Boys are the ones that usually get neutered, I have one going in this week for the op so he can live with my girlies. From the time of the op it usually takes 4 weeks before they are safe to live with girls.
Oh and pics please I am a big fan of guinea pigs.

Hi,

OK - the wheel has gone. I felt quite sorry for him as he as using it this morning. It's more than big enough for him but he hasn't used it in ages anyway.

If I get another pig do you think the indoor hutch is beig enough? Is there a way of introducing hem to each other? Do I treat them both the same or do I have to be aware of personality diferences adn which one is the "boss" so to speak?

It's easy with dogs. I haven't got a clue with furry pigs!

I'll get some piccies for you. Will brush is hair too - make him nice and shiny for the photo.

Laura xx

Yep I would say thats big enough. Which sex are you thinking of trying to introduce? If it's another boy then I would go for a younger one. They need to meet each other on neutral territory and cages thoroughly disinfected before you try to move them in together. This website has some useful tips and info.

http://www.guinealynx.info/sitemap.html

i would let them spend some time getting to know each other seperated by mesh or wire etc. that way they can get used to each other and also so you can have a rough idea how they will get on before letting them be in a situation where one could be injured.

cant wait for the pics

Hi,

Right - I've decided to go for it and get Hugzi a little friend.
But where do I get him/her from? Are there such things as BYBs with piggies? ('cos I don't want to line their pockets). Or should I go to a pet shop? Or better still, are there piggy rescues?

Nearly forgot, I'll post some piccies later. I've taken them but they're still on the camera. I'll sort it out when I get home (at Mom's right now).

Laura xx

You can get guinea pigs from the RSPCA . Phone them up before you go along and check if they have any