Are you thinking about getting a guinea pig for your kids this Christmas?
If so, I’d like to share some of the things I have learned along the way. I’ve had piggies for over ten years now and have learned a whole lot about them. Keeping guinea pigs today is much different than when I was a kid…we have so much more knowledge at our fingertips via the web and from books.
They take up a lot of space!
None of the cages you find at pet stores are large enough. They are meant for transport or for a week or two before your new cage is delivered and/or set up. Each guinea pig needs at least 7.5 sq ft bare minimum or something like a 2ft x 4ft area. As the number of piggies increases, the cage size increases by half. If confined in a too-small area, they will start butting heads and the cage will dirty so quickly that you will not enjoy them. I ended up with 3.5 cages connected together for my herd of 4 girls…it takes a lot of room! They need room to move around and to be happy.
I started with the MidWest cage because I needed a lid due to my cat. https://a.co/d/4DzIUdm. Then as the 2 piggies grew, I joined another one, and wow did that make a difference in their temperament! Many people use C&C cages with coroplast for the floors and sides and some have adorable setups with second stories. Just to note: you will end up with hay on the floor unless your cage is encircled in something solid.
It has taken years before we finally built our own rolling piggie houses using wood, plexiglass, and linoleum on the floor. All the cages we used in the past caused tons of hay and bedding to fall on the floor and have to be swept up constantly.
What do they sleep on?
You only really have a couple of safe choices, paper bedding or fleece in my opinion are the best and I have used kiln-dried aspen but it takes a lot of this to really absorb moisture. You can also mix the aspen in with the paper bedding to save money. I was all for the fleece, I made my own by sewing together some mattress pads and fleece. I cut them to fit the cage and bought cute little girlie patterns. It was easy to sweep up the poop though the hay would stick to the fleece. But I simply got tired of washing them. Their poop would stick to any wet fabric and I’d have to scrape them before putting them in the washing machine, I didn’t like using the same washer with my clothes. You can buy laundry bags which I’d recommend but I just got tired of it. I now use paper bedding and I don’t feel bad about it because we put it in the compost that then goes in the garden.
Fleece needs to be swept daily and laundered regularly and bedding needs to be replaced every week. At one time I had bedding in the “kitchen” area and fleece in the “living” area and I loved that, but I only had 2 piggies at the time. Now I have 6 and so no.
Can I have just one piggie?
They are herd animals meaning they are happiest when there are two or more piggies together, however, they need to be bonded to live together. Girls may bond easier than boys but I’ve had females that did not get along either. You never want to mix sexes as they will start mating at just a few weeks old unless they are neutered. There are a lot of unwanted piggies out there to be adopted. Children can lose interest quickly and/or people don’t realize how much responsibility it takes to keep them. The only problem with adopting them is knowing if they will bond with one you might already have. At a store, you get them so young and already together that it seems easier to just buy them. But you can find piggies in pairs already bonded that you could adopt and with patience and the right setting, you can have a successful bonding experience.
I can attest that every piggie I have gotten from a large pet store has had to see a vet due to being sick. Big stores buy their piggies from large breeding warehouses that do not care for babies like you and I would, I say that with confidence because if you are reading this, then you care. When they are delivered to the store, managers will not always let their pet specialist quarantine them or get them the treatment they need and end up selling adorable little babies with respiratory infections. (my daughter worked as a specialist for many years.) They will tell you that if your piggy gets sick, bring them back and you will be refunded, but you get attached immediately. So, if you are like me, you take them to the vet yourself and spend the money getting them checked and medicated. Adopting is better in my opinion and older piggies are just as adorable.
Taking them to the vet.
That can be an issue. Guinea Pigs are considered exotic so not all vets will treat them. Many vets do not have the equipment to scan their little bodies, the best they can do is give them pain meds and antibiotics. One time I had to get my antibiotics from a compounding pharmacy because they didn’t have a way to flavor the medication…not cheap but they are better about that nowadays. But little Blossom LOVED her medicine so much that she’d try to snatch the dropper from my hands. Just do your research before getting piggies. It’s something we never think about. My closest Exotic Vet is 2 hours away…they are wonderful but it’s a haul that you have to be prepared to make with your little ones. Some Banfield clinics will treat them with the medications but sometimes you need an exotic vet.
There is a lot to consider before getting piggies. They each need a cup of fresh veggies every day and not all kinds are safe. They must have fresh clean water, little places to hide, and a never-ending mountain of Timothy hay and high-quality guinea pig pellets (I trust Oxbow), I use this as my hay feeder, https://a.co/d/gF2CJHQ. You have to trim their nails and give them little checkups to make sure they are healthy too.
Yes, there is a lot to consider, but it’s rewarding when they wheek at you for food and when they give you kisses. If you have any questions or need advice, please send me a note below and I would be happy to help.
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