Guinea Pig Owners...?

Question

Can you please try to answer as many of these questions as you can? thanks!

1) How hard was it to get your guinea pig to trust you, liketo be held by you, and "wheek" when you came in the room?(like they were happy to see you)

2) 2 girls or 2 boys? I've heard 2 boys will fight, is this true? What if they were housed together in the pet store? What if all the pet store has is males? Should I get one if they will fight?

3) What's the best part about owning a guinea pig and the worst part about owning a guinea pig?

4) Would it be ok to keep the cage in my bedroom?

Answer 1

The bedroom is one of the best places to keep pigs because it's quiet.Pigs like things quiet and calm.

I've had some of my pigs 5 years and they still hid under the newspaper in their cage when they see me.Its the nature of the animal to be timid and shy.Girls are more timid than boy g.p.s.It also depend on the individual pigs nature,and how much time you spend with him.Sometimes you can get a  g.p that can really bond with you and can be quite attached to you.I have many boys that share a cage and are very attached to each other and never fight.I have girls  that are kept together and get along very well,too.Girls shouldn't be kept with boys as they will be pregnant all the time.Read up all you can on the web.

Give them lots of timothy hay,veggies and pellets.G.p.s love to eat.I spend more on my pigs than I ever spent on my dogs.

Answer 2

1) as long as you spend alot of time with your guinea pig and let them know, everytime you pick them up, that you wont hurt them they will become tame in like a month or so.

also give them treats everytime you pick them up so when you come into the room and they want a treat they will "wheek"

2)I guess it just depends on which s*x you want. 2 boys probably wont fight if they have been brought up from a young age or are from the same litter.However, my 2 boys fight a little bit-nothing major-and their brothers. I find that girls are easier to introduce if they are from a different litter and dont or hardly fight.

3) The best part is how much fun they are to stroke and thir so funny when they do popcorns and stuff.

The worst part is cleaning them out but aslong as you clean them out often, its noyt that bad I guess

4) I kept my guinea pigs in my bedroom over the weekend (in their c&c cage) and it was not a good decision. They smelt-even when I cleaned the out like 5 times a day- and they kept me awake because my guinea pigs talk alot, and they kicked all the shaving everywhere and they took up heaps of room.

I wouldnt reccomend keeping them in your bedroom, instead keep them in a utility room or something.

Hope this helps

Answer 3

1)It takes a couple weeks usually

2)2 boys can fight but if u get babies at the same time it is less likely,but still possible.The best scenario is a boy who is neutered(Exotic animal vets do it)and a female.Otherwise 2 females.

3)Best part is how sweet they r and how happy they r 2 see u and play with u.The worst is the smell & mess.

4)you can keep the cage in your room but they r kinda big.Also they tend to scatter their hay and bedding everywhere so u would need 2 vacuum almost daily.Also the r rodents and therefore have the typical smell.However there is this wonderful solution they sell at Petsmart and Petco called Bi-Odor it is an enzyme you put in their water that helps get rid of their body smells as well as in their urine&droppings.

I love our little guy and am very happy to be a guinea pig owner.

So good luck and have fun.

Answer 4

(1). not a long time maybe 2 weeks. they love to be held

(2). 2 girls. 2 boys fight

(3). best part... having one worst part....cleaning its cage

(4) that perfect they like to hide keep out of reach of other animals that would harm it.

Answer 5

1. it depends on the effort and time you put into letting your piggy know you, and the piggies personality. I have a piggy that was born into human hands and still doesnt trust them. I also have one that was found under a car, yet she lets hands pet her.

2. I always recommend girls. girls tend to fight less, and I have one group of 11 girls, yet only have one pair out of seven boys.  

You could also get one girl and a boy, but the boy will have to be fixed by a cavy savvy vet before being introduced to the female.  

3. the cage cleaning for me is the worst. We have been having a problem lately with flies and a small bug that can fly, almost like a flea, but fleas cant get that high.

the best part. I love getting to make a difference in their lives. I dont know their past and they come into my home terrified of humans and turn into sqeaking attention hogging piggies.

4. it isnt recommended, but it is possible. how often are you in your room. If your in there a good amount of the day, then that would be an ok place as long as there are no drafts nearby.

Answer 6

1. Well it all depends on there personality and where they where before (like in there past who handles them). I have 4 guinea pigs and 1 of my guinea pigs is really skittish and sometimes still gets scared of me.. but my other 3 are tame. It took me about a couple of months (like 5) to tame my guinea pigs. It is easiest to get your guinea pig when there younger though.

2. No 2 males wont fight.. some will some wont. And same with females some will some wont. It is best to get 2 guinea pigs in the same cage in the pet store so they know each other already. You shouldn't really worry about fighting because there very social and friendly animals. Any works for you, 2 males or 2 females.

3. Best part would be all the love they give to you.. they are so friendly and cute and you can teach them tricks too. They even give you little Kissie's on your fingers :). And they wont bite, only a little nibble sometimes if it thinks your finger is food. And you can cuddle with them. The worst part is probably cleaning the cage.. because there high mantience animals which means you need to work with them everyday.. but its not really a big deal, its totally worth it.

4. Well I'm more concerned on how big the cage is.. guinea pigs need a big cage especially if you have 2. http://www.guineapigcages.com/ this is a website that tells you everything you need to know on how to house a guinea pig. And the size cage you should have. Also you should really put a guinea pigs cage where your family is most active (like where your family spends time most).

Answer 7

ok, 1: Guinea pigs are social animals, and like to be held. When you first get them home from the pet store, they'll be scared and timid- it's best to leave them alone for a while, until they get used to their new environment. petting them is good, and when you start picking them up, make sure you hold them securely so they'll trust you- they like to be held close to you, to your chest or neck, and support their rump! guinea pigs are pretty simple creatures- if good things happen, they'll like it, if bad things happen, they'll be scared and stay away. it's always good to give them a treat when you hold them- food is a guinea pig's best friend; they like lots of veggies and fruits, etc.- mine especially loves carrots and lettuce.

my current guinea pig for the first week+ hid in its box and was terrified of me; it took about about a month or so before it trusted me and liked to be held by me. it all depends on how much time you spend with it- if you don't play with it, it'll never come to know and love you. my guinea pigs usually only "wheeked" when they were hungry and wanted me to feed them. :-) if they have an igloo/box/hideaway-thing, they'll probably stay in that most of the time- my old guinea pig, after having him for six years, still ran away into his igloo when I came to pick him up, but then would coo/purr when I pet him. They'll "talk"/squeak if you play with them enough - if they're not used to being handled, and probably when you first get them home, they'll be very quiet and not make any noise. If they really like you, you might get them to coo/purr, but that relationship takes a LONG time to build - my first guinea pig took over a year before we found out he could even make that noise, and my current guinea pig also took over a year.

2.) this one, i'm not 100% sure about. girls and guys do act slightly differently, it's hard to explain. boys do usually fight, because they're territorial and will fight over whose land it is, but if they're housed together in the pet store, i think it should be fine. if they do fight, they mostly can eventually be put in the same cage together- i fostered a guinea pig over the winter, and at first, he fought with my current guinea pig (both boys), and we'd have to closely supervise them and only put them together for a few minutes, but as they got used to each other, we didn't have to supervise them, and i could even leave them together overnight. it's best to introduce them to each other somewhere neither has been, where no one feels they have control of the territory, in your case, their potential cage if you're just getting them.

my friend had two girls, with connecting cages, and they didn't seem to fight, but they didn't really like each other and kind of stayed away from each other, so you might ask the pet store/breeder/whoever, whoever usually takes care of the guinea pigs to see of there are two guinea pigs that really seem to like each other.

also, you might be able to take two out wherever you're getting them, and while you're there and can change your mind, see if they're territorial with each other.

3.) that depends on the person and the guinea pig. in my opinion, the best part is the companionship- you can always count on your guinea pig to be there for you, no matter what you do- it just wants to be held, to be loved. it doesn't need all that much stimulation, just getting it out of its cage will do- have it sit on your lap while you watch TV, do homework, eat, whatever. and when you don't have time, you can put it in its cage- it's not like a dog where it demands attention ALL the time.

the worst part is hard. cleaning the cage is never fun, but it's not too bad, and guinea pigs CAN be litter-trained!!! instinctively, they go in a corner(s) of their cage, and if you put a litter pan in with a little soiled bedding so they can smell it, they'll usually kind of get it within a week, so you can minimize cage cleaning by changing the litter pan every day or so (by the way, don't make your guinea pig use it right away when it gets home- let it just get used to its environment first, and have it trust you and be happy. i just started training mine, and he's over a year old, and he's getting it, so it's okay to wait to train it.). the worst part is hard to define, but it's also hard that they only live about 5-8/9 years- it takes time to develop a close relationship with your pig, and it's hard when they go. my last guinea pig lived to about 7 years old (stroke, we think, after surgery for a tumor), and my friend's guinea pigs lived till 10, but they were ready. by the way, the record is held in England for 14 years!

4.) Yes!, if you don't mind the smell (the litter pan does help that, too). I've kept mine in my room for the last eight or nine years, and it's nice to hear them bop around their furniture every once in a while.

just a couple more tips:

get them a sturdy food dish - they often tip the plastic ones over, and all their food spills out.

you can buy a small guinea pig, rat, whatever harness for them. they won't walk on it like a ferret, dog, cat, whatever will, they just kind of drag, but it's great for taking them outside, especially if they like to try to run away- it can take hours to get them out from under a bush, or G_d forbid they run out onto a road, so with a harness, you can take them anywhere instead of being restricted to a small pen.

guinea pigs are a great topic for conversation, especially with little kids! you can take them places- i like to bring mine to a local school in the afternoons, after hours or on weekends, and kids and parents alike come over and pet the guinea pig and ask lots of questions. :-)

watch out for wires!!! as one woman put it, they are biological garbage disposals- they will eat anything and everything!!! so, if you let them run all over the house, and they hide on you, make sure the wires are out of their reach. supposedly, they can electrocute themselves, but more likely, they'll damage the cords, and it's annoying to find a wire chewed in half and always having to be putting on electrical tape. it all depends on the individual guinea pig- my current pig has never touched any wires, but my old guinea pig chewed everything in his path. they also often like paper and wood, so you might find chew marks on things, and if you have any important documents, make sure they're away from your guinea pig!

also, i commend you for researching them before getting them! kudos to you!!!