New owner of a guinea pig with lots of questions.?

Question

I just received a guinea pig as a gift (mostly for my 3 year old, but we all know who will be taking care of the animal!) Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of money, and really need to do this all on a budget ($50-$75). I need to know what kind of bedding is preferred, what size water bottle is needed, what do they eat other than Timothy hay and oranges, what size cage is best, and what material the cage should be made from (metal, plastic...). How long can my pig go without another guinea pig companion?

The person I got the pig from said I have a male guinea pig, he has longer brown hair with white and black spots. And states the animal is 5 weeks old.

Answer 1

O my, what you need to do is go on line or to a pet store for all of those question, guinea pigs health can turn in just one day. The can get greens but only some kinds, not all fruit they can eat, Maybe you should go and get a book on them as well

Answer 2

You can go to wal-mart. They have everything you need. Not expensive. I used to use pine bedding for mine. Change it 2 days a week. It does not have to have a companion either. The water bottle should be medium, but have fresh water at ALL times. and also, the food is usually also found at wal-mart. Don't change th diet too much though. the cage should have a slide-out tray for easier cleaning. If you have a s***w in one, don't get it because it is way too hard to clean. Hope this helps!!

Answer 3

I just adopted 2 guinea pigs a few months ago myself.

Cage: building a cage from coroplast and storage cubes is the way to go.  It gives the piggies more room, which makes them happier and its easy to clean, which I do 2x a week to keep the smell under control.

Bedding: I line the bottom with newspaper and then a layer of CareFresh bedding.

Bottle: I bought a bottle appropriate for guinea pigs/hamsters, and end up filling it every day and half or so

Food: a good pellet is necessary and should be available daily, just as timothy hay should be.  Fresh fruit and veggies should be offered daily as well, but do your research- some you should avoid or use sparingly

Companionship: I have read that piggies can be happy solitary IF they get alot of attention and exercise at home.  I knew the novelty would wear off quick with my 2 girls, so went ahead and got 2 to start with.  They still get attention, but it's only 1-2 times a day.  IF you decide to get a companion, be sure its the same s*x as the pig you have- they are quite prolific.

I'll be honest, I was shocked as to the cost of upkeep for my cuties.  The bedding, hay and pellets runs me about $50 a month, plus I buy veggies/fruits.  I didn't expect the cost to be so high, but they are so cute and I know they are happy they are no longer in the shelter, it's worth the cost.

Congratz and Good Luck!

Answer 4

A $50-$75 budget?  Is that per week, per month,...?  Because guinea pigs are about the most expensive of the small animals.  They'll need unlimited supply of grass of timothy hay (for their teeth), a daily variety of fresh veggies for Vit. C needs (no drops in the water and not just fruit like oranges), pellets, etc.

A C&C cage is the least expensive.

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

The most comprehensive guinea pig care site out there:

http://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.h...

Don't forget possible vet bills!  If you can't afford it, don't get the pet.

Answer 5

Dont sweat a thing as a guinea pig owner of 9 years i can tell u its very inexpensive, try to see if u can find a plastic cage its easier to clean and safer, do not use an aquarium, it gets very poor air circulation, the most efficiant bedding i have used is Pine shavings as Bedding, DO NOT USE CEDAR BEDDING, it is very harsh on rodents sense of smell and there lungs, as far as treats, alfalfa and timothy do not need to be fed on a regular basis as a treat u might say, just a regular water bottle is fine, usually their will be a picture of the rodents on the bottle for wat its made for, guinea pigs can live life without a companion, mines always been by herself, just make sure u put them where the family is most likely to be so it can see its family, for treats they like veggies, and apples they arent really big on other fruits, and make sure urs is a boy, cuz the pet store told me that i had a boy but sure enough 2 months later this boy had babies so hopefully this will all help u

Answer 6

Carefresh bedding. Medium/rabbit sized water bottle. A roomy cage with metal bars but usually attatched to a plastic pan that is easy to dump and clean. Get one with the most floor space. That alone is going to be the most costly. Dont put it in a rubbermaid or glass tank. They're fine without companions. They eat guinea pig food, I suggest Ox Bow brand. Timothy hay is necessary and they need a lump as big as their body every day. Most animals with more than two colors [tri color] are female. It's very rare to see a male. Ask someone you trust who would know. But it doesnt really matter when you're keeping them alone. Animals that are young will LOOK like babies. and five week old guinea pigs should be VERY small [just bigger than a hamster.]

Answer 7

well guinea pigs food isnt expensive so dont worry about that.

i use cut news paper for bedding its way cheaper than buying bedding at pet stores. as for water bottle guinea pigs pictures are on the bottle so like that you know that its for them. they love any kind of veggies. you shouldnt buy them a cage from pet stores or cages with wires witch can harm your piggies feet. you should make them a c&c cage.

you shouldnt really just have one guinea pig because in the wild they love to be in a huge number of piggies.

if you dont give it attention it with atomatically shut down.