Guinea pigs

VonVix wrote: »

That's great. Just as long as you see them eating ample amounts of hay and getting a good amount of vitamin C in their diet, don't overthink it too much. You're doing just fine, and the fact you're paying attention to these details sets your piggies up for a good future.

Exactly this.

Keep an eye on nails as they do need to be clipped. The constant hay munching should be enough to keep teeth in order.

You just need to keep an eye that they don't start to curl over. Light coloured nails are much easier to clip. A vet could show you how to do it or even anyone who grooms dogs.

The majority of pet shops do give fresh veggies. However avoid any pet shops that has them in the same cage as rabbits. They have completely different diets, different communication methods & rabbits can pass on respiratory disease Bordetella to them.

Had guinea pigs for over 10 years and some very good advice being offered on here.

To chime in myself.

1. The burgess products are very good and well balanced, their Hay and Pellets for guinea pigs were my go to options. More expensive but worth it.

2. Hay is the main part of their diet by a long shot. They are like a cow, they should be constantly grazing on hay with an occassional snooze or rest. Unlimited hay supply is a hard rule for these guys its the only way their gut functions.

3. With regards to fruit and veg. Balancing it out and not giving them too much of any one thing always worked well for me and treat them like you would a child, some of them love all the sweet fruits like apple, orange etc but a small amount is more than enough. Some of the staples being fresh herbs, parsley, corriander, basil, they went mad for a slice of cucumber which is good for hydration, carrot, red pepper slice, occassional apple slice, thin slice of celery. Moderation is key here , it wouldnt be unknown for an older guinea pig to have issues with too many sweet treats , so easier to be rigid now and they will be grand. Vit C is very important for these lads so ensure there is one component high in Vit C.


With regards to nails , i always did them myself . I bought a very bright torch and would shine it through their nails to try and see the vein and used a small pet nail clippers. Its an ok job to do once the pigs are used to handling , i used to do it on the kitchen table and leave them graze on herbs, fruit , veg while i did each foot. Its much easier to do the nails if you stay on top of it and do it monthly. If the nails are white/clear its way easier than dark nails but both are easy enough to do yourself . Much easier and safer to keep on top of them each month than to leave them get too long and curled. The bright focused torch is key. If in doubt take a small bit off the nail and repeat a few weeks later as the nail quik/vein will retreat gradually.


Unfortunately it is very hard to get well bred guinea pigs in Ireland . Some of the pet shops get them over from the UK but they arent much better.

One important final point . Any guinea pig i bought in Ireland had mites , if you get some bring them to the vet and get them checked out and treated as soon as you can. If you eliminate them early they generally arent a problem for the rest of their lives as they arent mixing with others.

One final point that is really important for any new guinea pig owner. An upset stomach / diarrhea is really serious for a guinea pig, they can dehydrate fast and go downhill. For a new owner if you see any signs of diarrhea go straight to the vet, when guinea pigs are off form they stop eating, it can be very hard to get them eating again. A slice of cucumber can be useful to keep them somewhat hydrated if they are refusing water and hay. I always kept a packet of critcal care and an appropriate syringe in case of emergency.

Guinea pigs are considered "exotics" by alot of vets , so not all have a huge amount of experience. If you can get a vet who routinely works with guinea pigs as they are quirky in terms of what antibiotics they are allowed etc.

One tip for skittish guinea pigs is to sit by their cage and read aloud to them. They love it and it will get them used to you without the stress of handling them too much at first. It can be anything, something you want to read anyway like the sports pages in the newspaper. It’s the tone of voice that’s important.

Ours at the moment are 2 females. They are nearly 6 now & one was always a bit shy. They both love being hand fed. Our Indian Ringneck parrot who lives next to them adores them & does the Guinea Pig Squeak to perfection! He also does a little love dance for them & steals their food! They don't mind him!

apache wrote: »

Notice only one pig ever drinks out of water bottle so I'm a bit worried about the other one. Is it something they learn to do? Would they get enough moisture from their vegetables? Or should I put a bowl of water in as well just in case?

We do both, a small water bottle and one of the ceramic bowls from the pet store. One of ours loves the water bottle & the other likes the bowl. The bowl is cleaned & changed daily or as needed b/c sometimes they get a few of their ‘raisins’ in it and the water bottle is cleaned & filled as needed. If you put a few grains of rice in the bottle, shake & rinse until clear it will get rid of any algae & salt build up. If you use filtered water it helps too to keep it clean.

I also keep an eye under their chin daily to make sure it stays dry.

The amount of water they get from their veggies & fruit is negligible, but as all mammals, they need access to fresh clean water.

Not sure, I do know that one of ours bully’s the other one though at times if at the bottle & the one that drinks out of the bowl also licks my hand or arm when on my lap & I had no idea that guinea pig’s did that so obvs I associate it with our dogs as a form of affection.

apache wrote: »

I have them 4 months now and the Vet said they were bright and healthy so the non drinker must be drinking from the bottle when I don't see. It's the only explanation.

That’s good, I’d still put out a wee bowl too or you could use two small bottles to test and make sure it’s is getting the water. Make sure to upload a pic or two in the pets photos so’s we can all say ahhhhhh

I think our two girls must have zoomies at night because I only find them in the morning... also ours popcorn a lot and that could be how they are kicked in, I just replace when I see them & usually is nearly empty anyway.

Made our own C&C cage was much cheaper than buying a premade one.

Cube wire shelving from amazon they were a nice bit cheaper at the time. Picked up corriboard in 365plastics in Ashbourne. You can get coriboard in some DIY stores it's often sold as floor protection but only 2mm thick, probably still ok if you don't plan to make a ramp with it. 4mm is recommended signage places may have it to but I didn't try any.

You'll need a few cable ties to.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HVS545L/ref=twister_B07MD81SH1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.365plastics.ie/plastic-sheets/corriboard.html?limit=5&p=2