any guinea pig money saving tips?

notlongnow_2

Hi, I am looking for a guinea pig or pigs for my boys. Obviously they wont have sole responsability and will be supervised at all times but ultimately they are in charge.

They have porved their animal care skills with their year old hamster who i dont have to care for at all as they both care for it excellently...hence agreeing to guinea pig!

I have looked at various sites and although it says they prefer to live in pairs it doesnt say which pairs are better than other..apart from def no no of male and female.

I have been told that females are best to live in pairs but also 2 males are ok if from the same litter but they will fight wont they?

I want to make the right choice and have 2 happy piggies.

I have been offered 2 8 week old same litter males but unsure if it is the right choice.

Please advise. Thanks ever so much.

littleemmie

Females are supposed to be more grumpy than males and if together will just kind of play with each other and not pay much attention to you. I have no experience of this though. I have 2 males and they wouldn't be without each other. Boys are more likely to fight with each other though. Mine sometimes chase each other round their hutch but most of the time they snuggle up to each other, throw wood around their hutch, sit on my shoulder or yell at me if I'm late giving them dinner!

Paparika

my mum had a guinea pig for years (she called it Miss Piggy) she was lovely and if i remember she lived alone

notlongnow_2

littleemmie wrote: »

Females are supposed to be more grumpy than males and if together will just kind of play with each other and not pay much attention to you. I have no experience of this though. I have 2 males and they wouldn't be without each other. Boys are more likely to fight with each other though. Mine sometimes chase each other round their hutch but most of the time they snuggle up to each other, throw wood around their hutch, sit on my shoulder or yell at me if I'm late giving them dinner!

Thanks for that. Yell at you?? Thats really funny..lol.

Are your boys from the same litter?

hayleyc_2

just in case you decide not to go with the 2 males.. have a look at https://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk

Also there's loads of info about correct housing, and how to care for them etc.

Hayley

heather2409

HI,

We've got 2 males from the same cage at the pet shop. As previous post says they do sometimes chase each other round the cage(ours are kept in a large hutch indoors. At first we thought that one was the cahser and the other the chased, but they seem to take it in turns to attempt to show dominance. However, this is periodic rather than constant. Rest of the time they are happy together and both squeak loudly every time they hear a bag rustle.

shazrobo

we have the one guinea pig, who lives happily alone, and also squeaks loudly when its dinner time

littleemmie

To be honest (and I'm ashamed to say) I don't know if my boys are from the same litter. I got them from a large pet shop who didn't really know what they were talking about and just wanted to sell some animals. If your two are from the same litter though they will probably be used to each other. If you do find they start to fight, to the point that you think you will need to separate them, I was told that getting them the snip might help. I haven't needed to do this for ours though and I was also afraid they would lose some of their personality!!

They are so funny when they yell at me! They stand at the edge of their hutch (which is by the kitchen door) and everytime they hear the fridge door opening they let out a really loud high pitched squeak!

Both pigs love to sit on our laps and watch tv with us - one of them has been known to sit on the sofa next to my OH!

Notsosharp

I have three girl guinea pigs (they are two sisters and the mother) and they all live together quite happily although they will have the odd squabble and one usually ends up getting chucked out the sleeping box for a day or so. But apart from that they are fine, they grumble and squeak at each other all the time.....and yes they really do yell when they are hungry!

I am sorry though I don't really know that much about keeping male pigs together though...I kind of inherited the ones I have.

Spudnik_2

There should be no problem with keeping two males together. Although there will be the odd exception to the rule, they should be fine. As a very general rule, it's thought that males will have a bit of a scuffle at the beginning of their 'relationship' to sort out who's boss, and then will be fine, whilst the girls will tend to have fall-outs every month or so. However, guinea pigs are very sociable animals and, although there might be the odd one that will not appreciate the company of another, it is highly advised that you do not keep them alone. Also, never keep them with rabbits - although fairly common (even some animal shelters will do it) it is not at all safe, nor beneficial to either animal. Given that the pair you have been offered are litter mates, you should be fine - but please consider adopting from a shelter. There are lots of homeless animals that are constantly overlooked because it isn't thought of as the 'norm' to adopt a small pet.

Also, have you considered keeping your guinea pigs indoors? You and your children will get much more out of them as companion animals if they're living in the house with you. https://www.guineapigcages.com and https://www.guinealynx.info are excellent sources of information for guinea pig owners of all experience levels, and guineapigcages.com also offers a very 'MSE' method for housing your guinea pig - as well as giving them much more space than a conventional pet store cage.

Keeping guinea pigs can be a very rewarding experience. Good luck!