any guinea pig money saving tips?

izzywizzy66

have purchaced 2 male guineas today now known as morse and lewis from ouur local garden centre they are 8 weeks old i also bought a big play tube a huge indoor cage and food hay sawdust etc ok so do we need toys hide holes etc loads of choice on the net but do we need it thanks for any advice its been a while since we have had gps

Swans1912

We have two and the most important thing we find is providing them with lots of space and time outside their cage. If both GPs are in the same cage then ideally they should both have their own sleeping area too!

Please keep an eye on them also, our two started fighting and we had to buy a new cage to keep them separate. You will have the odd scuffle but our two were too strong willed and would fight to the death.... had no choice but to separate them.

Look into buying timothy hay for them as a treat, ours LOVE it! Feed them fresh veg every day and based on what they leave you will quickly learn what foog they love!

olias

Ours used to love veg scraps (carrots/broccoli etc) also fresh grass and lavender and rosemary (if you have any in your garden). If you have a lawn then get them a run as they love just sitting in the sun nibbling grass!

Also keep an eye on their teeth, you can trim them yourself (if you feel confident enough) using a pet claw clipper, if not then take them to the vet. If they get too long then they can have trouble eating and also the teeth can pierce their opposite gums/lips if they get too long.

Olias

Sirbendy

Yep...ours go doolally for hay. They live in a big outside cage, in our kitchen (top floor flat). They get time every night to run round the kitchen and exersize (once I evict the cats and shut the door). and as it's a vinyl floor, mess is negligible.

I'm going to sort/make some toys I think..as well as some cage lighting. It's quite dim in those cages.

They love it..they can see us cooking/eating, they can hear us anywhere, they get lots of attention and fuss, from us and the cats (who find them fascinating), and they eat the food bits we cut off.

They also get dandelions from the mother-in-law, and grass from us when we go for a walk. Very undemanding, happy little souls. My last 2 were 13-14 when they went..I can't live without them for long..heh. Very relaxing and chatty.

dolally_2

olias wrote: »

Also keep an eye on their teeth, you can trim them yourself (if you feel confident enough) using a pet claw clipper, if not then take them to the vet. If they get too long then they can have trouble eating and also the teeth can pierce their opposite gums/lips if they get too long.

Olias

Please don't trim your guinea pigs teeth yourself! This should be done by a vet if necessary. Providing your piggie with unlimited hay and some blocks to chew on should stop them experiencing any teeth problems.

You can clip the claws yourself though, being careful not to cut the wick.

olias

We did ours for the entire 8 years we had them and had no problems

OLias

izzywizzy66

thanks for all the advice going pets at home 2 morro to get any bits we need got the cage etc from the local garden centre slightly more than [EMAIL="p@h"]p@h[/EMAIL] but hey ho going to get brush for grooming and a few toy things i dont no who is more excited me or izzy lol

gerad_way

I originally thought my 2 male gps had been fighting, as one of them had what looked like a scab at the scruff of his neck. It is still there and the skin looks like dandruff. My gps have had flea treatment etc. My other gp looks fine no skin problems. Any ideas what it might be the rest of his coat is fine. He has had this for about 2 weeks. I thought it might be the time of the year as they have both been trying to mate with each other.
Any help would be appreciated.

tru

It could be mites. It's difficult to tell because the mites are so tiny, you can't see them. One of my piggies had them, the vet gave her a couple of injections and she's been fine ever since. Vet says she probably had the eggs passed to her by the mother, also that's it's a myth that they get them from hay.

MORE INFO HERE

ethansmum

Does anyone know of a cheap supplier of guinea pig pellets? My boys liked the scratch and newton one at pets at home- it was £2 odd for 2kgs, but they've stopped selling it