any guinea pig money saving tips?

Wolfsbayne

I used to breed and show guinea pigs as a child so it has been a while but here goes.

Always use pet shavings not sawdust to line the cage. I would be a bit concerned about j-cloth material getting chewed and ending up in the stomach. Hay is enough for winter warmth especially if there is a darkened area of the hutch.

Forget insurance, we had hardly any problems. Your savings plan sounds more than enough.

We used to give them one pot of food a day - they are pigs and can easily eat too much. Make sure they have plenty of fresh veg (not lettuce). Better to give them plenty of veg and less of the seed diet particularly if its a cheap one. We didnt give tomato, cabbage/kale/green leaves/cucumber/apple is fine.

Make sure water is changed everyday and re-filled when empty. You can give too much vitamin c so you need to be careful. I would join a 'cavy association' if you want expert advice, there's one in each area who regularly hold cavy shows and are really good for beginners.

sammy10

Dont mean to be harsh but should you not have found this all out before you got them

PasturesNew

Do NOT ever give them potato peelings. I know somebody who peeled their veg and chucked it in their pigs' cage .... and one died. Potato peelings are poisonous to them.

top_drawer_2

Wolfsbayne wrote: »

I used to breed and show guinea pigs as a child so it has been a while but here goes.

Always use pet shavings not sawdust to line the cage. I would be a bit concerned about j-cloth material getting chewed and ending up in the stomach. Hay is enough for winter warmth especially if there is a darkened area of the hutch.

Forget insurance, we had hardly any problems. Your savings plan sounds more than enough.

We used to give them one pot of food a day - they are pigs and can easily eat too much. Make sure they have plenty of fresh veg (not lettuce). Better to give them plenty of veg and less of the seed diet particularly if its a cheap one. We didnt give tomato, cabbage/kale/green leaves/cucumber/apple is fine.

Make sure water is changed everyday and re-filled when empty. You can give too much vitamin c so you need to be careful. I would join a 'cavy association' if you want expert advice, there's one in each area who regularly hold cavy shows and are really good for beginners.

Wolfsbayne - Thank you for your help. I'm currently using hay to line the cage, they eat a lot of this and my research suggests that this is good for them. The J-cloth stuff states on the packet that its suitable for bedding etc for small animals. I didnt realise until I got to the pet shop just how many options there is in terms of bedding, lining for the cage and food. I am feeding them some sort of multi-supplement food (small brown balls) as the shop said that this is what they fed them and I didnt want to upset their digestive system by changing it. There isnt a darkened area of the hutch (maybe I could create one for them tho) just a plastic hideyhole thing I have put in the cage.

I guess I can stick to one pot of food a day (for two) + fresh veggies - sticking the ones you suggest. Is there a reason for not allowing tomato? I've been putting one scoop of powder into a 500ml bottle as it states one scoop per 400ml on the pot and wanted to be sure I wasnt overdoing it.

Sammy - dont mean to be mean, but how obvious? Just for info I have done loads of research but have many questions relating to their daily care as I aim to care for them to the best of my ability. I would like to meet anyone who has got a done the research, got a pet/baby and never had a question - maybe theyre not bothered enough?

Pastures New - I didnt know that, its never been mentioned in the research. Are you sure its down to the potato peelings? My pets are not dustbins anyway so I wont be giving them peelings.

Many thanks

Jen

beachbeth

I have kept guinea pigs for quite a few years and I agree that they are very therapeutic and very sweet!

I wouldn't want to give mine the j-cloth type bedding either because they are likely to eat it. I would just stick to pet shop shavings and hay and straw. We tend to put more straw in during the Winter because they don't eat this and it will keep them warm. They love to nibble on a bit of hay though too.

Make sure you give them proper guinea pig food as this has vitamin C in it specially for piggies. Mine love celery, cabbage and dandelion leaves and I also give them leaves from carrots (as well as the carrots) and leaves from cauliflower and pieces of the cauliflower too. Seedless grapes usually go down well and, if you give them tomatoes, make sure you scrape the seeds away first.

We used to have a gorgeous white boy with pink lips and, after he had eaten a coloured vegetable such as carrot his lips would go orange!

I have read that you shouldn't give a lot of carrot to a guineapig but a few chunks now and then should be fine.

Guinea pigs like to be able to hide (this is their only defence in the wild) so the Chubes that petshops sell are ideal. They are like cardboard tunnels but are made of vegetable matter so that the guineapig can hide in it and also chew it to bits!

beachbeth

Here is a picture of him showing his fantastic lips!



Have you any pics of your piggies?

Money_maker

I think you'll find potato peelings are poisonous for all animals. Even hens need to have them cooked.

top_drawer_2

beachbeth wrote: »

I have kept guinea pigs for quite a few years and I agree that they are very therapeutic and very sweet!

I wouldn't want to give mine the j-cloth type bedding either because they are likely to eat it. I would just stick to pet shop shavings and hay and straw. We tend to put more straw in during the Winter because they don't eat this and it will keep them warm. They love to nibble on a bit of hay though too.

Make sure you give them proper guinea pig food as this has vitamin C in it specially for piggies. Mine love celery, cabbage and dandelion leaves and I also give them leaves from carrots (as well as the carrots) and leaves from cauliflower and pieces of the cauliflower too. Seedless grapes usually go down well and, if you give them tomatoes, make sure you scrape the seeds away first.

We used to have a gorgeous white boy with pink lips and, after he had eaten a coloured vegetable such as carrot his lips would go orange!

I have read that you shouldn't give a lot of carrot to a guineapig but a few chunks now and then should be fine.

Guinea pigs like to be able to hide (this is their only defence in the wild) so the Chubes that petshops sell are ideal. They are like cardboard tunnels but are made of vegetable matter so that the guineapig can hide in it and also chew it to bits!

hi,

Thanks for the advice. I have taken the j-cloth stuff out as they do seem to be eating it. I will purchase some straw this week and use that for the base of the cage. I also intend to buy some hay stacks which attach to the side of the cage which I will fill with hay. I will likely do my food shopping tommorrow and will get some lovely veggies in for them too.

I do have pics but will have to edit them in (when I have scoured the help pages to find out ho to).

Jen

BitterAndTwisted

I've never kept piggys but I love the adorable sounds they make. So sweet.

A friend of mine went to Peru on holiday and enjoyed the local cuisine. Piggys were on the menu. I can't imagine eating something so cute and she said they didn't taste appealing at all. Too gamey.

lisawood78

Love the names!