A Beginners Guide To Guinea Pigs
A beginners guide to guinea pigs
Guinea pigs makes wonderful pets and they are loving and entertaining little creatures. There are lots of things to consider so here are some answers to common piggie questions!
Adopt or shop?
In order for guinea pigs to get along and bond, they need to be matched with compatible characters. Pet shops don’t have the time or expertise to match characters and there’s a much higher chance of fights and fall-outs. Please consider contacting your local guinea pig rescue instead. They can match you with suitably bonded guinea pigs that are used to being handled and they can provide support for the lifetime of the adopted piggies.
Here’s a link to rescues that provide a good standard of care
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/recommended-guinea-pig-rescues.158151/
How many?
Guinea pigs are very social animals and enjoy living in pairs or groups. Choose a same-sex pair to ensure no unwanted litters. Introducing them as babies is the best way to get a pair to bond, but with care, adults can also be successfully introduced. Sometimes personality differences mean that certain guinea pigs won’t get along.
Indoors or outdoors?
Traditionally guinea pigs have been kept outside, where they make less mess and can access the grass freely. However it’s becoming increasingly popular to house guinea pigs indoors and there are many benefits to doing this. A room temperature of 17 – 20oC is ideal for guinea pigs, making a house the perfect home. You can keep a closer eye on them and pick up any signs of illness quickly. Guinea pig are also fun to watch and interact with. Consistent, gentle handling, means that guinea pigs usually become tame very easily. This is made much easier if they are housed inside, in an easily accessible cage.
Do they need a large cage?
Guinea pigs need plenty of space and most cages available are much too small, especially for a pair. A small cage can lead to health problems and fighting. Boars often tend to fight more and need more space to have alone time.
C&C cages are large, easy clean cages made from cubes and correx. They meet and exceed the minimum space requirements recommended by the RSPCA. The cage walls are built from safe 9×9 hole wire cube grids and the plastic liner is made from durable plastic coroplast / correx. These versatile cages can be extended, modified and combined to create you own unique cage set up to suit you and your piggies!
For a full range of cages visit https://candcguineapigcages.co.uk/
