I'm thinking of getting a guinea pig any tips

Handsome_Chris

I'm thinking of giving a guinea pig a home in my maintenance free garden. Have any of you good people get it experience of these things?

historyisjunk

To begin with, you really need to get more than one. Like rabbits they don't do well alone. If at all possible get a pair (or more) who have bonded from a rescue place. Please don't buy them. They need to be of the same sex or you'll have a herd before you know it.
They can live quite a while, so they're a long term commitment, rather than hamPster timescales. Speaking of hampsters, guineas are generally very peaceful & don't normally bite- though they can be pretty nervous. I don't think hampsters are deliberately vicious, they just seem to like to test everything by biting.
They also need a good bit of space, somewhere at a reasonable temperature- a similar temperature range to what humans would be comfortable with. These days most people would bring them in when it gets cold out, my definition of that would be when it's not summer.
Some vets don't seem to have a clue about them, so worth checking this out in your area.

My partner, who is more expert than me, rates this site-  http://www.guinealynx.info/

If you want to ask anything by all means ping me a PM

axisus

Make sure everything is fox proof! I know of a few rabbits lost to foxes. I had one as a kid, he was lovely. Every night I brought him in and kept him in the garage rather than outside. In the evening we would let him run around downstairs, their droppings are easy to clean up.

Iamnobody

My first tip is don't get one.

My second is if you do, don't put it/them in the garage over winter, then start your moped up in the garage and leave it idling for a long time while you go back in and have your breakfast...

Tip number two is a true story. I'm sure I don't need to detail the end result! It wasn't me - a family member. Needless to say his kids didn't get the true version of events.

Handsome_Chris

Iamnobody said:

My first tip is don't get one.

My second is if you do, don't put it/them in the garage over winter, then start your moped up in the garage and leave it idling for a long time while you go back in and have your breakfast...

Tip number two is a true story. I'm sure I don't need to detail the end result! It wasn't me - a family member. Needless to say his kids didn't get the true version of events.

The guinea pig stole the moped and cause a crash involving a school bus?

Danny1969

Don't they need to be in pairs ? 
Cute pets, I like em

Handsome_Chris

Can we agree that if I get one and it does alright, that I shall get another. 

I've read that they are very fragile and fkn expensive when it comes to vet bills. And also cheap to buy.

ThePrettyDamned

Handsome_Chris said:

Can we agree that if I get one and it does alright, that I shall get another. 

I've read that they are very fragile and fkn expensive when it comes to vet bills. And also cheap to buy.

No, seriously, they don't do well alone. 

Guinea pigs come in pairs as a minimum, or with rabbits. 

It's not an old wives tale - they're social creatures and get lonely, which leads to boredom, gnawing, bad health etc. 

Vet bills - luck. We had two Guinea pigs and a rabbit and the Guinea pigs were fine but the rabbit had over growing teeth, which cost a bloody fortune every few months to get filed. 

GPs can get the same problem. 

As with any pet, if the thought of bunging money aside every month as a fall back for vet bills doesn't appeal, it's probably best to not bother - the worst case scenario is you need the money. Best case, it acts as an extra savings account and when petty mcpetterson passes you have a nice stash to treat yourself with. 

Grunfeld

Handsome_Chris said:

I'm thinking of giving a guinea pig a home in my maintenance free garden. Have any of you good people get it experience of these things?

My favourite pets! 
The Guinea Lynx site as mentioned has really good info.  http://www.guinealynx.info/
And 'fraid I'm gonna echo what's been said:  you kinda have to get more than one cos they are such social animals -- that bit isn't really about you it's about them and their welfare and it's what they need.  EDIT -- there's possibly an exception though if you have one guinea and it lives in with you (mine do) and you're around each other pretty much all the time. But basically 2+ is better.

As it happens if you look after them well they are pretty robust.  Vet's bills are expensive full stop but (oh god famous last words coming up....) on the whole they're not too expensive.  If you get a boy and a girl then the boy is gonna need to to be neutered which costs anywhere from about £15 to £60 -- I swear vets make it up as they go along. 
Also, @historyisjunk is right:  you can actually find yourself more knowledgeable about your guinea pigs than some vets. 

I've usually got at least a couple of guineas in my life, in fact I've got two looking at me right now...
and feel free to PM me if you have any questions

Handsome_Chris

How well will they fair outside, if i get a hutch for them and free access to my cobbled garden

Grunfeld

Handsome_Chris said:

How well will they fair outside, if i get a hutch for them and free access to my cobbled garden

Biggest problem are foxes.  Mine came inside when they were getting hassle every frickken night.  Poor little buggers must have been scared witless.  So I brought them inside and I've kept guineas inside ever since.*
But when I had a garden they would LOVE to got out and play and eat the grass -- obviously not an option with cobbles.  But so long as they are safe and secure -- really secure cos foxes are, well proverbially cunning -- the guineas should be good.

* Indoors living = a certain amount of mess cos of the hay they need all the time -- it spreads a bit.  Doesn't bother me but drove my ex-wife nuts.

Strangefan

My kid have just had one at their mother's, and literally 5 mins ago I met it for the first time, I have to say it's the cutest thing I have ever held, im properly hooked and def want one for myself. 

ThePrettyDamned

Strangefan said:

My kid have just had one at their mother's, and literally 5 mins ago I met it for the first time, I have to say it's the cutest thing I have ever held, im properly hooked and def want one for myself. 

I adore them, but our living situation wouldn't allow us to get two or more, nor a companion rabbit, so it's a waiting game. 

But as soon as we can get a pair, we are. I bloody love them, and they're very 'pettable', like a small dog in a way (whereas hamsters are more independent). They often trade off on toys - so if you've got a wheel or a spinning plate, they'll seamlessly swap in and out. So cool. 

historyisjunk

At the risk of being the stuck record I'm going to repeat myself & also for the benefit of @Strangefan say PLEASE don't get one on their own. He/She might seem like they're doing OK, but as the Rabbit Welfare organisation says about rabbits, unlike cats & dogs they can't let you know they're bored & unhappy.
Also, what @Grunfeld says about foxes is right, if they're out & about they need to be watched, friend of my partner left one on their lawn for five minutes & she was gone. It's also horrible for them to be trapped in a hutch with a fox coming back night after night. You need to watch out for weasels & stoats too, if the mesh on the hutch isn't big enough they'll be in. (In case of doubt I've nothing against foxes or weasels, they're just doing what they do, it's up to us to protect our pets though).
On the plus side if you have them inside they don't smell if you keep them clean, just the smell of the hay.

I really don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, I agree with what others have said they are very nice creatures, but you have to consider what's right for them first. I'd also say that if you go ahead go to a rescue place first, there's plenty out there.

Tone71

I had a couple when the kids were young, kept them indoors and they were both fun little pets neither bit and they would squeak when hungry, they generally live 5-8 years and when they both went 7/8  years we were all gutted to the extent of getting a cat which by the way is a better option as they at least pay you attention when hungry!!

Pig are fun though and quirky, I miss ours.

TonyR

Don't give it whisky to drink - we had one as kids (called "Tipsy") that seemed to have a taste for the stuff (not sure how) - anyway the poor thing didn't have a particularly long life...

sinbaadi

You should set everything up and then get one just to test everything out, to make sure it's all is safe and working, ahead of the arrival of the real one(s) 

Handsome_Chris

sinbaadi said:

You should set everything up and then get one just to test everything out, to make sure it's all is safe and working, ahead of the arrival of the real one(s) 

What do they test stuff for guinea pigs on?

Handsome_Chris

Do they fight, or is that hamsters?

ThePrettyDamned

Handsome_Chris said:

Do they fight, or is that hamsters?

Rarely, they're a herd animal. I think hamsters fight... Maybe. We had all of ours solo. 

vasselmeyer

If you get fed up of looking after your Guinea Pigs, there's decent eating on a large one. Tried it in Bolivia. Yum.