Guinea pig w/ a budget?

[DisneyDebbie]

My boys are are begging me for a pet. A guinea pig is my answer. I've done some research and would like to know if you have a hard time trimming their nails? I would like to avoid a monthly vet visit for nails.

What about shampoo?

I think I understand the cage, bedding, feeding, and playing stuff, but any tips would be appreciated!

 

[mad_for_mickey]

We trim our guinea pig nails with human toenail clippers (tried a few types of trimmers out, and found those work best). We have found the easiest time to be right after a bath (we use small animal shampoo for that, btw). One person holds the guinea pig in a towel and feeds him lettuce, another gently takes one paw at a time out of the towel and does a quick trim. About once a month for this whole process seems to work well.

We love our guinea pigs! Our first was a lone male who died in August (causing much sadness in our home). We got him after months our our 7-year-old daughter asking for one and practicing taking care of a pretend guinea pig we made out of a cleverly rubber-banded washcloth. About a month ago we adopted a pair of females from our humane society, and they are wonderful as well. They are such social animals! And don't have some of the other rodent issues like biting or escaping. I hope you will enjoy yours as much as we enjoy ours.

 

[Hannathy]

You don't need to bathe it monthly and then just the "grease spot" is all that needs washed. what my DD used was baby shampoo. so even if you do it monthly it isn't expensive. She also cut his nails herself. And I don't think she did that every month either.Make sure you figure into your budget the pig having Timothy hay everyday. They also love and need fresh veggies but carrots are great, and if you eat other veggies yourselves it is easy to just save a few for the pig. (just no BEANS! and a few other foods, you need to get a book with a list)

Make sure where ever you put it's cage it is where there are people most of the time. this is not a pet that would do well in a child's bedroom. They need a lot of human companionship and interaction. we kept our in the kitchen where it could see into the family room so there were people around almost all the time.

 

[DisneyDebbie]

Thanks! Do you trim all 4 feet? or just the front 2? Is it bad to bathe them every month? How often do you feed them the fresh veggies- 2x/day? I'm under the impression that they'll just eat and eat.....

 

[ilovemyjj]

the main expence is there bedding, and food. Now if ya wanna buy treats like alfalfa, timothy hay, ect..plus some veggies..thats up to you. :O)
Pigs are really cute, but they can get loud..lol! I love the noises they make! Weeet..weeetttt!! LOL!!

 

[chabs]

We've had several guinea pigs and have always left pellets and water out all day and then gave Timothy Hay and fresh veggies at night before we went to bed. You only have to trim their nails about every 6 weeks or so (all 4 feet-just like a dog or cat) and we've always just used regular human nail clippers to take the tips off. You don't want to cut them too short or they will bleed (avoid the quick-you can see the line if the nails are white). Also, we only gave ours a bath every 6 months or so and used small animal shampoo that we bought at Petsmart (you could use baby shampoo too). If you keep their cage clean, you won't have to give them a bath very often. We never had a hard time doing anything to them-they are pretty easy going if you handle them a lot and someone can hold fresh veggies and feed them while you cut their nails.

 

[Hannathy]

Timothy hay should not be thought of as a treat! they really need it and should have it everyday.

Our pig had dry food available all the time and timothy hay in a feeder hanging on the cage at all times. you also need a mineral lick for them. Every morning he got about 3 of the baby carrots that you buy and don't you forget it! or he would let you know quite loudly! then later in the day or evening he would get more carrots and some other fruit or vegetable or as ours was quite spoiled when he would decide he wanted something and would yell at us. Don't give them too much regular lettuce tho.

No it won't hurt them to bathe them but they do get chilled easily and will get sick so you have to make sure they are kept warm when wet. They also don't tolerate cold or drafts well. Our furnace died very late one night and my DH (who loved the pig) went out to walmart and got a little heater and plugged it in aimed at his cage so he wouldn't get sick! we could freeze but the pig was warm. You need to trim all 4 feet but it is like a dog when they need it.

they really are social little beings and do learn to interact with you and they do make cute little purring sounds and chirps when they are happy.

 

[mantaz]

We had guinea pigs up until about a month before DD was born. The last one got old and quit eating so I had a vet put her down. They do whistle loudly and if you feed them fresh veggies from the fridge, they know the sound of the door opening and will whistle for a treat. We always kept ours in a big ferret cage with a second level. They loved the extra room and it kept their food off the floor. You don't want a cage with holes in the bottom as they can get their feet caught in them. And we used regular nail clippers to trim their feet too. Just as another poster said, wrap them up and just pull one leg out at a time to trim. Also make sure they have plenty of things to gnaw on as their teeth continually grow!

 

[dhardawa]

We had a couple of guinea pigs. I made them a C&C cage for under $20. I bought timothy hay by the case (the nasty brown stuff from the pet store is... well... nasty - it should be green) and it was cheaper. They go through a ton of it. I did regular pellet food too. I never bathed my guinea pigs and they stayed nice and clean. I did have to clip their nails regularly, but it was no big deal. I just did it with a standard set of nail clippers.

 

[dhardawa]

Oh, also, I noticed you said "a guinea pig". Guinea pigs are highly social animals and should always be kept in pairs or more.

 

[shellyfive]

Make sure you get pellets that are made for G. pigs, as they require vitamin C in their diet. Rabbit pellets won't have that in it (and the rabbit food is less expensive)

They do make great pets.
And you'll learn to discern all the r2-d2 noises that come out of them!!!

 

[TLuvsD]

D's first pet was a guinea pig. That little animal was a lot of fun. We kept her in the den, they really like company. She LOVED oranges and would squeal loudly whenever I used orangeoil on the furniture. I just gave her some orange, then finished dusting.
Do not let them get too cold, and don't feed them iceburg lettuce. We fed a guinea pig kibble, the hay and fruit/vegtable.

 

[CTdiznymom]

We had GPigs when my girls were little. They are very social, and would whistle when I got home. Definately read up on what's required before you commit. Keeping the cage clean and dry is the biggest requirement. Their nails have to be trimmed so they don't curl under themselves.The store also had wood chews to keep their teeth filed down. We always had the Timothy hay & cubes of compressed hay that they loved. In the summertime ours loved the green strawberry tops, and cucumber peels. I considered them my little garbage disposals! They were great pets, and I sometimes miss having them around.

 

[jacksmomma]

We have a pair of pigs that we got from a small animal rescue. They are great! One is very social and likes to play, the other is very skiddish and has needed a little extra patience. We take them to a local pet store to get their nails trimmed. They are black and it is very hard to see the quick...I would rather pay $5 a pig, then injure them.

Look at www.petfinder.com and search your area to find a piggie. They are so much better than the ones you get in the stores.

 

[bigmama67]

Hi! I just wanted to chime in and agree that getting a pair is optimal. We are thinking of getting them when the kids are a bit older and I have looked into it quite a bit. I would like to get 2 males, I think. I would like to name them Confusion and Delay but DS says it will be Buzz and Woody.

I DID just learn that it's better to keep them around us instead of in DS' bedroom, just from reading this thread. Congratulations and have fun!

 

[stsomewhere]

They need vitamin C. We gave ours orange wedges everyday on top of pellets.

 

[brymolmom]

We got ours off Craigslist - got the cage, pig and some accessories CHEAP. Sometimes people get them and just don't end up wanting them for long. Kids will love her for Christmas!

 

[fakereadhed]

Good luck keeping them in pairs! By the time one of your "males" looks pg you can expect babies within 24 hours. Kind of a shock, and not budget, especially when you divide the adults and the babies "mature" quickly and it turns into a S. Ed class for the kids/guinea pig factory. That was just our experience!

 

[MEM]

We had guinea pigs up until about a month before DD was born. The last one got old and quit eating so I had a vet put her down. They do whistle loudly and if you feed them fresh veggies from the fridge, they know the sound of the door opening and will whistle for a treat. We always kept ours in a big ferret cage with a second level. They loved the extra room and it kept their food off the floor. You don't want a cage with holes in the bottom as they can get their feet caught in them. And we used regular nail clippers to trim their feet too. Just as another poster said, wrap them up and just pull one leg out at a time to trim. Also make sure they have plenty of things to gnaw on as their teeth continually grow!

This brings back many pleasant memories! When I was a child I had a red guinea pig named "Mr. Jiggs" and he was such a doll - he liked to nuzzle in my neck and whisper sweet piggy noises into my ear. Sometimes he would get quite loud when he heard the fridge door open - it sounded like he was saying "Weak! Weak! Weak!!!!" as in weak from hunger. Too cute!

 

[jacksmomma]

Hi! I just wanted to chime in and agree that getting a pair is optimal. We are thinking of getting them when the kids are a bit older and I have looked into it quite a bit. I would like to get 2 males, I think. I would like to name them Confusion and Delay but DS says it will be Buzz and Woody.

I DID just learn that it's better to keep them around us instead of in DS' bedroom, just from reading this thread. Congratulations and have fun!

Female pairs do better together, but male pairs are possible if they are litter mates or introduced to one another at a young age. If you are unable to get a pair of brothers make sure that you watch them closely, they will fight!

DO NOT listen to the workers at the pet shop that tell you that opposite sex babies are okay in their cages there at the store, or that you cannot tell their gender by the time the are old enough to be at the store. That is why so many piggies arrive at their new homes already pregnant! That is actually how I got my boys. Their Mom was a pet store pig who arrived at her new home already pregnant. The owners kept the mom, but turned the babies over to a rescue organization where we adopted them.