draggonlaady

Told you she looks better! She's all shiny now :)

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la-roja.livejournal.com

Do you let them run free in the house? Do they use a consistent potty spot like rabbits? I love guinea pigs *because* they talk so much and are so personable. I'm really allergic to them though so none for me.

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They live in the cage pictured above. Rodents chew too much to leave unsupervised in the house, and I don't know that my dogs wouldn't eat them :(

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la-roja.livejournal.com

Got it, I was just confused by the open cage and cat. :)

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evil-egg.livejournal.com

Aww, cute. Though I think if a cat is willing to invade their territory, they deserve what comes to them.

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Yeah, Pandora's a freak. She's just after the hay, she climbs in the chinchilla cage too, for the same reason.

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evil-egg.livejournal.com

What an odd creature.

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I kiss them all!

I wanted to have guinea pigs or some white mice, but I was afraid the cats would make them miserable; you don't think that'd be the case?

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Depends on the cats I suppose. Mice are more likely to be bothered, both because they're more timid and because they're smaller and tastier looking to the cats.
Guinea pigs make pretty nice pets, and live longer than mice too.

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I had a hamster once, inherited from a next door neighbor, who only lived about 3 months longer--just long enough to come to love him. :(

How long do guinea pigs live, and how old are they usually when you buy them? I know it's selfish, but I'm already morbid about my girls being 12 this year. Also, I generally don't want to BUY animals, but it's hard to get frogs or rodents any other way, at least for me with my lack of contacts and friends. :p

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Usually the pigs in pet stores are a bit over a month old. They can live 5-8 years.
You might try calling the local humane society or rabbit rescue, sometimes cavies get dropped off there.

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You know, if you were on chat, this would be easier for me, and it's all about ME, you know...

Ok, I can see a bit about that cage from your pictures, and if that's how YOU did it, I'll do it exactly the same. I would think 2 so they can keep each other company, but not be crowded? And I'll call my local HSUS and also check petfinder here in a second. :)

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In case you haven't been answered: 2 is definitely wisest. Guinea pigs are social critters and are much happier with friends. Boys get along as well as girls, although not *all* pigs will get along. (But in my experience, most will.)

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Thank you so much! Is 3 better than 2 then? I don't want too many either, in case personalities don't mesh or I can't keep up with the maintenance.

Also, great Destiny icon.

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The more pigs you get, the more space they need. And they may compete for food, so make sure everybody gets some.

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They say that 3 is better than 2, although I can't say as I've noticed much difference. They're a herd animal, if that helps any. (Do note that you can only have one boar in with girls, though. A single-sex herd of either sex is OK, though.) They'll eat proportionately more food and require more space, but it's not linear with the number of guinea pigs. (ie, doubling the number does not necessarily require twice the space.)

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Well sorry, I'm at work :P
Yeah, pigs are social, so 2 or 3 is a good idea. I prefer all sows, but you can get them neutered, so if you want a mixed herd you don't necessarily end up with little pigs.
More floor space is good--they don't climb much, so the tiered cages are of limited use. You can also fence off the kitchen or something and let them run around there sometimes... but they pee a lot, so be prepared to mop after.

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Well, you know, so do I, so I can hardly blame THEM for it.

Ok, I'll try to get at least 2! All girls or have them neutered. :) And I'll get the biggest cage I can afford. What kind of temperature do they like? I'd be tempted to put them in the sunroom as it's sunny and airy, but it might be too warm for them this summer or TOO sunny. And in a guest room/library room, I could shut the door off and keep the cats out when necessary. But those rooms are much darker and (generally) cooler.

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They like moderate temps--think low/mid mountain, cuz that's where they come from. Try to avoid direct sun through the windows, as that can cause too high a temp (don't really want them above 75-80). Make sure they can get out of the sun into some shade, at least. And lots of water--they drink tons. (And backwash into their water bottles too, so get a bottle brush for cleaning.)
Do those rooms have carpet? harder to clean up after, is all.
They might like an outdoor pen part time too, just make sure there's a lid so no neighbor dogs or hawks come poking around. And adjust them to it slowly--sudden change/too much green grass may cause diarrhea or colic.

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You don't have to neuter boars if they're living without sows. (And you can only have one boar, neutered or not, in with the girls. They *will* fight if there are ladies around. Otherwise, boys get along fine.)

Everything that draggonlaady has said so far is --- of course! --- true, although I'd argue that tiered cages are more useful than she may have found with her little ones. Pigs aren't great climbers, but give them a shallowish ramp and they'll love a second story. I've got pictures of my cages at http://moonlets.org/pigCages.html (and see the links therein as well if you like).

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Very cute :-)

Chi has met my pigs a few times. She tries to clean them.

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yeah, would take a pretty avid cat to think they could eat all of one of them :)

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There's that, too. I don't think that pigs trigger the cats' natural hunting instincts because guinea pigs don't scamper like mice. (Mostly, mine waddle or bounce.)

Also, Chi seems to think that the pigs are just really ugly kittens those times she does pay attention to them.

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The dogs are definitely more interested in them than the cats are. The cats mostly just want to steal their food...

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