Pre owning a Guinea Pig

Before you consider buying a Guinea Pig you need to take into consideration alot of factors so you know exactly what you are looking for.

•  Will you be able to give him time.
•  Where will he live. In doors or outside.
•  Can you keep more than one Guinea Pig.
•  Do you have any other pets such as a cat who may harm him.
•  Long or short Haired.
•  Where will you buy from.

Will you be able to give him the time he needs?

It is very important that you spend time with him, even if brought in pairs they will still need your interaction to build a good relationship up with you and become the perfect pet. If you are going to spend alot of hours out of the house then obviously a Guinea Pig isn't for you.

Will he live in doors or outside?

Guinea pigs can live either inside or outdoors. I have my piggie's living in doors with me. I have two plastic bottom cages. If you choose to have your Guinea Pigs in doors and choose a plastic bottom cage, never leave him outside, just in case it rains, they could fill up with water.

People assume Guinea Pig cages will smell. A friend came to my house the other day for the first time since I have had all 3 piggie's in doors. He commented on how he assumed the house would stink but was very surprised to find they do not smell at all. The strongest smell that comes from their cages is the hay.

If you choose for him to live outside you must consider some things. Guinea Pigs have weaker hearts, are prone to pneumonia and also heat stroke. I chose for mine to live in doors because I have a south facing back garden and there is nowhere to put a cage that at some point in the summer days wont be in the scorching sun. Also I live very close to the coast and back on to miles of fields. So in the winter we have extreme winds.

Backing on to a field we have a lot of foxes around this area and foxes will keep coming back to a hutch until they get what they want. Foxes are very intelligent animals and can work out how to undo catches on the front of them. If you keep your Guinea Pig's outside you must make sure you keep the pen secure.

Can you keep more than one?

Guinea Pigs are pack animals. In the wild one Boar <Male Guinea Pig> will live with around 9 Sows <Female Guinea Pigs>. So by nature they love to have other Guinea Pigs to communicate with.
When I brought my Boar I was not aware of this. Had I have known I would of brought his brother who was also in the cage with him and had been with him from birth. If I had done this then I would of had a much better chance of him getting on with the fellow male Guinea Pig as they hadn't been apart.
Introducing one now at this later stage could end up disastrous. When Boars mature at around 5-7 months they will tend to fight for Top Dog status.

On the other hand you can keep many female Guinea Pigs together as in the wild this is how they naturally live.

Keeping a male and female Guinea Pig together is not at all recommended!! (Unless of course the Boar has been neutered - you can find more info on this by following the corresponding link on the navigation bar) They will mate and there are risks to the female if she is allowed to become pregnant over and over again or too young or old.

Do you have any other pets such as a cat who may harm him?

Before buying a Guinea Pig you should consider other pet's that could harm and taunt him. As Guinea Pigs are timid they should live in a calm relaxing environment. A cat is very likely to attack your Guinea Pig, along with some breeds of dog's. Other breeds of dog's although they will not aim to kill him and just want to play, would harm a delicate Guinea Pig.

Although I have no other pet's that are a threat to my Guinea Pig. I am still very cautious. I will not leave the back door open when they are running around the front room. There is an over friendly cat who lives next door who will just wander in to my house uninvited. With this in mind I brought a fully secure cage for him to live in. When he is in there I know he's safe.

Long or short Haired?

Long haired Guinea Pigs will need daily grooming to ensure their coats do not become matted. When you feed your Guinea Pig cucumber you will see just how much he gets all over him from pure greedy ness. You will understand that if he were long haired, it wouldn't be long before all his coat under his chin and on his chest would soon get really matted. This could end up being painful for him when he moves. So it's very important that you groom him on a regular basis.

Where will you buy from?

Click here for information on where to buy.