LeiaWolfe wrote:Hey guys! c: You've most likely seen me in the rabbit owner chat
Anyway, my friend (after I told her that hamsters are illegal in Australia), told me that she's considering a guinea pig to her small-ish home! She will be keeping the piggy inside if she gets one, because her cat lives outside. (This is just a first thought so please don't tell me she shouldn't get a pig since we don't know much about them). We would just like a detailed description of what your pig's daily routine is, what you feed them, any tips, etc. Thank you so much!
morning - i change their water and spotclean (get out dirty hay, waste etc), put some more hay in. they need hay at all times as they have a fast metabolism and needs to keep the system going. pellets aren't given constantly to adult pigs as they'll become overweight. in order of importance: 1. Hay 2. Vegetables 3. Pellets. Like us, piggies can't produce vitamin c on their own, so they need safe veg to eat everyday in health quantities.
afternoon - i check on them, spotclean if needed, put some more hay in and possibly floortime
evening/night - spotclean, hay, feed their veg (i need to feed my girls seperate to my boy as he's prone to gas or oat and needs smaller quantities of veg). weigh them at 10pm, do a final check and leave
guinea pigs are social creatures and need companions of their own species; your friend will need at least two gpigs. their cage needs to be quite big. you can keep girls together, boys together or a neutered boy and girls together. minimum cage size for two girls or one neutered boy and a girl is 120cm by 90cm (not sure about the 90c, could be bigger or smaller i need to check). boys are often dominant and, especially during their hormonal stage and onwards, will need a bigger cage. you can google midwest cages, they're quite popular right now and nicely sized. i use c&c cages, similiar to midwest. two boys = 2x5 c&c cage +. two girls or a neutered boy and girl = 2x4 +. i currently have a neutered boy and two girls in a 4x4 c&c. ill try and find links for you on what is safe to feed.
please consider getting the guinea pigs from a rescue. pet shops and breeders contribute heavily to the amount of guinea pigs put in rescues or dumped for being 'bad stock'. rescues help these pigs and are often forced to shut down as a result of overloading. they also often make sure the guinea pigs are healthy before giving them.
helpful sites:
www.guinealynx.infohttps://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/