Guinea Pig questions!?

Question

Is it ok to keep two sow female guiena pigs together. One short haired and one long haired?

How can I convince my dad that they don't smell terrible?

Do you think Kinkos, Home Depot, or Michaels carries Coroplast?

Other than that I have no other questions. But I do want to know if my plan is good.

I'm going to make a C & C cage (2 x 4) for two guinea pigs. One short one Long haired (Maybe.) Giving Baths to them when they get anything in their fur. I'm going to use EverFRESH bedding. Water bottle and a ceramic food dish. Pellets, vegetables, maybe vitamin C CHEWABLE tablets. An Unlimited Supply of Timothy Hay.I'm going to make a cozy with a cat bed for them. I will change the bedding every week. I think that's about it. If there is anything else I need to know about Guinea Pigs, please tell me. I want to show my dad that I'm responsible.

Answer 1

Yes, you should house guinea pigs in pairs. They are social animals and shouldn't be housed alone.

I'm not sure how you could convince your dad they don't smell. They don't smell at all though, I house my herd on fleece and I've never had an odour problem. Guinea pigs have no natural odour. The only thing that has an odour over time is their urine.

Sometimes Home Depot and Michael carries coroplast. I got mine from a sign store. Try a sign shop first, sometimes you can get it really cheap, and delivered. I had a 3x4, and got two 4x8 sheets of coroplast for $30, with delivery.

2x4 is fine for two guinea pigs.
Be sure to only give baths every 6-8 months. Any more than that will dry out their skin. I have a sheltie(long haired), and I rarely bathe her. I brush her daily, and trim the hair around her bottom when needed.
If you're going to get vitamin C chewables, the best are Oxbow 50C, you can get them off your exotics veterinarian.
Did you know the GuineaPig Cages website has great instructions on how to make a cuddle cup for your guinea pigs?
Here's the thread:
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/accessories/17507-how-make-cuddle-cup-requires-sewing.html

Weekly cleaning should be good. Try to scatter the hay around, so they don't poop in just one area. Eventually, you might want to use that they poop in one area to your advantage, and switch to fleece.

Have you tried posting your questions on the GPcages forum? You should head on over there, they'll be alot more helpful than Yahoo! Answers.
I also want to give you an amazing website, GuineaLynx. It's the best care, emergency, and medical guide for guinea pigs.
http://www.guinealynx.com/healthycavy.html

Answer 2

As long as your Guinea pigs get along they can live together. Don't ever use anything but plain old pine shavings, the cedar and any other with chemicals cause huge respiratory problems. I suggest that you get short haired pigs because the long or messy haired ones always pee on themselves and they wreak. With one Guinea pig you have to clean the cake every 4-5 days so with 2 you must clean it every 3 days max. Never feed them potatoes, they are poison to them. Use a water bottle that hangs from the side, only way to keep the water clean and change it daily. The main diet should be pellets but be careful of the veggies and fruit that you feel them.

Wash your hands before handling them every time. They will bite if they smell food, they aren't trying to eat you they are just curious.

Good luck and they are great pets!

Answer 3

Well sounds like you have a good plan, but you need to change a few things. You should never bath guineas pigs unless it is really necessary, they will catch a chill and get sick very easily. They are very clean rodents and they will groom themselves. Second you should not use a cat bed for them to sleep in, they will chew it and it could kill them because they can not digest the material. You could make a wooden box shaped house for them and that will be fine for them to hide in and if they chew it it will not hurt them, just make sure you use wood that has not been treated with anything.And to help convince your dad about the smell, females are better smelling than males, they do not have so much ammonia in the pee and so they do not smell bad. I hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 4

I think you've got it all. I don't think my guiena pig stinks but some people do say so. You should have a seperate container for their fresh vegetables, also something for them to chew on to keep their teeth healthy such as chew sticks. My guinea pig sometimes chews on his house. Speaking of which, they like to be cozy so a house would be good, not sure what to do with 2. I'm sure I won't and don't have the best or most detailed answer but I hope something helps. Good luck convincing your pops:-)

Answer 5

I would suggest getting two females from the same litter. I had trouble bonding my girls at one point in time.

I do think you should read up on more material at www.guinealynx.com and they can give you more of an idea on what you need for your kids.

C&C are hard to find. I would suggest getting the cage put together before getting two guinea pigs. And since I'm in animal rescue myself, i must say that its better to adopt than buy. Make sure you find a qualified vet in your area and bring your guinea in immediatly if you have a problem.

http://www.cavyspirit.com/care.htm
http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/piggycare.html
http://www.healthypet.com/library_view.aspx?ID=67

I hope you read up on guinea pigs as much as possible before adopting one (or two) to be your own!

Rachael

Answer 6

1. I think so most guinea pigs of the same gender get along
2. The cage might start to stink after about 5 days because of the feces but then u change it so it should be fine.
3. idk
4. i think youve got it all