Why you should get Guinea Pigs, and all the stuff you need to know before you get one.
Guinea pigs are one of the best pets I think you could have. Our family seems to be a dog family. Ever since I was born, we had a dog. The only time we didn't have one was when the first one very sadly passed away, and we waited before getting another one. Don't get me wrong, dogs are great, but sometimes you want something small and fluffy that is JUST YOURS, and I think that's when Guinea pigs come in. I got my first Guinea Pig early march 2021, for my 11th birthday. He was about 1 and 1 half years old, and his name was Jaguar. He had black long fur and a white stripe. Around April 2023, he very sadly passed away. His brother Pythagoras (My sisters Guinea Pig) Needed another Guinea Pig, because Guinea Pigs can die when they are by themselves. We found two baby Guinea Pigs who were 3 weeks old and perfect for Pythagoras.
What you need to get a Guinea Pig:
- A good sized cage, I have an outside one, an inside one and a run.
- A Guinea Pig or rabbit drink bottle or water bowl (I recommend water bottle because they can tip over water bowls easily)
- A food bowl (Try find a shallow one so they can eat easily)
- Guinea Pig pellets (I recommend ones from Animates, they all seem to love those ones the best.) about 1/8th of a cup is good.
- Time, I spend a lot of time morning and night cleaning the cage.
- Veggies, Here's a link for- Stuff Guinea Pigs shouldn't eat (If you get your Guinea Pig a new type of veggie, I would recommend searching up if they can eat it)
- Hay (80% of a Guinea Pigs diet is hay so you need lots of it)
- Places for them to play in, they always need something to hide in, I have a cardboard box, tunnels and other little spots for them to hide in
- Stuff to chew on, Guinea Pigs teeth never stop growing, I give them wood and cardboard.
Getting a Guinea Pig takes up a lot of time. I spend about 30 minutes in the afternoon and about 15-20 minutes in the morning cleaning their cage and putting them outside. If you don't have enough time for this, getting a Guinea Pig may be very hard. You also have to treat them with respect. Guinea Pigs are naturally prey, meaning they get very scared over loud noises and quick movements. When you first get a Guinea Pig it is completely normal for them to be scared of you. With Jaguar, I had known him for about 2 years, and he still hated being picked up, which is also normal. I hope you will now want to get your own little Piggie, or at least know what you would need for them.
How to look after baby Guinea Pigs:
Guinea Pig Alphas:
When my Guinea Pig Jaguar very sadly passed away, I had to get a new Guinea Pig for my sisters Guinea Pig Pythagoras, because you can't have a Guinea Pig alone. My mum saw two new baby Guinea Pigs on Trade Me, that were in or area. She contacted the lady to ask of you can have baby Guinea Pigs and an adult Guinea Pig together. You can, in fact introducing two new baby Guinea Pigs to an adult one is even better, because the older one is automatically the alpha. Guinea Pig leaders work in a pretty straight forward way. The one who I the alpha (Bigger, eats more food, may bully the others) Is the top dog, then there is the second in command, then the third, and so on and so on. The Alpha may bully the others, Pythagoras was always the alpha, he snaps at them, sometimes sits right on top of them, and whenever they are having food that he wants, he won't patiently wait for them like the others sometimes do, he would chase them away. This is all normal Guinea Pig behaviour, and nothing to worry about. You may also notice your Guinea Pig chattering their teeth, this is also normal, and a warning to the other piggie that this is there area. If your Guinea Pigs start fighting, cover one with a towel and separate them, but do not put your hands in the way or you will get badly scratched or bitten.
When my Guinea Pig Jaguar very sadly passed away, I had to get a new Guinea Pig for my sisters Guinea Pig Pythagoras, because you can't have a Guinea Pig alone. My mum saw two new baby Guinea Pigs on Trade Me, that were in or area. She contacted the lady to ask of you can have baby Guinea Pigs and an adult Guinea Pig together. You can, in fact introducing two new baby Guinea Pigs to an adult one is even better, because the older one is automatically the alpha. Guinea Pig leaders work in a pretty straight forward way. The one who I the alpha (Bigger, eats more food, may bully the others) Is the top dog, then there is the second in command, then the third, and so on and so on. The Alpha may bully the others, Pythagoras was always the alpha, he snaps at them, sometimes sits right on top of them, and whenever they are having food that he wants, he won't patiently wait for them like the others sometimes do, he would chase them away. This is all normal Guinea Pig behaviour, and nothing to worry about. You may also notice your Guinea Pig chattering their teeth, this is also normal, and a warning to the other piggie that this is there area. If your Guinea Pigs start fighting, cover one with a towel and separate them, but do not put your hands in the way or you will get badly scratched or bitten.
Getting baby Guinea Pigs settled:
Sometimes a baby Guinea Pig doesn't know how to eat or drink, and you need to help them. Here are my tips on how to get them settled in their new home.
Sometimes a baby Guinea Pig doesn't know how to eat or drink, and you need to help them. Here are my tips on how to get them settled in their new home.
- Make sure whatever cage you are using has bars that are small enough so no Guinea Pig can escape. When I first put my piggies in one of their runs, one escaped straight away. The bars were to small, and I also hadn't put anything for them to hide in yet, so they had nowhere to go. I checked my other run, and my outside cage and realised they could fit through those bars through. I think this is the most important thing to do first.
- Teach them to drink. I think this and teaching them to eat is equally important. My baby Guinea Pigs did not know how to drink from a water bottle, and I had to teach them. I did this by putting about 1 teaspoon of sugar in their water bottles, then nudging it to their lips. I then (gently) forced their mouth open and put the water bottle in it. It took a couple of days, but I did finally get them to drink, and now they drink every day!
- Make sure they can eat. One of my Guinea Pigs could basically eat, but the other one couldn't. I taught them to eat by putting carrot peel or parsley stalks into their mouths until they have to chew. I don't even remember teaching them to eat pellets, so they figured that out themselves.
- Teach them to go up ramps. My outside hutch has a ramp up to a second story. The baby Guinea Pigs didn't know how to go up at, so I would put one of them halfway up the ramp, then with my hand over them just in case, I would let them climb up. I also did that for going down. Soon they got the hang of it and started to run up and down.
Getting to know them
I got to know my piggies by holding them pretty often, and giving them food. They still don't let me hand feed them, but I think they will over time. It's all about trust, and sometimes it might take a while to get your Guinea pigs trust, but by being patient, and letting them trust you when they are ready, you can gain their trust.
Introducing Baby Guinea Pigs to adult ones:
Start by getting your small Guinea Pigs in a small cage, and put it a big cage with your adult Guinea Pig. Pythagoras started sniffing at the cage that Rooster and Goose (My baby Guinea Pigs) and trying to get to them. Apparently you should ease your Guinea Pigs over several weeks into knowing each other, but on the first 2-3 days, I put my Guinea Pigs together, and they seemed to love each other! I think if you piggies keep on fighting, you should definitely ease into it, but if yours -like mine- seem to be happy together, you should let them meet.
I hope you now know how to introduce and look after baby Guinea Pigs. I love my baby Guinea Pigs, because they are so energetic and run around like crazy!
I got to know my piggies by holding them pretty often, and giving them food. They still don't let me hand feed them, but I think they will over time. It's all about trust, and sometimes it might take a while to get your Guinea pigs trust, but by being patient, and letting them trust you when they are ready, you can gain their trust.
Introducing Baby Guinea Pigs to adult ones:
Start by getting your small Guinea Pigs in a small cage, and put it a big cage with your adult Guinea Pig. Pythagoras started sniffing at the cage that Rooster and Goose (My baby Guinea Pigs) and trying to get to them. Apparently you should ease your Guinea Pigs over several weeks into knowing each other, but on the first 2-3 days, I put my Guinea Pigs together, and they seemed to love each other! I think if you piggies keep on fighting, you should definitely ease into it, but if yours -like mine- seem to be happy together, you should let them meet.
I hope you now know how to introduce and look after baby Guinea Pigs. I love my baby Guinea Pigs, because they are so energetic and run around like crazy!
Graphic Novels that you need to read!
I have about thirty graphic novels, and even more comics! I love graphic novels because they tell an amazing story, in such an easy way! I find them easy to read and re-read them over and over again! Here are some of favourites that I recommend for 10-100 years of age.
- Aquanaut: Sophia meets a mysterious SOMETHING inside of a diving suit that changes her life forever… what lies are hiding beneath the surface of the sea? I loved this book because it was a fantasy, but also had a lot about love and loss.
- Ember and the Island Of Lost Creatures: Ember is a tiny little kid who only wants to it in, but trying to fit in is a lot harder for Ember. And sometimes your people are all the way across the sea… This is probably my favourite graphic novel at the moment. It is funny, has great characters and makes me wish I was Ember at his school!
- Treasure in the lake: Iris (Yes that is my name!) and her best friend Sam (I also have a friend called Sam… creepy!) go on adventures together, but one adventure is bigger then the others, one with mystery, danger and an underwater city... This was a great book and made me want to keep on reading!