Guinea Pigs, HELP!!!

[mookie]

I really need some advice, I bought some guinea pigs for my son in September and they have all died!!

My husband has kept guinea pigs before and knows how to look after them. They were kept outside and had a cover on the hutch so they didn't get cold. We had 3 males. Two died 4 weeks ago and the last one seemed fine but died last night
Ginger was fine yesterday but during the night some of his fur has fallen out and he died. Any idea what could have happened??

My son was heart broken when the other two guinea pigs died, he would be devastated if I told him about ginger, so I want to replace him without telling my son but I'm thinking of keeping the new one inside over winter, is this the right thing to do?

Any advice would be fantastic xx

 

[frankie247]

I've kept guinea pigs for years.

The first couple I had as a child died within a week. They were outside, we were told that because pet shops are usually so warm that going out to the cold especially in winter is too much of a change in temperature and if you want to keep them outside they should be aclimatised slowly by keeping them out in the day and taking them in over night.

After that we just decided to keep all our pigs inside. I think it's better to have them inside because you can interact easier and they don't smell like mice for example. We just bought an indoor cage and only take them out for a run and some exercise a few times a week. They do have a big cage so they can exercise indoors too.

Guinea pigs can handle the cold, but they are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature

I think fur falls out because if a fright or stress, could you have had a cat or fox try and get into the cage?

 

[mookie]

Thanks Frankie

There are cats around here but they tend not to come in our garden. We are definately getting some more, I was very keen on them at first but I completely fell in love with them.

I'm definately keeping them indoors now, I've seen an indoor cage I like the look of, think I'm going to get it thursday.

I'm going to buy them from a small independant pet shop this time that I know really look after their guinea pigs.

We had males last time, are males better than females?? We have the choice of some that are about 9 weeks or some that are 5 months, what do you think would be best as they are for my son (3years) and a very scared mummy (25 years)

Thanks again x

 

[frankie247]

Can you meet them and get an idea? Look for them being alert with clear eyes.

I think younger the better because theyll grow up with you if you know what I mean. We had some pigs right from birth as the mother was pregnant when we bought her and we didn't know this!

I find boys to have a bit more personality and perhaps slightly friendlier but I don't think there is a huge difference. As long as they are handled often and from early age they'll become really tame

Whenever I've had young visitors to the guinea pigs I tend to sit them down and then put the pig in a towel and on their lap so they can stroke them etc

 

[Bellarina]

iv had guinea pigs throughout my childhood and we always kept them in the house as it was warm for them.

the last 2 we had wer both males that we had wen they were babies. so friendly!

one thing gunea pigs can get that causes hair loss is mites (they are born with them but stress can trigger them to attck the guinea pig and make them poorly so we had to take ours to a specialist, you have to make sure they have a good diet and lots of greens)

hope this helps xx

 

[JJ Mum]

Oh no! We had three ginea pigs and two died , one in the first year, then the second at about 2 years , but we still have our one also called Ginger , at about 6 years now. We only feed them complete food, pellets so they have to eat a balance diet, you can get mixed food, but ginea pigs can be selective and end up not getting a good balanced diet if you know what I mean. Also look up about vitamin C, as we give ours a suppliment most of the time, amd lots of fresh veg. I do think our second pig died from cold change tho. We move our hutch against the house wall in the cold, months as it helps the hutch retain heat and not drop temp as much, and add old carpet on the top.

I would do the same replace the ginea pig and not tell your son as you already lost the other ones.
Good luck

 

[charliebear]

I love guinea pigs.

We had guinea pigs when I was younger and as the others said we kept them indoors. We never had a problem doing this, you can get some really big cages for them. We had a both boys and girls and I love both. I had a girl who lived for years at least 6 and she loved a good roam she was very independent, a boy who loved a snuggle and would bugger off any chance he could and 2 girls from the same litter who were so cute.

I'd go for the young ones, handle them after giving them a couple of days to settle and they'll be fine with regular handling.
Nothing to be scared of either They dont bite like rabbits, in fact some of mine used to lick me and they only ever tried to nibble. x

 

[mookie]

Thanks ladies!!

Well we now have a new cage and a new guinea pig! His name is alfie and he's about 6 months and my son fell in love with him. We decided to tell him Ginger had gone on a mission for G Force (guinea pig film, it's fantastic) as my son loves the film and he is just too little to understand what really happened.

We use the complete food because of the selective eating and have lots of greens & carrots ready for Alfie. I know it takes a little while for them to settle but he hasn't had any food or water yet, how long do I leave him before I should worry? Also I really need to hoover, what should I do??? It's not a noise he will ever have heard before and I don't want to give him a heart attack!!

 

[Momma`Kat]

Agreed on the vitamin C, guineapigs need a supplement, they cant make it themselves. But do NOT give it anything citrus! they also need hay to graze on all day.(timothy hay is best)

Good additional foods are

apples (no seeds! and great for vitamin c)
carrots
fresh grass
Parsley, Cilantro, Basil (sweet and purple) and Oregano (all fresh of course)
Romaine, red leaf or green leaf lettuce, or endive (chicory)
green peppers


as for hoovering, make sure the pig has a hidey house, and put a towel over the cage for the first couple times so he can get used to the noise while feeling safe and it will muffle it a bit

as far as eating, just leave him quiet to settle in, dont get him out for a day or so, and make sure his water is in a bottle, not a bowl