Guinea pigs

[pwacaviesrcool]

I feel like this is completely off topic as it is a rabbit forum but I wanted to post about my guinea pigs. I have raised them longer than the rabbits. They are a bit more of my passion than the rabbits. The rabbits are more my momes. I raise the guineas for show , pets and breeding animals. They to me are a lot easiser to keep as I don't have to have a sperate cage for each one. Well this really isn't the way I wanted to start this but.

My guinea pig fascinations all started when my mother started reading fluffy the guinea pig to my younger brother. A week later we found a piggie that looked exactly like fluffy and thats when the fascination started. Well more later when I guess I have my thinking cap on for writing right.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Quite a few of our members have gpigs, too, so you are in good company.

What varieties do you breed?

 

[akane]

We had guinea pigs pretty much my entire life. When I moved out to an apartment that only allowed small pets I set a room up for rescue and built some impressive cages taping coroplast together. I tried guinea pigs again in the condo but my husband doesn't like them and they kept breeding flies since I couldn't do fleece so they had to go. When I have a house I'm trying an outdoor colony.

 

[Demamma]

My son's have four goings. They love them but we set up a outdoor cage for them due to flat and mess. Youngest son always liked the pigs especially after reading "Olga De Polga". I love their fat little bellies. Gives the kids a good laugh when they bring me the pigs and I have to kiss their fat little bellies. Pigs just think I'm crazy. As a matter of fact kids think that too.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I raise them as well. definitely have different things to like about rabbits or guinea pigs over each other but I like them both.

very interested to hear more about yours. what breeds do you have?

 

[Demamma]

I have no clue. They are fun pets. I bought 2 at a rabbit show at the same time one with crazy hair and one smooth for my older boys. Youngest son loved them so we got one from the pound that is smooth coated then got another crazy hair one from another rabbit show. They are very fun to watch and I love their talking.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I have no clue. They are fun pets. I bought 2 at a rabbit show at the same time one with crazy hair and one smooth for my older boys. Youngest son loved them so we got one from the pound that is smooth coated then got another crazy hair one from another rabbit show. They are very fun to watch and I love their talking.

all smooth fur would be an American. crazy fur... you mean like bunches of cowlicks? that would be abbysian (aka abby).

 

[Demamma]

Yes cowlicks. I will get some pictures tomorrow. They are real cute. Our youngest one is sort of stunted in growth. It was sick but since then never grew much. Do you have pictures of yours? What do you feed them? They have handled the summer heat well living outside. Not sure yet how to winter them. I don't get snow here but some morning's it's icy. They are under the carport.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

sorry for the thread hijack! copy/pasted an update I did on my GP thread on another forum. from a week or so ago and done some tradin so some new and some gone since this.

large bred tri sow ended up havin trips. here is the morning I found her and babies pic:






the white/silver is a boar and the two tri-colors are sows, black/red/white and redagouti/red/white.

himi sow had trips. himi boar, himi sow, red/white boar. sadly the sow had aspirated some of the birthing fluid and died the next day but the other two were great. red/white boar is still here and the himi boar was sold with his mom.





the only survivor baby of "The Great Coon Massacre" was the cinnamon agouti sow. survived by hiding inside the cement block, was still squished back to the wall fearful when I gathered up the survivors and took care of the dead.


and her next to her mom, the silver sow.


the red/white boar from the sold himi's last litter here. probably going to breed him back to his aunt (my keeper himi sow) and then sell him.


the white/silver agouti boar from the large bred sows last litter. he is growing good and I am thinkin of keepin him back as secondary boar. breed him back to his mom and hopefully get some creams.


the black/red/white sow from large bred sows last litter


the red/red agouti/white sow from large bred sows last litter


silver sow and himi sow had each had a litter on 8/9/13. silver had twins and himi had trips. red is silvers babies and blue is himis babies in the pic.



current indoor setup, sow and baby pen and smaller growout boar pen. main boar is is a huge like 20gal "bucket" (its like a huge plastic pot really and don't worry, plenty of space for the lone boar while the sows get a break)

<br /><br />__________ Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:20 am __________<br /><br />and feeding is same as my rabbits. tons of hay and forage. one scoop wheat, one scoop rolled barley, two scoops rabbit pellets. and they have mineral wheel lick.

forage is mostly grasses, some clovers, lots of dandelions and plantains (broadleaf and long leaf), some apple tree trimmings, some willow trimmings...

 

[ladysown]

i want that tricolour sow....the one just born. I don't want much...but that one would fit in well with my herd.

 

[dangerbunny]

Oh gosh, this makes me want pinny gigs again, had them when I was a kid, great pets!

PS pwacaviesrcool- you can colony raise rabbits too....

 

[Demamma]

Baby pigs are so cute. I only have females. I don't want to end up with a lot and not find home for them. I think I might enlarge their cage. It is two feet wide and I think 4 feet long. Is that a ok size for 4 pigs? I built it using metal shelves. I have been giving them rabbit pellets and a variety of greens from yard. I also give them chewable vitamin c I crush on their food. Every other day. They also have a loft filled with hay and woodshavings on the floor.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Baby pigs are so cute. I only have females. I don't want to end up with a lot and not find home for them. I think I might enlarge their cage. It is two feet wide and I think 4 feet long. Is that a ok size for 4 pigs? I built it using metal shelves. I have been giving them rabbit pellets and a variety of greens from yard. I also give them chewable vitamin c I crush on their food. Every other day. They also have a loft filled with hay and woodshavings on the floor.

my grids for my pens are each 14" square. sow pen is 3x5 grids. so like 42"x70".... 3.5ft by not quite 6ft. and I have 11 sows in there right now doin just fine. just make sure they aren't arguing much or anything really. mine tend to sleep in their buddy groups and some sleep off to themselves.

for bedding i'm using the pine equine pelletized stuff with hay over it.