I want guinea pigs but I’m not sure how to make it work? ?

Save up your money, enough for a vet visit if needed, more if possible.  Get the pigs young and handle them as often as you can.

Our first pigs were a disaster as they chattered, squealed and screamed every time they heard us coming near with hopes of getting treats.  When the first pigs reproduced we kept their 4 babies and I gave them away to a kid (with parents permission) from church. No warned them that they were very noisy but tame, they didn’t care, their previous pigs chattered and cried often too.

We raised the babies without a problem, no chattering, very little friendly grunts, no screaming, we found they loved to swim, get brushed, gentle blow dried and ride around in our pockets.  We also made harnesses and collars for them so we could take them to the garden grass grown for our rodents and bunnies. (About 30 years before the jackets came out) with enough treats and months of training they learned to come to a clicker.

When they were old enough we borrowed a friends male and gave them our single boy.  We have been raising pigs since then.  I’ve had only 4 vet calls with the pigs in all the years we have had them (1965)  the first taught us about something called popcorning. The piglet popped from the cage and 3 feet plus to the hard floor, broke her legs and hip. We had her pinned and spayed at the vets and she lived a good long life.

We learned the downfalls of cedar shavings and most wood shavings, ended up with sick piggies, learned about their bottoms staying wet and major fungal infections.  Since then their toilet corner usually gets scooped twice a day with new litter added.  They seldom used their food and water area for a toilet nor their nesting area.  Occasional accidents but never major like the one corner always gets.

We found the importance of reading all the materials we could get, talking with a breeder / mentor to keep our pets happy and healthy, learned to cut and file nails and give them enough to chew so their teeth never overgrew.

If you know piggie husbandry and cares you hopefully won’t need a vet, keeping them clean, fresh good food including pellets and Vitamens in the water if necessary.  Most pet centers that sell rodents are quite knowledgable on their care.  Stay away with you might need ifand cross that bridge when the time comes.

Very Important to clean your hands both before and after handling them as they are extremely reactive to chemicals, especially paint smells and solvents.  If you have a painted room 10 feet away from their room they can die from the fume smells.  Our neighbor painted their bathroom with acrylic paint, the den where the pigs lived was across the hall.  The doors were kept closed but the 5 pigs all perished during the night from the fumes.   Why do you think people joke around when you have a shot or are due for surgery calling you a ‘guinea pig’.  They are joking around something might go wrong.

Also always wash fruits and vegetables before they are given because of chemical contamination.  What’s safe for you and me will kill them.   They can have iceberg lettuce but minimal amounts as it causes diarrhea.

Good luck, save up, get them a good habitat and all the supplies you will need then get your piggies.

Guinea pigs are for kids. They're cute but make boring pets.