Where I live (Argentina- South America) we have a LOT of wild guinea pigs, just like the pic you showed in black and white. I live in a very urban area, but if I walk only a block, there’s a part of land that has never been altered and is the home to a bunch of them (plus some wild rabbits and a lot of other critters). I love going there because I keep domestic guinea pigs myself, and observing the wild ones is very interesting; they look very similar, but are much smaller and their coats camouflage perfectly with the environment. If they see you they’ll run soo fast... nothing like our domestic ones haha. They are super cute! They are called Cuy here as you said, but don’t worry, here they aren’t used for meat and have never been -luckily-
Adopted two old piggy Ladies (They’re around 4 years) around september this year. I did not plan on getting guinea pigs, But after i stumbled upon their ad, and did alot of research, I decided I could care and love them for the rest of their lives. they only had a tiny cage and ZERO hiding area, so I built a custom cage, now they have a ton of space to roam and poop. They both were in kinda bad shape when I got them too, their nails were long, Ale (a long haired piggy) had matts and urine stuck in her fur. I adore my girls and would 10/10 rescue piggies again
KM S The thing is, that’s not even that old, more like middle-aged. It’s only that many guinea pigs die around the age of five because that’s when their immune systems get weaker and inherited diseases flourish and the owners usually don’t care because it’s cheaper to get a new pig than to keep the old one alive. Our oldest piggy died at approximately age 7, although she might have been a little older because we didn’t know her exact age when we took her in after all her friends froze to death in a barn and my aunt rescued a piggy who lived at her place for six years and was at least 2 years old when she got her. There’s also a German RU-vidr named Chan who owned a guinea pig named Tiramisu who was 10 whopping years old and accompanied him ever since he started his RU-vid career until she passed away a few years ago. What I‘m trying to say is, take good care of them, they might want to live for another four years.
I know they can live up to 10 years, But honestly doubt mine will because of their start at life, BUT if they do I’ll be really happy. I do everything i can to make them as happy and comfy as possible
That is so Wonderful. You are a special person. I wish so much that people would adopt animals instead of buying them at pet shops and from breeders. They ALL need homes, but abandoned ones and others that are given up for various reasons really need that Love & Care that they most likely never really had. Unless of course their previous owner got sick or passed away. They are little hidden treasures and unlocking the Love inside them can be the most rewarding thing in the world to experience. I take my hat off to You for giving the gift of 2nd chances, Love & Compassion. Cheers my Friend and Thank You for Rescuing a New Family Member. Much Love. ♥️
Thats was one of the best high level “what you need to know videos” I’ve seen for GP. Well done and hope a lot of people who are thinking see this video. Very well done
I've been rescuing animals of ALL kinds for 54 years and of all the RU-vid channels about pets and their care, I find yours to be the most thorough and thoughtful. Keep up the great work. It is NOT as easy as everyone thinks. Much Love. God Bless. 👍 😁
When I was a kid, we got 2 "female" Guinea pigs. Within a very short time we had 13 Guinea pigs. My siblings and I were thrilled, my parents not so much. They really are adorable pets. Thanks for sharing all this great information about them!!
LightOwl Im going through a similar situation now haha. My male guinea bandit was gaining weight and i thought i was overfeeding him so i monitored how much i was giving him. I went in a 20 day holiday and when i came home he had tripled in size in the hips. The babies are due any day :,))
i had a piggy his name was fluffy i got him when i was 6 i remember i was not rough with him we grew a bond like i was a guinea pig i got him as a baby and he lived up to 8 years he was having seizures on his last day with me he looked up at me smiled and gave me what i call a love nibble a love nibble is when he nibbles me and u can feel liking and and gave a last happy Week and closed his eyes he died like a champ and will forever live in my hart i know he is having a good time at rainbow bridge RIP fluffy u will be missed :] week on buddy!
I watched countless Guinea Pig videos because I'm trying to learn all I need to before I get a couple but no videos have ever been this helpful! You were to-the-point and didn't go on about too many details. Also, I'd never thought of naming a pet "Toast" but I'll probably end up naming one of my future piggies that 😊. Thank you so much!
One family I knew accomplished the needed square footage by using a 3 by 5 foot table that they attached fencing around. The guinea pigs lived on top of the table with all their toys, food and bedding and the boxes of supplies were kept under the table. Since guinea pigs can't climb, there was no risk of them getting over the fencing and falling out.
eustacia03 my guinea pig would have climbed out. She had amazing upper body strength and would have climbed out of her play pen with her front legs alone
eustacia03 She was a sweetie, but she had a bit of an attitude. If she felt that her play pen was too small for her (even if supplemented with toys), she would escape by standing up and putting her front legs on the top of the cage and hoisting herself up to the top and then jump off. I had to get a dog sized playpen for her so she couldn't climb out.
💡im gonna call my guinea pig whiskers. Not that I have one yet. But that will be it's name 🤗. Edit: I watch so many g.pig vids 🤭. I've had a whiskers for 8 mths now. & An Axl for about 7/6 mths
Also, find an area vet who treats small exotic animals BEFORE your piggy needs one, because not all vets are knowledgeable about them! Fortunately, there's a great vet practice not too far from me. Guinea pigs are the sweetest little pets- I've had several, and they're personable and friendly.
+1 +1 +1 for many animals, exotic vets are hard to find, but you do NOT wanna be facing the prospect of doing it yourself OR the animal suffering for longer than is necessary.
Honestly I see so many animal places that do public presentations but keep their animals in such bad living conditions I’m so glad to see a place that treats their animals like equals. Keep up the good work
This is such a great video with such great tips. Finally someone who knows what they're talking about!! 15 square feet is a great size for 2, I totally agree. You have accurate information and it's so great seeing your guinea pigs as well!
I used to have a guinea Pig, he was Abyssinian (only half since his mom was a Silkie) and his name was Sota (named after an anime character's younger sibling) He was actually a surprise; my cousin owned his mother Cookie who she had gotten for her birthday before we went on our annual huge family beach trip, when we got back my Aunt went upstairs to turn on my cousin's air conditioner and noticed a lump of fluff in the corner of Cookie's enclosure she poked it and it began squeaking, it was a baby! We had no idea Cookie was pregnant and my cousin intended on keeping the baby, until she realized that the baby was a male (he attempted to breed with his own mother before maturity eek!) She didn't want to pay for him to be fixed so I offered to take him instead. Sota was a big, hefty boy by the time he was five months old I couldn't fit his giant behind through his cage door and he'd get stuck(he ended up weighting 3.2 pounds by his second birthday; August 26), so for a month I kept the top off of his cage. Eventually I had to get him a bigger cage since his huge butt prevented him from exiting his cage on his own (and the whole thing was too small to begin with) a friend of mine had a rabbit enclosure that she was no longer able to use (her sister's rabbit at the time was an escape artist named Houdini, seriously) so I asked if I could use it for Sota. The enclosure was four feet long and 2.5 feet wide (so 10 square feet) which was probably still too small but I had him out after school from 3-9pm and in and out on most weekend days. We later learned that Guinea pigs are social creatures, but my mom wouldn't let me get another because she couldn't stand the squeaking of one guinea pig let alone two, then my neighbors (we lived in a connected house) got guinea pigs (A Teddy; Theodore and an American; Ashy) so we often had them socialize together and they were roommates when I was away. We did have to monitor their behavior and keep them separated at night since Sota was a male and Theodore and Ashy turned out to both be females (oops! we often called Theodore "Theodora"). We fed Sota mostly fresh veggies because we grew a lot of food ourselves and we'd give him extra or like dinky underground carrots that didn't grow right (he also got pellets and hay but he really liked fresh veggies) We gave hime the leaves that grow on broccoli, green beans, cherry tree leaves (he ate them in the spring and we saved some in the fall as bedding) Sota wasn't much of a fruit guy but he liked apple skins. He lived 9 years with no health complications, ever. He died two years ago on Christmas Eve, and I bawled like a baby and buried him in my half frozen yard behind our vegetable garden.
I had a horrible allergic reaction to the adorable guinnea pigs that I brought home. Needed to rehome them quickly and found them a nice new family. Definitely check for adoption before you buy.
I’m an old boomer, and have wondered for years about these little guys and their habitats but never bothered to do any research on them. You’ve saved me the trouble, so many thanks. Dave, Australia
A nice video, and I agree with most things, though some points I disagree. 1. A herd with all females doesn't have the easiest harmony. Females can be touchy to each other. The easiest herd harmony is one neutered male with one or more females. The male makes it more harmonious between females in the group. 2. Pellets are not necessary. 3. 10-20 mg vitamin c per full-grown guinea pig is recommended, not 50mg. 4. Vitamin c tablets are unnecessary and generally useless. For example bell peppers have lots of vitamin c, you only need 7g (!) red bell peppers to provide 10mg vitamin c. So if you know which vegetables have more vitamin c and provide some of them everyday, the guinea pigs easily get more than enough vitamin c. Vitamin c in natural food also has better bioavailability than synthetical vitamin c, so the vitamin c tablets will mostly just get peed out, and too much of it can acidify the pee (vitamin c = ascorbic acid) and irritate urinary passage. I only give my guinea pigs extra vitamin c via tablet when they are sick.
Great additional information! Herds will vary on their interactions with each other depending on individual personalities, so some all female herds will do just fine without a male. Though I also like having a neutered male among them. I'd still recommend the additional vitamin C. I've seen too many Guinea pigs at the vet diagnosed with scurvy (severly deficient in vitamin C) to not give the recommendation. There are also those that are ready to take on experienced diet preparation responsibilities and offering vitamin C rich produce is absolutely an option. Please remember that not all produce is equal in quality and if you're feeding a herd it's very easy for a couple to hog all the peppers and other necessary veggies while others don't get enough. This is why I will continue to recommend 50mg vitamin C per guinea pig, and why I suggest it's sprinkled over their entire diet or handed directly to them. Over supplementing with vitamin C is difficult because it takes over 1,000mg a day to be dangerous. It's better to give them 50mg synthetic than not enough and cause a life threatening and life-long condition. Thanks for your concern!
Lol, I researched for a year about guinea pigs before adopting one , still have all those facts in a notebook that I carry everywhere just in case when I’m grocery shopping I forget which veg is not aloud.... if you can’t already tell I care about my fur baby A LOT (I only have one piggie because she’d been alone many years before I adopted her, I know you’re meant to have pairs)
I live in Peru, I can tell you that it is rare that someone raises them as pets, culturally they have always been seen as livestock, because it is easy to take care of them in a house to have an extra income, since you can feed a small herd with leftover vegetables, fruid peels, and some cheap fodder. Their use as pets is probably something that came from Europe or North America.
i have two lil baby boys. i just ordered them a new cage! i had the 4x2 midwest but they deserve more space so i got a 6x2 cage with a loft. i’m so excited
Thank you for this comprehensive and well researched guide! I'd like to add that - in my experience - a herd with 4-9 guinea pigs is the most interesting to watch. I feel that their social behavior is more complex with more companions :). However, only get as many as you can care for (financially and otherwise), but at least two, like Jessie said :)
I absolutely love Guinea pigs, I've got 2 boys and they have a whole shed to themselves and only in at night. I've always had Guinea pigs and always will.
the smaller open cage idea is exactly what i did. i have a 2x5 cage that they stay in for the most part but its always open for them to roam free around my kitchen even throughout the night. ive got spaces i dont want them getting to blocked off as well as fleece blankets put down under shelves or corners where they like to hide and possibly poop for easy quick clean up. they roam free and hangout around wherever but ultimately love their cage area. i love it because i walk into my kitchen and its almost like having dogs or cats that come running to you anytime you open the fridge. anytime i go in there and ruffle a bag or open the fridge they all come out running.
I have two Guinea pigs, they are very hard work. On the plus side, one of them really loves to be held and cuddled, its very sweet. I will take care of them for the rest of their lives no matter how much work they are lol.
I really love how you teach about the history of the guinea pig! I totally agree, if you're not even interested in learning where your animal came from it's probobly better to stick to youtube videos. Videos like this make me thing maybe I should try to do more with animals, I absolutely love them. My little guinea pig is so happy and he's like my little friend. Also - love your hair! I'm a 30 year old guy but we have the exact same color hair (mine's a bit longer.) I feel like we should have a club - somewhere. Thanks!
Thank you so much for putting up a care video with all correct information! I've seen quite a few giving bad or just plain wrong advice about diets, housing, etc., but you hit it out of the park! The only thing I could add is about nail clipping - you should get a specific nail clipper for small animals, a regular nail clipper is made for flat nails (ie: human) Piggies nails are round and using a standard nail clipper will crush them while it cuts and can make them split, causing an injury. I found this out the hard way early on. Also, having them in a room in your house where you spend a lot of time, like a living room, tends to make them more at ease around people and more social. When they spend all day in a empty, quiet room, they are always much more skittish about interacting with their owners, at least in my experience. Just make sure there are no drafts-they could easily get sick that way. If the TV was on, ours would sit at that side of their cage and watch intently! They are awesome little animals!
I know people say you shouldn't have a single cavy, but I have a single intact boar and he's extremely happy. He pops and zooms everyday and loves our family. Not all piggies are the same. Mine loves being alone.
Queen Elizabeth the 1st was a big fan of Guinea Pigs. The Prince and Princess of Wales have them too, although William is the one who cleans out their cage! 😂 I have had piggies all my life, I have 3 at present, (I'm 62 this Year!) I absolutely adore my girls and they're spoiled rotten. They have taken quite a large area in my living room 🤣. I wouldn't be without these wonderful little animals 😍 You have a new sub 🙂👍
when I got one, despite reading a lot about how to keep him healthy, I didn't know about getting them in pairs and since he's a lovely boar he's remained an only child. He's 4 and I'm happy to say he's still as happy as always. If you can get them in pairs but if you like me didn't know and yours doesn't take well to other piggies please don't think the worst, just remember to give your piggy the most of attention and whilst you and your family will never replace guinea pig contact I can assure you they'll feel like part of the family. My baby has been such a blessing and he's the sweetest boy with a very strong personality and a bit of a feisty side.
Oh gosh I love this, 2 of my guinea pigs recently died. Toast looks just like one of them that died that I named butters, he was very young and I have no idea how he died. But people need to understand these animals more, the other that died I had for many years but originally rescued from a lady online, her long hair was matted and she was very anxious when we first got them. I miss them both so much.
I love my guinea pig, my other one passed away about a year or two ago and we never got another one. She’s a chonker for sure but god I love the little baby piggies🥺
They are so sweet but very skittish by nature, I work in a lil pet store and it’s so fun to see all the different personalities of animals. Guinea pigs are super skittish, even when tame it takes a TON of bonding to get them to the point where you can pick them up on command and even so a lot of times they still run. Hamsters are super easy care wise but like to keep to themselves, super fun though. Rabbits are also skittish but like to be pet. Ferrets are just like puppies and LOVE to play and pounce! And hedgehogs are well, hedgehogs aha. Guinea pigs are an amazing small animals and one of the best pets for kids, used to be my #1 recommendation before I started this job. Now I realize they’re VERY messy and super skittish by nature, not necessarily for kids who want to always pick up and cuddle their pet. Now my first recommendation is....... RATS!!!! Rats are the perfect small pet especially for children. SUPER social and will constantly come up to you and the cages. They’re super clean and keep themselves clean and don’t have much of an odor bathroom wise. It’s crazy, even the feeder rats we get in who have not once been handled, you’d expect to be extremely skittish but you stick your hand in and they all, even the albinos, come jump up and want to be held, one even started licking my hand, it flipping broke my heart when I had to sell them as feeder rats :((.
Rabbit pellets and pine shavings are a staple for our guinea pigs. It may have to do with how they are used. Pine shavings are underlayment in bedding for us, topped with rice straw and orchard grass. Rabbit pellets have the same formulation to those marketed for pigs, but absent vitamin C which is more reliable in fresh food for poor shelf life. This video is valuable in showing best practices, but guinea pigs are more durable and adaptable than some may get the impression.
i rlly do love guinea pigs. like. theyre so happy and i love holding mine i love when they wheek im actually sobibng and im a minute into the video hah. luv guine pigs
I used to think guinea pigs were so weird looking and I always wondered why anybody wanted them as pets. Any of them I ever met were alone in a small cage and not very friendly (probably because of that). The more I see videos of them being kept properly, the more I've started to like them! Maybe one day I'll get my own little herd. They seem like sweet little creatures. Just need to figure out how to have cats AND guinea pigs. Do guinea pigs get stressed out even seeing cats around? Aside from the cats hurting them, that would be a big concern for me when trying to figure out the living situation.
Heather P I have a cover on my cage. Look up c&c for an economic cage. The coroplast can be bought at a printing company at an affordable rate. Or Midwest on Amazon. Covers are available, you can join them together to expand living space etc.
My manpig will walk right up to any of my cats and talk to them. two of my cats are disturbed by this and back up/jump onto the furniture to get away. I think the most food-oriented of my cats sees the pig as a potential feast and will bat at him (sans claws). The pig rumbles and puffs up and moves towards the cat, so no chase ever occurs, and all interactions are supervised. That all to say, Individual animal personalities are a big factor here, and there's no way to know for sure until you have them all in your home. Always be prepared for it not to work out between them. Good luck!
Wonderful video with acurate info , but Neutering actually doesnt curb territorial behavior in males which makes it an unessary surgery in all-male herds. As long as all the proper introductions and steps are taken to associate them with eachother they should be fine, and if not, neutering won’t change their temperaments.
Guinea pigs are even eaten for food in the U.S.A. One thing that is important is to NEVER keep a guinea pig with a rabbit in the same enclosure because rabbits can kick them.
Lol I was in a pet store getting hay and I stopped to look at the female guinea pigs because they are always beautiful longhairs and an employee asked if we wanted to hold one. My dad quickly said "No thanks, we already have 3!!" and the lady casually replied "I have 7."
I never owned a Guinea pig,they are cute but one's in most well known pet stores are not used to people and to me freak out to much to even hold. If i ever found one that was raise and handled i would get one. I had a hamster once, was told the hamster was a male, i picked the hamster from the male hamster cage. It was female not male, so Mr. Bear was changed to Ms. Bear. She had babies 3 days after i got her. In the end the place i baught her from was breeding there own hamsters, i picked her because she was scratching like nuts trying to get out of the cage whilt the rest of the males were sleeping. But at the time i had no idea she was a female. Poor girl was afraid of everything, took me almost 5 months for her to get used to me. I would read softly to hear, slowly hand feed treats. It was worth it in the end. But to me thats what all guinea pigs at well known pet stores have.
I looked up and found this video . I didn't think I'd find something so exactly specific to my needs I was thinking the same thing I do make their home as much as it would be in the wild
