Guinea Pigs - good apartment pets?

Basq

Have been absolutely "hounded" (pun intended - hyuk hyuk hyuk!) by my girlfriend to get a dog for the last couple of months we've been living together. I told her it's not fair to get a dog in an apartment - especially when it's on the third floor looking out on a river. So i fobbed off the idea and told her we'd think of something else - now the only thing we can settle on is a guinea pig.

They suit me as they're small, don't chew up furniture and (apparently) don't smell too bad. They suit the girlfriend as they're just the right size - hamsters are too small and remind her too much of rats (no offence, hamster owners).

So basically what i'm asking is for anyone who does own guinea pigs to fill me in on whether they're good pets for apartments. So basically do they smell bad (bearing in mind i don't mean their cage but the animals themselves. I will clean the cage as often as required)? Will they thrive in an indoor environment and not get depressed?

Many thanks in advance.

Bainne2

Guinea-pigs make great apartment pets. They don't need an outdoor run the kitchen floor will do just fine I would recommend that you google guinea-pig care to get more information (look for the websites that don't recommend rabbits and guinea-pigs together as these are normally the more modern ones with the better views on how piggies should be kept.)

Guineapigs themselves aren't particullary smelly, at least not much more than you would expect them to be. Its the bedding which would cause the smells. They thrive on socail interaction so living indoors around the family is wonderfull for them though I should warn that tey will quickly learn where veggies are kept and demand some any time you open the fridge....wheek wheek wheek Because they are social animals keeping them in at least twos is best, in fact having only one is never recommended. A minimum of 4ft by 2ft is required for two pigs which means you will probally need the biggest RABBIT cage you can find because the branded guinea-pig ones are simply too small. www.zooplus.ie have a great range of cages at really good prices (compared to local petshops) and if you spend over €40 you get free delivery:)

If you need anymore questions answered just ask?

doctor evil

Personally any animal that is happy to live outside don`t make the "perfect" apartment pets. Be careful with cables as they will give it a taste, the same with books in my experience.

Don`t know what floor space you have but you could use some plans of wood to make your own run.

Guinepigs will relieve them selves where ever, so check with the landlord or lady first.

Hypnotoad

What about a chinchilla?They seem pretty cool

Amimad

I used to keep mine in the utility room. They seemed to get on much better than out in the cold, I also had a shopping basket which I'd turn upside down on the grass for them from time to time(supervised of course). They love to eat grass, so I'd say pick some for them if you have no way of putting them out on it safetly.

My sister keeps them in her sun room, she says their favorite food is parsely(guinea pig craic:D).

They do make lovely pets, but do releive themselves whenever & wherever they need to.

Basq

Completely forgot about this thread.

Thanks for the information all - all very useful information.

Bainne2 wrote:

Because they are social animals keeping them in at least twos is best, in fact having only one is never recommended. A minimum of 4ft by 2ft is required for two pigs which means you will probally need the biggest RABBIT cage you can find because the branded guinea-pig ones are simply too small. www.zooplus.ie have a great range of cages at really good prices (compared to local petshops) and if you spend over €40 you get free delivery

Keeping at least 2?! One would be effort.. never mind 2!

It does make sense though and thanks for the link.

doctor_evil wrote:

Personally any animal that is happy to live outside don`t make the "perfect" apartment pets. Be careful with cables as they will give it a taste, the same with books in my experience.

Don`t know what floor space you have but you could use some plans of wood to make your own run.

Guinepigs will relieve them selves where ever, so check with the landlord or lady first.

It's staying away from the corner that has my subwoofer, speaker system, XBOX, TV, external hard drives and DVD Player so! :eek:

The little wooden run is a nice idea alright.. not too great with construction but could probably "hammer" something together myself.

Brother is my landlord and owns the flat so don't think he'd be too fond of having pets but will think about it further.

Hypnotoad wrote:

What about a chinchilla?They seem pretty cool

Chincilla's ears freak the hell outta me! :eek:

Amimad wrote:

My sister keeps them in her sun room, she says their favorite food is parsely(guinea pig craic).

Heh.. just hearing "guinea pig craic" makes me picture a guinea pig sitting in AA saying "I haven't had a fix in 3 days.. i've tried basil and thyme but it's just not the same!"

doctor evil

When ever I had mine inside for a cuddle or what not they were not one bit happy being near the computer or telly to a lesser extent, I don`t know why may be because of some weird electro waves or whatever. They were happier when it was off!.


Don`t forget to give them Dandelion Leaves!, they`ll go mad for it.