Guinea Pigs: Safety in Numbers

Some of the questions many people ask when buying/adopting guinea pigs are "How many guinea pigs should I buy?" "Will my guinea pig be happy alone?" and "Does my guinea pig need a friend?" because many people often don't realise the importance of keeping guinea pigs in pairs or groups.

Guinea pigs are herd animals. They are very sociable creatures and love the company of other guinea pigs. They can also love the company of humans once they are tame but this can depend on the individual animal. There are rare cases of guinea pigs that prefer their own company and don't get on well with other piggies but this is often not the case.

I kept my first guinea pig (Peppa) on her own for about a month while looking for the right companion for her. She got lots of love and attention every day and seemed happy enough. When I finally found the right guinea pig to accompany her, my second piggy (Mo) I was nervous about introducing them. I was worried that introducing her to another guinea pig may affect the bond I had with her. I have heard of other people having this concern when introducing a new guinea pig to their existing animals' home.
I realised very quickly that Peppa loved the company of the new guinea pig. Once they got past the introduction, they hit it off very quickly and built a strong bond. The introduction of the new piggy did not affect my bond with Peppa at all and I built a bond with Mo just as easily as I had with Peppa.

Peppa (left) and Teddy (right)

My third guinea pig, Teddy, was an unexpected addition to the group. I worried that she would be rejected by the already bonded pair and that it could potentially change the dynamic in the cage. However, I made sure to properly introduce the third, just as I had with my second, and they have become a close-knit group of piggies.

After introducing a second, and then a third guinea pig to my group, I saw a change in the behaviour of my first piggie. She seemed much happier than she had been on her own and became a lot more confident.

It's actually suggested that keeping guinea pigs in groups raises their confidence and therefore means they bond with their owners more easily than if they had been kept alone. This is because guinea pigs, being herd animals naturally, feel safety in numbers. Guinea pigs, when kept alone, can become very lonely and stressed, causing all kinds of problems for them.
You also have an opportunity to see behaviours in groups of guinea pigs that you wouldn't normally get to see when keeping them individually. Guinea pigs are always interacting with each other, communicating and playing games like "follow the leader."
Obviously it is advised that you keep guinea pigs in same sex groups to avoid unwanted breeding.
You should also make sure you have enough room for each guinea pig so that they have their own space.

In my opinion, it is incredibly important and beneficial to the life of the guinea pig that they don't live alone.

Skinny Pigs: A Beginner's Guide

What Are Skinny Pigs?

Skinny Pigs are a breed of guinea pig that are almost completely hairless, most have hair on their nose/face and their feet/legs but some have a very thin layer of hair on their back. Despite being hairless, they're pretty much the same as normal guinea pigs apart from a few minor things.

Temperature

Firstly, skinnys generally eat more than haired guinea pigs in order to maintain their body temperature. To the touch, skinny pigs feel very warm because of the lack of fur to insulate them.

Peppa sitting on her 'Snuggle safe' heat pad

Skinny pigs must be housed inside! If kept outside they can die of the cold in a matter of hours.
As a general rule for skinnys living inside, if you're wearing a t-shirt and its too cold for you, it's too cold for them and they will need a blanket or some kind of pet-safe heat pad to keep them warm.

Skincare

Skinnys do need to be bathed as they get dirty just like any other guinea pig breed, however, over bathing them can dry out their skin and cause it to crack. Bathing skinny pigs is easy, you need warm water and a guinea pig shampoo is optional, I use a non-irritant small animal shampoo in shallow warm water and clean my skinny using cotton wool pads to avoid splashing water over her face and ears.
 It's a very good idea to keep your skinny moisturised and many owners choose to use coconut oil to do this. Some people use baby lotion but this can be dangerous as guinea pigs groom themselves and the chemicals used in baby lotion may be potentially damaging to them if consumed. Personally, I find a small amount of olive oil, applied once a week, works really well in keeping my skinny's skin looking healthy and well moisturised.
Along with bathing, you will need to check their skin daily for any signs of injury or irritation as they have no fur to protect themselves and everyday injuries can occur easily, such as being scratched by their feeding hay etc. It's also important that if you're using sawdust as a bedding for your skinny, you make sure it is dust extracted because if not, it can irritate their skin.


Skinny Pig bath time

Social life


Skinnys, like most guinea pigs, can be very loving creatures and they're easily tamed with everyday handling and treats. Like any other guinea pig, they are incredibly social animals and love the company of other piggies, aswell as humans. They are good family pets but I wouldn't recommend them for small children due to the extra care they require.

Breeding
Breeding skinny pigs is not recommended for breeding novices. Breeding guinea pigs is fairly high-risk and unless you have experience, breeding skinnys is probably not a good idea.
Skinnys come in many different colours, just like haired guinea pigs!!

Lastly, it's important to note that not all hairless guinea pigs are "skinny pigs". The 2 breeds of hairless guinea pig are the Skinny Pig and the Baldwin guinea pig.  Baldwin guinea pigs are completely hairless but are born with hair which will fall out not long after birth, whereas skinnys may gain a small amount of hair around their face as they develop.

Ferplast Cage Review

I recently bought the Ferplast Rabbit 140 cage for my guinea pigs. This cage is designed for rabbits but is perfect for large guinea pigs or groups of guinea pigs. It measures 140 x 71 x h 51 cm and there is the option to buy a stand for it. I'm currently keeping 3 small piggies in the cage and will be welcoming a fourth very soon. There is more than enough room for all of them to run around freely.

The cage comes folded down in a box and is very easy to assemble, it took about 15-20 minutes to fully assemble.
It comes with 2 little houses, 2 food bowls, 2 water bottles, 2 plastic hay feeders and a plastic ladder for the guinea pigs/rabbits to walk in and out of the cage if you allow them to wander the room freely.

The little houses are perfect for my guinea pigs but may be too small for rabbits or larger guinea pigs, however they can be replaced with other beds if you prefer.

 

The food bowls are a good size for the amount of food I feed my guinea pigs and the way they fit on top of the little houses means they don't tip over when the piggies are eating.

The water bottles and their holders fit perfectly on the cage, as do the plastic hay feeders, although I only use 1 of them. I don't use the ladder as I keep my cage on a stand.

The one downside to this cage is that the door isn't joined to it very securely and detaches if not opened carefully but this can be easily fixed.

The cage is also easier to clean than I had expected, although it may take a while because it is pretty big, it's relatively easy due to the fully opening door.

As I don't keep rabbits I couldn't give advice on keeping rabbits in this cage but I would highly recommend it for guinea pigs and I think it is a brilliant cage for them.