Two's Company!

As far as guinea pigs go, most people usually know that they are better off in pairs or groups as they are sociable animals who thrive with company of their own kind. Indeed so much so that in Switzerland, it is actually against the law to keep a guinea pig by itself!

Here in rescue we have a variety of set ups but the most common is pairs. For boars especially, two is company, three is often a crowd (or a fight!). Yes, some people succeed in keeping boars in trios or herds but this is the exception to the rule, and we see enough piggies coming into rescue due to fights. to know that in pet homes, well-being owners often have two happy boars and think they'll add a third, more often that not ending up with 3 singles (and calling on us to take some). The key to happy boars is space, space and more space, and to surviving the adolescent phase. If sows are kept nearby, you must be especially careful not to handle boars if you have been handling sows, or mix bowls / hideys and so on, as if boars are on the cusp of fighting this is all it takes to spark them off! I'll do a separate article on boar bonding as it's a big issue.

For sows, it depends on their characters but they are usually happy in pairs or trios (being careful that one isn't left out). Introducing a new sow is not always straightforward if you have an existing bonded pair, they don't always appreciate newcomers and in my experience proper sow fights are more bloody than boar ones!

The main theme here is, if you have a happy pair, don't mess with it! Tempting as it is to add more, it's not always in the pigs' best interests.

So what about herds? How do they work? We have 3 herds here at the rescue for our own pigs and long term residents. We do not add rescue piggies into these herds due to disease risk, but rescue mums and babies well past their quarantine period have been happily added to the herd over winter.

Our main herd has the whole of the shed floor in an L-shape, and the bottom level of two hutch blocks as sleeping / hay areas., along with lots of hideys and tunnels. The piggies can come and go as they please. We have one neutered boar in there (generally the rule is one neutered boar per herd, as neutering does not change a boar's behaviour and they will still fight another boar in their territory). Our maximum here is 15-20, for reasons I will come to. The is seldom any bickering as they have lots of space and lots of food and hay that they don't need to fight over as it's plentiful.

Herd 2 is a mini herd consisting of a neutered boar and our original sows, who do not mix well with others but are happy together. There are 6 in this herd in a large table top pen. They co-exist well but tend to get hand-baggy when in season, luckily Norbert the boar is a good 'un and soon puts a stop to their nonsense!

Herd 3 is my daughter's group who live in a converted Wendy house (with attached run in the summer) consisting of a neutered boar and 9 ladies. They are a very contented group, and we do not add to these pigs as this is the maximum that are comfortable in that space.

We love our herds, I could sit and watch them womble about all day (and often do!). It's like watching a daily soap opera with their antics, and I feel it's a very natural way for them to live. They have a huge area and can choose who to associate with an who to avoid so there is no fighting. However, I don't want people rushing to make herds of their own without a lot of forethought. Even at 20 max, our shed herd is hard, hard work. Cleaning out at floor level is back-breaking, and you need somewhere to enclose them while you are doing it to prevent anybody getting squashed. It's also really really important that you have enough time to count the pigs every single day and check they are behaving normally. It's very easy to miss seeing signs of illness unless you routinely make sure you have seen every single pig. General maintenance like weigh ins and nails also take up a good deal of time, so you have to be very organised. Also, like it or not, herds are themselves a disease risk. It only takes one poorly piggy and it can spread through the lot, which is heartbreaking for all concerned. It's important if you have a herd that you still have other space to accommodate them if you need to! People often don't realise this until too late.

Each piggy has their own personality so where possible should be allowed to choose their own friends. A lot of reputable rescues offer a bonding service, ensuring the best possible match for your pig(s). We do not rehome piggies to live alone, there is always a match out there somewhere, and in the meantime we keep them alongside and in scent and sight of other pigs.

Unfortunately as a rescue, we get the 'fallout' from impulse additions, most often when a happy pair of boars falls out due to trying to add a third or fourth. We would never recommend this. If you have a happy pair and really want more guinea pigs, get another lot of housing and get another pair!

We hope this has given some insight into how guinea pigs can be successfully housed with company of their own kind. We are very happy to help your guinea pig find a friend if needed! 

The Absolute Importance of Quarantine

What is Quarantine?

Interestingly the word ‘quarantine’ stems from the number 40, so quarantine would be a period of isolation of 40 days. 

As most communicable diseases in Guinea pigs have an incubation period of less than 2 weeks, 2 weeks is the standard time that most rescues quarantine for on arrival. 

Quarantine is not just for rescues (although all of our incoming pigs do go through quarantine). It is essential to any new arrival from any background prior to mixing with existing pets. Unfortunately it’s often a lesson learned the hard way. 

There are some exceptions to our rule, where the risk to the pig from disease is less than the risk of, for example, not eating through bereavement. In those cases we take the decision that is best for that pig, which usually means company sooner rather than later. Similarly with orphaned babies or rejected babies. Their immediate welfare is more of a concern. 

The most risky thing for a pet owner to do is to impulse buy a new piggy from a pet shop, bring it home and pop it in with the existing Guinea pigs. Pet shop piggies are commonly supplied by rodent mills, mass produced to make profit, not bred for health or longevity. It only takes one pig to start an outbreak, be it fungal, viral or bacterial.   

Common sense measures include housing the new pig separately (ideally in a different room or airspace), and feeding and handling the newcomer last, along with good hygiene precautions. Our quarantine area has separate bowls, bottles, brushes and bins. The two weeks will pass quickly and then introductions can be made. 

What to look out for;

Anything unusual should be monitored. The worst outbreaks can start with nothing more than a gunky eye (as I know to my expense, this is how our outbreak began). The new pig should have bright clear eyes, no noisy or rattly breathing, and be active and eating. Keep an extra beady eye out for mites and fungal signs on the skin and hair. If the two weeks are up and no signs are spotted, then you’re good to go! 

All of our guinea pigs are quarantined when they come into rescue, as all reputable rescues, so if you adopt then you don’t need to quarantine again. 

I hope that this small but important precaution can save some heartache. Our outbreak started despite rigorous quarantine, which just goes to show how easily some things can spread. 

The Importance of Play and Natural Behaviour

The Importance of Play and Natural Behaviour 

Whether indoors or outdoors, guinea pigs require time outside of their cages to run, play and explore. This will take some getting used to, as they are prey animals and therefore naturally cautious but once it is part of their routine they will look forward to their regular play time. 

Grass time 

We often get guinea pigs here at the rescue that have never seen grass. The first time they go on grass you'd think you were torturing them! They usually sit in one spot under a hidey looking quite shell shocked. We try to put them out with a friend who is used to grazing as this really helps their confidence. Grass time needs to be built up slowly over a period of days / weeks to avoid bloat. Guinea pigs that have never had floor time will be the same, initially they may freeze or run and hide but keep repeating it daily and with good tasty treats and they'll soon become braver. Obviously English weather means that for a lot of the year, grass time isn't an option, so what can we do instead?

Indoor Play Time

Indoor play time is a great option all year round for indoor piggies. Play pens can be set up cheaply from grids, panels or even a child's ball pit or puppy pen. This gives the guinea pigs a chance to explore and to have a change of scenery while still being safely enclosed. No matter how elaborate their hutch or cage is, they really appreciate the chance to stretch their legs and investigate new things. You'll be surprised at how much they interact with different things in their environment. Free ranging floor time is another option if you have a safe area and don't mind the poops! (or use a large sheet or similar to cover anything precious). 

You needn't spend a fortune on toys or enrichment either. A simple brown paper bag filled with yummy hay and herbs or forage will keep a piggy amused for a good while! Toilet rolls stuffed with hay and treats are an all-time favourite here (if you have baby piggies then split the roll down the length to prevent their heads getting stuck!). Treat balls of a small size for rabbits or rats are also fun to experiment with, why not make the guinea pigs work for some of their nugget ration?

Some readers of our rescue page re-use Amazon boxes to make a sort of open maze for their piggies to navigate! We often underestimate how intelligent piggies can be, but if ever in doubt just look at Ace's Tricks on You Tube... 

Making guinea pigs 'work' for their food not only keeps them active and alert, it is much better than just presenting them with their pellets in a bowl. Some of our readers don't use bowls at all, they just scatter feed the pellet ration in the hay so that the guinea pigs forage for it while they munch! This is such a simple idea but so effective and doesn't cost a penny more. Guinea pigs usually spend 24 hours a day in a cage or hutch, the least we can do is to ensure they have something to do! 

(Outdoor piggies should not be brought indoors for playtime in the colder months as the difference in temperature can really make them unwell. Options for outdoor pigs include a playpen set up in their shed or outbuilding that they can have access to daily). 

Lap Time

Lap time is also good bonding time with our pigs and the chance to give a quick health check that might find things hands-on that otherwise would be missed. There are many good suppliers for fleece lap pads (waterproof, in case of wee!) to make lap time more cosy and we really recommend them for children who are getting used to handling pigs as it makes both the pig and the child feel safe.

Trick or Treat? 

Many commercial treats that are widely available in pet shops are actually not at all suitable for guinea pigs, despite the packaging suggesting otherwise. Some unsuitable ingredients to avoid are eggs, milk, nuts, and others that are high in sugar (think of it like feeding your children Haribo!). Much better is to feed treats in the form of their daily fruit and veg ration, or dried forage treats which are now very popular and support the small businesses that produce them. Our favourite is Piggie Parcels, not only do the guinea pigs love all of the different forage mixes for treats, they also have dried herb mixes that are for certain conditions such as respiratory mix. Guinea pigs, like other domestic animals, still have the ability to self-medicate if given the option and they will select the things their body needs most from the selection available to them. I especially love Piggie Parcels because they have gone the extra mile (and more!) to make their packaging eco friendly, down to using paper tape and compostable bags. They offer a forage selection box each month (and if you order and put EAGPR in the comments, our rescue piggies receive free forage!). Piggie Parcels recommends sprinkling your chosen forage mix through a big pile of yummy hay, or stuffing hay and forage into a box or tube for them to pull out and sort through. Remember that the bulk (80%) of a guinea pig's diet should be hay, so different ways for them to rummage through hay and find even tastier bits is perfect to make sure you're achieving a good balance. 

See Piggie Parcel's January Foraging Adventure box here (and don't forget to mention EAGPR in comments!) 

See The Guinea Pig Food Pyramid here 

Fresh Forage 

Dried forage is fabulous but there are also a lot of good wild plants that can safely be foraged for guinea pigs in the UK (I'm sure elsewhere too, but I can only speak from experience in this country). I'll write more about this in a later blog, but it's very rewarding to learn about wild plants that the guinea pigs will love. 

Summary

We owe it to our guinea pigs to allow them to exhibit natural behaviours such as exploring, foraging and grazing in whatever environment we are choosing to keep them in. Hopefully this has given you some ideas of how to enrich their lives without costing a fortune! 

Feel free to comment below with your own foraging ideas to share! 

Indoors or Outdoors?

Indoors or Outdoors? 

Our recent Piggy Census via East Anglian Guinea Pig Rescue got 800 responses and was very insightful in regards to how guinea pigs are currently being kept. I wish I could go back in time and do the same survey 10, 20 years ago though! 78% of those surveyed kept their guinea pigs indoors in the house, with only a total of 14% either outdoors or in an outbuilding. While this might be skewed by the 

demographic that the census reached, it's still a big change (I had expected roughly half and half).

We are based in the UK, so the weather is not ideal for guinea pigs for much of the year - too cold and damp in Winter, too hot in Summer. Historically guinea pigs have been housed outside or in a shed in a hutch all year round, and many still are (including some of our own), but it isn't easy to deal with the extremes of temperature and every Winter and Summer we hear of losses due to heatstroke and cold. 

With a properly insulated and heated shed in the right position, guinea pigs can be comfortable year round. Bringing them indoors ensures that we are at least experiencing the same temperatures as them, and are more aware of their discomfort!

Pros to having piggies indoors:

1 Year round temperature is more stable

2 They get a lot more human interaction and are a much more rewarding pet

3 It's easier to observe their behaviour and spot any illnesses more quickly

4 You don't have to go outside in all weathers to feed and clean

Cons to having piggies indoors;

1 It can set off allergies as household members are exposed to the pets and hay etc. - we have seen a rise in surrenders due to allergies and these are almost always from indoor pigs

2 The smell can build up and is more noticeable indoors 

3 They can be messy in terms of bedding, hay etc flying out of their cages.

4 They are surprisingly noisy at night, they are crespuscular which means they are active at dawn and dusk but it's surprising how noisy a water bottle can be...

Pros to having piggies outdoors:

1 Mess is less of an issue

2 It usually means there is ample space for storage of hay etc. 

3 If you have a number of piggies this might be your only real option to extend your numbers

4 You can easily then give them access to grass time when weather is suitable

Cons to having piggies outdoors:

1 You have to go outside no matter what the weather to clean and feed - this is often off-putting for children especially to get involved

2 In the UK it is hard to manage the extremes of temperature without taking measures such as insulation, ventilation, heating and even air-con

3 The food and hay can attract rats and mice, and the pigs can be at greater risk from predators such as foxes, dogs and cats

4 Although unlikely, pet theft is on the increase and outdoor pets are more vulnerable

Of course it's not necessarily an either / or situation. Many of the survey respondents opted for indoors in winter and outdoors in summer, which if managed carefully can be the best of both worlds, with the only drawback being the investment for two living quarters.

Whatever you decide, invest in a min / max thermometer for a few pounds and just keep an eye on the temperatures. Guinea pigs are not good with extremes of temperature, or with damp. Their ideal temperature range is not below 15 degrees and not above 24 degrees (although sources differ, as do pigs - older pigs will find the heat and cold much harder to deal with, as do humans).

We love to see pictures of your set-ups, whether indoors or out - send your photos to us at beyondthehutch@gmail.com 

See the full survey results here