Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just got our kids two piggies for Christmas, too, and we love them! We've previously had hamsters and gerbils and these are much more fun. The popcorning is adorable and their little sounds are so cute, too! I don't mind the poop at all - it was the pee that was an issue but I've managed to successfully train them to go in their litter boxes, so it's a lot less cleanup now. They didn't like their cage, so we have a playyard set up for them lined with fleece blankets and they like that much better.

Any tips on how to potty train? And what kind of fleece do you like? Cage? We are going from a hamster to wanting a pair of pigs, and there seems to be so much different about the set up.

Not the PP but for the litter box we put it right underneath their hay rack which seemed to encourage use of the litter box. For fleece, we bought no-pill/blizzard fleece from JoAnn fabric and have had good luck with it.

Thanks. And how often does it need to be changed? Is it an every day thing?

As a pp mentioned, you can sweep up the poop daily but can be changed out once a week or so.

I also wanted to mention that underneath the fleece we put down reusable waterproof bed pads as extra protection. We change them out once a week. The one thing to never use if you can avoid is towels bc they stay wet and the pee smell really lingers.

Thank you so much for these tips. We ended up getting 3 year old sisters from a shelter and they are SO much bigger than the ones at the pet store. They eat like crazy, especially red peppers and lettuce. We have decided to make their litter box also their hay area and they have definitely taken to using it as a potty now. One more question: has any pig owner out there every bought one of those fancy cages with glass and wood that you see on YouTube videos? They look so much nicer than the wire cage we have and I could definitely put them in our living space (versus my child's bedroom) if it looked nicer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just got our kids two piggies for Christmas, too, and we love them! We've previously had hamsters and gerbils and these are much more fun. The popcorning is adorable and their little sounds are so cute, too! I don't mind the poop at all - it was the pee that was an issue but I've managed to successfully train them to go in their litter boxes, so it's a lot less cleanup now. They didn't like their cage, so we have a playyard set up for them lined with fleece blankets and they like that much better.

Any tips on how to potty train? And what kind of fleece do you like? Cage? We are going from a hamster to wanting a pair of pigs, and there seems to be so much different about the set up.

Not the PP but for the litter box we put it right underneath their hay rack which seemed to encourage use of the litter box. For fleece, we bought no-pill/blizzard fleece from JoAnn fabric and have had good luck with it.

Thanks. And how often does it need to be changed? Is it an every day thing?

As a pp mentioned, you can sweep up the poop daily but can be changed out once a week or so.

I also wanted to mention that underneath the fleece we put down reusable waterproof bed pads as extra protection. We change them out once a week. The one thing to never use if you can avoid is towels bc they stay wet and the pee smell really lingers.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all this great info on guinea pigs. My DD wants to adopt a pair. I do want to ask, is there a way to get a smaller breed? I see a few at shelters and they are huge, but then I see the ones at pet stores are smaller. Maybe they are young? I guess I wonder, do they all grow so big? Some look like bunnies!

They usually aren't over 3 to 4 pounds but you are right just seeing them as babies it's not possible to tell how big they will be.

If size is a concern, the best thing to do is to get a young adult - at least a year - from a shelter/rescue so you can see what their adult size is.

Another reason to get them from shelter/rescue even if you get babies is they are used to be handled. They will still run off when you first try and pick them up but they will settle more quickly if they are used to being handled and held and it makes it easier for your kids to get to know them once you bring them home.