Hi guys,
So recently we did a Q&A on instagram - and we got A LOT of questions. Thank you to everyone who participated, it is always fun to interact with you guys. However, I was not able to reply to all the questions and some questions were asked more than once (plus I got a ton of questions in DMs as well - some of which are also the same). I will try and reply to most of them here - and hopefully that way not have to repeat the same things over and over again in comments, DMs and stories.
1) How old are your guinea pigs?
My guinea pigs are between 1 and 2 years old at the moment. Plet is the youngest (his birthday is on the 25th of October 2017), Mew is the oldest (I do not know her exact birthday, but she was born in October or November 2016).
2) How many guinea pigs do you have/have you had?
I have had five guinea pigs in my life. One when I was a kid (which lived together with my sister's guinea pig) and four now.
3) What is the breed/kind/color of your piggies?
All my piggies are normal short-haired guinea pigs. They all have different coloring though. Mew is a white california black (referring to her markings), Chespin is a chocolate tan, Plet is a cinnamon agouti and Eevee is a tri-coloured piggie.
4) What is the difference between Himalayan and californias / is Mew Himalayan?
First of all; Mew is not Himalayan. Himalayan is a type of breed and not just a coloring - and is actually an albino breed (which is why they have red eyes). Mew just have a specific type of marking (named california - and they exist in a variety of color combinations), and she has black eyes.
5) Where did you get your piggies / how do I get piggies like yours?
I bought my piggies from breeders here in Denmark. It is difficult for me to say how you find a piggie with the same colors as one of mine - but basically look out for a good breeder in your area, which specializes in one of the colors.
I also just want to add quickly to this question; no, I did not adopt. I do support adoption and I think it is a great option, however, in Denmark we actually don't have that many good shelters (and none close to where I live). I generally also think that it is important to support good, responsible breeders, who are basically the closest we get to piggie-experts or -researchers. Much of my knowledge come from very experienced breeders, and I am very thankful for their knowledge.
6) How did you come up with their names?
Chespin, Eevee and Mew are named after Pokemon. I really loved Pokemons as a child, and I have sort of had a bit of an obsession with them (and the games) as an adult too - and we have had a tendency to name our animals after movie or cartoon characters in my family. Plet's name has another story - but basically it means "spot" in Danish, and my childhood guinea pig was named Stribe, which means "stripe" (that's the short version of that explanation).
7) Do you bathe your piggies / is it bad to give them a bath?
The short answer is; no, I don't. I generally believe that most healthy animals are capable of keeping themselves clean - if they are in a clean environment. There are of course exceptions to this; for instance long-haired piggies or male piggies, which might need a bum-bath or in case of a fungus infection (which I have treated my piggies for). However, I find that bathing a piggie is quite unnatural and is an unnecessarily stressful situation for the guinea pig. It also dries out their skin and if you are not careful it could cause them to get a cold. If my piggies smell - I would rather clan their cage a little more frequently.
8) How do you keep Mew so clean?
In relation to the above question; she does that all by herself. I just make sure she lives in a clean and dry environment. I think she is a perfect example that even a very white piggie is completely capable of keeping her fur clean on her own.
9) How much do your piggies weight / how did you get them so chubby?
Well, this is a question I have also got a lot in comments. Generally, their weights are between 900 - 1300 grams. Mew is the smallest one, her weight is normally around 970 grams. Plet is the biggest one, his weight is about 1260 grams. I check their weight every other week and plot them in an excel sheet to track how they are doing. None of my piggies are overweight or chubby - they do look like that in photos sometimes (but this is actually mostly due to their fur) and it can be very difficult to estimate a piggie's weight based on photos or videos.
10) What are their genders / are they sterilized?
Plet is a male, the other three female. Plet is neutered, none of the females are sterilized (even though that is possible).
11) What do you think of other types of piggies (albinos, skinny piggies, etc)?
Honestly, I love most animals - and I have a soft spot for guinea pigs, I don't really care to much about their coloring or fur. I would be a bit nervous about having skinny piggies (hairless piggies) myself, because I wouldn't know how to cuddle with them and I would be nervous they would get cold here in our Scandinavian climate.
12) Where do you live?
In Denmark (the country).
13) How long did it take for your piggies to get used to you / tame?
It took about half a year. Piggies are prey animals, and you cannot expect for them to never get frightened by you. My best advice is to be very patient and always bring food with you, when you approach their cage - talk calmly with a happy voice. Always carry them close to your body and keep their paws and bum well-supported.
14) What is their favorite food?
Definitely leafy greens! Dandelions is Plet's favorite, but different types of lettuce are also high on the list.
15) Do they fight / how do you keep them from fighting?
No, my piggies do not fight. I am assuming that most of these question come from people who experience their piggies fighting or having trouble settling the hierarchy. I just want to say one thing first; it is normal that piggies argue/show dominance behavior (mounting, sounds and dancing around) - they are herd animals and this kind of behavior is completely common and okay. You will often see this kind of behavior if they are in a new setting, for instance at floor time or right after you cleaned their cage. However, if two piggies continue to fight for dominance they might not be a good match or you might have to reconsider their living conditions. Fighting can be a result of too small cages (or too few places to hide). If the fighting is between two females, you can consider getting a neutered male - they will most often get the females to calm down. If the fighting is between two males at the approximate same age, it can be quite difficult to solve the problem - and you might have to consider splitting them up (especially if they draw blood, loose weight or get wounds from the fighting and stress). If you do this, you have to get a new friend for each of them as no piggie should ever live alone!
I also got some questions related to the piggies' personalities and relationships/bonds, which I actually find are the funniest and most interesting to respond to, because I have to think for a minute. I will at some point try and do some sort of piggie introductions - possibly on here and on instagram, so you guys can get to know them even better.
Lastly, I got a ton of cage related questions, such as; are your piggies toilet-trained / how do you clean your cage / how often do you clean their cage / where did you get their hammocks / how did you built your cage?
Firstly; my piggies are not toilet-trained. They prefer peeing in an absorbent layer close to their food - I took advantage of that knowledge and created a toilet-part of my cage, and they almost only pee there (lucky me). Regarding the other questions, please have a look here. I do not have a full description of how we created the cage - but feel free to be inspired.
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