Eva's Cavy Care Page 1 - Obtaining Cavies

Questions:

Where can I buy guinea pigs?
How old should the guinea pigs be when I buy them?
How many guinea pigs are optional?
What about rescuing guinea pigs?
What sex should I get? Males or females?
How do I know which is a female and which is a male?
Which gets most tame: male or female?
I've been told that males smell more than females is this true?
How long does guinea pigs live?

Answers:

QUESTION 1: Where can I buy guinea pigs?

ANSWER: Pet shops, breeders, ads in the paper, guinea pig shows, rescued guinea pigs, or maybe you already know someone that has guinea pigs that you can buy. Also search the Net, there might be adds for rescue piggies on the Internet!

Pet shops. If you buy from pet shops usually you do not get the pedigree and you also often get a bonus pack when you buy a female. Bonus pack = pregnant female, you get more guinea pigs than you asked for. In Sweden we have had some problems with sick guinea pigs sold in pet shops, the usual desease is sellnick, caused by a mite (Trixacarus caviae) that can kill guinea pigs if they are not treated!
Breeders. In Sweden we have many good breeders and very few bad ones so this is the best source of guinea pigs here. Beside getting healthy guinea pigs you also get the valuable contact with the breeder, who will help you keep your guinea pigs as healthy and happy as possible. Be sure to keep the phone number to your breeder! Find the breeders through the Swedish Cavy Club (SMF).
Ads in the paper. This way to get guinea pigs is underestimated, usually these pigs are a lot cheaper that the pet shop pigs and at the same often of just as good - or even better - quality. Keep the phone number, you might need to ask questions later.
Guinea pig shows. Here you can sometimes find guinea pigs for sale, but you can also find reputable breeders that you can buy guinea pigs from - most breeders and exhibitors have lots more guinea pigs at home.
Rescued guinea pigs. This is a very good way to aquire guinea pigs. Mostly they are well checked and healthy, and often sold two together. You can get phone-numbers to persons rescuing guinea pigs through guinea pig clubs.

One thing to remember: if you buy your guinea pigs from a pet shop or through an ad in the paper; be sure to bring your newly aquired guinea pigs to a guinea pig show - or to the vet - to check that the guinea pigs are healthy. To find the shows you usually need to get in contact with your local guinea pig club. Also: remember to join the club. You will find it useful.

QUESTION 2: How old should the guinea pigs be when I buy them?

ANSWER: Minimum 6 weeks, no maximum age. Can be bought at any age over 6 weeks. If bought younger the pig might eat poorly and become a runt. It might even die!

QUESTION 3: How many guinea pigs are optional?

ANSWER: Minimum 2. Maximum as many as you can feed and clean cages for!

QUESTION 4: What about rescuing guinea pigs?

ANSWER: If you want to rescue guinea pigs - only rescue a few at a time, and be sure to find new permanent homes for all that you can not keep yourself BEFORE rescuing more... This way you will not stop rescuing GP:s after a short time :-)

QUESTION 5: What sex should I get? Males or females?

ANSWER: Any sex, as long all guinea pigs you get are of the same sex! If you've never had guinea pigs before - start with only one sex.

Females: might be bit easier, a bit less prone to fighting. If they fight - give them more room!

Males: needs a bit more space. If you plan on having freeroamers - then the male gender is often more interesting to have. Males tend to follow their owners around the apartment a lot more than females do, even if they are not very tame.

QUESTION 6: How do I know which is a female and which is a male?

ANSWER: When it comes to adult cavies it is very simple since the testicles of an adult male is rather large and visible. It is in young cavies there might be less easy. I know of a cavy breeder with decades of experience that still cannot tell for sure, and often mistakes female cavy babies for male cavy babies and the other way around. This way she often gets very young females pregnant.

Here is a simple little drawing I made of a young male and a young female cavy. The top animal is the male. Note the typical Y-shape in the female! This Y-shape is seen in all females, with some variation to the style of the letter. Compare to the photo of the female below. That photo is taken at an angle, so the Y looks a bit like a big U with an I attached under it, in the middle.

When I started out with cavies everyone said that the difference between the male cavy and the female cavy was that only the female cavy has nipples. Which of course anyone can easily check and see that it is untrue!

Adult guinea pig female, my pet cavy Saga.

QUESTION 7: Which gets most tame: male or female?

ANSWER: Both! The difference is not in how tame they get since both gets just as tame. The difference is in their behaviour. If you have your guinea pigs lose on the floor you will sooner or later notice the diference: Males tend to follow their humans around more than females. While females stick together more where they feel safe (near the cage) males may follow you from room to room.

QUESTION 8: I've been told that males smell more than females is this true?

ANSWER: No. If a guinea pig smells more it is either very dirty or sick.

QUESTION 9: How long does guinea pigs live?

ANSWER: This is different from guinea pig to guinea pig. Generally 7 to 7 1/2 years if they do not get a serious disease. My oldest was just over 8 years, my second oldest was 7 years 11 months on the day... Guinea pigs very seldom live longer than 8 years.
If you want your female guinea pigs to live long: never breed them!

Often you can read that they live for 5 - 7 years, or sometimes 4 - 6 years, which of course is not untrue.