Guinea pig shopping list:
Accomodation
The first thing you will need is accommodation for your guinea pigs.
If you are going for an indoor cage make sure it is large enough for your guinea pig to run around inside it. Look on internet auction sites for second hand ones or try this one which is brilliant size at 140 cm long and costs £110 including delivery from Bunny Bazaar
You can save money and get creative by making your own! This is just one of the designs from Cavy Cages If you have trouble finding cubes a set of 6 can be purchased from www.monarchdirect.co.uk for around £30. Enter “guinea” into the sites search facility and you will find them there. Correx for the base can be cheaply purchased from sign makers…or ask your local estate agent if they have any old for sale boards, they are made from correx! If you are going for the outdoor option then hutches can be found at Happy Hutch and Ryedale Hutches
This one is four feet long and is £82 inc delivery from Happy Hutch and this company also make shutters and rain covers (shown right) priced £28 for the doors to help with weather proofing. Don’t forget that in the winter you will have to move the hutch to a garage, shed or sheltered area and provide additional bedding and insulation.
These hutches from Ryedale Hutches are good quality and come in different combinations with an integral run downstairs or a useful food storage area and cost £100 and £105 respectively.
With guinea pigs, its worth remembering that while some love them…some piggies don’t like stairs and will not use them!! This could be costly if you pay for a two story hutch that your guineas only use one floor of! Your guineas will love to get out and munch the grass when the weather allows. The guinea pigs at our rescue are so efficient we no longer need a lawn mower (yes really!) So get them a nice sized run, if possible with an area which provides shade or shelter from a rain shower. This run on the left is £70 from Ryedale Hutches and is a good design as it means that next doors cat cannot sit on the roof and salivate over your guinea pigs!! This one on the right from Happy Hutch is £44
Dont forget we refurbish and sell second hand hutches for rabbits and guinea pigs to raise funds for the rescue. Why not see what we have here before you buy a hutch. We can then also ensure the hutch you choose in an appropriate size for your animal's. Please see the hutches for sale page
Feeding and watering
Get two heavy ceraminc bowls that cannot be tipped over, one for using and one for washing. Our guinea pigs don’t seem to like drinking from a bowl, so we tend to give them just a bottle. This bowl is £2 from BunnyMail
These “ezi-filla” bottles are the ones we use here at the rescue. You can refill them without removing them from the hutch door, are semi-opaque which inhibits algae growth, and are virtually leak proof. The only bottle we can honestly say ticks every box. They are expensive, but worth it as they seem to be indestructible! These are £4.20 for a 500ml bottle from John Hopewell
This is the pellet food we use here at the rescue. It is vitamin C enriched and our guineas really like it. It also prevents selective feeding therefore ensuring your guinea pigs get all the nutrients they need. Available (collection only) from www.moss-end.co.uk in various sizes. A 2kg bag can be ordered from Pet Planet for £4.60. This Guinea Pig Fruit and Fibre mix is another good feed from Natural Petfood Company
Fresh Hay is an essential part of your guinea pigs diet. You can buy a large bag of fresh meadow hay from us for £3. This is readigrass. Lovely stuff! Your guineas will go mad for it. Its £2.00 for a kilo bag from Bunny Mail
Toys
This selection of essential toys your guinea will love cost between £1 and £14 from Bunny Mail, Bunny Bazaar and in person from Moss End Garden Village
Bedding
Megazorb. This is what we use here at the rescue and we think its fanstastic! Because guinea pigs aren’t as “tidy” as rabbits and don’t tend to use a litter tray, this is best used all over the floor area of their accommodation. Read all about it and find a local supplier at www.megazorb.co.uk or order on line from Bunny Mail for £15 for a whopping 75 litre bag! Or, buy from us at £6 per bag (collection only) There is a similar product available from Woody Pet but we haven’t tried it. If you have, let us know what you think! This is Carefresh It costs £2.99 for 10 litres from Pet Planet. Its ok, but we prefer megazorb. Its down to personal preference really.
Put some hay down for your piggies too. They will love burrowing in it and making little nests to snuggle into…..then they will sit in bed and eat it all up!
These are guinea safe cleaners and will wipe out nasty smells as well as nasty bacteria! Our guineas seem to like the lavender one and sniff approvingly after we have used it! £2.49 from Bunny Mail
