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They can live quite a while, so they're a long term commitment, rather than hamPster timescales. Speaking of hampsters, guineas are generally very peaceful & don't normally bite- though they can be pretty nervous. I don't think hampsters are deliberately vicious, they just seem to like to test everything by biting.
They also need a good bit of space, somewhere at a reasonable temperature- a similar temperature range to what humans would be comfortable with. These days most people would bring them in when it gets cold out, my definition of that would be when it's not summer.
Some vets don't seem to have a clue about them, so worth checking this out in your area.
My partner, who is more expert than me, rates this site- http://www.guinealynx.info/
If you want to ask anything by all means ping me a PM
My second is if you do, don't put it/them in the garage over winter, then start your moped up in the garage and leave it idling for a long time while you go back in and have your breakfast...
Tip number two is a true story. I'm sure I don't need to detail the end result! It wasn't me - a family member. Needless to say his kids didn't get the true version of events.
The guinea pig stole the moped and cause a crash involving a school bus?
Cute pets, I like em
I've read that they are very fragile and fkn expensive when it comes to vet bills. And also cheap to buy.
No, seriously, they don't do well alone.
Guinea pigs come in pairs as a minimum, or with rabbits.
It's not an old wives tale - they're social creatures and get lonely, which leads to boredom, gnawing, bad health etc.
Vet bills - luck. We had two Guinea pigs and a rabbit and the Guinea pigs were fine but the rabbit had over growing teeth, which cost a bloody fortune every few months to get filed.
GPs can get the same problem.
As with any pet, if the thought of bunging money aside every month as a fall back for vet bills doesn't appeal, it's probably best to not bother - the worst case scenario is you need the money. Best case, it acts as an extra savings account and when petty mcpetterson passes you have a nice stash to treat yourself with.
The Guinea Lynx site as mentioned has really good info. http://www.guinealynx.info/
And 'fraid I'm gonna echo what's been said: you kinda have to get more than one cos they are such social animals -- that bit isn't really about you it's about them and their welfare and it's what they need. EDIT -- there's possibly an exception though if you have one guinea and it lives in with you (mine do) and you're around each other pretty much all the time. But basically 2+ is better.
As it happens if you look after them well they are pretty robust. Vet's bills are expensive full stop but (oh god famous last words coming up....) on the whole they're not too expensive. If you get a boy and a girl then the boy is gonna need to to be neutered which costs anywhere from about £15 to £60 -- I swear vets make it up as they go along.
Also, @historyisjunk is right: you can actually find yourself more knowledgeable about your guinea pigs than some vets.
I've usually got at least a couple of guineas in my life, in fact I've got two looking at me right now...
and feel free to PM me if you have any questions
But when I had a garden they would LOVE to got out and play and eat the grass -- obviously not an option with cobbles. But so long as they are safe and secure -- really secure cos foxes are, well proverbially cunning -- the guineas should be good.
* Indoors living = a certain amount of mess cos of the hay they need all the time -- it spreads a bit. Doesn't bother me but drove my ex-wife nuts.
I adore them, but our living situation wouldn't allow us to get two or more, nor a companion rabbit, so it's a waiting game.
But as soon as we can get a pair, we are. I bloody love them, and they're very 'pettable', like a small dog in a way (whereas hamsters are more independent). They often trade off on toys - so if you've got a wheel or a spinning plate, they'll seamlessly swap in and out. So cool.
Also, what @Grunfeld says about foxes is right, if they're out & about they need to be watched, friend of my partner left one on their lawn for five minutes & she was gone. It's also horrible for them to be trapped in a hutch with a fox coming back night after night. You need to watch out for weasels & stoats too, if the mesh on the hutch isn't big enough they'll be in. (In case of doubt I've nothing against foxes or weasels, they're just doing what they do, it's up to us to protect our pets though).
On the plus side if you have them inside they don't smell if you keep them clean, just the smell of the hay.
I really don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, I agree with what others have said they are very nice creatures, but you have to consider what's right for them first. I'd also say that if you go ahead go to a rescue place first, there's plenty out there.
Pig are fun though and quirky, I miss ours.
What do they test stuff for guinea pigs on?
Rarely, they're a herd animal. I think hamsters fight... Maybe. We had all of ours solo.