Options
guinea pigs life span ????????
zoepaulpenny
Posts: 15,951 Forum Member
✭✭
Hi all, does anyone actually know from experiance how long the average life span of a GUINEA PIG is ? we have 2 females
and are about 2-3 years old. thanks.
and are about 2-3 years old. thanks.
0
Comments
But she lived in the utility room where it was warm with her two other friends.
A lot can depend on conditions and whether they have friends. I'm told outdoor, solo pigs have a shorter outlook.
I have one girl who is 4 years 2 months
I have 2 girls and 1 boy who are 3 years 9 months
I have 4 boys who are 3 years 6 months
One of mine died 2 weeks ago and he was 4 years 2months
I think some can live up to 6,7 years
mine live outside and as i allready said i have 2 which have just turned 5, mine all live in gorups aprat from one who lives on his own now (he tired to kill one of his little borthers)
2 of the cadges are under a carport and all cadges have hutch huggers cover things on them which i can put down during the day to keep them warm and there can still see outside etc, there have etc covers which go down at night. i also put loades of extra hay in in winter (i buy it be the bale)
they can go on for 8-10 years, depending on breeding, health and how well they are cared for
well meggie must have good health as she has had nothing wrong with her she has never been to the vets other then to have her nails cut. and she is one of my 5 year olds. my holly meggies half sister who is 5 as well as only ever had one thing wrong with her and that was an infection in her paw.
but then i have my lily who is 4 years she has given birth to 8 babies, had PND, nearly broke her food (she jumped out of my hand) and at the moment has somthing wrong with her eye.
the two we have one comes from a rescue centre and the other one came from my son, both around same age when we had them. they live outside in a 8ft hutch, we buy Timothy hay we think this is the best, we bought some other hay and one of the pigs had a mite infestion around the eye.
and the fur was soming out, we took her to vets and got cream and antibiotics injection. £45..had to take her back 3 times before all clear, vets said very common is mite's in the hay.
Over the hutch we keep an old quilt which we pull over during cold spells, and a waterproof thin shower curtain that covers the front in rainy days,
we also gave them special hay for eating. we like to think they are well cared for.
depending on the mite, it's not always the hay, i've always used baled farm hay, never had any mites arise from that
from stress and other influences( mainly that they came with them), yes, but mainly they tend to flare up when the guinea pigs have been under some strain or stress
i had a first time mum lose all the fur on her back end due to them, she'd scratched herself raw with them, but three weeks of ivermectin drops and bathing her sores saw her back to full health
her sister and pups never developed infesations despite being housed together
I totally agree it depends ont he conditions, all mine are indoors (we run a sanctuary) and changed regularly and fed the right food. It is important to find the right vet too. Our youngest pig Jova has been so ill lately and without the right care he wouldn't be here.
5 is deemed as OAP they have 14 birthdays a year to our 1.
Our current Guineas are 2 years old but in our experience 4-5 years is about average.
I saw the real change in their condition when I changed from pet shop hay, and put them on bale hay straight from the farmer. I also used Carefresh and a thick layer of Hay as the bedding too. And then had a cage as big as I could make it in the space available and had levels to it also. They had lots of floor time and I used to string up veg from the top of the cage so they had to work to get their treats and food. Doing that really seemed to make them very happy little piggies.
Hope yours brings you lots of fun and happiness, and my condolences to those who've lost their fuzzy companions.
think that's a good age, ..was few years ago but awww still miss them
She lived for 8 days, legs were at different lengths and she had a deformed back end. She was in no pain and we tried everything to get her to eat, feeding her every couple of hours, even of a night. She did well for a six days then the last two days it was a slow decline and we decided to let her pass. Her mum Glynis had rejected her because of her disability, nature of the wild I guess, her sister Madeleine is still with us she is 1 and a half now.
Hubby and I **love** Piggies.
They are such special little creatures aren't they?
my peppers first pup, not sure if she rejected him or just didn't know what to do with him. bless him.
we kept him in with his mum & sarah with her recent litter hoping that she might feed him or pepper would catch on, but she never did
They lived outside in a hutch all year round and were out in a run day and night during the summer months. My dad built the hutches and run himself, including a very clever folding "lid" for the top of the run, and some removable insulation for the hutch in winter...It was like a guinea pig hotel
The only time they ever came inside was on bonfire night when the were kept in a box in the kitchen covered with a blanket.