# guinea pigs for meat



## akane

Seeing as this has no other place and guinea pigs fall under the ARBA here is my guinea pig meat thread. It's an idea I've been kicking around for awhile. Unfortunately mutt pigs around here cost more than show pigs specifically because people don't want their guinea pigs to go for food and the pet stores want $35-$40 but I managed to acquire someone's entire herd free who just ended up with them getting out of hand. You know that pregnant female from the pet store story. I picked out the biggest boar to put with the 3 females and we are off. (with a 70 day wait!) We also have a little boar I got elsewhere that I liked who went back to his previous home temporarily for treatment of respiratory infection symptoms. Those boars will run my mutt herd.

Friday we experiment butchering a guinea pig with the extra boars. Good luck finding online info on how to do that with the AR groups so crazy about their pigs they've achieved world domination of the net for pig info. I'll update Friday how it goes and try to take pics without getting my camera gooey. We'll also see how they compare to rabbits in care, feed, growth rate, and resulting meat. Most will probably just be pet food though. The lack of fat in rabbit is causing problems with the amount we use it in the dogs' raw diets. We are having trouble securing higher fat sources that aren't $3/lb and after having free range eggs they won't eat even the organic store bought as a supplement. It's really hit our dog food bill and health to lose our house and farmland which included our various poultry.

I may also get some silver agouti or silver white cresteds show quality at the show this weekend since they cost as much as mutts anyway. Might as well produce something I can also sell some of. I'm sure I can stash a pair away somewhere.


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## lexa

I used to work with girl from Peru and she told me that every household there has a breeding pen of them for meat. 
I have toyed with idea as well, in case we would not be able to keep chickens or rabbits. Surely, I would be able to keep "pet" gunea pigs.
From the research I have done on them, they have genetics that would allow for production of commercial strain. Peruvian ones, according to my friend and reading I have done, are much bigger than pets here. It would be nice to import them but it is not possible at the time, so the best you could do is to breed your own strain with good meat/bone ratio. 
I also like silver aguties and crested ones, those are my faves, but don't they tent to be smaller than traditional ones?


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## lonelyfarmgirl

I am interested to hear your results. The problem with guinea pigs is they grow slower, are much smaller, take twice as long to have babies, have half as many, and require more specialized care. 

Seems its a lose lose situation. However, the babies are born fully done and hit the ground running. If you have the time and space, I think it's worth experimenting with. 

There is usually one judge at each show I go to that does the guinea pigs that come. There are always some. When I went to the new years eve show last year there were more than I had ever seen, and a lot of babies for sale for less than 20 bucks. I also leaned then, that most breeders do not keep pedigrees on their gp's. They run them colony style with multiple boars.


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## Caprice Acres

There's always a way to select for bigger and faster growth. 

I believe there is a pig called a 'super pig' that is supposedly bigger. I've never been able to find them online anywhere. 

Is there a 'big' breed of guinea pig? One that is generally larger than the rest?


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## Barnhouse

Wow, this is interesting. I was just thinking the other day, it's a shame you can't eat guinea pigs. I didn't realize that you can.

Is it like the cornish game hen of ARBA?


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## pancho

I have been free ranging guinea pigs for quite a few years.
If you are wanting to use them as a food source they will have to be free ranged. For the amount of feed needed to grow one to butchering size you could raise just about any other small animal and come out ahead. 

It is very easy to free range them and they need little to no care. They don't even need water. They can find their own food. Many of the older guinea pigs will not have any litters. They are slow growers but the free ranged ones do get a little larger and fatter than the cage raised ones.

They are fun to watch and nothing looks better than a mother guinea pig and her litter grazing in the back yard.

Raising them for food would be a loosing thing. They do have a lot of meat for so small an animal.


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## GBov

pancho said:


> I have been free ranging guinea pigs for quite a few years.
> If you are wanting to use them as a food source they will have to be free ranged. For the amount of feed needed to grow one to butchering size you could raise just about any other small animal and come out ahead.
> 
> It is very easy to free range them and they need little to no care. They don't even need water. They can find their own food. Many of the older guinea pigs will not have any litters. They are slow growers but the free ranged ones do get a little larger and fatter than the cage raised ones.
> 
> They are fun to watch and nothing looks better than a mother guinea pig and her litter grazing in the back yard.
> 
> Raising them for food would be a loosing thing. They do have a lot of meat for so small an animal.


How do you free range them and keep them safe from all the things that eat little livestock?


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## Barnhouse

No predator problems?
You just put them in a fenced area, or how does this work?


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## Wildfire_Jewel

Look up a Patagonia Cavy  Now that is one you can eat! Capybara's also come to mind.


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## akane

Except at several $100 each you could just sell those and buy enough other meat for a year.  I saw a patagonia cavy on hoobly for $350. If I had the money I'd raise some. They are interesting.

They may take another month to produce offspring but their offspring come out equal to a 4 or 5 month old rabbit so you don't really lose anything there. They are just in their mother instead of in a nest box while growing fur and developing the ability to eat solid food. Plus they can breed as early as 3 weeks.

They seem to be more efficient when feeding them on table scraps than actual feed. In peru they live off vegetable peelings and forage and often have houses set up for them right in the kitchen.

Free ranging guinea pigs is easy because they will establish a home base and not run off. A chainlink fence and a shelter with a small hole or very low works well because they will actually stay in the yard despite being able to duck through the chainlink. We raised them that way for years when I was a kid until my stepdad left the gate open after mowing. They could have headed off in to the wild blue yonder any time they wanted but they stayed in our yard because they knew it was safe and only ducked through the fence when we were on the inside trying to catch them. Then they used our deck which was only about 6" off the ground to hide under from weather and other predators. We only ever lost a few pups here and there to who knows what. Maybe stray cats, maybe birds. Bonus is you don't have to go around chopping weeds along edges your mower can't get because the pigs love to run along things and will eat the weeds down. Unfortunately I cannot do that at this time. They will have to cage raise for now.


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## pancho

GBov said:


> How do you free range them and keep them safe from all the things that eat little livestock?


I have a 6ft. privacy fence around my place with a hot wire at the top.
Also have plenty of bushes, small trees, and bamboo for them to live in. One of their favorites is a row of pampas grass.

My dog keeps most predators out and my muscovey drake takes care of the flying ones. Haven't lost any bird or animal in a long time.


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## sherry in Maine

I have considered doing this as well. (just to feed my dogs, I also raised rabs with my kid for af ew years.)
Anyone I spoke to about it acted like it was revolting and unthinkable. The breeders who acted that way made me wonder if they even knew where g.p.s were from and what they were used for elsewhere. . . .

There's a place in CT I think that sells dog food (rawfood) and they also raise & sell g.p.s for 8 bucks a lb, I think or maybe 4 bucks, cant recall. I'd love to try it out on my dogs, especially the one who is allergic to chicken.


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## akane

There's a strain of guinea pig imported to europe recently that gets about double and a half the size of your average pet guinea pig and probably 3 times the size of many show guinea pigs. The term cuy is often applied to them and also used when discussing any guinea pig as meat or native from peru. I've seen pictures of a few and they are near the size of a commercial rabbit. They apparently though suffer health issues and short lifespans because of complications in increasing the size so much. They haven't picked up as pets and spread much for that reason.


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## Barnhouse

Wildfire_Jewel said:


> Look up a Patagonia Cavy  Now that is one you can eat! Capybara's also come to mind.


Good grief, that looks like one you could ride.
That's not what I think of when I hear guinea pig, but it sure looks interesting!


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## Treewhisper

When i was a kid my cousin used to raise guinea pigs colony style in his back yard and supplied all the pet stores in three counties with baby guinea pigs. It was quite lucrative!

Where i live people are giving them away for free on craigslist. What does gp meat taste like?


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## Millroad

In South America they call it cuy (pronounce quee) and yes, it is eaten everywhere. Here it is plated up:


Travel: The Cuy As Dinner


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## Cliff

I've thought about this in the past as well. I wish there was more information out there. Wonder if they would eat my raspberry canes or blueberry bushes. Wonder if they would chew on fruit tree bark. I imagine they would.


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## Cliff

pancho said:


> I have been free ranging guinea pigs for quite a few years.
> If you are wanting to use them as a food source they will have to be free ranged. For the amount of feed needed to grow one to butchering size you could raise just about any other small animal and come out ahead.
> 
> It is very easy to free range them and they need little to no care. They don't even need water. They can find their own food. Many of the older guinea pigs will not have any litters. They are slow growers but the free ranged ones do get a little larger and fatter than the cage raised ones.
> 
> They are fun to watch and nothing looks better than a mother guinea pig and her litter grazing in the back yard.
> 
> Raising them for food would be a loosing thing. They do have a lot of meat for so small an animal.


My objective would be to have them as a supplement. In my thinking they would be converting something inedible to me (grass) into something edible with very little effort on my part. Also with the benefit of being able to run around and keep themselves alive till I need them, and of being of a small enough size to not be a food storage issue if refrigeration wasn't available.


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## pancho

Cliff said:


> I've thought about this in the past as well. I wish there was more information out there. Wonder if they would eat my raspberry canes or blueberry bushes. Wonder if they would chew on fruit tree bark. I imagine they would.


No, they won't eat tree bark or raspberry or blueberry bushes. You can have a whole herd in your yard and the only way to tell they are there is you probably won't have to mow.
They graze the grass. I have all of those things growing in my yard and they have never bothered a thing. They eat weeds also. My yard is just about weed free.


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## pancho

Cliff said:


> My objective would be to have them as a supplement. In my thinking they would be converting something inedible to me (grass) into something edible with very little effort on my part. Also with the benefit of being able to run around and keep themselves alive till I need them, and of being of a small enough size to not be a food storage issue if refrigeration wasn't available.


During the winter I do feed them some grain and rabbit pellets.
I can't think of any animal or bird that can live with less care.
They will need some place to hide and den up. Mine like the pampas grass. 
Just be sure the house cats are not allowed in the yard.


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## Barnhouse

Millroad said:


> In South America they call it cuy (pronounce quee) and yes, it is eaten everywhere. Here it is plated up:
> 
> 
> Travel: The Cuy As Dinner


Is that the patagonian gp, do you know?
I mean, they don't eat the ones we have here do they?


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## akane

They eat the same species we have here. Our common pets are a staple meat animal in other countries.


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## praieri winds

are they like eating a rabbit or a rat?


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## pancho

praieri winds said:


> are they like eating a rabbit or a rat?


Don't know but by looking at their shape looks like there isn't much waste on them.


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## akane

Well I forgot my scale so I don't have individual weights but without the head which had a fair bit of meat on it but also a bullet somewhere in there since I use a pellet gun so not useable I got 5lbs of meat with bone of 3 pigs so 1lb 9 oz each on average and the boar I kept weighed 2lb 8 oz. Without heads a 64% dress out rate. Dunno meat to bone ratio though and probably won't with this batch. They were full adult boars with tough hides and I decided not worth skinning so I just portioned them in to pet food. The cats have been having fun with still furred gerbils and whole skinned rabbit bodies. We'll see what they can do with a cut up, fur on guinea pig. The dogs only eat theirs frozen or they just push it around and pluck the fur making a bloody, furry mess on everything. If it's frozen they'll chew it like a bone instead. Pictures weren't worth it this time since all I did was shoot them, behead them, and then in the sink cut the legs off and open the body some more for the dogs and cats.

We'll try skinning and maybe deboning a younger batch that isn't so tough this fall. The boar is working on it with 3 sows but research found they only accept breeding for 6-11hrs every 16days. Lots different than breeding rabbits.


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## Barnhouse

> akane
> They eat the same species we have here. Our common pets are a staple meat animal in other countries.


But it seems so small, doesn't seem to be worth it for people. 
Have you ever tried it?



> The dogs only eat theirs frozen or they just push it around and pluck the fur making a bloody, furry mess on everything. If it's frozen they'll chew it like a bone instead.


So you behead it, take the legs off, open the body, freeze it and dog food.
No gutting either? Do the dogs eat everything?
I'm very intrigued by this.


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## Pony

Used to raise them as pets. I recall that they need Vitamin C. Can they get enough of that free-range?


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## akane

They can get enough vit c picking it for them. All they need is about a cup worth of greens, fruits, veggies... they don't get upset stomachs over rich foods like rabbits so it was smoothie making week and they've been getting their vit c from handfuls of kiwi and banana peel. Otherwise I pick grass, dandelion, edible weeds, and aflalfa from the field and stick it in a grocery bag in the fridge. When my herd got small (down from dozens) I used to feed guinea pigs without any pellets at all but then they'd eat a grocery bag a day or about 4lbs of food for 3-4 of them even with hay which is time consuming.

Most of the breeders on the ARBA lists seem to feed rabbit pellets and puritan's (sp) vit c crystals in the water with some in the north feeding fresh picked foods all summer and only the vit c in the water in winter. Vit c is very unstable and has to be changed daily and preferably color the water bottle black to keep the sun off it. It's taboo by the pet and rescue people to give guinea pigs vit c that way because of that but seems pretty standard with breeders who don't want to pay $2/lb minimum for guinea pig pellets or the cost of a cup of vegetables and fruits a day from the grocery store.


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## GBov

Barnhouse said:


> But it seems so small, doesn't seem to be worth it for people.


Have you ever eaten squirrel? They may be small but they are super good and a very filling meat. Quail are the same way, rather small but with flavor to spare.


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## Cliff

The innards have the most nutrition as far as vitamins/minerals. For pet food I wouldn't gut them.

As far as their size goes, they look big enough to provide a day's protein requirement for 3-4 people I think. We don't need near as much protein as we consume. I'm interested in them as a supplemental/minimal work part of a sustainable food system. Think what you would do if we didn't have fridges and freezers. Small animals like this that could keep themselves alive till you needed them would be the ideal. In the old days people rarely ate beef. There was just no good way to store that much meat.


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## ||Downhome||

those Patagonia Cavy look like a kangaroos to me... well maybe one that bred with a hare?


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## lexa

I wonder how do Peruvians kill theirs because they are served with head on.
You had nice weights, I think.


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## KSALguy

knock them in the head, break their neck,


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## Barnhouse

> GBov
> Have you ever eaten squirrel? They may be small but they are super good and a very filling meat. Quail are the same way, rather small but with flavor to spare.





Cliff said:


> Think what you would do if we didn't have fridges and freezers. Small animals like this that could keep themselves alive till you needed them would be the ideal. In the old days people rarely ate beef. There was just no good way to store that much meat.


Excellent points. I just never thought of guinea pigs as anything but pets and prey.

Is there anybody out there who has tasted it?
And please don't tell me it takes like :chicken:
(that's supposed to be a chicken)


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## akane

There are lots of ways to kill and leave the head on. If you you've got a really good knife you can just slit the throat and let them bleed out in seconds without doing anything else. I would bet on those who rely on guinea pig meat doing this because once you've got practice it's the fastest and gets all the blood out with no damage to the carcass. You can bonk them first so they are unconscious and then bleed them out just in case you aren't as smooth with a knife. I'm not sure exactly how hard cervical dislocation would be with a guinea pig given their short necks but I'm sure you can find a way. With rabbits I've heard of people using broomsticks, rebar, etc.. or just holding the head in one hand, the back legs in the other, and pulling the animal until the head pops. The latter sounds far easier on a guinea pig. I have no idea how people do it on full size meat rabbits. You can build things to cervical dislocate from the simple 2 nails set in a V on a board to the rabbit wringer style. You could use the rabbit size bolt guns to shoot the brain without leaving a lead pellet behind.


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## pancho

A few of my boars have a hunp on their neck. Just about all of them have a neck the same size as the body. Looks like the neck is the strongest part of their body.


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## Barnhouse

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> I am interested to hear your results. The problem with guinea pigs is they grow slower, are much smaller, take twice as long to have babies, have half as many, and require more specialized care.
> 
> Seems its a lose lose situation. However, the babies are born fully done and hit the ground running.


Boy, you weren't kidding-
Baby Guinea Pigs 2 hours old and already popcorning! - YouTube


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## lonelyfarmgirl

Oh yeah, the ones with the cowlicks all over their bodies are ultra cute as newborns. Thats the kind I used to have.


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## Barnhouse

I have a BIG yard that I would like very much not to have to mow.
Would these guys stay put if you put a kind of portable, flexible fencing around them or does it have to be something more solid?

Also, do they stay out year round??
I get double digits BELOW Zero up here, sometimes for days at a time.


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## GBov

So is all you have to have is a cat free yard, grass and several low covered spaces for them to shelter under?

What about water? Can/will they drink from a small pond or do they need something special?


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## pancho

Mine don't need water. They get all of the moisture they need from the plants they eat. I have had them in my yard year round for about 5 years and they have never had any water in all of that time. I guess your yard does not have to be cat free. I just can't stand cats. Before I put the privacy fence with the hot wire they would come into my yard.
I have quite a few bushes, pampas grass, and high grass. They live in the pampas grass most of the year but spring time they go all over the yard. They also go under my shop.

I don't have real cold weather where I live. Maybe down to 10 degrees at the coldest. The cold does not seem to bother them.


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## akane

We never had water out for ours when on 100% yard grass. If feeding hay I would make sure they have water. We brought ours in before it would snow. Occasionally we wouldn't get them all and they'd still be alive the next day but we never left them through a full Iowa winter with temps in the negatives. However I'm told that show breeders have bred varieties that can stay outdoors in buildings year round. Your common petstore or descendent mutt guinea pig will probably not survive it though. We'd just sell down to the breeders we wanted to keep and throw them in rabbit hutches in the mudroom and after we moved in chinchilla cages with the wire floor removed under the laundry room sink for a couple months. Come spring back out they went.

We did not have a guinea pig proof fence in town and they only went through it just long enough to avoid us and come back through farther down. They used our low deck as a center point and followed the pool, garage, and fenceline eating down the weeds and never left the yard for more than seconds. They didn't even follow the house to the front yard very often and if they did they used the carnation bushes and shrubs to go around and then go back without wandering in to the open. We didn't even have a cat proof yard which might have accounted for a few lost pups but cats generally don't attack the adults. Out in the country with ferals and other wildlife I can't make the same guarantee and when we moved we switched to putting them in horse stalls and pens during warm weather instead of free range type. Pretty much the same as we maintain our rabbit colonies but without the concerns over digging.


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## fireweed farm

One time in Peru while walking by an adobe house (probably 10' x 10') I noticed that there were standard sized, orange cowlicked guinea pigs running around on the dirt floor with the family. They looked exactly size/shape as the ones I had as pets growing up.
And yes they did seem to eat with head, though I saw it eaten I did not try.


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## akane

The new guinea pigs:
Show quality silver agouti sow that I'm getting a boar for from someone later this year:









sort of show quality chocolate marten sow but I didn't get a pedigree with her:









freebie chocolate tan buck (guessing that's his color name) for buying the sow cause the lady was selling out half her herd and he has a mismarked white leg: 


















Now I have to go build a small cage for the chocolates I didn't plan for. Darn $5 guinea pigs


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## pancho

Are those grown guinea pigs?
I had to go out an put my hand up against some of my free ranging ones.
I have a pretty good size hand and mine are quite a bit larger than those.
Mine are longer and quite a bit taller. I really haven't given it much thought but free ranging them may increase their size.


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## akane

Those are mostly just weaned. The boar is probably a couple weeks older.

This is my grown boar









He's nearly the length of the loaf of bread behind him.

The smaller of the females


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## pancho

akane said:


> Those are mostly just weaned. The boar is probably a couple weeks older.
> 
> This is my grown boar
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He's nearly the length of the loaf of bread behind him.
> 
> The smaller of the females


That is more like it.


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## Barnhouse

I see you bought the stuffing right along with the guinea pigs.
That's what I call "planning to succeed."


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## KrisD

I am thinking I would like to try raising them for food. They are quiet which is a real bonus and they don't dig. I am picking up a chocolate male this afternoon and I may pick up a female as well. I'm excited about the easier way to raise food compared to raising goats, cows or even Cornish x chickens. I would do rabbits but I don't want to have a bunch of hutches all over and they dig tunnels. 

My biggest concern is what my family and friends will think. They already think I'm nuts and this isn't going to help my image lol.


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## akane

The problem seems to be trying to figure out how to skin the buggers. I can see another reason they might have gained the pig part of their name. They've got a hide and tough coat like a really mini wild hog especially after you kill them and their fur all bristles for some reason. The ones I tried were a bit easier to skin after I had them in the sink rather than hanging and worked from the neck as well as removing the feet. It was a chore though and I left a bunch of tufts and a strip down the butt of each one since I was just trying to get them stripped enough my dogs would eat them without playing with their fluffy food. The cats did a better job than me. I got tired of it and just gave one with a split belly to them. They stripped their cuy out from the inside including the spine right down to the hide. Left the entire thing with just a layer of fat on it. Rabbit skinning methods definitely don't work and my first cuts only went through hide and didn't pierce the belly. I had to really slice given their size. If they weren't so small those adult hides would probably be useful for some tough garments. Guinea pig quilt. Explain that one.

I did notice the show pigs are much much softer in coat. I don't know if that's diet or genetics.

I butcher on my mom's farm and I make sure when I get there to haul the pigs out to the woods I use first thing so they are out of ear shot and sight. Then I do my rabbit chores, check the horses, and butcher the pigs which go in a cooler and back to my truck. That way no one knows I'm doing guinea pigs instead of just rabbits which they've come to accept are sometimes food animals.


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## GBov

OMG! I just looked on CL to see what they are going for in my area. :stars: pricy pigs! I can buy a REAL pig for what people are charging!


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## Barnhouse

I can't even find any in my area.
Plus I found guinea pig enthusiasts flag ads for rabbits and guinea pigs on CL.


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## KrisD

I read that in Peru they dip the pig in scalding water after it's killed and the hair apparently scrapes off or so they say. The G pig we got today will be a breeder boar. He is super calm and friendly, no way my DS is going to let that one become a meal. I am now looking for some sows to breed to him.


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## City Bound

I am interested in trying to eat some. I saw an episode of Bizzare foods where the host was down in south america eating G pigs. People keep them in cages in the kitchen and feed them kitchen scraps. The ancient romans use to do the same thing with door mince, they kept them in cages in the kitchen, fattened them up, and then ate them.


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## Falls-Acre

As of 10 years ago (last time I checked) it was illegal to import the Cuy guinea pigs to the US. I never was sure about why. A few years ago a club offered tastes of cooked cavy to visitors of the ARBA convention that was held in CA. I myself don't really wish to consume my cavies, they are more valuable to me as a minor source of income. However, there are a few strains that would easily be options for meat. There is a lady not too many states from me that has her average boar size around 3-4 lbs (average for a standard adult male is only 2 lbs). Most of my stock comes from her either directly or indirectly.

If you are raising for meat alone, just be sure to only hold onto the offspring that grow quickly in the first 3 weeks. They are likely to end up being the big ones.


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## akane

Try hoobly.com or ebayclassifieds rather than CL. People charge outrage prices for everything on CL so it won't go for snake food. I'm not sure where they want all these pets to end up but most of the pigs are $20 off there. If you want show breeder culls you can get them for $5-$10 dropping by a rabbit show that has cavy entries or looking for breeders in your area. I think the ARBA site has the ability to check for cavy breeders. Every now and then you find someone getting out of pigs either pet or show who will just give you a herd free.


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## KSALguy

CL flagged my ad twice looking for guinea pigs.. kinda irks me pretty good


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## Fat Man

How's your Spanish?

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MqOOSCN5TYM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


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## KSALguy

just heard from someone who is going to Maryland in September and they have a small animal sale that has alot of guinea pigs, they will be picking me up some i hope, just have to wait,


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## KSALguy

got a message from a lady today that wants me to come get her kids guniea pigs as they dont want them anymore, sounds like a sow and four pups, said sow might be bred again but didnt mention the boar, also someone else said they have a solid white boar for sale for $15, so looks like i will have some guinea pigs again soon lol


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## tailwagging

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgJ3jU6WNY4]How to prepare a crispy Cuy... Guinea Pig - YouTube[/ame]


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## KSALguy

total for trodays trip, one bred sow, one adult boar, four pups, three male one female, all are the hair lick kind, cant remimber the name, but they all have randome hair licks some more than others, i will keep the current boar till i have a few more females then swap out for a smooth boar, also all of them are pide/spotted/ multi colord, they had been kept in an open ground pen at their previous home and there was no grass in that pen, they are on the thin side for my taste but healthy, they are now under the stairs on the back patio surounded by lattis that they can come and go through to get to the lawn, also jasmin and rose is around the stairs, giveing plenty of cover, the pups are 6 weeks they said??


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## akane

Be aware boars can breed as young as 3weeks and if you want to raise boars to full size for butchering they will need to be separate from the sows. Otherwise the boars will start fighting over the sows as they get older and there is no set age when these arguments will break out. You can keep multiple sows to a boar, multiple sows, multiple boars, but you cannot keep multiple boars to a sow(s) without risk of injury and they tend to just go off one day. We had one lose an eye and slice open a shoulder after they lived seemingly perfectly content since pups until one little territorial argument happened in an instant because of the sows.


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## Elsbet

I've been updating DH on this thread, and he brought up a point that I thought very interesting- since they are born ambulatory, if you are raising them outside, there would be MUCH less loss to fire ants swarming newborns as opposed to rabbits. We may be trying this out, but will not tell ANY of our friends and neighbors, because I just know they will freak out at the thought, lol.


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## Elsbet

akane said:


> We never had water out for ours when on 100% yard grass. If feeding hay I would make sure they have water. We brought ours in before it would snow. Occasionally we wouldn't get them all and they'd still be alive the next day but we never left them through a full Iowa winter with temps in the negatives. However I'm told that show breeders have bred varieties that can stay outdoors in buildings year round. Your common petstore or descendent mutt guinea pig will probably not survive it though. .


You might be surprised. We had one escape once, when we lived in Maine. He drove a woodchuck (Easily 5 times or more his size) out of its burrow and took it over. I could never catch him after that. We had to move for work that fall, but my niece, who lived on the same property, said that he was still alive the next spring, running around the field. I think something eventually got him. I was very impressed at how hardy he was, though.


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## KSALguy

Never lost a litter of rabbits in my colony to fire ants. But maybe that's because the colony was in the chicken pen. But their burrows were under the coop. They probably just kept the soil so worked over with all their digging the ants couldn't get established. 

These pups are 6 weeks old? They are small but yes I saw some fighting on the way home. I'm keeping the one female pup but not sure yet what to do with the young boars.


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## GBov

How much fighting would there be if they are free ranged? Would the dominant boar just drive the younger boors to the edge of the colony or will he kill them?


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## Cliff

KSALguy said:


> Never lost a litter of rabbits in my colony to fire ants. But maybe that's because the colony was in the chicken pen. But their burrows were under the coop. They probably just kept the soil so worked over with all their digging the ants couldn't get established.
> 
> These pups are 6 weeks old? They are small but yes I saw some fighting on the way home. I'm keeping the one female pup but not sure yet what to do with the young boars.


Pick a tasty looking one and get back to us with how he is? 

Jk but I am curious. The whole concept is very interesting. Atm though I am worried that my barn cats would also think so


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## akane

We didn't have to pay any attention to age and number of gender when running them in the backyard. We just sold them as we saw old enough ones that were not our main pets. In a 12x12 stall though I had boars fight and even had one die from his wounds because of infection and a stupid vet who gave penicillin based antibiotics for it. Guinea pigs need very specific antibiotics and none you can get otc so care when they get an infected wounded or bacterial illness is difficult.


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## pancho

GBov said:


> How much fighting would there be if they are free ranged? Would the dominant boar just drive the younger boors to the edge of the colony or will he kill them?


My boars would stake out different areas and protect them. Some smaller boars would have to move a ways off and grow up some then come back and make a place for themselves. During the winter they will join back up.

Mine do not fight that much anymore. I do have one boar that was banished from the herd for about a year. He came back after a year and took on all comers. He is now the dominate boar. Some of my boars have a few scars.

Most of mine are getting old. They have been free ranging for over 5 years.


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## KSALguy

i am hopeing that with all the fresh greens, grass, hay and some grain they will fill out more an get to a decent size, if they do i will put one or two in the pot and see what i think, there are some country folk round that eat squirl and i may borrow a recipee or two from them and see what happens lol, 
my main question is how soon do the young sows breed? she is still small, these pups are from the adult sows seccond litter, she lost the first and is now heavy bred with her third, so how ever old that makes them,


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## 65284

This is an interesting thread. How much space is required for each pig, I wonder if a Guinea Pig "tractor" with a few attached boxes for shelter and birthing would be feasible for a boar and a few sows?

I have an easily moveable chicken tractor I no longer use, it would be a simple matter to revamp it. I'm in central MO and it gets pretty cold here, do these guys need heat in the winter?


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## Barnhouse

I asked this before, but I didn't see an answer. If I missed it I apologize.

If I put gps in the yard using some temporary fencing, (so they would have a sense of boundaries) would that be good enough, or do you need something more solid around the yard? I've got few rolls of plastic fencing (like you see around construction sites) that the old owner left behind. 

If I staked out a big area using this plastic stuff, would that be good enough?


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## KSALguy

Give them a central location to feel safe like some low bushes, pampas grass or like mine are under the stairs with lattis an roses to hide in. The main thing is protection from preditors. They will stay close.


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## akane

Guinea pigs are not destructive toward fences if they have plants to chew on. Most anything small enough in spacing will hold them in while they eat. 

Right now I have 3 females and 1 boar in 10 sq ft without issues but I know that will not due for having offspring. I am giving them 18 days which the average guinea pig cycle is 16 and then dividing them up further (built another 30x36") so sows can have space for litters. I plan to give pairs 30x30 and 30x36 cages shared with the odd weaning rabbit litter from the netherlands which are hardly bigger than weaned guinea pig pups.


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## KSALguy

do Guinea Pigs like Comfry? so far on the menue is Kudzu, Grass, dandilion type weeds, some kind of low round flat leafy weed that puts up long flower stalks with little yellow flowers in the lawn that the rabbits loved and so do the guinea pigs, 

i found a large wild comfry plant and was curious, i know rabbits dont always eat it, anyway i put a few of the big leafs out for them and will see if they ate them in the morning,


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## akane

> low round flat leafy weed that puts up long flower stalks with little yellow flowers in the lawn


Probably plantain. Do a google image search.

Animals tend to have good instincts about these things. Comfrey comes with a medicinal warning Comfrey - Symphytum officinale . Too much could be unhealthy or borderline toxic but then they are talking about excessive amounts to have a truly dangerous effect. Always aim for a balanced diet and usually you won't run in to trouble even if you miss something.


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## KSALguy

no not plantain, we have that too and i am going to try and give them some, but this is differint, less leaf than plantain, flatter smaller, tall thin flower stalk with a small yellow flower almost like a dandilion distant relative,


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## Falls-Acre

The biggest issue with free ranging cavies would be a toss up between the hawks (here) and the cats. While sows _can_ breed at 3 weeks, I've rarely seen a boar bother with her until she is a suitable size to deliver pups safely, usually several months of age, as long as there are other older sows for them to court in the herd. Remember that cavies have survived in the wild for a much longer time than humans have 'allowed' them to roam together. Like any herd, they will usually drive the young off when they reach a certain age (if they aren't removed by people) to establish their own territories. Given enough space, it shouldn't be a problem.


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## GBov

How do you catch them when you want to sell or eat one? I had rabbits living in a burrow and by gum, the babies were a right challenge to catch.


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## pancho

GBov said:


> How do you catch them when you want to sell or eat one? I had rabbits living in a burrow and by gum, the babies were a right challenge to catch.


Mine are very tame. They will come when I call them. So will my rabbits.


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## akane

We scooped them out from under the deck with the pool net and built traps using cinderblocks. We'd put several in a row, feed them veggies in them, and when it came time to catch some block the end real quick and pull them out. There were always a few we could never quite catch and come winter had to lure them inside where the others were in rabbit hutches or spend an extra week on them. I don't think they learn as well as rabbits. The rabbits will come to recognize my traps and avoid them so I have to build new ones all the time but the same traps and nets worked every year with the guinea pigs.


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## KSALguy

how do they handle new additions to the herd? i am looking at adding another sow tonight, 6 weeks old or so i think they said, i know when i added adult rabbits to my colony there was some fighting amung the does, the adult sow i have now is heavy bred if it makes a differince,


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## wolffeathers

Someone needs to eat one already, I'm very curious. LOL

A couple of concerns for me are: 

Will they come into the house and become destructive(like mice or rats)?
Will they rob other critters of their feed?(Am I going to find them in the chicken coop stealing feed?)

This is all very interesting to me.


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## pancho

wolffeathers said:


> Someone needs to eat one already, I'm very curious. LOL
> 
> A couple of concerns for me are:
> 
> Will they come into the house and become destructive(like mice or rats)?
> Will they rob other critters of their feed?(Am I going to find them in the chicken coop stealing feed?)
> 
> This is all very interesting to me.


I feed all of my animals the same feed. The guinea pigs, ducks, chickens, rabbits, quail, pigeons, everything gets the same feed. Guinea pigs will get almost everything they need from grazing. It is much more likely the chickens will steal their feed. They won't come into your house as there isn't anything they want to eat in there.


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## KrisD

So I've been putting ours outside with little huts out in the yard. They venture a few feet and bolt back in the huts when they see a lg bird fly over head. To catch I just go to their little hut and pull them out. I can't wait to taste one.

Have any of you had trouble with them delivering pups? They have to have their first litter by 6 months old or their pelvis fuses and the pups get stuck.


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## akane

Guinea pigs don't chew like other rodents so what are they going to do to get in to and/or damage your house? If they actually litterbox trained people would let them run loose 24/7 and they'd do less damage than house rabbits.

The pelvis doesn't "fuse" on anything. It's a myth propagated by the rescue groups to help stop breeding. What does happen is the ligaments tighten as an animal ages if it doesn't have litters making it harder for the pelvic bones to separate. That doesn't mean you can't breed them older and it doesn't happen at x age. It just means the older they get the more risk there is a pup might get stuck. This is true with rabbits, horses, etc...


Guinea pigs do have a high rate of delivery problems because their offspring are so developed. You do lose first time litters often because they are usually too few and so grow too big to make it out smoothly and alive plus the sow giving birth for the first time and everything not being stretched out yet. You lose the sows more often than you would other rodents and rabbits but not excessively so. We usually got 3-5 years of breeding out of each sow. They still reproduce at nearly the same rate as rabbits as well because they are ready to breed so early. The sows will stunt if bred early though making it hard to tell the largest genetically. We had a sow bred by a sibling since boars are ready so early that had a single pup nearly her own size when she was half grown and she stayed half grown her entire life.


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## GBov

How well do GPs handle wet weather? When the rains hit down here they hit hard with many inches at a time!


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## pancho

GBov said:


> How well do GPs handle wet weather? When the rains hit down here they hit hard with many inches at a time!


I live in Ms. We get a lot of rain.
Most of mine have been outside for at least 5 years.
If it rains a lot they just stay where ever they have denned up.
When the rain slows down they are back out grazing.


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## akane

Bets when she'll pop?


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## KSALguy

if i were to bet i would say with in about two days tops, but i am still learning guinea pig breeding, what was she bred too? would love to have a nice big smooth sow like that,


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## akane

I _think_ this boar with a dark brown butt and head and basically dutch rabbit markings. They were in a mixed pen but he was the adult boar of the group even though the younger ones may have been old enough to breed. I liked one of the little boars. He had interesting patches all over the place with a light brown splotch over his head, dark brown roan on most of him, and white around the middle but I already have 3 boars planned for various breeding groups so I don't need another and they wanted $25 for him. 

I'm going to have a pair of show quality silver agoutis to sell from-the breeder is picking out a good boar to match the sow I chose, then this sow, the chocolate marten sow, and the "chocolate" (I've been told he's golden agouti officially) boar, and finally that herd of pet quality adults I got all at once with the big boar and 3 sows of patchy color. Culling will happen when we start getting offspring to choose from so the herd may shrink given space and quality.

Right now my guinea pigs are eating hardly anything that costs money. I picked 1 and now 2 grocery bags from the alfalfa field every other day, takes me 10mins anymore, and they get a bag a day. They eat a small amount of hay and get 2 small dishes for the big cage and 1 small dish of pellets a day for the cage with this sow plus the young show quality ones are in with some just weaned netherlands and have a bin feeder that I fill once a week. I ordered Antioxidants: Vitamin C Crystals for winter which everyone seems to use along with rabbit pellets. They've also gotten some scraps. My husband had leftover carrots and potatos from making curry that fed them one day.


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## KSALguy

gave mine some whole grain today, they loved it, i love the compleatly cheep/free feeding aspect, 
all mine are pet quality absynian (sp?) with maybe one better quality sow, which is fine as i am not looking to show or anything,


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## silverseeds

Im curious where the folks who free ranged them lived? I tried my hand with guinea pigs awhile back. I had terrible luck. Im in zone 5 at 8k feet, so winters can be pretty cold, but I kept them in a semi heated shed. I know their nutritional needs well, and all that was fully covered. (vit. c and the rest) 

they werent doing to good at all though. while in the summer they were thriving and my herd was growing really fast. so I related their slow grinding demise to the cold. was i wrong? 

They definitely dont grw as fast as rabbit sI know that much, so im focusing on rabbits now. I did like the guinea pigs though, its a neat animal. They taste a lot like rabbits with a sweetness to the meat. i ended up eating all may stock, because they were clearly not happy, a few had died, and many were slowly loosing weight. still eating and drinking, just not enough I guess, I assumed using all their energy for their body heat) they would be cuddled into a big pile all the time. Barely any play. It was to sad to see, so I just ate the rest in the end... 

Ive invested to much into the rabbits now, and basically lost a few hundred on the guinea pig project sourcing a good range of types to start my herd, so I probably wont try them again. but Id be curious is anyone knows what i might have messed up on if not the cold. and like i said it was a semi heated shed, it NEVER was freezing in there. purposely kept it above the freezing point.


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## Barnhouse

Hello silverseeds
The cold concerns me too. We can get double digit below zero for week sometimes and my barn is not heated. 

Anybody have any recommendations?

I think you're the first to tell us how they taste. 
Would you recommend them as food?


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## akane

I've been told show breeders in local areas have bred varieties that survive the cold in a building but your typical pet guinea pig will be unhappy below 60, inactive below 40, and risk death below 30 if it goes on for days at a time. We have pulled a few out of snowstorms like I believe I said before but we didn't leave them out in that weather long term. We always brought them in for the 3-4months of winter. We are borderline zone 5-4 and around mid Nov to beginning of Mar they lived in rabbit hutches at one house that had a big mud room and stacks of chinchilla cages with the wire floors removed under the laundry room sink and counter at the other house. We just kept our breeding stock each winter and sold the rest without any breeding over winter. They ate mostly horse feed all winter and didn't eat anymore than we managed to spill and got swept out as waste so time was the only thing spent on them.

Then they'd go out in the yard or later the stalls and pens when we had no fenced backyard for March until Nov again being fed on nothing but hay and forage. Once I moved out of my parents' house I had a room to devote to small animals so I could breed some all winter. I've always had a dozen guinea pigs or rabbits at a time in the house even when I have the stable at my disposal and 50 some in there.


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## silverseeds

Barnhouse said:


> Hello silverseeds
> The cold concerns me too. We can get double digit below zero for week sometimes and my barn is not heated.
> 
> Anybody have any recommendations?
> 
> I think you're the first to tell us how they taste.
> Would you recommend them as food?


Well, as far as taste, yeah sure. It was good. It really was a lot like rabbit, except had a bit of a sweetness to it. I think anyone who likes rabbits would like them, some folks might like them more actually. they are a bit trickier to process then rabbits in my limited experience (I ate about 8 of them) the hair/skin is harder to get off. takes a bit more determination, but not enough it would stop anyone. 

Rabbits sure grow a lot faster though, (and get bigger, then the GPs I had anyway) rabbits are easier to feed as well, not needing the vit. c (but I found rosehip and or pine needle tea in place of water did just fine-I actually tested one with no vit. c other then those sources and he did great) and it seems to me cold was a barrier my particular GPs couldnt cross. As akane said Ive heard of people with selections that did ok in unheated buildings, which is why I tried them that way, but that really does seem to be what did mine in. (the cold) 

but if you have a selection that deals with the cold or live in a warm enough place, I think they are neat. I like their personalities and habits a bit more then rabbits. Although rabbit personalities are really growing on me. 

Also rabbits seem to have larger litters then the GPs I had, and rabbits arent TO hard to deal with, but GP young seem about impossible to fail with. They pop out ready to eat on their own. Three litters were born here last summer and not one baby failed. (maybe I got lucky) In fact two of my females were pregnant when I got them, and I did nothing at all, and just noticed there were babies one day when I was feeding them. right there at the bowls with the females that were in that particular container.


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## pancho

The cold weather does not bother my guinea pigs.
We had temps down in the teens this last winter and down to 10 a couple of winters.
Mine ate a little more, that was the only difference I saw. Mine have plenty of places to den up. Whole grains in the winter might be one reason cold does not bother mine.


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## silverseeds

Mine didnt get whole grains daily, but for the record, mine did have them as well. Generally scraps we didnt finish ourselves.


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## KrisD

Score I just picked up 5 pigs for free! All are under a year most are 4 months one is 7 months. Lady can't take care of them in her Apt. 

Silverseeds how cold are talking about that they didn't do well. Here it rarely gets to freezing. Do you think that 40's is too cold? I could put them in the garage during the cold.


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## silverseeds

Well i never let it get to freezing in the shed. I never measured the temps either. Must have been the 35-40 range. 

I have heard of people who had them in as cold of spots though, so im not sure the difference. Im assuming I just had the wrong genetics, and those with luck with it had some that were selected through cold temps in the past. Just a guess really though. They didnt have daily grain as pancho referenced, but they did have some of our grain scraps. they had straw and little enclosures to hide in. But like I said ive heard of people who did this, and others who failed when I read about it, so my guess is the genetics. Just a guess though. 

Im pretty sad they didnt work out for me, if not for my wife being angry Id try again, I like their personalities alot. they always chat up a storm at feeding time. they are fun. Perhaps if I ever find a source I KNOW can handle those temps i will try again. Or free ones like yo found, Ive seen free ones on craigslist, only problem there is the city they are in is an hour away, Id have to line it up when Im already headed to the city.


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## akane

Ours were fine in 40's but had houses with old horse blankets and piles of hay which is a good insulator.


























There's actually 5 there but unless you blow up the pic and look for the little brown pixels in the green hay you won't find them.


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## Barnhouse

akane, that's exactly what my barn stall looks like for my rabbit doe. 
It measures much smaller, 9 X 7 for just one doe, but I even have the same black squares. I plan to do the same with my bucks, and that will free up space in the middle for some gps if I can find any.

Personally, I enjoy the animals much more with this kind of set up.


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## KSALguy

love the setup, also on the other genetics thred it was posed a question of what the fur type was in the GP's that didnt do so well in cold weather, was it the Abbysennian or smooth coated? my Abbys dont look like they would be AS warm in cold weather as a smooth coat,


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## akane

Well it happened. My akita did her insistence of checking the animals routine and I found these 2 

























There's what less than 24hr old guinea pigs look like. Most likely less than 12hrs old. They were dashing about the cage like little rockets as I tried to cage them and I finally had to remove all obstacles.


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## silverseeds

It is amazing to see how ready to go newborn guinea pigs are!!! I was surprised.


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## akane

That's why I say the extra month of gestation compared to a rabbit really doesn't set you back any. They come out equal to a month old kit and may be ready to breed as early as 3 weeks from that day although a couple month is more common just like with rabbits.


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## silverseeds

Well if I had more of them and either the right genetics or set up (I really did give them ways to keep warm) to keep them through winter, Id agree its a good animal for small scale meat production. But rabbits really do outgrow them pretty dang quick even if the younger stage is a bit more tedious. i do want to try the guinea pigs again though, I like their personalities a lot.


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## KSALguy

wow, that sow only had two? guess thats not too bad, are they male or female? cant wait for my adult sow to have her litter, she had four the last time,


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## akane

First litters are nearly always 2 or 3. Anything else is often bad. A singleton pup tends to grow too large and get stuck or come out stillborn and first time sows can't handle large litters. They often fail to give birth to all the offspring resulting in retained fetus and death or a mummified fetus being left behind stopping pregnancy. I'm quite happy to have 2 this litter. All first time litters should be that ideal. It's not like rabbits where first time litter problems aren't really a big deal and can be ignored for another try because generally only the kits are lost. It's more likely to result in loss of the sow if the litter size is off and a complication happens. Usually by the 3rd or 4th litter they are having 5 and we've had 8 several times from senior sows.


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## KSALguy

the history on my adult sow is she is around a year or so give or take, her first litter was three and lost to cats, her seccond litter was four that i have now, and is now pregnant with her third litter, she is swolen and likes to lay down to eat, the current litter is said to be about 6 or 7 weeks now, so i guess she should be just over half way till delivery? also i have two young sows both about 6 or 7 weeks old one from the adult sows litter, not real big, how old and how big will they be when they breed? do guinea pig sows continue to grow while pregnant?


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## akane

They will stunt if you breed them before done growing because they shift the use of calcium and other nutrients from making their own bones to making that of offspring. Does no harm to them and they still produce fine. It is hard to tell what their adult size would have been and so difficult to cull for the biggest as you go. After about 16 weeks they are pretty much done growing their frame and just gain bulk for up to the next year so if you want them to reach maximum size sometime after 4 months is good breeding age.


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## BillHoo

akane said:


> The problem seems to be trying to figure out how to skin the buggers. I can see another reason they might have gained the pig part of their name. They've got a hide and tough coat like a really mini wild hog especially after you kill them and their fur all bristles for some reason. The ones I tried were a bit easier to skin after I had them in the sink rather than hanging and worked from the neck as well as removing the feet. It was a chore though and I left a bunch of tufts and a strip down the butt of each one since I was just trying to get them stripped enough my dogs would eat them without playing with their fluffy food. The cats did a better job than me. I got tired of it and just gave one with a split belly to them. They stripped their cuy out from the inside including the spine right down to the hide. Left the entire thing with just a layer of fat on it. Rabbit skinning methods definitely don't work and my first cuts only went through hide and didn't pierce the belly. I had to really slice given their size. If they weren't so small those adult hides would probably be useful for some tough garments. Guinea pig quilt. Explain that one.
> 
> I did notice the show pigs are much much softer in coat. I don't know if that's diet or genetics.
> 
> I butcher on my mom's farm and I make sure when I get there to haul the pigs out to the woods I use first thing so they are out of ear shot and sight. Then I do my rabbit chores, check the horses, and butcher the pigs which go in a cooler and back to my truck. That way no one knows I'm doing guinea pigs instead of just rabbits which they've come to accept are sometimes food animals.


From what I've seen on the travel network, down in Peru, they leave the skins on after killing.

Then, they singe the hide over flame and scrap the skin with a blade to remove the fur and maybe a top layer of skin. Or scald with hot water and rub off fur. Salt and pepper, slash the skin a little with a sharp blade if you want some fat to render, gut and roast.

Tastes like roast pork with crispy skin! REALLY, the cracklin skin is the best part! Otherwise, deep fry them or roast with a sweet bbq sauce based on them.


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## BillHoo

wolffeathers said:


> Someone needs to eat one already, I'm very curious. LOL
> 
> A couple of concerns for me are:
> 
> Will they come into the house and become destructive(like mice or rats)?
> Will they rob other critters of their feed?(Am I going to find them in the chicken coop stealing feed?)
> 
> This is all very interesting to me.



The young lady who does this video food blog presents her guinea pig meal in great detail.

Afterward, she wanted ice cream.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guD_HkQ2nDg&feature=related]Cuy in Peru - YouTube[/ame]


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## akane

Well I did make a guinea pig pelt. This is just dried on my deck with nothing done to them.








On a rabbit pelt









I found after splitting the belly and cutting off the feet you can work it up the sides until both meet and it peels off the back.


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## Cliff

So akane, did you eat the guinea pig?


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## akane

Since my pet food pork guy disappeared on me guinea pigs are dog food for variety (I found over 50% rabbit in the diet causes health problems) until we are producing enough. Waiting on 3 sows with one looking ready to explode and I have one in grow out since the pair of pups we had turned out to be one male and one female. The female is joining my silver agouti group and the male is being butchered soon.


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## SephysManda

I didn't read the whole thread, but I wanted to write my experience.

I've butchered my own guinea pig and ate it. I raise guinea pigs for show, but if I'm not able to sell a guinea pig (mostly males) between 6 months to a year, I will do the deed. I've offended many a people because I'm all for eating guinea pig (plus feeding guinea pigs to the dog). 

When I tried my first guinea pig, he was 6 to 8 months old and before death he was a total of 2 lbs. He had enough meat on him for only one person (me!). I didn't skin him, but did the same as the South Americans and scolded the hair off. When I cooked him, I covered him in flour and cooked him on the stove. Definitely a totally unique/different taste! I would totally eat it again.


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## mekasmom

pancho said:


> During the winter I do feed them some grain and rabbit pellets.


What kind of temps do you have in the winter months were you raised these?

and about Capybaras....... I have often wondered if they are used as a food soruce in their native habitat? They are so big, and produce so well. The zoos sometimes have to split them up or alter them due to their fertility.


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## Cliff

SephysManda said:


> I didn't read the whole thread, but I wanted to write my experience.
> 
> I've butchered my own guinea pig and ate it. I raise guinea pigs for show, but if I'm not able to sell a guinea pig (mostly males) between 6 months to a year, I will do the deed. I've offended many a people because I'm all for eating guinea pig (plus feeding guinea pigs to the dog).
> 
> When I tried my first guinea pig, he was 6 to 8 months old and before death he was a total of 2 lbs. He had enough meat on him for only one person (me!). I didn't skin him, but did the same as the South Americans and scolded the hair off. When I cooked him, I covered him in flour and cooked him on the stove. Definitely a totally unique/different taste! I would totally eat it again.


Thanks for sharing  People are so funny about what they "think" we should eat. Wouldn't they be horrified to know how the industrial garbage they eat every day is raised lol.


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## pancho

mekasmom said:


> What kind of temps do you have in the winter months were you raised these?
> 
> and about Capybaras....... I have often wondered if they are used as a food soruce in their native habitat? They are so big, and produce so well. The zoos sometimes have to split them up or alter them due to their fertility.


We get some winter nights where the temps gets down in the teens. Not a lot though. The cold temps don't seem to bother them but they stay fat.

I have some old boars that have lived 6-7 years out side and still going strong.


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## akane

Box of guinea pups









I might keep the black one with the white snip if it's female. Unfortunately 4 were born dead and we lost 1 sow. Guinea pig birth is not an easy affair.


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## KSALguy

that sucks about loosing the sow and babies, but these all look alive and well, i am hoping there are some Guinea pigs in the Philippines that i can work with in some of the villages,


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## akane

So I overdid the guinea pig breeding for meat purposes a little, you think rabbits breed fast :lol: , round 2 is due in 2 weeks and I can't raise these all to 4months so some get to go as pets or if someone else wants to experiment. I got a ton of sows.

I have 2 brown (golden agouti) with white males and 1 solid brown male(might keep for show depending how his head turns out). 2 black, 1 black with white, and 3 tri colored females.
















$10 each
Located near Iowa city. Available until the next batch is born and then I'm going to start butchering some at whatever size they are for dog food.


----------



## Cliff

I just knew you were coming back here to tell us how one tasted 

Wish I lived closer, I'd like to get a few.


----------



## akane

Very close to rabbit like someone else said. It's got a little stronger flavor. The 4month old boar was much better than the unknown age full adult with excess fat on him so we are butchering at 4-5months which is when their growth slows down anyway. The dogs also fail to notice the difference between rabbit and guinea pig. Usually they have to be all picky and testy about new meat sources but they chomp down on a guinea pig right off the bat. The only problem I have is my akita has decided guinea pigs are to be protected which she also does to rabbits some but for some reason it's ok for me to shoot rabbits but not guinea pigs. She just sniffs a shot rabbit and goes on but if I shoot a guinea pig she paces all around the shooting pen and whines about it. I have to yell at her to back off while I'm trying to shoot them too so she doesn't get in the way. Apparently she likes her guinea pigs. 

By the way guinea pigs are darn hard to shoot dead on. Tiny head space and rapid body movements. I made a special pen cause my rabbit one was allowing too much movement and they still go back and forth, back and forth before I can get a shot lined up.


----------



## silverseeds

Did you find them a bit sweet as well akane?? Mine were like a sweet version of rabbit... 

Still sad they didnt work out for me, I will have to try again one day. They are a neat animal.


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## KSALguy

yes wish you were closer, i would get a few more,


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## ohiogoatgirl

dusting off an old topic, i know... naughty me  
i am gettin a pair (m, f) tomorrow and trading someone 2 of my rabbits for 4 female gpigs on thursday. i'm going to be breeding them and experimenting on using them as cat food. i am curious about how they taste though and may eat one myself just to say i have eating gpig haha.
curious how people (akane i think said they do some?) and their gpigs are coming along? 
and this being homesteading forum and all.. wondering how self sufficient feeding them anyone might set up feeding them?


----------



## akane

They eat a ton but luckily they are garbage disposals. Unlike rabbits they won't get upset stomachs from diet changes and fresh food additions. You can toss them about anything by the bag full to cut down on feed. We have no fruit and veggie waste. Peels, rinds, right now pumpkins... I can cut down 1 cat tail and feed them all. Tree trimmings when we are clearing the fence line on the farm. They eat anything. Which is how they are fed in their native lands. They get all the food scraps plus what can be foraged. They grow pretty well on a diet of basically leftover junk and we've been butchering at 4 months. We do provide some rabbit pellets, hay, and vit c in the water but puritan vit c is dirt cheap and we still aren't through one of our $10 bottles using 2 gallons of water a day.

I built a 6 hole cage of 30x48"s to attempt to keep them outdoors next year when we have time to adjust them. The neighbors are complaining a bit about the noise. Someday I'd like to do what we did when I was younger and keep them loose. They don't actually leave an area. You just build a home base for them and they'll stick around foraging for themselves and returning to be caught. We would then bring them in every winter to rabbit hutches in the laundry/mud room but we had plenty evade us through several snow storms and survive just fine. They were extra fuzzy when finally caught. With shelter and feed they might survive a completely outdoor enclosure if bred for it. Or else we just bring them in to cages in an outbuilding every winter. Now if only we had a house to get these plans started.


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## pancho

Mine have gained their winter weight.
Just about as wide as they are long.


----------



## AprilW

This was a really interesting read! I am tempted to try raising them as a dog food source if I could free range them. The only thing holding me back is the longer pregnancy and smaller litters compared to rabbits.


----------



## akane

The longer pregnancy doesn't mean anything because they come out equal to a month old rabbit in maturity.


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## AprilW

It would mean a longer down time between getting litters, which from my reading is consderably smaller than most rabbits will produce.


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## ohiogoatgirl

my first boar  named him obi









my first sow  named her mayra









obi is 2lb (32oz) and mayra is 1lb 8oz (24oz). 
on thursday i am gettin the other pair (peruvian boar -like mayra- and an american sow -like obi) AND tradin another lady 2 of my rabbits for 4 females. those are gonna be suprises on what breeds haha. that doesnt bother me though.

i already have a prospect buyer for my first peruvian litters


----------



## akane

> It would mean a longer down time between getting litters


The litter is still there. It's just in the guinea pig instead of in the nest box. Actually safer that way and you never have to worry about guinea pigs failing to be good mothers when they do have pups.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

feeding guinea pigs from things i can grow....
i know that i cant manage it this winter since it is already november 13  but i do want to have everything set up that i could grow lots of things and store them for feeding guinea pigs completely from what i can grow/forage. my biggest problem seems to be vitiman C in winter time...
would small pots of parsely and things in the windowsils be sufficient for them? i'm thinking once i get the rest of my gpigs that i would have to have alot of potted parsely to give them all enough for their vit C needs... since i will have 2 boars and 6 sows.
0 yes i dive into projects heehee

so with 8 pigs plus the rotating babies a few potted plants likely wouldnt be enough vit C for them all, correct? i dont have much good sunny windowsil anyway.
next idea was sprouted grains/seeds. i tryed this with my rabbits and non seemed to eat any of the sprouts but i am going to try a small amount with the gpigs anyway. but i'm wondering if *that* would be enough vit c either? or would they be enough with feeding sprouts on top of stored carrots/pumpkin/squash/etc?

next thought on feeding them on my own... dehydrating foods? 
could some dehydrated foods be good for them if fed as-is?
or what about having them dried and then softening them in water before feeding?



i would love anyones thoughts or input on this


----------



## KSALguy

oranges are your friend, any greens you can supply are great, hay is great, dried fruit is ok, do you have roses? are you trying to stay away from all processed foods and supplements?


----------



## akane

This is what we used to do with bluegrass for winter.


















Shoplight fixtures are like $10-$20.

That was when we did rescue and had about a dozen to feed but we were also buying guinea pig pellets in 200lb bulk amounts to get huge discounts so that wasn't their only source of vit c. Really the puritan vit c in the water is the easiest thing. All the show people do it year round. It doesn't even require stirring or shaking. I just dump 2 scoops in a 1 gallon jug, fill it, and pour it in the bottles. It dissolves instantly and we aren't even halfway through our $20 order since the start of this thread.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

KSALguy said:


> oranges are your friend, any greens you can supply are great, hay is great, dried fruit is ok, do you have roses? are you trying to stay away from all processed foods and supplements?


they can have fruits? i wasnt sure they could because rabbits cant and gpigs and rabbits are similar in alot of their diet from what i'm reading.

we do our own hay here so thats not in short supply.

dont have roses...

trying to keep it to only what i can grow/produce myself.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

very neat akane!
does it grow ok under regular lights?


----------



## KSALguy

rabbits can have fruit too, apples, strawberrys, mellon, banana, guineapigs can eat these too,


----------



## silverseeds

I was giving my GPs pine needle tea for vitamin C when I didnt have fruit scraps for them. they liked it just fine. They drank as much as they always did anyway.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

very interesting... i have pine trees i could nab off of... is there a certian amount that is good or just stick some pine needles in hot water? 
curious, could/would they just eat pine needles?


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

i dont speak spanish but this was interesting to see the parts of them dispatching the gpigs [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rohljKtns5Y&feature=related]Reportaje radiografia del cuy por Diana Chamorro - YouTube[/ame]

searching through youtube videos (all the good ones in spanish of course) and there are some neat "creep feeders" that would be fairly easy to make something like them!

interesting video of a guy bringing alpacas and guinea pigs to (ecuador?) and teaching people how to care for them. says they do a 12 wk course, build a place for the gpigs and get lots of food ready for them, about 30 families got 6 gpigs each. more people took the course and the original families gave the new ones all 6 gpigs each to start their own. i think thats awesome... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTINl45oTrg&feature=BFa&list=PL8E44gZrltbboZkjXrOp6JbKynsBZh9XL]Raising Guinea Pigs and Harvesting Wool From Alpacas with a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador - YouTube[/ame]


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

I HIT THE LOTTERY!
ok i didnt really... haha ;D but i feel kinda like i did! found some videos on actual dispatching of guinea pigs! 
*please note, YES THIS IS GRAPHIC!* 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHlRSqcgwMc]Peruvian Guinea Pig Slaughtering - YouTube[/ame]


----------



## akane

Unfortunately I suck with a knife and I'd be missing a finger with a wounded guinea pig instead of a dead one. It was interesting in the first vid that he skinned one with the head on and everything. I've gotten good at skinning them but I remove the head (which does have alot of meat) and split all the way down the belly then peel sideways each way from the belly slit until I get to the backbone and peel it down to the rump where I cut it loose. Also interesting how they handle them by the head and have such little fight from the pigs.


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## GBov

Each time I try to watch it it wants me to log in to be sure I am old enough to watch it


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## akane

You don't have to log in. You just have to put your birthday in.


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## GBov

Oh! Shall try that tomorrow when I am all alone. Several of my dearly loved family would have a hard time with little piggies getting the chop lol.


----------



## akane

I had to tell my husband not to look at my monitor for awhile. lol


----------



## akane

I realized I didn't post guinea pig round 2 which had some interesting colors but they all went for snake food because I don't have time to butcher them and my neighbors were complaining of the noise from my herd so we have to shrink down till they can go outside. I only have 2 pregnant females with one being show quality silver agouti right now.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

gorgous babies akane! 

i have (from the pics i already posted).. an american boar (tri color).. and peruvian sow (was told black n white but she has a tan spot on her nose and a lil one on her side too but hardly much at all).
tomorrow *crosses fingers* i am gettin a peruvian boar (tan nose, rest is black but sorta greying longer)... and an american sow thats had a litter already (splashy white and a sort of salt-n-pepper color and creamy color ears)... and 2 young females (was told "red eye white, short and curly hair" which i'm guessin they are young texels possibly). 

cant wait to get them and get some babies! :3


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

almost forgot...
akane i was wondering what weights you were getting? just out of curiousity.
my american boar is 2lb (32oz) and peruvian sow is 1.5lb (24oz).


----------



## akane

I haven't been weighing them and don't have any raising for butchering at the moment but I can go weigh a 4 month old keeper I have and my show boar. The show pigs are slightly smaller than the pet quality pigs were but they have dual purpose so I don't mind.

My boar is 1kg 42g (2lbs, 7oz) and my 2, 4 month old keepers are 680(23oz) and 730g(25oz).


----------



## GBov

I forget who said they had traded rabbits for G Pigs but, as a not so idle question, how many pigs to rabbits would one ask for?


----------



## akane

Depends what you want them for and how old they are. If you want to breed a pair or trio would be good. If you want to butcher today it's gonna depend how old they are. It's also going to depend who you are asking. The non showable colors and people who just like producing pigs to trade will give you freebies and probably 5 or 6 pups for a rabbit they like. The people who are seriously in to showing with good stock might only trade you 1 for 1. We haven't even gotten in to the quality of the rabbit. Far too many variables.


----------



## GBov

akane said:


> Depends what you want them for and how old they are. If you want to breed a pair or trio would be good. If you want to butcher today it's gonna depend how old they are. It's also going to depend who you are asking. The non showable colors and people who just like producing pigs to trade will give you freebies and probably 5 or 6 pups for a rabbit they like. The people who are seriously in to showing with good stock might only trade you 1 for 1. We haven't even gotten in to the quality of the rabbit. *Far too many variables*.


LOL You are right! But as I have a few litters of NZ rabbits I was thinking of putting an add on CL and seeing what comes of it but an idea of a good trade would help.

Breed first, eat later was what I was thinking but the eat now has given me a hunger to try them.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

yes GBov it would depend alot on the type and quality of the rabbits and gpigs in question.

that was me talking about trading them. i have a flemish giant doe that i am trading for 2 young female sows. 
the doe isnt producing for me and i am needing to downsize my rabbit herd. plus i seem to have a hard time lately selling the rabbits so i didnt mind trading her. even though i'm pretty sure her value is about $40 and the sows will be about $20 valuewise. though that value is just how much i would buy them for usually.
but to me i dont mind losing the imaginary twenty bucks because it means she isnt in my barn eating feed and hay anymore *shrugs* 
plus the guinea pigs came from an area farther then i would have been able to go myself. 
so it all depends.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

akane said:


> I haven't been weighing them and don't have any raising for butchering at the moment but I can go weigh a 4 month old keeper I have and my show boar. The show pigs are slightly smaller than the pet quality pigs were but they have dual purpose so I don't mind.
> 
> My boar is 1kg 42g (2lbs, 7oz) and my 2, 4 month old keepers are 680(23oz) and 730g(25oz).


good good... looks like i'm not doing too bad then.

i'm also wondering if feeding lots of forage and hay and veggies VS feeding all pellets with some hay would make a difference in their size?
just a thought... i had 2 cages of growout rabbits once that i fed one cage no forage and the other cage all they could clean up plus a little. the ones in the cage with the forage were bigger.
though both had free feed pellets so that isnt exactly the same experiment.


----------



## akane

It would probably make some difference but I don't think it's as big of difference with guinea pigs as it is with rabbits. I think they do better on a low protein diet than a rabbit does. My rabbits are on mostly clover hay with pellets only every 3 days and grow about a month slower than pellet fed rabbits but my guinea pigs seem to be keeping pace with pellet fed show guinea pigs and I'm feeding them on leftovers and hay with some pellets.


----------



## GBov

Do you have to slowly transition g pigs to an all left over and gathered diet or can they go straight from pellets to grass and peelings?*

*Grass and peelings being a slight exaggeration to describe the new projected diet.


----------



## akane

I might do a slight adjustment like half what I plan to feed in the end but over all they adjust with few problems. We used to bring new pigs in to the rescue and just start feeding them our diet of oxbow pellets, tons of greens (grocery bags full of grass and forage, entire heads of lettuce...), and unlimited hay and never had a problem. I would be more careful with babies if you get any real young ones since they can wean at 3weeks. Sometimes people sell them really young. At several months old though they adjust fast. 

There are some things that should not be fed. Ice berg lettuce and brassicas (Brassica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) can cause bloat and diarrhea. Onion and garlic damage red blood cells causing anemia at high enough levels. Then anything on the toxic for rabbits list shouldn't be fed but the cautious for rabbits list isn't the same for pigs who will eat fruit with no issues except a slight risk of diabetes if you keep them in to old age on too much fruit.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

ahh... very interesting...

gbov i would be very interested in hearing your ideas on feeding them if you might want to share 

there was about a half cup of feed left from the lady i got my first pair from. i put that and a half cup of the feed i got and stirred it up and split it to the both of them. gave them a little handful of grass (like if you were pickin grass by hand, how much you might grab in one hand before you put it in your bucket). that was day1, the day i got them (yesterday lol).
today, day 2, they each got half cup feed and been puttin handful of grass in their pens as they have been eatin it. i think obi has eaten about 5 handful and mayra about 2 handful. but they were both being hideys so i pulled out each of their hidey spot to get them to move around.


also, on the topic of cold tolerance, my room is now in the basement of the house. and of course the gpigs are in my room. so it is about 50-60*F but i have a little electric heater and i've gotten it up to 67*F down here. 
i have to turn the heater off at night because the extension cord that it is plugged into gets hot and i dont want a fire so i have to unplug it. this morning it was 58*F before i turned the heater on and it is now 61*F. i'm hoping to get a better heater for christmas or i will likely be buying one.


reading over info about mites... curious if there are any "home remidies"? i know we always used dawn dish soap (plain blue kind) on the dogs for fleas. and in oil spills and all they tout it cleaning so well and not harming the animals. wondering if it would work with mites. 
just a thought.....


----------



## akane

All new guinea pigs get treated with ivermectin from the feedstore for mites. It's far too common especially on pet guinea pigs. A drop behind each ear of 1% injectible (you aren't injecting it) once a week for 3 weeks or you can mix a tube of horse paste with water and it will treat 4 times since you use 250lbs dose at a time. It's much cheaper but the little bottle of injectible will treat 250lbs of guinea pig so until expiration. Guinea Lynx :: Ivermectin


----------



## xCSx

These aren't the wild breeds they eat in South America, kinda disturbs me.


----------



## Pops2

xCSx said:


> These aren't the wild breeds they eat in South America, kinda disturbs me.


they don't raise the wild breeds to eat in south america either. in south america they raise a larger version of the exact same animals. it's rather like the minisheep/cattle compared to barbado or angus. my peruvian & ecuadoran Marines thought americans were odd for NOT being willing to eat them.


----------



## akane

They've raised a larger strain of our pet pigs and sent them back to south america because their's were getting rather small from always eating the bigger ones. There is nothing wild about the ones they use for food. Many are raised with little adobe huts in the kitchen and some in pens in the yard.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

very true... and i'm suprised at how much i am finding videos on them raised that way too. i made a playlist of videos: guinea pigs - YouTube


----------



## GBov

I still cant watch the butchering ones, it keeps wanting me to set up an account  but the other ones were really interesting!

LOVED the set up with the hay racks being the enclosure dividers. 

And the NOISE! I LOVE the noise of g pigs!


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

GBov said:


> I still cant watch the butchering ones, it keeps wanting me to set up an account  but the other ones were really interesting!
> 
> LOVED the set up with the hay racks being the enclosure dividers.
> 
> And the NOISE! I LOVE the noise of g pigs!


ya they are sweet noises. i like em too. 
i got two more (will post pics of the full set up soon) and now they are chatty lil buggers haha.


----------



## KSALguy

i have the option of getting two females about a year old or so, from a pet home that no longer want them, would year old sows be too old to breed for the first time?


----------



## AprilW

From my understanding it's like rabbits, they'll be more difficult to get bred and may have more complications. If they're free it would be worth it. If you have to pay, I'd look for younger pigs.


----------



## KSALguy

i passed on the older ones, the person didnt know enough of what they had to make it worth the money, didnt even know what gender it turns out, so i went and go a younger trio, the boar is 8months and the two sows are 6months they think, by their size i would agree, going to try this again,


----------



## GBov

I told my hubby today that I was really interested in guinea pigs and he said................

"Yeah, I know."

I asked how on earth he knew I wanted them and he replied that "Every time you leave the monitor on it has pictures of the noisy little things on it!"

Seems I need to brush up on subtle!


----------



## KSALguy

lol, yea that would give it away lol


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

new setup and new pigs  
obi is now with his "harem" hahahaha  first is the lil grey shorthair sow named mukte nita (means black bear), and two red eyed white *i-think* abbyssian sows named waabishki and waapesk (mean white).

mayra is now with her boyfriend  a cute peruvian boar named nizhoni napew (means beautiful man).



the new setup i like alot. the top part has mayra and nizhoni napew (3 by 1) and its like a penthouse or something hahaha. i lined it with cardboard and then fleece overtop (already cleaned using the fleece once and its VERY helpful i think so far, i'm workin on gettin more for the other area).

then the bottom part is 3 by 6 with obi and his girls in it. the whole floor area is lined with plastic sheeting, covered in cardboard. and their hay and grass is an added bedding since there is some waste. and as i said i'm workin on gettin fleece to line this area for easier cleanup.


































so far, since i have brought home the first pair i have gone through one large tote of cut grass forage, a fistfull of hay (had snow here yesterday and today but didnt stick and not too cold yet, grass is still pretty good actually),.... and as far as feed i've gone through: about 2lb feed, about 2lb sunflower seed (note they eat the black oil sunflower good but the striped seeds they leave the shell peices), and about 1 cup bird seed (milo, millet, a little black oil sunflower seed, a very little bit cracked corn) just to see if they like it (and they do eat it but not crazy about it). 



i'm hoping to cut a bunch of grass before the cold pauses the growth and kills the tall stuff down. 



and just for fun while i was playin with photobucket  heehee


----------



## tentance

this is probably a silly question, but do cats like to eat guinea pig? like, if i raised them, would my cat eat it?
does anyone raise mice to feed their cats or dogs? woldn't a mouse's feed to reproduction and weight gain be even better than guinea's? just for pet food of course.

also the plant in alabama that kind of looks like a dandelion might be bidens pilosa. it has yellow flowers and is in the aster family, and is edible.


----------



## GBov

I have a line on a few g-pigs so fingers crossed we get our first this week!


----------



## akane

I found gerbils to be the best for cats. They go crazy for them if you cut them in half after killing. They eat leftover whatever. Cereal, cat food, oatmeal, rabbit pellets, veggies.... We hardly bought gerbil food. Just threw in a scoop of whatever and bought a 50lb/$8 bag of "animal feed" to mix 50/50 with.

They will eat guinea pig but you'll have to cut it up and they probably can't eat all the bones. They love rabbit legs too and can eat the bone in those.


----------



## GBov

I got them I GOT THEM!!! Ten female g-pigs and going back in two weeks for a male and a Flemish Giant rabbit.

Its a good week so far :icecream:


----------



## KSALguy

OMG 10??? wow, thats cool, what kinds? are any of them bred? can one male cover all 10? lol,


----------



## GBov

KSALguy said:


> OMG 10??? wow, thats cool, what kinds? are any of them bred? can one male cover all 10? lol,


At $10 each, how could I pass them up? Esp. after selling a batch of rabbits to help pay for them :icecream:

The man who sold them to me said one male would be enough but being new to g-pigs, I have no idea. 

They are all about 8 weeks old so no bred ones yet.

How old do they need to be to breed anyway?


----------



## GBov

Can G-pigs go into wire bottom cages? Half inch by inch wire? Or do they need to go onto solid bottom cages?

And the seller I got them from said he feeds oranges and rabbit pellets. 

Is that enough for them for the next few weeks until they are older or do I need to give them more variety?

Jumping into projects isnt bad, just interesting lol.


----------



## akane

Using only citrus fruit for their vit c can cause mouth sores. You need Vitamin C: Vitamin C Crystals 1/2teaspoon per gallon in their drinking water changed daily. That's how all the big caviaries and show people do it.

Guinea pigs need solid bottom cages. They have soft squishy feet and while a few have had temporary success on wire it not recommended to try.

They can breed by 4 weeks but you want to wait 4-5months at least. The show people wait 8-12months but they want to get them on the show table in that time. Guinea pigs are done growing by 4-5months so breeding at that time should not have any health problems.


----------



## KSALguy

my first trio i have now are in a wire rabbt cage but i put some long tall standing grass hay i cut out of a field in the bottom to keep their feet off the wire, and then wood shaveings ontop of that, wire bottoms are bad for their feet, but this cage came with them free, i am feeding winter rye grass and some big dark green leafy green that grows on the side of the road and in the peanut and cotton fields, the rabbits loved it when i had the colony going and now the guinea pigs do too, they also get orange wedges and apples, and then i have a mixed bag of walmart guineapig food to fill out their diet, come spring/summer they will get more fresh weeds and grass and kudzu vine,


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

GBov! that is awesome! congrats! 

now i will have to tell my dad i'm not *that* crazy cause i only have 2 boars and 4 sows. not 10 sows and a boar  hahahaha i'm kidding. i'm jealous of your ten. even 8 wks old you are at least part way to a whole lot of baby makers! 

link to pics of all my pigs and current setup  
http://s1110.beta.photobucket.com/user/ohiogoatgirl/library/guinea pigs
i have their names listed so easier to tell  i am pretty sure obi bred mukte nita last night. cause the set up is right next to my bed and i didnt fall asleep until like 4 AM so i seen them chasing and makin noise and him goin at her. hahahaha. he never took as long as a male rabbit takes to breed a female. but now both seem to be calmed down so i wrote it on the calendar, now time to wait.
and i think nizhoni napew might have bred mayra on november 28. they were chasin each other then. and after that calmed down.
so according to my nifty due date calculator (http://www.gestationcalculator.com/other/guinea-pig-calculator ) due dates are about 2/4/2013 and 2/10/2013.


----------



## GBov

I am so happy! Just put a drop of ivermectin behind each ear of each g-pig and put them out into their new cage.

It has a wire bottom but its now well covered with cardboard with a thick layer of hay on top which they are all hiding under.

They dont seem to like the rabbit pellets much but they are little hay eating machines and do you know, they only eat the orange bit of the oranges I have been giving them, not the peel!

The kids say my song "I've got ten guinea pigs" is wrong as they have all claimed one each and are making moves on having two each.

I can see NONE of this batch are going to get eaten lol.

Oh, and they are soooooo SOFT! Is that just because they are young? My memory of g-pigs is how bristly their hair is but this lot are soft and silky and lovely to hold.

My lovely rather than theirs, they DONT like or trust us yet.


----------



## KSALguy

Yes hay grass and weeds are their favorite. And the friut part of the orange. Mine like the mixed bag of guinea pig food not the plane pellets. And yes some types are soft some not. I have a pair of Rex that are real brissly that im trying to trade


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

well looks like i'm going to be getting the two half siblings of my long haired boar. they are only about 2wks old now so not immediately getting them. but soon enough.

also working on gettin more. posted an a few ads that i would take in unwanted guinea pigs. hoping i can get to town sometime soon. i want to write on a sheet that i am lookin for guinea pigs, will take unwanted ones, etc. 

if i could sell these few rabbits that i dont need sure would be helpful >.<

my pigs are also not big on eating pellets. which is fine with me cause i dont buy my hay or forage! rather go move bales or cut forage then buy feed anyday!

GBov, mine arent that fond of me either. and they even live in my room. if i'm quiet a while and then stretch with my arms up, the shadow crosses their pen and its like someone pressing play on a movie you forgot you left on real loud.
about like scaring up a whole flock of birds and you about fly outta your skin yerself  hahaha. 

oddly enough the long haired boar i didnt really like at first cause he is smaller then the short hair boar. but he is the friendliest of the bunch and i think i've fallen for his adorable lil red-brown nose.
dont get me wrong, i wouldnt hesistate to do a butcher of any of them. though i think one of the red-eye-whites would be the first pick for that. they might both be sows but i dont like the red eyes at all.

i'm also hoping to get in touch with an amish neighbor about rabbits. hoping when i finally do he might know someone with guinea pigs. i'm hearing online that amish are a bit known for raising guinea pigs on the cheap for eating. so fingers crossed on that.


----------



## KSALguy

If the price is right and i feel up to making the drive to north alabama i MIGHT get a peruvian sow. The question is if i put her with an abby boar or an american what would be better?


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

KSALguy said:


> If the price is right and i feel up to making the drive to north alabama i MIGHT get a peruvian sow. The question is if i put her with an abby boar or an american what would be better?


depends on what you think would be best in the babies? if she is hefty then thats great as per topic. any which way if you want big offspring then breed to biggest boar. though of course have to breed to the second best sometimes to keep from a bunch of inbreeding.

so far with what i have the long hair two seem to be laziest. the long hair sow sits in the hiding box most of the time. the long hair boar is sweet as can be though and "popcorns" the most when he seems happy. my long hair two are the most calm to handle. but my american boar is the biggest.


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## ohiogoatgirl

also... 
lady i got my long hair boar and american sow from, she has 2 babies that are the long hair boars half siblings. i'm gonna be getting them when they are old enough.

also girl i traded the flemish giant rabbit for the 2 sows. she is interested in my 2 minirex doe rabbits. they arent breeding for me and i cant seem to sell em anyways. so she is gonna trade me 3 sows for them 2.

hopefully this cursed rain will stop and i'll be able to cut more forage. been raining just about nonstop for days. only greens pigs been getting is whatever big handful of rained-on wet grass i get on my way back from the goatbarn in the morning. needless to say they pretty much attack that and its gone fast.
also hope to get a tractor put together for them. for when the weather warms up. though right now i'm not sure it will even get cold enough for snow...


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## KSALguy

Well it seems to be a mute point now as they sold before i even got a word in. My american boar and his two sows are growing nicely and my abby female in with him is swelling in the middle so she should for sure be bred the american sow isnt showing as much. Then my Teddy/rex sow is getting big. These are my best possible breeders then i have two crested two yearold sows im hopeing produce something. I would like another abby sow and american sow but may just have to wait till i get some pups born


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## GBov

Can G-pigs eat pineapple skins?


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## ohiogoatgirl

i think pineapple is on the no list for gpigs...... *goes and looks* nope, just dont feed too often cause it can cause mouth sores. seems that is said for all fruits really ... http://cutiecavies.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=piggiesliketoeat&action=display&thread=1224

GBov how are yours doing?  would love to hear about em. maybe some pics? tehee.


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## ohiogoatgirl

my guinea pigs are doing good. dad is havin a fit about them smelling. 
the pen is right next to my bed, its not that bad. but yes, it does smell like i have guinea pigs obviously. 
tomorrow i'm working on heating ideas for the barn. i have a small room that is critterproof (cept maybe mice squeeze through) that i want to move the guinea pigs too. hopefully i can work out some solar collector to heat it with. like those soda can in a glass covered box ones.

it is only 50-56*F in here (basement/my room) and i think its been about highs 35-45*F during the day outside. just looked at the outside temp here and its 25*F. though that is on the side of the house in full wind and all. the spot in the barn is pretty much minum breezes, and its the sunny corner of the barn so probably the warmest spot anyway. and if i put down plenty of hay, plus a nice little sleeping box with lots of hay. i even have an old pillow that was gonna get burned that i could put out there to snuggle on...

i wonder if i could build a solar heater and all if i could get that room of the barn to stay warm THIS WINTER... really that would be perfect...


----------



## GBov

ohiogoatgirl said:


> i think pineapple is on the no list for gpigs...... *goes and looks* nope, just dont feed too often cause it can cause mouth sores. seems that is said for all fruits really ... http://cutiecavies.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=piggiesliketoeat&action=display&thread=1224
> 
> GBov *how are yours doing*?  would love to hear about em. maybe some pics? tehee.


The nine remaining are doing really well. I am amazed at how fast they grow! The one fatality was the one I had looked at and said "That one is mine" because of its pretty chestnut color. Nothing other than that was needed to sign its death warrant, I haven't been able to keep a pet g-pig alive more than two months all my life so just my claiming it was enough!

So I haven't made that mistake again and all the rest are doing great.

With the cold I had put a nice twiggy branch into their cage and stuffed hay over it so they could get under and in the hay without trampling it and it worked really good, they even had a little tunnel to their water. But cute as that was its what spelled doom for my little girl and I am surprised we didn't loose more of them.

The tunnel collapsed and they couldn't reach their water.

I didn't know g-pigs dont dig!

So every day when the kids do the feeding up I now ask "Have you checked EVERYONE can reach their water and that the nipples are working?"

What age is best for introducing a boar (almost spelt it boor :hysterical to the girls?

When they are breeding well I am going to try using some of the extra piggies as mobile lawn mowers. Hubbs thinks I am mental but why not try?


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

GBov ya i know what you mean. soon as ya pick a favorite, sure enough that one dies. i'm crossing my fingers and hoping my 2 chocolate rabbits make it so i can keep em as breeders maybe. 

i wonder why they didnt push through the hay at all... odd cause mine play in their hay all the time. the long hair sows favorite place to sleep seems to be face-first cuddling into the pile of hay with her butt stickin out the pile. 

boar intro... personally i'm thinkin 3 months would be good age for the sows. boars tend to do best at 5-7months old when first put in with the sows, least thats what i read. 

i'm thinking of different ways i could do a tractor sort of thing or portable fencing, etc for similar reason. though my main thought is free feed for the GPs lol.


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## pancho

Wild guinea pig.


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## Sparkie

GBov said:


> Can G-pigs eat pineapple skins?


Pineapples are sprayed with a very toxic chemical. I know they are a no no for worm bins as are banana peels (unless organic) for the same reason. I'd be afraid to feed them to anything.


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## akane

Well I got hooked by hedgehogs and my husband hates the guinea pigs. We've had a fly problem ever since I brought them home no matter how clean the cages seem and they are noisy. So my silver agoutis and 1 chocolate roan with 3 offspring are up for sale. Located near iowa city and will deliver along I80 to the quad cities. Not in any hurry since it will be 3 months before we see hoglets from the hedgies if everything goes perfect which it rarely does. We will probably be at the maquoketa show in march and the amana show in april. If I have any silvers left I'll be showing them in amana.


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## ohiogoatgirl

...no more takin in pigs.... no more takin in pigs..... no more takin in pigs.... *grumbles to self*

good thing you arent close akane!  i got 2 longhairs inside, 5 shorthairs outside, and 3 more shorthairs on the way. plus the longhair is definitely bred and i think at least 2 outside are bred.


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## Pops2

akane said:


> Well I got hooked by hedgehogs and my husband hates the guinea pigs. We've had a fly problem ever since I brought them home no matter how clean the cages seem and they are noisy. So my silver agoutis and 1 chocolate roan with 3 offspring are up for sale. Located near iowa city and will deliver along I80 to the quad cities. Not in any hurry since it will be 3 months before we see hoglets from the hedgies if everything goes perfect which it rarely does. We will probably be at the maquoketa show in march and the amana show in april. If I have any silvers left I'll be showing them in amana.


Totally off topic, but I love Iowa city. My boys were born there during a cross country move. The people were so nice & friendly no matter where in town we went.


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## ohiogoatgirl

i have 1 boar and 2 sows coming in first week of february. large bred. possibly all copper colored. i cant believe i'm payin this much to transport them but i think spending it transporting them will be cheaper in the long run then breeding up from my pet type, not even 2lb GPs. i might even have some people who will want to buy stock from me for their own small GPs for meat setups.


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## GBov

ohiogoatgirl said:


> i have 1 boar and 2 sows coming in first week of february. large bred. possibly all copper colored. i cant believe i'm payin this much to transport them but i think spending it transporting them will be cheaper in the long run then breeding up from my pet type, not even 2lb GPs. i might even have some people who will want to buy stock from me for their own small GPs for meat setups.


How will they differ from the pet ones in weight?


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## ohiogoatgirl

GBov said:


> How will they differ from the pet ones in weight?


mine now are a few at 1lb 4oz, couple at 1lb 6oz, longhair boar 1lb 10oz, shorthair boar 2lb 4oz....... and all breeding age. a couple are about a yr old.

the ones i'm getting are 4/5lb. and i hope to up that as i go as well.


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## GBov

ohiogoatgirl said:


> mine now are a few at 1lb 4oz, couple at 1lb 6oz, longhair boar 1lb 10oz, shorthair boar 2lb 4oz....... and all breeding age. a couple are about a yr old.
> 
> the ones i'm getting are 4/5lb. and i hope to up that as i go as well.


Where on earth are you getting a FIVE POUND guinea pig???

*wispers* And where can I get some too :whistlin:


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## ohiogoatgirl

hahaha well i cant give out my source... i dont know how much the person is wanting to sell any but i will ask.


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## NC-redleg

New here ,but thought I would post this video on one way it is done in SA.[ame="http://youtu.be/zxRGgS0nYZw"]http://youtu.be/zxRGgS0nYZw[/ame]


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## ohiogoatgirl

got a new update video made up
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mANm0eQ43iM[/ame]


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## ohiogoatgirl

my first babies!!!!  i thought she wasnt due until valentines day! 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik8jEbMXyRo[/ame]


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## akane

You never know with a guinea pig. They just pop those things out randomly.


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## Chinclub

They are so cute!!


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## ohiogoatgirl

akane said:


> You never know with a guinea pig. They just pop those things out randomly.


haha i guess so! makes me nervous about the outside sows! gonna be watching for the wee ones every day now i guess. i know the one was bred about the same time as this one. gonna be makin sure she didnt suddenly go skinny one day xD


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## ohiogoatgirl

my gut must be strong xD have a rabbit due feb 1 and somethin told me to go check on her. sure enough was a baby on the ground under her cage. she has 2 and more on the way.
had gone out to check her again and somethin told me to check on the GPs even though it was like midnight... sure enough my silver agouti sow had 2 babies! 
i think these 2 are girls and the longhair ones from the other day are both boys. lookin like cute keepers!  
pickin up the new trio on monday. now watchin the himi sows for babies. thinkin they are gonna have 2 and 1. excited to see what they have.
will do update video of all tomorrow hopefully 

GBov how are yours doing? KSALguy? *looks around*


----------



## GBov

ohiogoatgirl said:


> my gut must be strong xD have a rabbit due feb 1 and somethin told me to go check on her. sure enough was a baby on the ground under her cage. she has 2 and more on the way.
> had gone out to check her again and somethin told me to check on the GPs even though it was like midnight... sure enough my silver agouti sow had 2 babies!
> i think these 2 are girls and the longhair ones from the other day are both boys. lookin like cute keepers!
> pickin up the new trio on monday. now watchin the himi sows for babies. thinkin they are gonna have 2 and 1. excited to see what they have.
> will do update video of all tomorrow hopefully
> 
> GBov how are yours doing? KSALguy? *looks around*


Good save on the buns, how are they doing today?

G pigs doing really well, am about to make them a bigger cage as they have out grown the one they are in. STILL looking for a male for the girls but I guess one will come available - at a good price that is - but they are only just old enough to breed now so no major rush.

They are soooo FUNNY! They jump and run and play all the time. Well, as long as they dont see me that is. Then they just sit there like little fuzzy rocks and bolt for cover if I move.

Do Gpigs ever get tame or do they just get use to you?


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

the rabbit had 10 babies while i was away all morning at a dr appt >.< and since its like 25*F and windy all day and all last night... they were all cold beyond reviving... on the upside of that though i might have some snake/reptile people buying em off me and some small rabbits i been tryin to get rid of. so fingers crossed.

when i was out there this afternoon to do update video...  FOUR BABIES?! i think the new ones are from the newest sow which is an abbyssian cause they look like her.
now just to wait on the himi sow who is still round and see if the other himi sow pops one out. 
this makes my current total: 2 boars, 5 sows, 6 babies.
the shorthair boar is being sold tomorrow. i really need the money and i have the large bred boar i'm pickin up with the large bred sows on monday. and i dont need 3 boars! hahaha. plus i think one of the outside group babies is a boar and the other 3 are girls. so i will likely keep him as a future breeder.

as far as tame... none of mine are really "pet friendly" like i hear the pet people talk about theirs. mine are more like cat mentality haha. will come near to snatch up a snack if you have it. otherwise they scurry around. with mine its like you see people fishin with their hands. stand there starin a few minutes then real quick scoop em up. 
though my silver agouti sow comes up and bites my boot sometimes. mostly it seems she thinks i've stayed in the colony too long and she is shewing me out hahaha.

still lookin for a male, eh? the large bred GP trio i'm getting are from georgia. i'm only payin $10 each. then just payin to have em transported by rabbit show people. i will ask him if i can send ya his email or somethin if you would like. 

long day. workin on the update video.


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## GBov

ohiogoatgirl said:


> the rabbit had 10 babies while i was away all morning at a dr appt >.< and since its like 25*F and windy all day and all last night... they were all cold beyond reviving... on the upside of that though i might have some snake/reptile people buying em off me and some small rabbits i been tryin to get rid of. so fingers crossed.
> 
> when i was out there this afternoon to do update video...  FOUR BABIES?! i think the new ones are from the newest sow which is an abbyssian cause they look like her.
> now just to wait on the himi sow who is still round and see if the other himi sow pops one out.
> this makes my current total: 2 boars, 5 sows, 6 babies.
> the shorthair boar is being sold tomorrow. i really need the money and i have the large bred boar i'm pickin up with the large bred sows on monday. and i dont need 3 boars! hahaha. plus i think one of the outside group babies is a boar and the other 3 are girls. so i will likely keep him as a future breeder.
> 
> as far as tame... none of mine are really "pet friendly" like i hear the pet people talk about theirs. mine are more like cat mentality haha. will come near to snatch up a snack if you have it. otherwise they scurry around. with mine its like you see people fishin with their hands. stand there starin a few minutes then real quick scoop em up.
> though my silver agouti sow comes up and bites my boot sometimes. mostly it seems she thinks i've stayed in the colony too long and she is shewing me out hahaha.
> 
> still lookin for a male, eh? the large bred GP trio i'm getting are from georgia. i'm only payin $10 each. then just payin to have em transported by rabbit show people. *i will ask him if i can send ya his email or somethin if you would like. *
> 
> long day. workin on the update video.


YES PLEASE!!! Oooops, sorry, didnt mean to shout lol. Where-a-bouts in Georgia? I have family all over in Ga. so we are up and down quite often.

Hand fishing eh? Yeh, that sums up catching ours, pick the one you want to catch, wait for it to stop running and scoop it up.

They are really hard to grab with their sleek coats though, they slip through my hands like water. I can see why people are carrying them by their heads in some of hte videos.


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## ohiogoatgirl

hahahaha ok i will ask him and will PM ya his email.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

finally got the new video together 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbhrbBgxHN8

[ame]http://youtu.be/JbhrbBgxHN8[/ame]

same video, just 2 links in case one of them doesnt work haha.


----------



## akane

If your fingers are sensitive enough you can tell male from female without even flipping them over and more accurately. If you feel along the pelvic bone above the genitals females will be smooth bone and males will have fleshy lump of the penis. You can feel the entire shape of the withdrawn penis. It's a really fast way to tell gender again if you have the sensitivity for it. Some people's fingers just aren't sensitive enough to tell the difference on a newborn.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

akane said:


> If your fingers are sensitive enough you can tell male from female without even flipping them over and more accurately. If you feel along the pelvic bone above the genitals females will be smooth bone and males will have fleshy lump of the penis. You can feel the entire shape of the withdrawn penis. It's a really fast way to tell gender again if you have the sensitivity for it. Some people's fingers just aren't sensitive enough to tell the difference on a newborn.


hm... very interesting. i will have to see if i can tell a difference with any of them that way. 

personally after sexing rabbits... :bored: the guinea pigs look pretty obvious at birth. heck with rabbits i just had a 2.5month old i coulda swore was a doe... one day "she" had a "weewee" :hair


----------



## GBov

ohiogoatgirl said:


> hm... very interesting. i will have to see if i can tell a difference with any of them that way.
> 
> personally after sexing rabbits... :bored: the guinea pigs look pretty obvious at birth. heck with rabbits i just had a 2.5month old i coulda swore was a doe... one day "she" had a "weewee" :hair


The sex change fairy strikes again mwahahahaaaaahahaaaa............

That bounty on her wings just keeps going up but I still havnt managed to catch her!

That is interesting on sexing g pigs by feel! What age does it work best at?


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

hahaha me either GBov

i tried the sexing thing... i couldnt tell by feel. 
and looking again, both the abby's babies are boars ): so the bigger one will stay and i think i have a guy interested in the other one.


----------



## akane

I can tell by at least 3 weeks by feel. I've probably done it at a week old. I don't know about newborns. I don't bother sexing those. I don't really need to know until it's weaning time at 3 weeks. Then I make my decisions.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

akane said:


> I can tell by at least 3 weeks by feel. I've probably done it at a week old. I don't know about newborns. I don't bother sexing those. I don't really need to know until it's weaning time at 3 weeks. Then I make my decisions.


haha i'm too antsy to see what i have before that long 
plus i put up an add on some facebook groups for em. thinkin i might not have hardly any interest so i ought to get it out there soon as i can tell they are DEFINITELY pregnant so more people can see the ads and can more likely sell the extra males and make some feed money off em.

well turned out i got several people interested. now i'm wondering if i should keep these 2 females to expand the herd or sell em for the feed money and keep the females from the new large bred boar. (which btw i'm pickin up the trio TOMORROW  YAY!!! lol).


----------



## akane

I've found making people interested early makes them impatient and they go somewhere else they can get it now instead. I've never managed to sell anything I've listed before it was weaned and ready to go. The people who say they want one all disappear when it comes time.


----------



## dranger1108

I got a little boy guinea pig for free, and posted that I was looking for some girls to keep him company and ended up picking up two more...
the first picture is of the boy, the cage is temporary until I get a pen built for them.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

akane said:


> I've found making people interested early makes them impatient and they go somewhere else they can get it now instead. I've never managed to sell anything I've listed before it was weaned and ready to go. The people who say they want one all disappear when it comes time.


there arent alot of GPs in my area it seems and the couple people i've had interested have been keeping in touch about them. so far at least.

i feel so bad the one person picked out one from pics i'd sent and this morning it was dead ): the hideyhouse had been flipped over on the back half of it. i was gone yesterday and just got back this afternoon. my dad went to feed em this morning and it was too late. dont know what happended. best guess is mom flipped the house playing with it and then the baby was half under it and mom sat in the house on top of baby.

all the others are doing good though.



congrats on the new GPs dranger!


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

ok so the last two babies are from my himi sow cause she has been nursing i can see.
lost my abby sow today ): yesterday i brought her inside cause she had a nasty bottom. so i washed her up and kept her inside last night. this morning she was dead... 
and checked everyones bottom outside today and the mom himi sow has bleeding from her bottom x.x and i know they dont actually "bleed" when they go into heat. and she had them on 1/31/13 so only 10 days ago. gah ): please dont tell me my GPs are gonna start gettin sick now...


----------



## akane

Some sows will feed each others pups.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

the himi sows both have been nursing. and this is the first time they have been bred so these have to be their babies. so one each. and the abby sow that died didnt look like she had nursed.

i think it she just wasnt doing good on my feed and i think she was older. cause i dont know how old she was but she seemed older.


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## ohiogoatgirl

update video  GPs and rabbits. 
thankfully all mine are healthy still other then the abby sow who died.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGfKxsifD3E[/ame]


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

little update...

the boars i had brought inside and seperated are smaller then the sow that was left outside with the mother sows. quite intersting. she also has denser, longer fur then her mother. wondering if they will begin to "coat up" and "shed out" after a while with the seasons since being kept outside.

havent decided which of the 2 young boars to keep yet but i will be keeping one (the bigger one) and i think i may eat the other. there isnt much market for them here and until i get a larger herd there isnt much point in focusing on selling. even when i get a larger herd i hope to raise mainly for myself.

though cool thing i just remembered about. dont think i'd posted this on here yet... only laws i have found about eating guinea pigs or any of the raising or butchering is that its illegal to sell them to eat in new york city because there was a restaraunt that served them a while and people flipped out cause "you couldnt tell if you were eating a wholesome cuy {guinea pig} or a dirty wharf rat, which run rampant in the city". quote from memory not copy-pasted.
and i have heard that its illegal to sell them as meat in california but then i also heard in the exact same place that there is a great little peruvian restaurant in northern CA that serves amazing cuy.

so far responses i've gotten from USDA people i've emailed have responded with these and several failed emails and no replys...

_"I have checked with our Meat Inspection Division and our Animal Health Division and we are not aware of anyone in Ohio or elsewhere in the USA raising guinea pigs for meat. Good luck with your search.__Sincerely,_
_Chuck Kirchner_
_Division of Food Safety"_
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]_[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]---------------------------------------------------------------
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I will say I have never been asked about raising guinea pigs for meat purposes before, so this is a first![/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]But as far as the law goes, guinea pigs are not what the law refers to as &#8216;amenable&#8217;, meaning the law really doesn&#8217;t apply to them like it does to more traditional species such as cattle, hogs, goats, etc. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What that means is you can raise guinea pigs, or cuy, slaughter them on your own premises/farm, and sell the meat right from that same location without the need or requirement for inspection. Keep in mind, you are fairly limited with where you can sell them from&#8230;in other words, they would not be permitted to be sold to a retail establishment for them to resell, nor to a restaurant to be cooked/served to its customers. Should you wish to explore those options, you can apply for voluntary inspection under our Division (ie Meat Inspection). You would be expected to develop a written food safety program (called a HACCP program) as well as a sanitation program (called a SSOP). Additionally, you would be expected to be able to provide an adequate facility to slaughter/process the animals. Those would be major requirements for obtaining a license.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There would also be a charge associated with the inspection service: $46.80/hour. So every hour spent in your facility by DMI would be charged at that rate.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Should you wish to discuss our licensing process further, please feel free to contact me at the number below![/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thank you for your interest in the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Meat Inspection.[/FONT]
*[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jodi Taylor[/FONT]*
*[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Agriculture Inspection Manager[/FONT]*
*[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ohio Department of Agriculture[/FONT]*
*[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Division of Meat Inspection[/FONT]*
*[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]8995 E Main Street[/FONT]*
*[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Reynoldsburg OH 43068[/FONT]*
*[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]614-728-6364[/FONT]*
*[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Go Buckeyes!!"[/FONT]*

_[/FONT]


----------



## GBov

Is there any best way to introduce a boar to the herd? Got a nice big one at the auction yesterday.

And do we have any pictures of male and female bits to help us all tell them apart?

And that is great information on the meat selling thing OGG!


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

GBov said:


> Is there any best way to introduce a boar to the herd? Got a nice big one at the auction yesterday.
> 
> And do we have any pictures of male and female bits to help us all tell them apart?
> 
> And that is great information on the meat selling thing OGG!


yup. this rabbit thing is making me nuts. seriously thinkin of sellin out of them... i like them but oh my gosh i'm running into problems at every turn!!!! :runforhills:

might just sell off them and focus on the GPs... :bored: what to do, what to do.... 

i will find a link for you on the sexing pics... <jeapordy music while searching> ....
here is one that has tons of pics: http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm
personally i find it TONS easier to sex GPs then rabbits. and out of 6 GP babies i only mis-sexed 2 and that was sexing them at hours old, and checked again next day and could see they were boys and not girls. 

as for introducing... from what i'm reading adult boars can be introduced to their "harem" best all in one go. do the cage/colony/pen clean out and then put him in first, then secondly put the females in so its a bit more of he belongs there. and if you put him and several females together at the same time he will be chasing all to breed so not wearing out any just one sow usually. though watch that the sows dont gang up on him.


----------



## Bluefirephoenix

Falls-Acre said:


> As of 10 years ago (last time I checked) it was illegal to import the Cuy guinea pigs to the US. I never was sure about why. A few years ago a club offered tastes of cooked cavy to visitors of the ARBA convention that was held in CA. I myself don't really wish to consume my cavies, they are more valuable to me as a minor source of income. However, there are a few strains that would easily be options for meat. There is a lady not too many states from me that has her average boar size around 3-4 lbs (average for a standard adult male is only 2 lbs). Most of my stock comes from her either directly or indirectly.
> 
> If you are raising for meat alone, just be sure to only hold onto the offspring that grow quickly in the first 3 weeks. They are likely to end up being the big ones.


They have a potential for being an invasive species like the Pythons in Florida.


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## ohiogoatgirl

Bluefirephoenix said:


> They have a potential for being an invasive species like the Pythons in Florida.


 
so far as i've had mine, i do not see the potential for them becoming invasive here up north anyways. not thinking they would last through winter unless they made home in someones barn with lots to eat. 

but then that would become "home base" and they wouldnt go far. so it wouldnt take much to kill them off if they became pests to someone.


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## GBov

Bluefirephoenix said:


> They have a potential for being an invasive species like the Pythons in Florida.


Not a CHANCE! They are snack sized for waaaaaaaaaaaay to many things!


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## GBov

This is the handsome boy I picked up at auction for $8!







I love the mark on his face, it looks like a huge tusk!




And this is his home to be. The girls will move in this week, as soon as I make a lid for it. Its the 125 gallon size plant pot so should have enough room, for a while anyway.

As someone RIGHTLY reminded me, quarantine is just a really good idea :grin:


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## ohiogoatgirl

:goodjob: nice one. handsome feller. 
gettin my new trio on the 17th. cant wait!


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## GBov

ohiogoatgirl said:


> hahahaha ok i will ask him and will PM ya his email.


 
Ummmmm, can ask you nicely for his email again? Pretty please? We are moving to Ga in 9 days............................................. OMG there is soooo much to be done! :runforhills:

Sorry, moving is hard on my brain lol

The new boy has settled in well. I put ivermectin behind his ears to be sure there are no mites or lice on him and Friday is his big day.

I wonder how the girls are going to like him?


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## ohiogoatgirl

GBov said:


> Ummmmm, can ask you nicely for his email again? Pretty please? We are moving to Ga in 9 days............................................. OMG there is soooo much to be done! :runforhills:
> 
> Sorry, moving is hard on my brain lol
> 
> The new boy has settled in well. I put ivermectin behind his ears to be sure there are no mites or lice on him and Friday is his big day.
> 
> I wonder how the girls are going to like him?


oops bad me sorry been crazy. will get it and PM it to you


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## ohiogoatgirl

ohmygosh its been quite a while since i've posted on here!... and since anyone else has either hahaha.

well here everythings doing good. the new sow is definitely pregnant and i've got her and a sow that was real skinny together. so they are gettin extra food. i think once the skinny one puts some weight on i'll post her for sale. she is long hair and just hasnt put any weight on since she had her babies /: so she aint stayin. 

the other sows i'm not sure if they've bred or not. none seem obviously pregnant but have been running with the new big boar so guess i'll find out eventually.

workin on some sort of tractor for them or pens. grass is growing in good and now i feel so behind on things because i dont have anywhere for them to graze and the grass is growing. 

would love to see more pics of everyones setups! hopefully get some of mine today.


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## ohiogoatgirl

oops! i spoke too soon! went up to get a video and some pics of the GPs, thinkin i'll show how big round the new sow is when she's bred..... well i go up and feed the baby goats and the go to give the GPs their grass for the evening and there sits two wee ones with momma! 
its the "large bred" sow i got. the lady who'd transported them had put them together (second lady).


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## lamina1982

So there is a rediculous amount of info and advice on rabbit breading. Why is it that if you look up guinea pig breeding all you find is angry blogs/forums saying that you are the devil if you breed them. This thread has me very interested in raising gpigs to eat, yet you can find no cage examples or anything. I plan on having outside, but will have lotsa predators just waiting to eat these guys, I i plan on basically a cage box, open bottom with one end being a solid "house". What size for about 10 pigs? Seems info i found sais only need .75 sq ft per pig but that seems so small an area . Plus i will have to bring in basement in winter--plan on just using 100 gallon trough then. Guess Ill post more once build and get my gpigs


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## Chinclub

Anyone finding it hard to get same sex gpigs together? I just got mine but they were in male/female pairs. I want to get my girls all together in one colony with just one male instead and my other males in a cage together. I am wondering if I will have any fight issues.


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## ohiogoatgirl

lamina1982 said:


> So there is a rediculous amount of info and advice on rabbit breading. Why is it that if you look up guinea pig breeding all you find is angry blogs/forums saying that you are the devil if you breed them. This thread has me very interested in raising gpigs to eat, yet you can find no cage examples or anything. I plan on having outside, but will have lotsa predators just waiting to eat these guys, I i plan on basically a cage box, open bottom with one end being a solid "house". What size for about 10 pigs? Seems info i found sais only need .75 sq ft per pig but that seems so small an area . Plus i will have to bring in basement in winter--plan on just using 100 gallon trough then. Guess Ill post more once build and get my gpigs


i believe i posted alot of links on this thread not too far back. i would message you a load of links but i just lost like half the info on my laptop and my favorites list with all the links was part of the loss 

guinea pigs really dont need alot of space. they tend to pile together anyways in group(s) so dont need too much space for them.

looking for info i found it more helpful to search for "cuy raising" or "cuy farm(ing)" etc. as they are called cuy in south america and all where they are still raised for meat. even just looking at the sites with the pics they have can be helpful. also for searching videos. i've made a playlist of videos here:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8E44gZrltbboZkjXrOp6JbKynsBZh9XL&feature=mh_lolz

and checking out any of my videos may be helpful. i try to post links to them on this thread when i get them uploaded.

and yes, 98% or more of the info you will find on breeding that is in english will all be crazed pet only people. personally i think alot of them borderline PETA...


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## ohiogoatgirl

Chinclub said:


> Anyone finding it hard to get same sex gpigs together? I just got mine but they were in male/female pairs. I want to get my girls all together in one colony with just one male instead and my other males in a cage together. I am wondering if I will have any fight issues.


you may have arguements among them at first but i found that mine all settled in fine together. though i have just organized mine out so that i can switch around the males with different groups of girls, hoping it will encourage breeding.

if the boars have all bred before then i dont suggest trying to introduce them now. from what i've read 98% of the time they will just fight constantly. this is why in my setup i'm having the groups of sows and switching around the grown boars for breeding and a seperate area for growing out young boars together. this way they all grow up together and no fighting.

i have never tried to introduce adult boars before. i wouldnt try it, personally but thats just me. i'd rather stick him with a sow to breed then chance putting him with another boar to have them fight and fight each other.

although that said my longhair sow does get her hair chewed by the others and doesnt keep her weight on well at all. she is the bottom of the totem pole it seems and i'm planning to seperate her and feed her up and sell her as a pet.


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## HomesteadPhil

lamina1982 said:


> So there is a rediculous amount of info and advice on rabbit breading. Why is it that if you look up guinea pig breeding all you find is angry blogs/forums saying that you are the devil if you breed them.


Personally, I think these animals are pretty darn ugly and if you do breed them you should put them on the BBQ. I'm still working on breeding my first pair of rabbits. They need a few more weeks before they'll be old enough. I thought about gpigs as well but I think my wife would be a little upset. I'm worried I might not be able to kill the rabbits for food, but gpigs. Dude, ugly little things would make it easier to kill for dinner.


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## GoslingFever

When we lived in Wisconsin we bought guinea pigs from a gal that raised them outdoors. We were thrilled; so did we! Winters get COLD there; -40 below wasn't uncommon.

We raised them in rabbit hutches with a double plywood house/nestbox area and we STUFFED them with hay.

Another woman we met raised hers in horse stalls. She said she would give heat lamps to sows that were due, and had about 200 babies to sell to pet stores every spring. 

As Akane said; they eat everything. They also drink juice greedily; if your kids don't finish their grape juice, or the orange or grapefruit is getting old pour it into a pan for the gpigs. (Grapefruit is high in VitC too).

And I LOVE the gpigs in the video with the concrete pens that NC Red Leg posted.
Red & white and Cream & white are my favorite colors; what a BEAUTIFUL herd they have!


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## GoslingFever

Now that I live in the South, I have found that many breeders raise their cavy outside all year around. Winter temps don't often drop even to single digits here.
Sows can give birth and clean off the babies before they get chilled if they have proper shelter.

One guy kept his herd in his mini horse barn and he was a show breeder --- he said most show breeders he knew do the same. Interesting! It isn't as taboo like it was up North.


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## Hillfolk

I didnt not read all the post but there is an episode of bizzard foods with andrew zimmerman in peru where he eats guinea pig shows how they cook it. another episodes Ive he has a dinner party and has peopel eat it for the first time also read an article about a food truck that sells pulled guinea pig that does very well in washington if i remember right.


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## ohiogoatgirl

alrighty well one of the himi sows had a single today. lil bitty all white sow with pink eyes just like mom. and her fur is all swirly.

thinking tomorrow i'm going to suck it up and dispatch my first GP for eating. i've got the two boys still from the last round of babies and i really dont need them both. 
so unless stuff comes up tomorrow i'll be doing up my first ever GP  hoping i like it hahahahaha


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## ohiogoatgirl

got busy with this but got an update video made 
(oh and so far 7 views and already someone with a comment of yadda yadda "disguisting" yadda yadda :hammer: )

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwnyNmVLb10&lc=k7N7Ga4376fdKO6TrKqDU6Shy0DaRqXrYRm3QaDUx8I[/ame]


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## ohiogoatgirl

i did it  i ate one. uploading and putting together the video. will post link to it when its ready. video is of live to tasting it.


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## Wolfy-hound

Very interesting thread. I'll have to keep this in mind for when I move. I could keep them outside here, but I have no grass so I'd be buying food for them.

How much noise could they make? I've never heard much other than the little gurgles?


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## ohiogoatgirl

Wolfy-hound said:


> Very interesting thread. I'll have to keep this in mind for when I move. I could keep them outside here, but I have no grass so I'd be buying food for them.
> 
> How much noise could they make? I've never heard much other than the little gurgles?


 
mine are very quite far as i know. only time they really make much noise is when i come to feed them. but unless its chore time they dont tend to wheek when they hear me coming. unless they hear hay or armfull of forage  
i have 15 right now. not much noise at all. 

perhaps check out these videos.. this guy is in GA and has ALOT. i got the large bred pair from him. they arent much bigger then my other ones right now but i can definitely tell difference in the growing rate of their babies though!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7bU9ZIsh_k&list=PL8E44gZrltbboZkjXrOp6JbKynsBZh9XL&index=19[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fAu6EB4Xxk&list=PL8E44gZrltbboZkjXrOp6JbKynsBZh9XL&index=24[/ame]


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## ohiogoatgirl

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uPJ9cEK2Do[/ame]


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## GBov

So how did it taste?

I am having MEGA problems with my herd right now! Our first lot of babies fell right after we moved when all ten adults were in a dog crate full of hay and we had lots of dead babies as well as live ones but this time around, with the g-pigs in a four level, HUGE cage with lots of hay, weeds, pine branches for vit c and lots of rabbit pellets............

Out of 12 babies (what are baby g-pigs called anyway?) born only three have lived!

One was just a head and front legs, one had all the guts eaten out and seven were just flat dead piggies. One was alive when I found it but it died later, it couldn't breath right and I watched two being born but he same thing, flat piggies not breathing right and very soon dead.

I think the cannibalism was opportunistic but the dead babies seem to be something wrong with the sows, esp as the first lot were by their brother but this lot were by a boar bought at auction and, as he looks TOTALLY unlike the sows in his color, unrelated to the girls.

As soon as the sows are bred again and hit the shmoo shape stage I am going to cage them all on their own so I can see who is having the main problems but I can see, in the not too distant future, culling the entire herd and starting over.


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## jesirose

This thread has been super useful. We were going to breed rabbits for meat (for our dogs) but I'm seriously leaning towards doing the guinea pigs. The only part I'm not sure about is the butchering process. I've done a rabbit, but it sounds like the g-pigs are a bit harder. OTOH, all I really want to worry about since the dogs are eating them is getting the pelt off and removing the organs they shouldn't have. (Assuming like rabbits the gallbladder is somewhat dangerous or gross)


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## GBov

So what is the best way to kill them? I cant for the life of me remember if that has been covered in the last umpteen pages.


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## jesirose

Actually I have a question - does anyone here raise them in tractors outside? We are looking into doing this, I heard from some other people that it wouldn't be difficult - but would you use wire along the entire bottom as well to keep them all in? I'd worry if I went to move it, a baby would get lost or injured. Do you guys all separate your pregnant sows?


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## GBov

jesirose said:


> Actually I have a question - does anyone here raise them in tractors outside? We are looking into doing this, I heard from some other people that it wouldn't be difficult - but would you use wire along the entire bottom as well to keep them all in? I'd worry if I went to move it, a baby would get lost or injured. Do you guys all separate your pregnant sows?


I use a tractor for my chickens and when I pull it to a new spot their feet and toes get caught under the wire so I thought up a better way - yet to be built - for the g-pigs.

If you put a solid bottom on one end and wire on three quarters of it, when you go to move it all the g-pigs will run to the other end anyway so they will run up onto the solid part. Then its safe to drag it to the new spot.

Having just gotten a WONDERFUL windfall of some really nice chicken wire, a new tractor is in the near future.

And all you lovely folks who have eaten them, how DID you kill it? My rabbit dispatcher is too big and the poultry dispatcher is too small.


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## ohiogoatgirl

GBov said:


> So how did it taste?
> 
> I am having MEGA problems with my herd right now! Our first lot of babies fell right after we moved when all ten adults were in a dog crate full of hay and we had lots of dead babies as well as live ones but this time around, with the g-pigs in a four level, HUGE cage with lots of hay, weeds, pine branches for vit c and lots of rabbit pellets............
> 
> Out of 12 babies (what are baby g-pigs called anyway?) born only three have lived!
> 
> One was just a head and front legs, one had all the guts eaten out and seven were just flat dead piggies. One was alive when I found it but it died later, it couldn't breath right and I watched two being born but he same thing, flat piggies not breathing right and very soon dead.
> 
> I think the cannibalism was opportunistic but the dead babies seem to be something wrong with the sows, esp as the first lot were by their brother but this lot were by a boar bought at auction and, as he looks TOTALLY unlike the sows in his color, unrelated to the girls.
> 
> As soon as the sows are bred again and hit the shmoo shape stage I am going to cage them all on their own so I can see who is having the main problems but I can see, in the not too distant future, culling the entire herd and starting over.


I posted on the thread on the other forum but i'll do some here too....

*pine needles ARE POISONOUS so everyone knows! they actually cause abortions in most all animals.
for vit c you really need forage/veggies/tablets etc. personally i'm having awesome results with tons of forage, hay, and wheat grass i'm sprouting and growing. 

*guinea pig babies are technically called pups... I just call em guinea pig babies myself or whatever baby talk :whistlin: hahaha

*GPs rarely eat the dead babies

*first part of my GP butcher. workin on the second part with me tastin it and all. 
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcF2db4k6cQ&feature=player_embedded[/ame]


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## ohiogoatgirl

jesirose said:


> This thread has been super useful. We were going to breed rabbits for meat (for our dogs) but I'm seriously leaning towards doing the guinea pigs. The only part I'm not sure about is the butchering process. I've done a rabbit, but it sounds like the g-pigs are a bit harder. OTOH, all I really want to worry about since the dogs are eating them is getting the pelt off and removing the organs they shouldn't have. (Assuming like rabbits the gallbladder is somewhat dangerous or gross)


cant say on that, sorry. you might want to but as far as I know from the couple people who've said they feed em none have said anything about taking anything out.

only difference in a rabbit and a GP is unless you have the cheap hay or space to graze them to raise them out longer then they are smaller then the medium size breed meat rabbit fryers are. not really harder to do, just a bit different because its not the same leg shape and a bit smaller. 

**their bones break super easily** one of the sows had broken her back leg, healed up fine but still. and the boar from January babies that is about to be sold who was being a dummy and jumping the dividers and had broken his leg. but his also healed up just fine.


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## ohiogoatgirl

GBov said:


> So what is the best way to kill them? I cant for the life of me remember if that has been covered in the last umpteen pages.


I rung the neck of the one I did but the videos from south America/etc they hold them and slit the throat real fast. I would rip myself open so didn't go with that method hahaha. I figure if you could get a good chop going with a nice sharp machete or cleaver that would be good if you can aim.


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## ohiogoatgirl

jesirose said:


> Actually I have a question - does anyone here raise them in tractors outside? We are looking into doing this, I heard from some other people that it wouldn't be difficult - but would you use wire along the entire bottom as well to keep them all in? I'd worry if I went to move it, a baby would get lost or injured. Do you guys all separate your pregnant sows?


I don't separate. just the boars at about 3wks old so I can make sure the main boar is the daddy and that he doesn't start shoving on the young boars if they start getting hormones going. I don't believe any of my young boars could have bred back their moms that young though. 
I must admit i'm tempted to leave one with her son in a separate area from his birth onward just to see.

some people use tractors but you will need to train them to go into the house section of it when its time to move it so no chance of broken legs, etc. I know one lady who has pasture rabbits in tractors does that. not thinking I could train my GPs to do that though.

was emailing someone who had gotten a large herd going about how they kept theirs. i'll have to copy-paste the part from the email about their setup. its really ingenious I must say.


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## GBov

Not the pine I use! Here is a bit about using pines for food. http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3126/

It is super high in vit C. I find my herd eat it with gusto sometimes and others just nibble at it or even ignore it all together.

I guess they know best when they need it.


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## ohiogoatgirl

GBov said:


> Not the pine I use! Here is a bit about using pines for food. http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3126/
> 
> It is super high in vit C. I find my herd eat it with gusto sometimes and others just nibble at it or even ignore it all together.
> 
> I guess they know best when they need it.


yes pine needles are perfectly fine for humans but not for other animals.

pine needle>abortions in cattle: http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:10552582

http://ag.arizona.edu/AREC/pubs/rmg/4 animalcare&healthmaintenance/31 pineneedleabortion01.pdf

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=185065

also everyone on the guinea pig groups (including one person I really trust their say of things like this. not like the typical pet crazed person) are saying its poisonous.

you said about the breathing of the newborns who died you saw. 

about cedar and pine bedding and the phenols leading to breathing problems and deaths: http://www.guineapigtoday.com/2012/...r-and-pine-bedding-still-sold-for-small-pets/

for the inside pen now I use the wood shavings, cover that in hay. and then keep putting hay in because they eat the hay and what they don't eat turns to more bedding. but the wood shavings underneath help with any smell and water absorption.


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## Blackmoriah

I found this ebook about rabbit it also has information about raising cavies for meat you might be interested in.

Well, I can't seem to upload, for anyone who is interested, you can download it here 
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/RaisingRabbits.pdf


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## ohiogoatgirl

long time, no update. sorry guys things have been crazy with family and job searching and everything going on. so here is an update 
large bred tri sow ended up havin trips. you saw the preggo pics... here is the morning I found her and babies pic:





the white/silver is a boar and the two tri-colors are sows, black/red/white and re----uti/red/white.
himi sow had trips. himi boar, himi sow, red/white boar. sadly the sow had aspirated some of the birthing fluid and died the next day but the other two were great. red/white boar is still here and the himi boar was sold with his mom.


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## ohiogoatgirl

the only survivor baby of "The Great **** Massacre" was the cinnamon agouti sow. survived by hiding inside the cement block, was still squished back to the wall fearful when I gathered up the survivors and took care of the dead.

and her next to her mom, the silver sow.

the red/white boar from the sold himi's last litter here. probably going to breed him back to his aunt (my keeper himi sow) and then sell him or butcher him.

the white/silver agouti boar from the large bred sows last litter. he is growing good and I am thinkin of keepin him back as secondary boar. breed him back to his mom and hopefully get some creams.

the black/red/white sow from large bred sows last litter

the red/red agouti/white sow from large bred sows last litter

silver sow and himi sow had each had a litter on 8/9/13. silver had twins and himi had trips. red is silvers babies and blue is himis babies in the pic.


current indoor setup, sow and baby pen and smaller growout boar pen. main boar is is a huge like 20gal "bucket" (its like a huge plastic pot really and don't worry, plenty of space for the lone boar while the sows get a break)


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## MeatPigeons

Wow, I never knew GPs could be used as meat !! :O how do they taste? Could they handle the winter very well in Alaska given an insulated little shelter? Do you think that we could set up a temporary fence and then as more are born and raised, take it away completely? We have a patch of grass we never grow that could probably handle 10-15 GPs, but no fence. However, one side is the house, other side leads to our road, rest is woods.
And, given we start a herd, could you do, say 4 does, 1 boar? And just free run them? Would the younglings get bred too early? What age would you butcher? What do they taste like? What breed did you pick up for creating a herd? What's your average butcher-weight? This would be so much fun to start next spring.


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## GBov

MeatPigeons said:


> Wow, I never knew GPs could be used as meat !! :O how do they taste? Could they handle the winter very well in Alaska given an insulated little shelter? Do you think that we could set up a temporary fence and then as more are born and raised, take it away completely? We have a patch of grass we never grow that could probably handle 10-15 GPs, but no fence. However, one side is the house, other side leads to our road, rest is woods.
> And, given we start a herd, could you do, say 4 does, 1 boar? And just free run them? Would the younglings get bred too early? What age would you butcher? What do they taste like? What breed did you pick up for creating a herd? What's your average butcher-weight? This would be so much fun to start next spring.


I can only answer a few of your questions because mine arnt working out so well but my murdering pigs are a bit unusual :stars:

One boar and four sows would work just fine. They really do eat just about anything - plant wise, that is - and no, they don't get upset stomachs like rabbits do. I don't know what they taste like yet but, as today is butcher day, we will know later in the week. 

As for breeding too early, there are two schools of thought on that one. One is let the sow grow all the way up and then breed her or, if she can breed, let her. 

When we started our g pig herd I couldn't imagine how these VERY slow to breed and grow animals could POSSIBLLY give a family enough protein to be worth raising but I learned they are like a snow ball rolling down hill, very slow to start but it gets faster and bigger and faster...................

If my herd wasn't hiding a murdering pig we would be well up in the 50s or 60s by now with babies all the time. All I get to find are heads and bits though so my entire herd are going to freezer camp this week and we are starting over with new stock.

OGG, I didn't know you have had a massacre! How awful for you! Makes me grateful for my snake, it only killed one.


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## Wolfy-hound

Please keep us updated!

I've had issues with murdering rats, but I generally can catch the culprit and off him/her. But offspring from murderers will often turn to murdering too, at least with rats.


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## ohiogoatgirl

Q: What age would you butcher? What do they taste like?
A: go back a page or two, I believe I posted about it here with a butcher vid of mine.

Q:Could they handle the winter very well in Alaska given an insulated little shelter?
A: lowest temps mine handled outside was 3*F and then they were all huddled inside the little houses I had for them and came out only to eat. lower then that and I believe they wouldn't be worth keepin if it has to be outside and the place for them is that cold. they'll just be huddling in the houses to keep warm.

Qo you think that we could set up a temporary fence and then as more are born and raised, take it away completely?
A: not if you have any predators at all. these guys only defense mechanism is to hide. seriously. they could bite but other then with each other that is pretty useless to try and protect with. a rotated pasture would be good and I want to try one but it would need to be small enough they cant get out (think rabbit cagewire) and strong enough that predators cant get in.

Q:We have a patch of grass we never grow that could probably handle 10-15 GPs, 
A: you may think it will hold a lot of animals but if you want to raise them mainly on grass then you will need much lower numbers then you imagine and they eat more then you'd think greens-wise. rotational grazing would be an absolute must or you'd end up with just dirt.

Q:And, given we start a herd, could you do, say 4 does, 1 boar?
A: you can start with as little as 1sow and 1boar and up to 8sows per boar. I don't recommend keepin growout boars in with the main boar because he will fight them all the time to stay dominant breeder and they will get fought away from the food and water source and chased around and harassed. 

Q:And just free run them? Would the younglings get bred too early?
A: after trying it myself, I would vote no. you want to keep your herd of sows and the main boar you want to breed to. after that you can leave in all the young sows but they CAN breed very young and the one I did that with she stayed pretty small. now i'm going to be separating young sows away from any boars. right now my sows are takin a brake after back to back breedings so they are all in together.

Q:What breed did you pick up for creating a herd?
A: whatever you can get and then work toward keepin the biggest and culling the small ones. found a study once (should be linked to this thread somewhere) that the americans {smooth short fur} were best, followed by abbys {abbysians, short messy swirly fur like tons of cowlicks}. the longhairs put lots of nutrition into hair so those aren't the greatest plus you have to keep up on grooming them. though they are pretty darn cute.

Q:What's your average butcher-weight?
A: I've only done up the one and didn't weigh or anything.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

GBov said:


> OGG, I didn't know you have had a massacre! How awful for you! Makes me grateful for my snake, it only killed one.


oops I guess I didn't post about it here. I must have only put it in the fb group. my bad.

"dear group... to top off an already s--tty few months this morning I went out to find a massacre. the only surviving baby is the little cinn agouti because she was hiding in the cement block. even the younger black saw from january babies was eaten. it was *****. I had been 99.99% sure the part of the barn was critter proof other then mice. I was wrong. I am currently moving the survivors back into my teeny tiny room in the basement full of earwigs with me. so if anyone has questions feel free to post on the group and all but I will be sleeping and mourning today. this has just been a bad few months for me and this is the icing on the cake right now. sorry for the language but right now I want to go on a huge rampage and kill every g-dd--n **** in the whole flippin state... this may slow down my progress with my herd but I will not be put out by it! though they will be indoors until further notice. thank you all."


----------



## MeatPigeons

ohiogoatgirl said:


> Q: What age would you butcher? What do they taste like?
> A: go back a page or two, I believe I posted about it here with a butcher vid of mine.
> 
> *Thanks*
> 
> Q:Could they handle the winter very well in Alaska given an insulated little shelter?
> A: lowest temps mine handled outside was 3*F and then they were all huddled inside the little houses I had for them and came out only to eat. lower then that and I believe they wouldn't be worth keepin if it has to be outside and the place for them is that cold. they'll just be huddling in the houses to keep warm.
> 
> *my sister works at a place where she can get a LOT of vegetable scraps. Mainly we just don't want them in the house. We'd make something very very insulated*
> 
> Qo you think that we could set up a temporary fence and then as more are born and raised, take it away completely?
> A: not if you have any predators at all. these guys only defense mechanism is to hide. seriously. they could bite but other then with each other that is pretty useless to try and protect with. a rotated pasture would be good and I want to try one but it would need to be small enough they cant get out (think rabbit cagewire) and strong enough that predators cant get in.
> 
> *We have ravens and a fox, so a fence would be in order*
> 
> Q:We have a patch of grass we never grow that could probably handle 10-15 GPs,
> A: you may think it will hold a lot of animals but if you want to raise them mainly on grass then you will need much lower numbers then you imagine and they eat more then you'd think greens-wise. rotational grazing would be an absolute must or you'd end up with just dirt.
> 
> *I did  if I was gonna be unrealistic I would've said 30-40. It's half our yard*
> 
> Q:And, given we start a herd, could you do, say 4 does, 1 boar?
> A: you can start with as little as 1sow and 1boar and up to 8sows per boar. I don't recommend keepin growout boars in with the main boar because he will fight them all the time to stay dominant breeder and they will get fought away from the food and water source and chased around and harassed.
> 
> *So need to section it off, gotcha. That'd work for rotational grazing, too*
> 
> Q:And just free run them? Would the younglings get bred too early?
> A: after trying it myself, I would vote no. you want to keep your herd of sows and the main boar you want to breed to. after that you can leave in all the young sows but they CAN breed very young and the one I did that with she stayed pretty small. now i'm going to be separating young sows away from any boars. right now my sows are takin a brake after back to back breedings so they are all in together.
> 
> *Sections, again, lol, cool*
> 
> Q:What breed did you pick up for creating a herd?
> A: whatever you can get and then work toward keepin the biggest and culling the small ones. found a study once (should be linked to this thread somewhere) that the americans {smooth short fur} were best, followed by abbys {abbysians, short messy swirly fur like tons of cowlicks}. the longhairs put lots of nutrition into hair so those aren't the greatest plus you have to keep up on grooming them. though they are pretty darn cute.
> 
> *So whatever I can get... Cool. Probably would do just smooth, unless you'd think the long haired breeds would retain more body eat*
> 
> Q:What's your average butcher-weight?
> A: I've only done up the one and didn't weigh or anything.
> 
> *Oh, well guess Ill have to do some of my own butchering  *


my mom isn't very open to the idea of eating guinea pigs, but I'm thinking if we start next spring with a good fence, and lot of hiding places (for the raven since we couldn't cover it) and a well insulated 'barn' I could convince her.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

yes you want something insulated. big enough that they wont fight over not being able to get away from each other a bit. but small enough to conserve body heat. and a bit of air flow because if not it will look like a sauna inside with droplets from their breathing lol.

veggies are good. just be sure to make sure everything is safe for them to eat. should be links posted to here. I think I had like three huge posts with links lol. that will be great in the winter because they have to have vit c.

grazing depends all on your area and the weather that year. personally I think three sections so you can have sows, boars, resting. then you rotate so boars, resting, sows... resting, sows, boars... etc.

I had two longhairs. they actually seemed to do worse in the cold then the others! I had thought same as you about them at first. 
also the longhair sow I still have (may be goin to a pet home) and she gets mites and much worse then all the others. the large bred pair I got from GA I didn't see any mites on and neither did the babies from him. possibly fur and genetic related.
but again even with real large ones you'd have to keep their hair maintained. which is a pain and would be much more keeping them in big groups where they will chew off each others hair if they feel stressed. my longhair sow has a bad choppy look because of this. she is bottom of the totem pole it seems.

my family doesn't want anything to do with the animals. more for me then!  
if you can get just a pair or something to start and see if you even like dealin with them that can be good. I started with one boar and one sow. end of the week I had another boar and sow. within the month I had two more sows. from there it was breeding and brought in the large bred pair.
starting small is good  you can even sell off the boars in the beginning as pets to pay off buyin the first ones and the stuff for your setup. then after you have bunch of sows goin you might have found a bigger boar to buy and start breedin him.

best of luck


----------



## MeatPigeons

ohiogoatgirl said:


> yes you want something insulated. big enough that they wont fight over not being able to get away from each other a bit. but small enough to conserve body heat. and a bit of air flow because if not it will look like a sauna inside with droplets from their breathing lol.
> 
> *Should I like put little 'compartments' to make use of a small space, or just make it big? I'm thinking ill put the hot water-bag-thing and wrap it in towels and put it in there daily, to add a little heat to the enviroment*
> 
> veggies are good. just be sure to make sure everything is safe for them to eat. should be links posted to here. I think I had like three huge posts with links lol. that will be great in the winter because they have to have vit c.
> 
> *what is anything that I should majorly know is a big no-no? Ill search for it*
> 
> grazing depends all on your area and the weather that year. personally I think three sections so you can have sows, boars, resting. then you rotate so boars, resting, sows... resting, sows, boars... etc.
> 
> *I'll probably do like 5-6 sections just cause its big and I don't want to overdue the amount of pigs. That way I can keep a couple bÃ´ars for a variety in breeding *
> 
> I had two longhairs. they actually seemed to do worse in the cold then the others! I had thought same as you about them at first.
> also the longhair sow I still have (may be goin to a pet home) and she gets mites and much worse then all the others. the large bred pair I got from GA I didn't see any mites on and neither did the babies from him. possibly fur and genetic related.
> but again even with real large ones you'd have to keep their hair maintained. which is a pain and would be much more keeping them in big groups where they will chew off each others hair if they feel stressed. my longhair sow has a bad choppy look because of this. she is bottom of the totem pole it seems.
> 
> *I wouldn't think they'd retain heat as well because of the way their fur is. Tight fur would keep heat better I'd imagine.
> Give your sow a huggy for me :3*
> 
> my family doesn't want anything to do with the animals. more for me then!
> if you can get just a pair or something to start and see if you even like dealin with them that can be good. I started with one boar and one sow. end of the week I had another boar and sow. within the month I had two more sows. from there it was breeding and brought in the large bred pair.
> starting small is good  you can even sell off the boars in the beginning as pets to pay off buyin the first ones and the stuff for your setup. then after you have bunch of sows goin you might have found a bigger boar to buy and start breedin him.
> 
> *LOL, well I'm too young to be able just say 'more for me' since I need permission. My mom is OK with rabbits, but I know they'd just dig and take off /: otherwise I'd have rabbits. I want to convince her it's a good idea, I mean, we'd invest in fencing / housing but other then that we can sell meat/ pets. Oh and do you know any cuy recipes ? How did it taste? *
> 
> best of luck


Thanks for the info! I'm not a fan of *pet* Guinneas, but meat guineas would be fun (kinda like rabbits)


----------



## GBov

Instead of a hot water bottle - think chewed on and pee-ed on too - why not put in an infrared heat lamp. I use them for brooding chicks but this winter, the ferret is going to get one too so g pigs should like it.

They are so small that they get cold real easy.

I wish y'all better luck selling your culls as pets, I cant even GIVE them away!

Shall let you know how they taste later in the week, three are separated from the group waiting for my time mwaahahahaaa.......


----------



## MeatPigeons

GBov said:


> Instead of a hot water bottle - think chewed on and pee-ed on too - why not put in an infrared heat lamp. I use them for brooding chicks but this winter, the ferret is going to get one too so g pigs should like it.
> 
> They are so small that they get cold real easy.
> 
> I wish y'all better luck selling your culls as pets, I cant even GIVE them away!
> 
> Shall let you know how they taste later in the week, three are separated from the group waiting for my time mwaahahahaaa.......


It's pretty thick... Like 1 1/2 inch thick, and ill keep it away from their teeth using wire around it  just to cuddle agaisnt and add heat to the 'barn'. Can't afford to do heat lamp. Electricity = bills. Hot water = nothing.


----------



## GBov

MeatPigeons said:


> It's pretty thick... Like 1 1/2 inch thick, and ill keep it away from their teeth using wire around it  just to cuddle agaisnt and add heat to the 'barn'. Can't afford to do heat lamp. Electricity = bills. Hot water = nothing.


I wonder if an aquarium heater in a bucket would do? THey cost very little to run. But how are you going to heat the water that you are going to use? Factor that cost into your decision to go with hot water rather than a heat lamp.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

*Should I like put little 'compartments' to make use of a small space, or just make it big? I'm thinking ill put the hot water-bag-thing and wrap it in towels and put it in there daily, to add a little heat to the environment*
I would just make it big enough for them to all fit in without having to be on top of each other.
also wouldn't recommend the hot water bag. I've also been trying to come up with cost free heating and comin up with not much at all. I want to build a hutch for my GPs and make one of those soda can and glass box solar heaters. that's the only thing I've been able to come up with so far though.

*what is anything that I should majorly know is a big no-no? Ill search for it.*
pine needles!! that's the first thing that comes to mind. you will want to research for yourself though. 
here is one good page for foods: http://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html
there are others though. think I posted some in the big links post a while back.

*I'll probably do like 5-6 sections just cause its big and I don't want to overdue the amount of pigs. That way I can keep a couple bÃ´ars for a variety in breeding *
sounds good. I have my main boar, one young boar that will be my secondary boar, and another abby boar that i'm gonna keep only long enough to breed back to his aunt (my himi sow). 5 sections and you could have 1) growout boars, 2) growing sows, 3)sows with boar, 4) sows with boar, 5) resting section, 6) resting section

*I wouldn't think they'd retain heat as well because of the way their fur is. Tight fur would keep heat better I'd imagine. 
Give your sow a huggy for me :3*
ya its confusing but that's how they been doing lol. i'll try and get a pic of her. she looks all hacked at and choppy and her hair doesn't get long. but she'll be going to a pet home here soon probably.

*LOL, well I'm too young to be able just say 'more for me' since I need permission. My mom is OK with rabbits, but I know they'd just dig and take off /: otherwise I'd have rabbits. I want to convince her it's a good idea, I mean, we'd invest in fencing / housing but other then that we can sell meat/ pets. Oh and do you know any cuy recipes ? How did it taste? *
true. I know how that is.
you could have rabbits in hutches and give them grass and greens that you cut/gather. that's what I do with mine along with hay and a pellets/grains mix. same as the GPs get.
I posted recipes I found a while back. i'll try and find it though.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

here is the butcher video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vcF2db4k6cQ


----------



## JudithCS

Quick intro: I've been thinking of raising guinea pigs for meat, for a few years now. Finding this Microlivestock book online started me on this path. 

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1831&page=241

I used to have 3 large dogs and 2 cats, and most of their diet was raw food, so I got the idea of raising meat for them. I belong to a local raw feeding group where I think I could sell guinea pigs as whole prey. Lately, I've been researching more on guinea pigs and found this forum. Great to be here--there is so much good information.

Now I only have one small dog and one cat, so I could raise enough cavies for all of us. But the big problem here is predators. I'm in the Southeast woods, with snakes, possums, raccoons, hawks, and coyotes, plus the neighbor's aggressive cat. I could keep the herd out on the deck, with some insulation in winter, and I think putting them outside would be easier in a lot of ways. But I think they would be safer inside because of all these predators. I'll have a small herd, so I might be able to make room indoors. Then the problem is to keep my cat away from the gps.

Would it work to use containers of hard plastic for cages, without a lid? Would there be enough ventilation? I'd make a wire screen lid, or keep them in a room the cat can't get into. Is there a problem with plastic cages? I'm thinking of clear plastic storage bins, because they are fairly cheap, lightweight and would be pretty easy to clean out. I'd like to have a rotation system with 7 cages. 

Judith


----------



## JudithCS

P.S. Is there a Facebook group for meat guinea pigs?


----------



## Wolfy-hound

I know one lady who is always begging me to watch for guinea pigs for her pet business. She can hardly keep them in stock and I think they go for about $20 each retail.

I'm beginning to think more seriously about getting some, but I worry, how do they do in heat? I know rabbits have issues with heat.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> Quick intro: I've been thinking of raising guinea pigs for meat, for a few years now. Finding this Microlivestock book online started me on this path.
> 
> http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1831&page=241
> 
> I used to have 3 large dogs and 2 cats, and most of their diet was raw food, so I got the idea of raising meat for them. I belong to a local raw feeding group where I think I could sell guinea pigs as whole prey. Lately, I've been researching more on guinea pigs and found this forum. Great to be here--there is so much good information.
> 
> Now I only have one small dog and one cat, so I could raise enough cavies for all of us. But the big problem here is predators. I'm in the Southeast woods, with snakes, possums, raccoons, hawks, and coyotes, plus the neighbor's aggressive cat. I could keep the herd out on the deck, with some insulation in winter, and I think putting them outside would be easier in a lot of ways. But I think they would be safer inside because of all these predators. I'll have a small herd, so I might be able to make room indoors. Then the problem is to keep my cat away from the gps.
> 
> Would it work to use containers of hard plastic for cages, without a lid? Would there be enough ventilation? I'd make a wire screen lid, or keep them in a room the cat can't get into. Is there a problem with plastic cages? I'm thinking of clear plastic storage bins, because they are fairly cheap, lightweight and would be pretty easy to clean out. I'd like to have a rotation system with 7 cages.
> 
> Judith


dont use totes or things with solid walls. you wont get good enough ventilation and the GPs will be much more likely to get sick.

I only use the huge tote for the boar for short periods when I need to spate him. like right now he is already in the smaller pen with two of the new sows  the others are in the bigger pen. and the two young boars are in the huge tote for a little while until i'm pretty sure the boar bred the sows. then i'll rotate again so they one of em doesn't have to stay in the tote all the time. at least until I have my hutch built.



JudithCS said:


> P.S. Is there a Facebook group for meat guinea pigs?


I have made a group. 
anyone interested friend me and PM me that you would like to be added to the meat GP group 
https://www.facebook.com/homesteadnowhererabbitry.ohio


----------



## JudithCS

ohiogoatgirl said:


> dont use totes or things with solid walls. you wont get good enough ventilation and the GPs will be much more likely to get sick.
> 
> I have made a group.
> anyone interested friend me and PM me that you would like to be added to the meat GP group
> https://www.facebook.com/homesteadnowhererabbitry.ohio


Thanks for the advice, OGG. I'm sorry to hear it, though. Plastic containers seemed like such an easy way to make enclosures. Back to the drawing board. 

Good to know about your Facebook group.


----------



## GBov

JudithCS said:


> Thanks for the advice, OGG. I'm sorry to hear it, though. Plastic containers seemed like such an easy way to make enclosures. Back to the drawing board.
> 
> Good to know about your Facebook group.


You could use the very large totes - toy box sized - and cut large rectangles out of all four sides. Then zip tie wire mesh into place. Do the same for the top so you have a lid that clips into place. Your cat wont be able to get in.

It gives you large pens with solid bottoms and lots of ventilation.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

Wolfy-hound said:


> I know one lady who is always begging me to watch for guinea pigs for her pet business. She can hardly keep them in stock and I think they go for about $20 each retail.
> 
> I'm beginning to think more seriously about getting some, but I worry, how do they do in heat? I know rabbits have issues with heat.


I DO NOT recommend selling them to petstores. petstores want to buy rabbits and guinea pigs up for like $3-8 and sell them for $30+ and all the ones I've ever seen or heard of just throw everything in together with no cares or concerns. they then have an endless supply of them and sell off whatever the people pick out which may be of any gender because almost none of the people who work in petstores can tell the genders on any of the animals. then people who just want girls or just want boys end up with two bred sows or rabbits. or with a girl and a boy which wont be long until they then also have an endless supply of them.


----------



## akane

Our petland separates guinea pigs by gender but not rabbits. Because of that they actually charge us $10 per rabbit to take them after one of our 10 week males bred all their females.


----------



## Wolfy-hound

I wasn't saying to sell them to petstores, but she does pretty well by her animals. I was speaking more to the demand for guinea pigs in this area. She can't keep them in stock.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

Wolfy-hound said:


> I wasn't saying to sell them to petstores, but she does pretty well by her animals. I was speaking more to the demand for guinea pigs in this area. She can't keep them in stock.


sorry I was just having a conversation with another rabbit and GP breeder about that topic.
I sell as pets when I can but I also make very sure that the person isn't just going to breed breed breed and not take care of them at all just tryin to make money.


----------



## GBov

Wolfy-hound said:


> I wasn't saying to sell them to petstores, but she does pretty well by her animals. I was speaking more to the demand for guinea pigs in this area. She can't keep them in stock.


And I cant GIVE them away!!!


----------



## KSALguy

we do need a community group for guineapigs on facebook, there are several rabbit pages that kind of deal with PET guinea pigs but none are practical about meat or even raising them in builk of any kind,


----------



## JudithCS

GBov said:


> You could use the very large totes - toy box sized - and cut large rectangles out of all four sides. Then zip tie wire mesh into place. Do the same for the top so you have a lid that clips into place. Your cat wont be able to get in.
> 
> It gives you large pens with solid bottoms and lots of ventilation.


I like that idea, thanks. May try it. Not sure how to secure the wire on the openings, though. 

I was thinking originally that if the tub was wide enough and shallow enough it would have good ventilation. I wasn't planning to use tall, narrow tubs.


----------



## GBov

JudithCS said:


> I like that idea, thanks. May try it. *Not sure how to secure the wire on the openings, though. *
> 
> I was thinking originally that if the tub was wide enough and shallow enough it would have good ventilation. I wasn't planning to use tall, narrow tubs.


Drill pairs of holes on the edges of the openings and either use wire to twist and hold the mesh in place or zip tie it. Wire might work better as they chew a bit. Make sure the wire mesh is on the INside of the box so they cant chew the plastic.

G pigs can jump, not far or high but they can jump. And mine don't climb to badly either so a shallow sided box wouldn't keep them in too well.


----------



## Wolfy-hound

We sometimes use the plastic bins for rats doing the same thing. Mark your hole you want to cut for the window, then drill the holes THEN cut the window out. It's way easier than trying to drill on the edge of the plastic.

Zipties are fastest, but I've also used thin wire to "weave" through the holes and the wire mesh. I made a cricket bin that way using screen too. No sharp cut ziptie ends that way, but it takes more time to do.

If you use water bottles with the bins, a neat trick is to get a metal washer big enough to fit the nozzle through and glue that on the inside of the nozzle hole in the bin side. Then teeth can't chew the hole bigger to escape.


----------



## JudithCS

GBov said:


> Drill pairs of holes on the edges of the openings and either use wire to twist and hold the mesh in place or zip tie it. Wire might work better as they chew a bit. Make sure the wire mesh is on the INside of the box so they cant chew the plastic.
> 
> G pigs can jump, not far or high but they can jump. And mine don't climb to badly either so a shallow sided box wouldn't keep them in too well.


I see. I was worried about weakening the plastic if I drilled too many holes. 

I knew someone who kept GPs in a large wooden box that was pretty shallow. That gave me the idea of shallow plastic bins. I don't remember how deep the box was, or whether hers ever jumped out. Wouldn't do to have wandering GPs in this house. My cat would definitely get them! 

What's the minimum height of a wall to keep GPs in?

I've seen Ohio Goat Girl's arrangement for keeping GPs indoors, but I don't have a room where I can do that. Does anyone else here keep them indoors? If so, what kind of enclosures do you use? 

I have a large, plastic dog kennel that's not in use. It could house a few GPs, maybe two sows and their babies. I'd have to add finer mesh to the door and possibly to the ventilation holes on the sides--babies might get through the wire as it is now, or get stuck in it. Does anyone use dog crates?


----------



## GBov

JudithCS said:


> I see. I was worried about weakening the plastic if I drilled too many holes.
> 
> I knew someone who kept GPs in a large wooden box that was pretty shallow. That gave me the idea of shallow plastic bins. I don't remember how deep the box was, or whether hers ever jumped out. Wouldn't do to have wandering GPs in this house. My cat would definitely get them!
> 
> What's the minimum height of a wall to keep GPs in?
> 
> I've seen Ohio Goat Girl's arrangement for keeping GPs indoors, but I don't have a room where I can do that. Does anyone else here keep them indoors? If so, what kind of enclosures do you use?
> 
> I have a large, plastic dog kennel that's not in use. It could house a few GPs, maybe two sows and their babies. I'd have to add finer mesh to the door and possibly to the ventilation holes on the sides--babies might get through the wire as it is now, or get stuck in it. *Does anyone use dog crates*?


I did once and HATED it! Too dark to see the pigs and VERY hard to clean.

I was going to try splitting one up into two halves, wire the open top and put a door on but I ended up using something else instead so I don't know if that will work or not.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> I like that idea, thanks. May try it. Not sure how to secure the wire on the openings, though.
> 
> I was thinking originally that if the tub was wide enough and shallow enough it would have good ventilation. I wasn't planning to use tall, narrow tubs.


I had a couple that could jump out of the totes. about 18 inches tall. just fyi.


----------



## JudithCS

ohiogoatgirl said:


> I had a couple that could jump out of the totes. about 18 inches tall. just fyi.


And I guess if you have nest boxes in the enclosure, they can climb on top of them and climb out of the enclosure more easily.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> And I guess if you have nest boxes in the enclosure, they can climb on top of them and climb out of the enclosure more easily.


they don't need nests. spots for them to hide in are good but they don't have to have any. mine get cardboard boxes after we go shoppin lol. usually eat them though.
outside pens need houses for them in winter and shaded areas in summer. other then that they don't really *need* them.


----------



## Wolfy-hound

So what kind of outdoor temps can they take?(with appropriate shade shelter, of course)


----------



## JudithCS

ohiogoatgirl said:


> they don't need nests. spots for them to hide in are good but they don't have to have any. mine get cardboard boxes after we go shoppin lol. usually eat them though.
> outside pens need houses for them in winter and shaded areas in summer. other then that they don't really *need* them.


Yep, I was thinking of small cardboard boxes. Not formal nest boxes. But don't they climb on top of boxes?


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

Wolfy-hound said:


> So what kind of outdoor temps can they take?(with appropriate shade shelter, of course)


when I put mine outside in the spring it had warmed up and then got cold again but they did fine. I know the one morning it was 3*F outside here and when I went up they all ran out of the hidey house squeeking and hollerin for food.



JudithCS said:


> Yep, I was thinking of small cardboard boxes. Not formal nest boxes. But don't they climb on top of boxes?


cardboard is fine in warm weather but they need wood or something more substantial in colder weather.


----------



## KSALguy

mine would sometimes get up ontop of the little plastic igloo thing that people get for them at the pet store, but they don't really have great upward mobility, the igloo is sloped just enough to give them a way up, it was the medium size I think, not the real big one, maybe 8in?


----------



## Wolfy-hound

ohiogoatgirl said:


> when I put mine outside in the spring it had warmed up and then got cold again but they did fine. I know the one morning it was 3*F outside here and when I went up they all ran out of the hidey house squeeking and hollerin for food.
> 
> 
> 
> cardboard is fine in warm weather but they need wood or something more substantial in colder weather.


I wasn't really worried about cold, but about the heat levels they can take. Here in Florida, I never put heat in my rat room at all, even if it's below freezing, I just put cardboard over 2/3rds of each bin and they stay quite comfy. But heat affects them a lot more. Are guinea pigs okay in heat?


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## KSALguy

I would say they do better than rabbits in heat but not sure how the compare to rats, from what little I have been able to observe so far they seem to handle both heat and cold with in reason, more on the extreme cold end being a problem than heat as long as they have plenty of ventilation and shade, and possibly a cool flooring to lay on?


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## ohiogoatgirl

Wolfy-hound said:


> I wasn't really worried about cold, but about the heat levels they can take. Here in Florida, I never put heat in my rat room at all, even if it's below freezing, I just put cardboard over 2/3rds of each bin and they stay quite comfy. But heat affects them a lot more. Are guinea pigs okay in heat?


I cant really say as I had to move mine inside before it got hot out really at all. from what I've seen though online they do fine as long as its not super ridiculously hot for a long period of time. just make sure they have plenty of water and food and a cool place to hang out if its real hot.


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## JudithCS

Do sows have to be bred by a certain age? Someone is selling a pet guinea pig locally plus the cage for a low price. They say they've had her for 5 or 6 months but I don't know how old she was when purchased. I suppose the cage is worth the price and I could turn her into dog food. But I'm not ready to kill a GP yet. That is going to be the hardest part for me. I need to learn much more before I'm ready.


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## JudithCS

Ok, she was a baby when bought and about 6 months old now. Too old to breed?


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## GBov

JudithCS said:


> Ok, she was a baby when bought and about 6 months old now. Too old to breed?


Why not get her and try? No loss if she doesn't have pups for you. You can dispatch her later on.


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## JudithCS

GBov said:


> Why not get her and try? No loss if she doesn't have pups for you. You can dispatch her later on.


I thought I'd read something about the female pelvis becoming too stiff, the ligaments unable to stretch, at a certain age if they haven't had pups before then. So she might breed but die giving birth. 

It's a very vague memory and I don't know if it's true or where I read it, so I thought someone here would know if it's nonsense.


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## JudithCS

JudithCS said:


> I thought I'd read something about the female pelvis becoming too stiff, the ligaments unable to stretch, at a certain age if they haven't had pups before then. So she might breed but die giving birth.
> 
> It's a very vague memory and I don't know if it's true or where I read it, so I thought someone here would know if it's nonsense.


Apparently, I read this here! And Akane said that sows can still have first litters later, but there may be some complications.


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## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> I thought I'd read something about the female pelvis becoming too stiff, the ligaments unable to stretch, at a certain age if they haven't had pups before then. So she might breed but die giving birth.
> 
> It's a very vague memory and I don't know if it's true or where I read it, so I thought someone here would know if it's nonsense.


 
just like with any mammal (including humans) there is an optimal time to have the first baby/litter. if they start getting older and haven't had babies then the muscles and tendons that move and stretch during labor and birth... well they wont move or stretch enough and they wont be able to give birth. this often kills mom and baby/ies. especially in small animals like guinea pigs where any minor surgery is very very risky anyways.

4-8 months is best. some show breeders and that say 8-12 but I think that's a bit much. 

I didn't have an age for any of my starting GPs. they all did just fine.


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## JudithCS

ohiogoatgirl said:


> just like with any mammal (including humans) there is an optimal time to have the first baby/litter. if they start getting older and haven't had babies then the muscles and tendons that move and stretch during labor and birth... well they wont move or stretch enough and they wont be able to give birth. this often kills mom and baby/ies. especially in small animals like guinea pigs where any minor surgery is very very risky anyways.
> 
> 4-8 months is best. some show breeders and that say 8-12 but I think that's a bit much.
> 
> I didn't have an age for any of my starting GPs. they all did just fine.


Good! if I get this sow, she won't be bred till she's 7 months, probably. Sounds like we are still in a safe zone. Thanks.


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## JudithCS

I think I'll probably buy this 6 month old sow. It's only $20 for her and her cage plus some supplies, and the cage is worth that. It looks like a typical pet store cage, nothing special but OK. And she's cute. LOL. At least this way, I can find out if I even want to keep GPs, and then find a boar for her and start collecting more of them. That will give me time to clear space in the one room that I can close off from the cat. 

If I end up with a herd, there is a local feed mill on a farm that sells high quality feeds, including organic ones. I may try to grow a patch of grass or grain in the yard, but there isn't much sun. I could try a winter cover crop, though--more sun than in summer. Plenty of weeds, but some of them might be bad for GPs. I know for the dominant weed, Microstegium, nothing will eat it--not even goats. I'd have to find out if it's at all toxic. It's a nice soft grass that would be convenient to feed. But I can grow wheat grass under a fluorescent light and in windows, I guess.


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## HayBabies

One thing that can save on your feed bill is to give them pulp from a juicer machine. We started juicing about a year ago. I feed all the pulp to them. They don't get the runs as easy as rabbits or other animals. It really seems to cut down on the amount of pellets they eat. Working on a web site. Still need to add pictures.. pezpigs.webs.com

I haven't eaten one though. Just not that hungry yet. If it came down to it. I could eat one if I had to.


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## HayBabies

If the sow is older then 1 year old and having her fist litter. She could die while having babies. I've heard of some sows doing ok, but not very many.

The pelvic bone right above the vent will open about the thumbs width right before giving birth. If it doesn't open there is no room for the babies to pass.


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## KSALguy

where are you located? I fed my colony of rabbits and also my guinea pigs from a lot of road side cuttings and sense I am in the south that was a year round source, there are lots of things you can find along the road side that is good to feed


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> where are you located? I fed my colony of rabbits and also my guinea pigs from a lot of road side cuttings and sense I am in the south that was a year round source, there are lots of things you can find along the road side that is good to feed


Not sure if you were responding to my posts or someone else. I think they spray some of the roadsides here with herbicides, so I'll gather plants in my yard (no sprays) and friends' yards mostly. I know some small organic farms that may have some foods I can gather. I can definitely grow a patch of some sort of grass over the winter in my yard--a winter hardy grain. Might be able to grow a smaller patch in summer. The deer will be the big problem with that--I will have to fence it off. And I will try trays of wheat grass and other greens in the house. Already have a setup on a shelf with a long fluorescent light--greens grow well under it. But that space can't produce much.


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## JudithCS

I'm in NC, so there's something growing year round.


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## HayBabies

Not sure who you are asking.

We live in Utah were nothing is green unless you pay for the water to make it green.. LOL Everything our cavies eat is pretty much from a feed store or Wal-mart  

You are lucky to have good weather and plenty of water year around.


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## KSALguy

actually very very few road sides are sprayed with herbicide especially in the country besides if it is you can tell because everything will die, Kudzu is an awesome food stuff and if your in the south you will have TONS of it, I am in Alabama and there are all kinds of things available, your location would provide a very similar environment, Bamboo, Kudzu, wild mustard greens, winter rye grass, lots of the things listed in the natural feeding thread here on the rabbit page, 

I would drive along the back roads and just see whats out there, its all free and easy to collect, if you really wanted too you could rinse them off first,


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> actually very very few road sides are sprayed with herbicide especially in the country besides if it is you can tell because everything will die, Kudzu is an awesome food stuff and if your in the south you will have TONS of it, I am in Alabama and there are all kinds of things available, your location would provide a very similar environment, Bamboo, Kudzu, wild mustard greens, winter rye grass, lots of the things listed in the natural feeding thread here on the rabbit page,


I'd love to find a stand of kudzu. Used to be a big field of it nearby, but they put in goats for a while, and it's gone. I know it's great fodder. I'll ask around among friends to find some. Thanks for recommending the natural feeding thread here. 

I'm afraid that they don't spray very often here. Things will all die back if they sprayed recently. But if they sprayed a while ago, plants will be growing back. The pesticides are still there and most of them stay poisonous for a long time. Roundup is much more dangerous than we were told for years and it causes cancer. It stays in the soil for years. (We were lied to.) I don't want to take the chance. But we have lots of organic farms here and i may find places to glean foods.

Near me, there is a power line along the road so they do spray. (


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## KSALguy

some of the out of the way areas, dirt roads, no power lines, wild rose is also a good thing to collect, rural small towns in the county wont want to spend money on spraying when they really don't have to keep things pretty, at least around here they call it good to just mow once a month if that, abandoned lots are also a good place to collect, do you have red clover around your area?


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## JudithCS

I'm sure we have red clover in some places here. I have a little white clover in my dog yard. I wonder if there is a problem with feeding them something from a yard where dogs may have pooped. I have lots of chickweed there in winter. 

Good ideas, thanks.


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## KSALguy

white clover is good, being in the dog yard isn't going to be a real problem, I would probably hose it down good in the sun before cutting some just to get any dust dog pee off but honestly its probably not going to be that big of an issue sense where dogs tend to pee a lot the plants don't really grow well and rain will keep things washed off anyway.


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## ohiogoatgirl

you may want to be careful with your clover. I have read that the oxalic acid in clover can be toxic if GPs or rabbits eat too much. humans even aren't supposed to eat much (from a survivalist point of view as i'm sure not many people regularly munch on clover hahaha).


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## KSALguy

as long as its just a portion of the diet and not a main staple it should be fine, I fed amounts of red clover mixed with grass and other weeds during its growing season down here in the spring to both rabbits and GP's. Clover is rather rich, but its still a good feed source. Alfalfa being in the same family, again its really rich and should be fed in moderation also.


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## JudithCS

What does everyone think of this idea for a simple, homemade, indoor cage?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m634vKgnxnc[/ame]

Kiddie pool and wire fencing. Not portable at all, but roomy and cheap. Pros? Cons?


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## ChocolateMouse

Ohiogoatgirl; Was pretty sure that the high oxalic acid concentrations were in Oxalis, which isn't really clover?


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## HayBabies

The kiddy pool pens work fine. The down side is small babies can't reach the water bottle, and they are a little harder to clean. They are not stackable so they take up a lot of space. Other then that they are great


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## JudithCS

HayBabies said:


> The kiddy pool pens work fine. The down side is small babies can't reach the water bottle, and they are a little harder to clean. They are not stackable so they take up a lot of space. Other then that they are great


Seems like an easy way to create a large enclosure, but those down sides are important, too. Maybe OK for growout cages but not for newborns? Thanks.


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## ChocolateMouse

Punch a hole lower down for the water bottle. Just need one tiny hole, right?


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## ohiogoatgirl

ChocolateMouse said:


> Ohiogoatgirl; Was pretty sure that the high oxalic acid concentrations were in Oxalis, which isn't really clover?


hm... I guess i'll have to research it more. i'm not sure.


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## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> What does everyone think of this idea for a simple, homemade, indoor cage?
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m634vKgnxnc
> 
> Kiddie pool and wire fencing. Not portable at all, but roomy and cheap. Pros? Cons?





HayBabies said:


> The kiddy pool pens work fine. The down side is small babies can't reach the water bottle, and they are a little harder to clean. They are not stackable so they take up a lot of space. Other then that they are great


I use rabbit water bottles and if you hang them on the inside of the cage/pen then you can hang it low as you want. at least the ones I have.

personally I don't care for that setup that much. it just wouldn't fit anywhere here, rather I can imagine it would get a lot in the way. but I can definitely see how it would be handy for emergency separating growouts or something though. wouldn't want it for a permanent pen though.


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## ohiogoatgirl

so here is my list of current GPs...
keywords here... abby = swirly fur... American = smooth short fur... longhair = has longhair... teddy = a shorthair type that is rough bristly fur...

*boars:*
main red american (from leon)
white/platinum agouti American (red x tri sow son)
red/white abby (red x himi sow son)

*sows:*
himi abby 
longhair (tryin to rehome her)
tri American (from leon)
abby-teddy (new, proven mom, currently in with red boar)
cream abby (new, proven mom, currently in with red boar)

*young sows:* (all will be first breedings before end of the year)
cinnamon agouti American (red x silver agouti sow daughter)
red/black/white American (red x tri sow daughter)
lil himi abby (red x himi sow daughter)
red/white abby (new, traded for)
"black" agouti American (new, traded for, looks black but really dark agouti will get lighter with age)
red/white/red agouti abby (brother of boar I butchered x tri sow daughter)
white/cream/lemon agouti abby (brother of boar I butchered x tri sow daughter)
silver agouti/white American (brother of boar I butchered x tri sow daughter)


the red boar is still going to be my main boar. he is staying until he breeds so much that he is bred all the sows several times. so as long as I get a new sow and have a spot for him he is staying around.

his son, the white/platinum agouti is to be the next main breeder. 

the red/white abby boar will be bred to the himi sow (his aunt) and the red/white abby sow when she is old enough and then i'm gonna sell/trade/eat him. 


oh and i'm trading the two boars from tri sows last litter for two sows. roan carrier abby and an abby. both bred to a nice roan abby boar. 
in the pet/show world roans are awesome so I might be able to sell off nice roan young ones for good prices if there are any show worthy ones. the boar they are bred to is a grand champion from Canada 


i'm gonna have to separate out into different pens soon for splitting the boars into breeding groups of what sows I want with them... so I need to make into three breeding pens and one growout pen. and still leave me the "huge bucket-tote" for young boars... *shew* how am I gonna do that?! x.x

just wrote out probable breedings and dates for up until December! woohoo! gonna end up with 15 sows and 3 boars by the time all the current keepers are old enough! that'll be just the breeders! woot!
and counting out and writing down approximate due dates they stretch on until 2/6/14 :grin: how's that for planning ahead? 
if i kept goin like this i bet i could imaginarily expand my herd with most likely breedings and keepers for years ahead!


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## KSALguy

sounds good, I would look at finding at least one more unrelated boar, maybe even a Roan boar from one of your new sows to help with with the gene pool, I honestly don't know how well GP's handle inbreeding/line breeding, some animals handle it better than others, Rabbits for instance have a very HIGH thresh hold, pigs apparently a very low thresh hold, I would be curious to find out how GPs do,


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## ohiogoatgirl

KSALguy said:


> sounds good, I would look at finding at least one more unrelated boar, maybe even a Roan boar from one of your new sows to help with with the gene pool, I honestly don't know how well GP's handle inbreeding/line breeding, some animals handle it better than others, Rabbits for instance have a very HIGH thresh hold, pigs apparently a very low thresh hold, I would be curious to find out how GPs do,


well one of the two real young boars I was trading the guy for died last night. so he is getting the red/white abby boar instead. which is ok because now it kinda gives me a reason to not keep him like I planned when he isn't that big. It was only for his coloring to breed to one of the young sows I was keepin him. so now reorganizing future breedings again to the way I should have had them in the first place.
haha darn me tryin to keep him for color! 

I will be keeping a roan or roan carrier boar from the new sows litters. he will be totally unrelated to all my others. other then that I want everyone to be related to my large ones I got from GA. linebreeding doesn't bother me. and if they start to degrade from too much then I will change things up. but I am trying to avoid that by getting new sows to breed to the big red boar. so there will be lots of half siblings but the mothers sides will all be from totally unrelated sows.
and I keep records of everything so setting up breedings of the keepers I will know exactly who is related how.


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## KSALguy

what size are the Roan sows? do you know how big the Roan boar was>? if they are a good size then that's even better, line breeding/inbreeding is a tool many are scared of but if used correctly can make some pretty awesome bloodlines.


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## ohiogoatgirl

KSALguy said:


> what size are the Roan sows? do you know how big the Roan boar was>? if they are a good size then that's even better, line breeding/inbreeding is a tool many are scared of but if used correctly can make some pretty awesome bloodlines.


yes I am planning to breed up with the two new ones as well.

actually one sow is roan carrier (not roan but carries genes for roan) and the other sow is not roan or carrier. 
both have been in with a grand champion roan boar from Canada for almost five full days and the guy thinks good chance both were bred.

so roan carrier sow bred to roan boar, roan and roan carrier babies.
not roan/carrier sow bred to roan boar, roan carrier babies.

the problem with roan is that you have to be careful about breedings somewhat more because if the genes line up right you can get what are called "lethals" that have two roan genes and are deformed and not healthy and almost always die before even two months old and generally most die within the week of birth.

you want to breed roan x roan carrier OR roan carrier x roan carrier for the most part. when you breed roan x roan you are chancing something like 60% odds of getting lethals. pretty much only really super intense roan breeders try roan x roan with super awesome roans because of it.

roan carrier Rr
not roan RR
roan rr
{I have no idea how lethal works into this sorry}

so going back to jr high biology here and thinking about those funny punnet squares and genetics... 

roan x not roan = all roan carriers
rr x RR = 100% Rr

roan x roan carrier = 25% chance roans, 25% chance not roans, 50% chance roan carriers
rr x Rr = 25% rr, 25% RR, 50% Rr

roan carrier x roan carrier = 25% not roan, 25% roan carrier, 50% roan
Rr x Rr = 25% RR, 25% Rr, 50% rr


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## KSALguy

hmmmm, I didn't know that Roan carried a lethal gene, but there are lethal genes in all kinds of animals so why not right lol, so 5 days is enough to get bred? I thought they had a longer time between cycles than that??


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## ohiogoatgirl

Its about 12-16 day cycles. but after the sows get a break sometimes putting them in with the boar seems to jump them into cycling.

my first ones I ever got, I had longhair sow and shorthair boar. well I was about to get a longhair boar and a shorthair sow so I wanted to wait and put them in with the same breeds.
the two pens were right next to each other and the boar and longhair sow went up and down the pen chattering at each other and her backing her butt against the pen and him on the other side grumbling and chittering for her.
week later I got the longhair boar and shorthair sow. longhairs got put together and shorthairs got put together.. about 63 days later the longhair sow had a litter. 

so that's how it goes for me anyhow.


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## JudithCS

ohiogoatgirl said:


> yes I am planning to breed up with the two new ones as well.
> 
> the problem with roan is that you have to be careful about breedings somewhat more because if the genes line up right you can get what are called "lethals" that have two roan genes and are deformed and not healthy and almost always die before even two months old and generally most die within the week of birth.


Are there any other genetic dangers that are linked to color or to something we can see and control in breeding? I hadn't heard about the roan problem. Good to know!


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## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> Are there any other genetic dangers that are linked to color or to something we can see and control in breeding? I hadn't heard about the roan problem. Good to know!


no that is the only one I know of.. 
well roan and dalmation. but really its the same gene. dalmations are roans that another part of the gene makes the coloring group into spots. 

roans and dalmations seem to be popular and expensive in general so i'm thinkin not too much of a problem there.


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## akane

How can there be roan carriers. Roan is lethal in it's homozygous state so all RR die or must be cared for in special ways. Someone on the guinea pig pet forums kept one alive for 3 years by handfeeding every day because they are born toothless and blind. Only Rr are healthy and should show the roan gene unless it's hidden by something like a nearly all white cavy. They are not carriers they are the actual roans. An rr is a non roan. You don't want to keep a roan boar for roan sows because your litters will be smaller due to the loss of lethals. A dark self would be preferable like a black or tan. Rr x Rr breeders usually have animals like snakes that they feed the lethals too as soon as they find them. The pet forums got all up in arms and harassed a bunch of local show crowd because they cross roans and use the lethals as feeders.


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## ohiogoatgirl

akane said:


> How can there be roan carriers. Roan is lethal in it's homozygous state so all RR die or must be cared for in special ways. Someone on the guinea pig pet forums kept one alive for 3 years by handfeeding every day because they are born toothless and blind. Only Rr are healthy and should show the roan gene unless it's hidden by something like a nearly all white cavy. They are not carriers they are the actual roans. An rr is a non roan. You don't want to keep a roan boar for roan sows because your litters will be smaller due to the loss of lethals. A dark self would be preferable like a black or tan. Rr x Rr breeders usually have animals like snakes that they feed the lethals too as soon as they find them. The pet forums got all up in arms and harassed a bunch of local show crowd because they cross roans and use the lethals as feeders.


huh... ok well i'm gonna go back to scratchin my head at the roan genetics again I guess!! haha akane if you could point me in the right direction i'd appreciate it. dummies guide would be awesome


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## ohiogoatgirl

so tomorrow is the day! really finally! hahaha. plus probably two more young sows! WOOT! 

so abby roan carrier sow (hopefully bred to roan)... abby sow (hopefully bred to roan).. and an abby and American pair of sister sows about 7 months.

so... current breeding sows: 5... as of tomorrow: 7.... as of end of oct: 11... and before the year is out all the currently young sows are going to be breeding age and my breeding sows will be: 16!!!


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## GBov

ohiogoatgirl said:


> so tomorrow is the day! really finally! hahaha. plus probably two more young sows! WOOT!
> 
> so abby roan carrier sow (hopefully bred to roan)... abby sow (hopefully bred to roan).. and an abby and American pair of sister sows about 7 months.
> 
> so... current breeding sows: 5... as of tomorrow: 7.... as of end of oct: 11... and before the year is out all the currently young sows are going to be breeding age and my breeding sows will be: 16!!!


And thus begins the fuzzy snow ball that are guinea pigs lol.

I wonder if that deadly gene could be linked to any other colors? Over half of pups born in my herd die within hours, even seperated out from the herd.


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## Wolfy-hound

Sounds like the roan gene is a co-dominant gene. So one gene shows the color, but two genes are a "super" form(in this case lethal). If you breed two roans together you can get non-roans, roans or "super-roans". The super-roan = lethals.

So in a litter, each baby would have a 25% chance of being non-roan, 50% chance of being roan, and 25% chance of being a super/lethal. 

This is if it is an actual co-dominant gene(also called a incomplete dominant gene).


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## fuzzynurse

From my understanding, there is no "roan" gene. There is a recessive gene (not sure what it's called so let's say "r") which causes the neural tube to develop incorrectly in the fetus - _sort of_ like spina bifida in humans. It causes blindness, deafness, and dentition (teeth) problems (and possibly digestive issues). It also causes incomplete melanization in skin cells - the cells which lack melanin produce white hairs.

So, if the recessive gene is "r" and the dominant is "R" (incompletely dominant as Wolfy-hound pointed out):

RR = self colored; no defects (though it can have defects from other genes)
Rr = roan/Dalmatian (some white hairs); no defects
rr = white hair; lethal

There are other unknown factors which determine the severity of the defects. Thus, some of them can survive for several years. However, most of those who survive are either only mildly afflicted or have owners who hand feed them and are willing to spend ridiculous amounts of money on them for special feed and vet bills. Something that that generally isn't done by breeders (whether they are for pets or livestock) but only by dedicated "rescuers".

By the way, I've never raised or even had a cuy. I just love biology and genetics, so I looked this stuff up. Surprisingly, most of the info came from the "GPs are little furry people"-type websites. I had to wade through A LOT of "Ohhh! Wook at th' cute widdle fuzzy-wuzzy!" and "breeders are EVIL" crap to find good info. It was painful. You're welcome.


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## fuzzynurse

Forgot to add something:

My understanding is that it is NOT advisable to breed roan to roan (or Dalmatian) because of the risk of lethals. On average, one quarter of your births from roan x roan will be lethals. If your goal is to breed roans and sell the lethals as snake food, it may be worth it. But if your breeding goal is feeding yourself, 25% stock loss on your births is kind of high. Better to stick to selfs or roan x self. UNLESS, there is some big advantage to roans I'm not aware of (bigger, better weight gain, tastier). If so, please share the knowledge.

(And again; I just looked this all up, so do your research and don't just take my word)


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## akane

You get a much better pattern breeding roan to roan or dal to dal but that has nothing to do with using them as a meat animal. Only in areas with serious show competition.


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## GBov

So what exactly is the color linked to the badness? Any pictures perchance?

I have at LEAST a 30% death rate with my pups. They are born fully formed but very weak and cant breath properly.

Have been weeding out any sow that has them but havnt gotten them all yet.

Have finally had a beautiful litter born healthy and happy, four little tri colors. Very sharp and vivid patterns on them all so am well chuffed with them.


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## fuzzynurse

GBov said:


> So what exactly is the color linked to the badness? Any pictures perchance?
> 
> I have at LEAST a 30% death rate with my pups. They are born fully formed but very weak and cant breath properly.
> 
> Have been weeding out any sow that has them but havnt gotten them all yet.


Lethals are, from what I've read, always white. Obviously, not all whites are lethals (for example Red-eyed Whites) and not all deaths are due to the roan lethal. There are probably hundreds if not thousands of birth defects that are incompatible with life in any species. A 30% death rate sounds right for a genetic recessive problem (pretty close to 25%), so if your pups aren't white, it may be some other recessive gene, especially if your breeders are closely related (though they don't have to be). If the problem persists in your herd, you may be better off replacing your boar rather than lots of sows, especially since boars are much easier to find (at least around here). Then you can keep your old boar to test the new boar's female pups to see if they are carriers of whatever gene is causing the problem.

Actually, I would suspect that the problem you are having is not from the roan lethal, since it seems that causes death by starvation rather than the breathing problems you are experiencing.

On the other hand, the problem could be non-genetic. Nutritional deficiencies, disease, or environmental conditions like mold in bedding could all cause a high death rate, especially since the problem your pups are having is breathing.

By the way, I forgot to list references before:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/4190-Lethal-guinea-pigs
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?51194-Roans-Dalmatians-and-Lethals-Explained! (wasn't working tonight when I checked it, and, yes, the exclamation point is part of it)

These are the two where I found the most information. Not too much breeder-hating in them, either.


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## akane

Guineapigcages.com is entirely antibreeding. They will grudgingly accept quality show breeders with pedigrees and oversized cages but they will hang you for breeding pet quality gp and possibly even ban you. They are also not too thrilled about outdoor gp keeping and insist they must remain between 60-80F. I left the forum years ago because they are a crazy cult of rescuers. I highly suggest reading guineapigcages.com and guinealynx.info website information but steer clear of the forums. If you absolutely have to get veterinary level info on a problem I would use guinealynx.info but if you talk about breeding and especially breeding outdoors you will have to wade through speeches to the actual useful information and both forums will probably just tell you to take them in to an exotics vet.


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## fuzzynurse

akane said:


> Guineapigcages.com is entirely antibreeding. They will grudgingly accept quality show breeders with pedigrees and oversized cages but they will hang you for breeding pet quality gp and possibly even ban you.


Sorry, I should have clarified: those two particular threads I cited had just enough decent information for the average layperson to understand lethal white genetics and while there was some obvious dislike directed toward breeders, there was not so much that I felt the desire to reach through the internet to slap somebody.

(I agree, though, that in general, the information on guineapigcages.com should be taken with a grain of salt if at all. Many of the other threads I looked at were nothing but a diatribe against breeders and what evil, terrible, inhumane, low-lifes they are. It was almost funny. In one, the OP asked a simple question about how lethal white genetics work (no mention of breeding them) and within 3 or 4 responses the forum had concluded that the OP was planning on breeding GPs and was thus consigned to the aforementioned low-life category. Yup, I'd never post there.)


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## JudithCS

I'm going to keep my cavies inside most of the time, but it would be nice to let them graze in the yard. With all of our predators, they would need to be in an enclosure. Would it work to put some adults in a wire dog crate? There would be wire on the bottom but it would be widely spaced and let them get at the weeds. I would probably have to watch them anyway--snakes might get in, but hawks couldn't. Coyotes are not usually out in the daytime here. I could give them a little shelter in there too. Free range would not work here--they would be eaten very fast.


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## JudithCS

Are there some breeds of guinea pigs that tend to be larger than others? I might be able to arrange transport for a few of the big cavies from GA some time this fall, but if a free guinea pig shows up on Craigslist, I'm wondering if there are better breeds to look for. y 

I know that sows need to be bred by 6-8 months or they may have trouble giving birth. What about boars? If they have been isolated from other GPs and I adopt them, will they function well for breeding?


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## HayBabies

Baby boars can breed their Mom at 2 weeks old. I've seen it happen. As far as breed goes all of them should be 32 oz or over by the time they are 6 mns old. It's just a matter of what hair style, and color you like.

Roan X Roan and Dalmatian x Dalmatian will produce lethal whites. Usually one or two in a litter.


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## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> Are there some breeds of guinea pigs that tend to be larger than others? I might be able to arrange transport for a few of the big cavies from GA some time this fall, but if a free guinea pig shows up on Craigslist, I'm wondering if there are better breeds to look for. y
> 
> I know that sows need to be bred by 6-8 months or they may have trouble giving birth. What about boars? If they have been isolated from other GPs and I adopt them, will they function well for breeding?


you really have to be careful that the outside temp is close to the inside temp if you are taking them in and out. unlike rabbits, GPs do not deal well with temp changes very well unless its you putting them out in mild weather and letting them get used to day/night temps and then as time goes spring/summer/fall/winter temps. they don't do quick temp change well. 

as for breeds... unless you can find a way aroud customs whatever all, have about $800 for a crate and 6 large breds from peru about 5 months of waiting on customs and their crap and about $2200 more for customs and whatever all they want you to do... and then they will tell you you cant have them because they are "rodents" and "carry too many bacteria and parasites".... I just had this conversation with a guy today who knows another breeder who moved nearish him from peru and was trying to import stock.

other than that, just try and find the biggest and fastest growing you can and keep breeding and culling for big fast growers. from what I've had americans grow fastest, second is abbys (abbyssians), and lastly is longhairs (Peruvians, etc) which seem to put 70% of their life into hair and the rest into actual blood and bones and skin.

boars can breed as young as 4wks. that is general consensus. although some people claim younger boars have bred their moms and was no chance at all that any other GP was in with them and it had to have been the young young son. personally I separate baby boars and sows at about 3wks and even one sow I left in with the other sows and the boar the whole time didn't have babies until she was about 6months old anyway, meaning she was bred at 4months of her own accord.

older boars can do just fine. several things I've read of someone happening upon this great boar who was older and never been bred and sired many litters before he died. I think the oldest I've ever read for a successful first time breedin for a boar was 7yrs old. like I said though I just read it.
with older boars there is the chance of sterility I would bet less then 10% of older pet boars would do just fine breeding some sows.


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## JudithCS

Thanks, Ohiogoatgirl. Good to know that if I find a giveaway pet boar, he may be able to breed. I've seen a few lately, not too far away, but wasn't sure if I should get them. 

I guess my cavies will stay inside and I'll bring some greens to them. don't want to shock their systems. I may get a breeding trio in Mid-October. Not sure yet if it will work out. Fingers crossed!


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## ohiogoatgirl

well all five of the tri sows litter died. I really don't know what was up with them it just must not have meant to live.

end of this month I've got the cinn agouti young sow going in to the breeding pen and fingers crossed she has some nice silvers/cinns with the white/platinum agouti boar... and next up due dates are 10/16 himi sow and 10/22 abby cream tri sow and teddy sow both hopefully bred by the red boar before he passed /: {sorry I thought i'd posted about that here but I guess I missed putting it here. I couldn't find a cause of death. someone suggested addin more vit c because they can drop dead for no apparent reason and its really vit c deficiency. tryin to make sure to keep addin more greens in every day then I have been lately.}

then 10/30 I've got three young sows gonna be going into the breeding pen.... two roan/roan carrier litters due appx 11/9.... and 11/17 hopefully the tri sow is due, bred back to her son (red boars son) and will throw some nice big creams and agoutis.

AND! i'm working on makin a much better hutch for them. I like them but I don't like havin them in my room.


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## ChocolateMouse

An idea for quick and easy vitamin C for your pigs... Is Apple Cider Vinegar in the water! If you get the unpasteurized kind with the mother it also adds good bacteria to their guts and lets them digest food and resist parasites easier. You can start with 1tbs/gal and build up the concentration in their water over time to a fairly large amount so they get most of their vitamin C from the water they drink.

If you have an outdoor pen you can just do this with a $10 1Gal chicken waterer. No more dead pigs!


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## GBov

ChocolateMouse said:


> An idea for quick and easy vitamin C for your pigs... Is Apple Cider Vinegar in the water! If you get the unpasteurized kind with the mother it also adds good bacteria to their guts and lets them digest food and resist parasites easier. You can start with 1tbs/gal and build up the concentration in their water over time to a fairly large amount so they get most of their vitamin C from the water they drink.
> 
> If you have an outdoor pen you can just do this with a $10 1Gal chicken waterer. No more dead pigs!


My female pen is now hooked up to the watering system - that is itself just hooked up lol - so I am going to start adding a cup per day to the bucket that feeds all the pipework. It was for the good of the rabbits but if it helps the g-pigs too that is super.

Lucked out in our new house, there is a very large old orange tree filled with HORIBLE fruit, very bitter and seedy, that the g pigs seem to like rather a lot. Finding an orange tree in zone 8 isn't all that normal lol.


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## MeatPigeons

Ok, so I found a free guinea pig on CL.
YES!!! 
Female, comes w/ EVERYTHING
that means we get a boy and we're good to go! 
But, my only Q is when we find a boy, how big should moms tank be?
When should I know to put the boy in and then remove?
It's been getting freezing at night - could I leave her out? Or just during the days? She comes with food but grazing would def cut back on feed bill.
How long is gestation?
I'm gonna keep it to 2 guinea pigs, eat the babies and see how they taste. How do you dress them out? Kill?


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## akane

Why don't you just get puritan's pride vit c crystals like everyone else? All the show breeders use it and we used it. It's 2 bottles for something like $15 and it lasts forever. We were putting it in gallon jugs every day and I still ended up throwing a nearly full bottle away when we gave up the guinea pigs indoors experiment. All it takes is 1/8th to 1/4th teaspoon per gallon depending what else you are giving them. You might go through both bottles in a year if you have a lot of pigs or change out large amounts of water daily.

ACV is a good supplement but does not have that much vit c. It just has more than other things. You also can't buy the big bottles in the grocery store. They are fake. They add the color and apple flavoring back in so it seems like acv but has no benefits over plain vinegar which has no real benefits. The real stuff that isn't filtered costs a lot more and most of the time has to be purchased from more specialty stores. The kind with the mother in it which is even better often only comes in a tiny bottle. It's a lot less cost effective. also vinegar damages metal waterers. I forgot that and put acv in our 5g metal poultry water for the rabbits. Took all the galvanizing off and rusted the entire inside.


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## JudithCS

I'd like to take a poll. Something like this.

1. How many cavies do you have, and what type? 

2. How are they housed--free range, grazing cages, indoors, in a herd or separated, etc. 

3. If indoors, what kind of cages do you use? 

4. What temperatures are they exposed to?

--Any other details would be great. If this is not a well-written poll, feel free to improve it. 

I'm making plans to get a breeding trio next month. They will have to be indoors now because of cold, wet weather coming, and the predators we have. The only room I can close off from the cat is a loft room--not as convenient for cleaning or checking on them, but safe. It should stay warmer than downstairs, too. I have to decide on how to cage them.


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## ChocolateMouse

Akane; Actually you can make the cheap ACV as good as the real stuff. It's easy. Buy some of the real, expensive stuff and a JUG of the cheap stuff. My cheap, generic ACV reads the following under ingredients "Pure vinegar made from apples and filtered water". No colors or artificial flavors or additives. It's just vinegar.

Pour out about 1/2 cup of the cheap stuff and add 1/2 cup of the UP/ACV w/mother. 

Wait six months and the mother will grow and make the cheap stuff almost as good as the expensive.

And yeah, I wouldn't use it in metal unless you were using a tiny amount.

Since I have ACV around for all the other animals, I think it makes it just one less thing one would have to buy specifically for the G-pigs.


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## akane

It's not enough vit c though. It is listed as a trace vitamin on websites. The amount is meant to be a supplement to a nearly complete or fully complete human diet. Like taking a vit c pill when you are sick or daily to increase energy a little. A guinea pig not getting at least a cup of fresh foods a day is not going to get enough vit c from acv in the water. Especially with the speed it breaks down. With crystals you are measuring pure vit c by gram at the amount the pigs need it not guessing at a lower amount. Go find me where it says how many grams or ounces of vit c are in acv. Plus I think $15 is worth not waiting 6months and buying a $20 bottle with the mother in it to make more useful acv.


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## JudithCS

akane said:


> A guinea pig not getting at least a cup of fresh foods a day is not going to get enough vit c from acv in the water. Especially with the speed it breaks down. With crystals you are measuring pure vit c by gram at the amount the pigs need it not guessing at a lower amount.


A local guinea pig breeder says in her Facebook page that vitamin C in the water changes the taste so the cavies won't drink as much as they need. Have you noticed that at all? I wonder if that is only from ascorbic acid (sour) or buffered vitamin C (not sour, but tastes a bit strange). I'd like to give them vitamin C in the water. It seems like good insurance.


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## JudithCS

akane said:


> A guinea pig not getting at least a cup of fresh foods a day is not going to get enough vit c from acv in the water. Especially with the speed it breaks down. With crystals you are measuring pure vit c by gram at the amount the pigs need it not guessing at a lower amount.


If this is what you use, it's on sale now for buy 2, get 3 free!

http://www.puritan.com/puritans-pride-brand-0102/vitamin-c-crystals-003160?


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## ChocolateMouse

Well, many people feed their G-pigs lots of fresh foods (my eight rabbits get this), even free range... And considering I already have ACV like this in my house and as do many other livestock owners, it's not exactly a burden to pull out the thing I already have lying around and use it.


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## akane

> A local guinea pig breeder says in her Facebook page that vitamin C in the water changes the taste so the cavies won't drink as much as they need. Have you noticed that at all? I wonder if that is only from ascorbic acid (sour) or buffered vitamin C (not sour, but tastes a bit strange). I'd like to give them vitamin C in the water. It seems like good insurance.


I talked to breeders at shows about this and it's mostly a myth. They may drink less for a day or 2 but they get used to it and never look back. It's like adding electrolytes. Those change the flavor and some are even flavored but once the animal is used to the flavor it's actually a benefit. Then you can use strange water and adding your usually supplement will make it taste like home water. A lot of animals won't drink strange water at shows or when moved to a new house. Also have you ever tasted acv? It's disgusting to me and a lot of people. I'm sure many animals find it disgusting which is why they say to start at a lower dose and raise it slowly. Yet lots of people put it in their water. For everything from cattle and horses to rabbits.


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## MeatPigeons

So I ate the guinea pig...lol
I boiled it to make it soft, but now it seems kinda rubbery. Anyway to fix that? There wasn't much meat. /:


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## JudithCS

MeatPigeons said:


> So I ate the guinea pig...lol
> I boiled it to make it soft, but now it seems kinda rubbery. Anyway to fix that? There wasn't much meat. /:


I've never cooked or eaten cavy. But in general, tougher meat is tenderized by long, gentle cooking, like a crockpot on low, simmering gently a long time, roasting in a relatively low oven, etc. Marinating before cooking can help, to. 

Maybe if you simmer it a while, or crockpot on low, it might help. I googled "how to tenderize meat" and got lots of information.


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## akane

Did you let the meat rest in the fridge until rigor mortis passed?


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## JudithCS

akane said:


> Did you let the meat rest in the fridge until rigor mortis passed?


I've been wondering about this. I see that rabbits are usually soaked in brine in the frig for a long time before cooking, or at least rested in the frig. But the videos of the way people use cavies in South America seem to show that they slaughter, butcher and cook them right away. What should we do to avoid tough meat?

One reason I'm thinking about raising meat animals is that I need to eat very fresh meat. I have histamine intolerance, which can be reversed--I'm working on that. But meat and fish develop histamine as they age. So I thought I'd try eating very fresh meat, and raising my own seemed the best way to do that. Plus, cavies are the right size for my little dog and cat.


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## ohiogoatgirl

butcher the GP quick and timely as possible... have seasonings set out to put on GP meat... put meat in the cooker or on the grill, etc.

if you can do it quickly you can avoid rigor by cooking before it sets in. after rigor sets in it seems to make the meat rubbery.


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## JudithCS

Are there genetic problems with albinos? I just found 2 albino male cavies, free with cage etc., 3 years old. Less than an hour away. I'd end up with too many boars, though!


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## akane

No and albino is usually not a term used in most animals. They are pew(pink eye white) or rew(red eyed white). I'm not sure which is used for guinea pigs. I've never found a listing of cavy color names only breeds accepted by arba. I've been learning a few color names by posting pigs I picked up at shows to uk show forums. There are no US show forums because gp have a huge pet antibreeder antishowing following here.


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## JudithCS

akane said:


> No and albino is usually not a term used in most animals. They are pew(pink eye white) or rew(red eyed white). I'm not sure which is used for guinea pigs. I've never found a listing of cavy color names only breeds accepted by arba. I've been learning a few color names by posting pigs I picked up at shows to uk show forums. There are no US show forums because gp have a huge pet antibreeder antishowing following here.


Yes, they are actually REW or PEW, but the person giving them away called them albino. Turns out they were bred for lab use. I was told they were used at the university for "eye exams" but I don't know what that means. It would be good to know all the color names!

Thanks.


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## JudithCS

akane said:


> I've been learning a few color names by posting pigs I picked up at shows to uk show forums. /QUOTE]
> 
> I think you said you get good deals on cavies at shows. What kind of prices do you find? A lot of breeders post at cavy Facebook pages about the animals they will take to shows for sale, and the prices are high--$35 to $100 or so. Do you just show up, or contact the breeder online about buying a cavy at the show?


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## akane

I just show up at our nearby show and breeders bring culls. Mismarked or runt animals. Like I got a golden agouti for $10 that had a white leg. Then I went back to that person and she said if I bought this healthy but runt black sow she'd give me a free boar because she had too many. Not all breeders bring their culls though so if you want you can message them and ask if they have any for cheap that are not breeding quality and if they'll bring them.


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## KSALguy

I have ran into a new issue, all the guinea pigs I have had before (granted that's not a whole lot) LOVED fresh green anything, they would go nuts over fresh grass, kudzu, clover, weeds, rose cuttings, etc. these that I have now have basically been on a mostly pellet and hay diet with celery and carrots mixed in as far as I can tell, they LOVE carrots, celery, and apples, but the locally produced weeds and grass etc are not kinda like getting your kids to eat their vegitables lol. they will clean up a pile of kudzu over night, and some weeds they like, and they will eat some grass but not very excited about it, they will eat the rose clippings but not really excited either, they ate the old flowers off first and the new soft growth but are kinda picking at the leafs, I hope to supplement their diet a lot more with fresh greens and such to help on feed cost like I have in the past but these guys are putting up a fuss over the new diet. has anyone else had this issue? picky eaters? do you think they will get over it?


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## JudithCS

There are two free boars about an hour away from me. They are REW or BEW, and were lab animals, siblings. Do you folks think they could have genetic problems because they were bred for the lab? I won't have many cavies and want them all to have good genetics.


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## KSALguy

depending what they were bred in the lab FOR they should be fine, hard to know exactly what might be involved with out knowing the tests the lab was researching, lab animals are normally highly inbred which isn't nessissarily a bad thing depending on what they were bred for and if they were a cull for that particular test or not, if they are fertile and bred to an outside sow if they were not bred with specific defects in mind for testing then they will produce normal healthy young, if they are free it cant hurt to get them and see what happens, and also if any information is available from their lab past that would help a lot


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> depending what they were bred in the lab FOR they should be fine, hard to know exactly what might be involved with out knowing the tests the lab was researching, lab animals are normally highly inbred which isn't nessissarily a bad thing depending on what they were bred for and if they were a cull for that particular test or not, if they are fertile and bred to an outside sow if they were not bred with specific defects in mind for testing then they will produce normal healthy young, if they are free it cant hurt to get them and see what happens, and also if any information is available from their lab past that would help a lot


I should find out more about them, and what they were bred for. The person who rescued them said "eye exams." They seem to have had a hard life, and I feel sorry for them. Sort of hate to take them if I might not let them live. I'll find out more.


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## KSALguy

give them a good life if you can, they deserve that, eye exams doesn't sound too bad, find them a couple females and see if you get some pups, but deffinatly find out more about their background


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> give them a good life if you can, they deserve that, eye exams doesn't sound too bad, find them a couple females and see if you get some pups, but deffinatly find out more about their background


The foster person says they were used for eye exam practice, and doesn't think they were bred for any genetic weakness. I have never heard of cavies being used that way, but it seems believable. I am planning to get a boar and 2 or 3 sows from the GA guy, so if I take these two I'd have too many boars, but I may get them anyway, for some genetic diversity. One is larger so I would just use him. The problem will be having enough cage space. They do deserve a good, peaceful life. 

Thanks.


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## KSALguy

use the bigger one for breeding and keep the brother for company, or pair each sow with a different boar, lots of possibilities, but I would try and give them a good life if I could too.


----------



## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> use the bigger one for breeding and keep the brother for company, or pair each sow with a different boar, lots of possibilities, but I would try and give them a good life if I could too.


She said the two brothers need to stay with each other, so I guess I will keep both of them or none! Funny--I feel responsible for keeping cavies like this, or pet cavies, all their lives. I don't feel that way about cavies that were bred for meat animals, like the ones from the guy in GA.


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## KSALguy

how old are they? I look at it like this, if an animal has had a good life and known the things that make their existence happy then giving them a fitting peaceful end for meat then its acceptable, but if an animal has been abused/neglected/institutionalized like these guys they deserve to know what a good life is, to make their life not a waist, it may sound weird to some but its how I see it. If it were me I would get them and if they were able to breed and produce another generation for me great but if not at least I have done a good deed and given them a ray of sunshine in their furry lives.


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## Wolfy-hound

I have always made sure my food animals live the life of Riley before their ends. Even my rats in the colony have the best food, treats, even toys. It costs me next to nothing to give them a good life and happy healthy animals grow and breed better anyway!


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## ohiogoatgirl

How many cavies do you have, and what type? 
*teddy, American, abby. 1 boar and 7 sow in the breedin pen, 2 sows that are breedin age but putting on weight before goin in to breed, 5 young sows not yet breeding age.*

How are they housed--free range, grazing cages, indoors, in a herd or separated, etc. 
*c&c type pen division indoors, breeding boar and sows pen1, growout boars pen2, young sows future breeders pen3.... when I move they will be in a hutch outdoors though.*

What temperatures are they exposed to?
*in the basement currently, about 40*F-70*F.... when they went out in the barn originally went down to at least 3*F and they were fine. just make sure everyone can get into the houses and they cuddle together. make sure if one is bottom of the totem pole it has somewhere to go though not outside by itself to freeze.*


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## ohiogoatgirl

full link file I put together on the FB meat GP group:


~food nutrition chart (*anti breeding site but has some good info on things*)http://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html
~GP for meat thread at BYC forum
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/233748/guinea-pigs-as-meat
~article with videohttp://therealknowhow.com/2012/03/07/raising-guinea-pigs-for-meat/
~article with breeding plan suggestions
http://survivalblog.com/2012/01/raising-guinea-pigs-as-a-survi.html
~GP for meat thread at HT forum
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/livestock-forums/rabbits/440110-guinea-pigs-meat.html
~guinea pigs for meat prduction 1991
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.echoco...DB-0A0D-4DDE-8AB1-74D9D8C3EDD4/GuineaPigs.pdf
~article on Fekunia couple who are sort of spotlight for gp as meathttp://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/06/28/2287792.htm
~guinea pig management manual 2003
http://www.bensoninstitute.org/Publication/Manuals/guineapig.pdf
~due date calculator (i love this! type in the date you put em together and click a button and you have a appx due date!)http://www.gestationcalculator.com/other/guinea-pig-calculator
~a bit on genetics
http://www.zianet.com/nstcbbt/genetics.html
~genetic diversity in cavies (i admit this is all totally greek to me!)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229130/
~about a girl with benson institute on breedin up GPs for sizehttp://www.bensoninstitute.org/Publication/BI/Lessons/volume22/jenny.asp
~profit in guinea pigs (copyright 1922!)http://archive.org/stream/profitinguineapi00robe#page/n7/mode/2up
~latin american research review, on the guinea pig in andean culturehttp://lasa-2.univ.pitt.edu/LARR/prot/search/retrieve/?Vol=29&Num=3&Start=129
~guinea pigs as meat producershttp://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/magazines/global/discussion-on-sustaining-agriculture/the-guinea-pig-as-meat-producer
~scroll down to 7.2.2 for GP infohttp://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/magazines/global/discussion-on-sustaining-agriculture/the-guinea-pig-as-meat-producer
~someones article about small backyard herdhttp://www.users.on.net/~arachne/guinea.html~GP in africahttp://www.new-ag.info/en/developments/devItem.php?a=2751
~word of mouth, three ways to eat a guinea pighttp://petercherches.blogspot.com/2009/08/three-ways-to-eat-guinea-pig.html~micro livestock book (can read at this link!)http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/LSTOCK/001/Minor_Stock/Microlivestock/INDEX.HTM
~commercial breeding of guinea pigs (translated page)http://www.microsofttranslator.com/...o.bizhat.com/rmr-prigeds/crianza-de-cuyes.htm
~hydroponic green fodder and their application in breeding guinea pigs (translated page)http://www.microsofttranslator.com/...com/rmr-prigeds/forraje-verde-hidroponico.htm
~breeding of guinea pigs peru (translated page)http://www.microsofttranslator.com/...jadecuyes.wordpress.com/tag/crianza-de-cuyes/


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

current feeding file on the FB meat GPs group:


*WHAT KATIE FEEDS: *as of 9/27/13 i'm feeding one scoop rolled barley, two scoops whole wheat, two scoops rabbit pellets (producers pride, from TSC). on top of that i feed tons of hay and tons of forage as possible in the warm months plus some regular mix veg sometimes (carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, zucchini, spinach,..). in winter i sprout and grow some of the wheat into wheatgrass (not like usual pretty stuff you see, mine is short or else it molds before it grows taller).

*SOME OF WHAT JACOB FEEDS: *"grain,; chook pellets; banana, whole plant; passionfruit, whole vine; mints, oregano/marjoram, parsley (most all culinary/medicinal herbs rosemary causes abortions in ppl and possibly animals); borage, lemon balm, all edible fruit trees, canes, leaves, prunings etc; sweet potato vines, carrots, all parts; wilted comfrey, (limited treat); Swiss chard; plantain; dock (contains iron); dandelion (even root, calcium); chickweed (go nuts for it, cuy love it too, tastes like corn); sow thistles/smooth thistle or whatever u want to call it (its called puha in NZ; wheat grass; corn stalks an...d leaves; sunflowers all parts (I take off the leaves and feed as they fade/get damaged); jobs tears (clumping grass, edible seeds, u can keep cutting this down and it just keeps coming back); violet flowers; loquat leaves and branches (sheep love the leaves too, I had one try to climb the tree to get at the leaves); squashes/pumpkins; at the mo im trialling them with dill (small nibbles, it can repel rodents apparently) cape gooseberry leaves and globe artichoke leaves (nibbled). Molasses can encourage biting insects, esp. in warmer areas. I tend not to feed any brassica or pulses (beans, and other nitrogen fixing plants like tree Lucerne, I do have a lot of clover in my pasture, but the cuy never eat it)."

*THINGS TO GROW: *
~wheat: if you can find some that is whole and not treated from the feedstore etc it makes good sprouts or grow it in plots with the garden and cut it for the GPs
~oats: mine never seemed to like oats really but some peoples do. the oats i could get never sprouted well and growin some (thanks to rabbits spillin theirs it grew some around the hutches) but it never grew the oats really. could possibly be good to grow for forage greens though for some people
~indian corn: corn is one of the controversial topics among GP and rabbit people. i have quite a bit of seed and i'm going to seperate out the lesser quality seed from what i have and crack it and see if they eat it. either way i know they clean up sweetcorn raw cob ends and stalks and husk/silk so even if i grow the corn for myself they will have tons of stalks and husk to eat.
~cilantro/coriander: this is medium-low in vit C level and supposed to be easy to grow.
~carrots: careful feedin too much because its like candy to rabbits/GPs and high in natural sugars and can actually give them diabetes. but the greens are good for them AND DID YOU KNOW you can take the big store carrots and cut the tops off with a bit of carrot left and plant it in a pot (or outside really) and it will grow a top again! i currently have 4 tops in a large pot that are doing great. day after i put em in the pot they started growin!
~garden cress: i have no experience with this but some people have wild patches of it that grows all year round i hear. its med-high vit C level.
~dill weed: medium-high vit C level.
~kale: high vit C level.
~lambsquarters: medium vit C level.
~cantaloupe melon: low-medium vit C level.
~mustard greens: medium-high vit C level.
~mustard spinach (tendergreen): very high vit C level
~NZ spinach: medium-high vit C level
~parsley: easay to grow once its going. medium vit C level.
~bell peppers: yellow are very high vit C level, red are med-high vit C level, green aremed-high vit C level. pretty easy to grow.
~pumpkin: very low vit C level but they keep easily over winter and pretty easy to grow. seeds have natural worming affect. whole thing is edible to them with little work on your part to feed out.
~watermelon: not much nutrition but grow it for you and feed em the rinds! ~summer squash (crookneck, straightneck, scallop, zucchini): low-medium vit C level but super easy to grow and store.
~winter squash (hubbard, acorn, butternut, spaghetti): very low vit C level but easy to grow and easy to store for winter.
~strawberries: med vit C level but i'd rather have strawberry shortcake for me then feed em to the GPs 
~sweet potatoe/leaves: very low vit C level but easy to start from store ones. currently have several small plants in large pot now doing pretty well.
~watercress: med vit C level


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## JudithCS

I'm planning to put the cavies in my loft room. That's the easiest room to block off from the cat. And it will be warm in winter. But there's a big opening from the loft to the downstairs, and nothing to block a cavy from falling over the edge. Are they likely to fall over a cliff? Just in case one gets out of a cage, I might be able to put some wood shelving across the open space. Or hardware cloth, zip-tied to the railing.


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## GBov

JudithCS said:


> I'm planning to put the cavies in my loft room. That's the easiest room to block off from the cat. And it will be warm in winter. But there's a big opening from the loft to the downstairs, and nothing to block a cavy from falling over the edge. Are they likely to fall over a cliff? Just in case one gets out of a cage, I might be able to put some wood shelving across the open space. Or hardware cloth, zip-tied to the railing.


 
Daughter left top door open this week and FIVE fell the three feet to the hard hard floor. :smack


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## JudithCS

GBov said:


> Daughter left top door open this week and FIVE fell the three feet to the hard hard floor. :smack


Oh, no! Sorry to hear that.:Bawling: So they are not wise about these things. I suspected that. Guess I should string some fencing along the railing so the opening is blocked off.


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## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> I'm planning to put the cavies in my loft room. That's the easiest room to block off from the cat. And it will be warm in winter. But there's a big opening from the loft to the downstairs, and nothing to block a cavy from falling over the edge. Are they likely to fall over a cliff? Just in case one gets out of a cage, I might be able to put some wood shelving across the open space. Or hardware cloth, zip-tied to the railing.


my himi sow is my only jumper and when I put her in the fishtank for a few days with the boar she didn't jump out. it was on a dresser so I was thinkin since she could see it would be really hard for her to get out, get off the dresser, find her way across the room, get back in the pen that she just didn't try it.

I would definitely cover it just to make sure though. 

actually isn't it at the beginning of this thread that someone posted pics from peru that its like three shelves in the corner with a teeny "railing" that they have some living on?


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## KSALguy

a friend of mine had a pair living on a shelf with just a row of bricks holding them in, they wouldn't get on the bricks even though they easily could, worked pretty good,


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> a friend of mine had a pair living on a shelf with just a row of bricks holding them in, they wouldn't get on the bricks even though they easily could, worked pretty good,


Wow. Amazing. But since it's a long way down from the second floor, I should put up a fence. I might move them downstairs in the summer, to be cooler. But only if the cat doesn't go crazy, and their cages will have to be very cat-proof. I can't wait for them to arrive, but I still have to make space and get all their stuff.


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## Lindafisk

I wanted to share this, I don't think anyone else has posted a link to it... 
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/12/174105739/from-pets-to-plates-why-more-people-are-eating-guinea-pigs

I have been following this thread and think it's very interesting. I have some piggies as pets, but I could maybe see eating some.....someday!


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## KSALguy

cool read, the comments at the bottom were a bit much, that Nancy lady needs to get her head examined or her mouth sewn shut lol,


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## Lindafisk

She seems to have a little too much free time!


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## fuzzynurse

Lindafisk said:


> I wanted to share this, I don't think anyone else has posted a link to it...
> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/12/174105739/from-pets-to-plates-why-more-people-are-eating-guinea-pigs


THAT'S where I saw the mention of inserting a straw under the skin and blowing them up to make it easier to skin them! (Somewhere around the 14th comment.) Thanks! I've been trying to re-find that for weeks.


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## ohiogoatgirl

fuzzynurse said:


> THAT'S where I saw the mention of inserting a straw under the skin and blowing them up to make it easier to skin them! (Somewhere around the 14th comment.) Thanks! I've been trying to re-find that for weeks.


I know some people who swear by that method for deer. downside of that with hunted animals is you need to have a headshot or only entry hole in the hide in order to blow it up. people also clamp a hose and fill it with water instead of air.


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## KSALguy

I have watched goats butcherd this way, after their bled out a slit is made on the back leg and air hose put in hooked to a air compressor, blows the whole thing up like a balloon before it gets to the throat slit,


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## JudithCS

Does anyone use the newfangled fleece bedding for your cavies? It has some advantages but I can't get used to the idea.


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## Lindafisk

I'm afraid I would want to change it about a hundred times a day. My daughter uses it in her rat cage, and I have some that I let the piggies play on but it seems to me it would get so wet so fast it wouldn't be worth it!


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## JudithCS

Lindafisk said:


> I'm afraid I would want to change it about a hundred times a day. My daughter uses it in her rat cage, and I have some that I let the piggies play on but it seems to me it would get so wet so fast it wouldn't be worth it!


I just checked out a website that sells it. It has 3 layers--fleece on top, then an absorbent layer, then a water-resistant backing. And it's expensive! If it reduced expenses that would be great but if it gets wet easily, not so good. Does yours have 3 layers? 

One good thing about normal bedding--you can compost it or use it for mulch, and it has the nitrogen-rich urine in it.


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## KSALguy

pine shaveings and timothy hay works great and its cheep and can be composted,


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## Lindafisk

JudithCS said:


> I just checked out a website that sells it. It has 3 layers--fleece on top, then an absorbent layer, then a water-resistant backing. And it's expensive! If it reduced expenses that would be great but if it gets wet easily, not so good. Does yours have 3 layers?
> 
> One good thing about normal bedding--you can compost it or use it for mulch, and it has the nitrogen-rich urine in it.


No, I didn't know they sold one with three layers- ours is the single one. I'm going to look into that for the rats. I do use the guinea pig shavings in the garden and compost pile!


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## JudithCS

Lindafisk said:


> No, I didn't know they sold one with three layers- ours is the single one. I'm going to look into that for the rats. I do use the guinea pig shavings in the garden and compost pile!


I found that 3-layer bedding very late last night, and now I can't find it again! If I do, I'll let you know.


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## JudithCS

Here is the site I looked at with 3-layer fleece bedding. Expensive.

http://www.piggybedspreads.com/CandCPiggyBedSpreads.htm


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## JudithCS

Here's another idea, if you want waterproof fleece bedding for your rats. I bought a bunch of used pads from ezwhelp.com about 3 or 4 years ago. They are hospital bed pads that are still in fairly good shape. I had a very elderly dog with incontinence. They have a waterproof backing, a very absorbent filling, and a quilted top surface. You could use them in a rectangular or square cage, and could add fleece on top. They are bulky, and need to be washed on the heavy-duty setting in my machine. A front-loader would work better.

Mine have gone through hundreds of washes and are still serviceable. I use them as an alternative place for my new, little dog to pee if I can't get him out in time. They were cheap when I bought them.


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## GBov

Killed my first four today, took a bigish box, put a scattering of hay in it, placed g pig in and gently put the jaws of my long handled pruners behind the g pigs head. Snip. Dead g pig.

Took a litle bit of manuvering but even the fast one held still after a try or three.

As my pruners are way blunt there wasnt even any blood, the jaws cut right through the spine but the skin just slid through the jaws without a cut. 

Sadly they were NOT for me to eat, four g pigs in my boar pen got sick so I dispatched them. NO idea what was wrong but they lost weight and appetite and their eyes were all sunken in and *****.

Poor g piggies, they went down really fast but at least the end was calm and stress free.

Any ideas what they got? And how likely the three remaining boars are to catch it?


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## JudithCS

I have 11 days till the cavies arrive. I've been sick and haven't prepared for them yet. I think I can get out in the next few days to get supplies but my brain is on strike--I can't think about what food to get. 

Since they are inside, I need bedding--I may go with a shredded aspen at first. I'll get water bottles. I haven't figured out all the foods I can gather here, but I'll use some weeds in the yard--clover, chickweed, plantain, etc. There should be lots of chickweed in winter. I'll start growing greens for them soon, and they will get peelings and bits of fruit and veggies, and probably some vitamin C in their water. I have two little moringa plants, and they will get some of the leaves.

What should I buy to give them a basic diet for the first few months, while I figure out foraging? They will be adolescent, so I was thinking some sort of growth food that has alfalfa, and lots of other hay--timothy, maybe orchard grass? Eventually, I want to grow some grass for them, and feed them as much as I can from things I raise. If I hadn't gotten sick, I might have planted something this fall. 

But I'm so tired my brain isn't working. I can't remember what I've read. If I can order some food online, that would be easiest. I might get to the feed store tomorrow, but I don't know if they have guinea pig food.


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## secuono

I use regular towels....fleece does not absorb water rapidly, it's disgusting.


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## JudithCS

secuono said:


> I use regular towels....fleece does not absorb water rapidly, it's disgusting.


What I've read is that fleece is designed to let water flow through and stay fairly dry on the surface, so you need more layers underneath to absorb the water--towels, newspaper, absorbent pad, etc.


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## KSALguy

Timothy hay, and some kind of pellet is the basics you need to feed, I get the kind of pellet mix from walmart that has whole grain and dried fruit and colored kibble bits in it rather than just the plain pellets, they seem to pick the grian and fruit out first when I feed that, dandelion type weeds are great, grass depending what kind they love, kudzu, plantain, apple, carrot, celery, spinach, kale,


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> Timothy hay, and some kind of pellet is the basics you need to feed, I get the kind of pellet mix from walmart that has whole grain and dried fruit and colored kibble bits in it rather than just the plain pellets, they seem to pick the grian and fruit out first when I feed that, dandelion type weeds are great, grass depending what kind they love, kudzu, plantain, apple, carrot, celery, spinach, kale,


I went to a few websites and looked at the hays and foods. Should I get a growth food that has alfalfa, since they will be youngish? There were too many choices. Normally, I could figure this out but I can't get the brain to work at all.

I do need to plant grasses. Would microgreens substitute for grass? Like wheat grass a few days old?

Really did not need to be set back by being sick.


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## JudithCS

Walmart has hard-plastic baby pools on sale for $4. I'm thinking about making two cages with this type of pool. But the ones at Walmart have ridges all over. Do you think that cavies would chew on them? Do cavies chew on plastic parts of their cages that stick out into the cage? There are some smooth kiddie pools in town, but farther away and not as cheap.

I got my first four cavies last night, from the guy in Georgia. They are pretty, and seem really big.


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## GBov

My g pigs don't chew much but they can get through HUGE amounts of hay!


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## JudithCS

Today I went to ToysRus (what a weird place) and got two baby pools, but the plastic is not very hard. I think they add the ribs to the walls of the pools, to make them stand up better because the plastic is cheap and weak. This style is not as ribbed as the ones at Walmart, so I decided to try them. I'll put hardware cloth in as vertical walls. Will report how they work. Two days ago, I got some large tubs and tried making one into a cage. Cut out a big hole in one side and another in the top (with a hot knife) and added hardware cloth to cover the holes. I made a lot of mistakes, including putting the hole too low, so that bedding spills out, and not attaching the hardware cloth well. And the plastic fumes were bad. It's holding my 3 sows now, but I need to replace it, and just use it as a temporary cage when I'm cleaning other cages. It's a big tub, with 4.22 square feet of room for them, but they are big and it doesn't give them much room to move.


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## ohiogoatgirl

PICS PICS PICS!  love to see what you got from him as well as your pen you made/making.

finally got the GPs into a hutch. so no more in the basement!

new guinea pig digs  1boar and 9 sows. hopin to sell off most of the sows and get an older boar cause I don't think this one is matured yet :hair hoping they are all bred but its not lookin like it right now. two were due this week if they had been bred last go...


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## JudithCS

Nice! 

Mine look a lot like your tri-colors. Some deep reds, black and white, mostly. One sow is mostly white with small brown spots on her face. I will take pics.

What are the grids for inside the hutch, and where did you find the small grid cubes? I'm still trying to decide what kind of cages to make, but I don't like the large grid cubes. Not sure I like the pools I got today, either. Also hard to find coroplast at a decent price here, unless you buy ten at a time. I need a buddy or two to share an order of coroplast.


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## GBov

JudithCS said:


> Nice!
> 
> Mine look a lot like your tri-colors. Some deep reds, black and white, mostly. One sow is mostly white with small brown spots on her face. I will take pics.
> 
> What are the grids for inside the hutch, and where did you find the small grid cubes? I'm still trying to decide what kind of cages to make, but I don't like the large grid cubes. Not sure I like the pools I got today, either. Also hard to find coroplast at a decent price here, unless you buy ten at a time. I need a buddy or two to share an order of coroplast.


Having tried MANY different kinds of pens and cages my favorite is the walk in pen they are in now. It use to be a chicken pen so it took much digging to take out muck and put back in fresh dirt but it was so worth it.

Its just reused roofing tin, landscape timbers for the uprights, reclaimed 2 by 4s for the rest and a salvaged dog kennel door for, well, the door. Its a grand total of 5ft by 10ft so not very large but the g pigs are SO MUCH EASIER to care for now and SO MUCH HAPPIER!

THey do tend to stampede a bit now though. :hysterical:


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## JudithCS

GBov said:


> Having tried MANY different kinds of pens and cages my favorite is the walk in pen they are in now. It use to be a chicken pen so it took much digging to take out muck and put back in fresh dirt but it was so worth it.
> 
> ,


Yes, I think keeping them outside in a large enclosure would be best, but we have so many predators here--snakes, raccoons, coyotes. It would have to be built like a fort. And I wouldn't interact with them as much as I do with them inside. But right now they are in tiny cages, and that ain't right!


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## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> Nice!
> 
> Mine look a lot like your tri-colors. Some deep reds, black and white, mostly. One sow is mostly white with small brown spots on her face. I will take pics.
> 
> What are the grids for inside the hutch, and where did you find the small grid cubes? I'm still trying to decide what kind of cages to make, but I don't like the large grid cubes. Not sure I like the pools I got today, either. Also hard to find coroplast at a decent price here, unless you buy ten at a time. I need a buddy or two to share an order of coroplast.


I got my grids at a flea market for 75cent each  hahaha I got 44 of em!
in stores they can be rather expensive.


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## JudithCS

ohiogoatgirl said:


> I got my grids at a flea market for 75cent each  hahaha I got 44 of em!
> in stores they can be rather expensive.


Oh,phooey! Do they have a brand name on them? They have such small holes. 

What are you using them for in the hutch? Holding the pile of hay?


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## KSALguy

mine are in 4x4 square ground pens, the wire is hooped up a couple feet, so they are nice and low and easy to move on the lawn


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## ohiogoatgirl

JudithCS said:


> Oh,phooey! Do they have a brand name on them? They have such small holes.
> 
> What are you using them for in the hutch? Holding the pile of hay?


I have them laid on the floor wire so better on their feet. and then I have the wired ones setup in a long A shape for them to hide in and stuff hay in it to keep em warm at night.

i'll try and get more pics tomorrow. and pics of the grids with a measuring tape for size.


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## JudithCS

Does anyone here keep cavies in outdoor pens in areas where there are a lot of predators? What have done to make the pens/tractors/cages secure?


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## KSALguy

mine are outside in the ground pens, there is a grey fox in the woods just past our yard, there are possum and **** out there too, they broke into my chicken coop and killed all but one pullet, but I covered the outside of the ground pen with chicken wire nice and tight and double secured the edges of the wire to the frame with another board nailed holding the wire part in place, have not lost any in the two months they have been in the pens after the chicken massacre


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## secuono

JudithCS said:


> What I've read is that fleece is designed to let water flow through and stay fairly dry on the surface, so you need more layers underneath to absorb the water--towels, newspaper, absorbent pad, etc.


The pee pooled at the surface when I tried it. Then they walked through it and got wet and smelly. 
I'll always prefer the towels.
Had 6 girls in a 3x10ft pen, 3 large towels. One end towel always got most of the pee, so it was changed 2x a week, others once a week. Good shake outside over the garden, left out to dry and then washed when there were 6-9 towels dried and waiting. Took me literally minutes to clean them, once a month I'd use Dawn and scrub the pen liner. Took a bit more, since I air dried it and they got to be outside, but for winter I'd use a new towel to dry it. Then I'd sprinkle DE, add the towels, huts, bottles and food dishes back. 
Cost me nothing but detergent and a bit of electricity. We have well water, so no water bill. 
There was never any smell, my husband complains like crazy if anything even farts! 
Worked wonderfully well for me, never had a sick pig. With shavings, they would sneeze or get bits in their eye or nose...Plus the bill for always buying bedding.


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## JudithCS

secuono said:


> The pee pooled at the surface when I tried it. Then they walked through it and got wet and smelly.
> I'll always prefer the towels.
> Had 6 girls in a 3x10ft pen, 3 large towels. One end towel always got most of the pee, so it was changed 2x a week, others once a week. Good shake outside over the garden, left out to dry and then washed when there were 6-9 towels dried and waiting. Took me literally minutes to clean them, once a month I'd use Dawn and scrub the pen liner. Took a bit more, since I air dried it and they got to be outside, but for winter I'd use a new towel to dry it. Then I'd sprinkle DE, add the towels, huts, bottles and food dishes back.
> Cost me nothing but detergent and a bit of electricity. We have well water, so no water bill.
> There was never any smell, my husband complains like crazy if anything even farts!
> Worked wonderfully well for me, never had a sick pig. With shavings, they would sneeze or get bits in their eye or nose...Plus the bill for always buying bedding.


Yeah, I think bedding is going to be a problem. I got a huge bag of aspen, and it should last for a month or two. When I handle the aspen, I cough, so it can't be great for them either. I like the idea of washable bedding, if I can keep up with the laundry. I've read that you have to wash fleece a few times before using it for bedding, and never use fabric softener on it. Maybe some types of fleece are better than others. 

What I'd like to do, now that I have them and see how much cleaning they need, is keep them on the ground outside. If we didn't have predators.


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> mine are outside in the ground pens, there is a grey fox in the woods just past our yard, there are possum and **** out there too, they broke into my chicken coop and killed all but one pullet, but I covered the outside of the ground pen with chicken wire nice and tight and double secured the edges of the wire to the frame with another board nailed holding the wire part in place, have not lost any in the two months they have been in the pens after the chicken massacre


Sorry to hear about the chicken massacre. We have all those, plus coyotes and snakes. Do you have wire on the bottom of the cavy pens? How do you keep animals from digging under and getting a cavy?


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## ohiogoatgirl

this is similar to my dream setup. only mine would be square or rectangle pens all in a row. and it would be permanent rotation pasture, instead of moving the tractor. and in ones not being grazed i'd plant a bit of alfalfa and timothy and clover and wheat. 
this way I could have like pen 1: sows and babies... pen 2: not yet grazed... pen 3: boars... pen 4: not yet grazed... pen 5-8: planted and growing...
then after the sows move to pen 2 and the boars move to pen 4 I can go in behind them and plant. then they will be moving to pens 5-8 and they will have had time to grow, and gives pen 1-4 its time to grow and recover.
of course i'd probably still give a small ration of mixed grains and a mineral lick to them and winter they'd have to go on hay/grains/pellets again. but it would help tons in warmer times up until the grass stopped growing really.


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## ohiogoatgirl

figures, just when I decide to downsize a lot... this happens... *sigh* he covered her once before this too but I hadn't had the camera ready for that one. the sow he breeds in this video is the roan carrier so I guess that means she wasn't bred!... noting the breeding in my journal and looks like she'll be stayin. new appx due date 12/28/13
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWOXdhhZ4DQ[/ame]


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## JudithCS

secuono said:


> Had 6 girls in a 3x10ft pen, 3 large towels. One end towel always got most of the pee, so it was changed 2x a week, others once a week. Good shake outside over the garden, left out to dry and then washed when there were 6-9 towels dried and waiting.


Looking at this again--did you have only one layer of towel everywhere? Just wondering if I do this, how many towels to use. It does sound good. So you were doing less than one load of laundry a week for them? Not bad at all.


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> mine are outside in the ground pens, there is a grey fox in the woods just past our yard, there are possum and **** out there too, they broke into my chicken coop and killed all but one pullet, but I covered the outside of the ground pen with chicken wire nice and tight and double secured the edges of the wire to the frame with another board nailed holding the wire part in place, have not lost any in the two months they have been in the pens after the chicken massacre



I'd love to see photos of the pens to see how you built them. I'm thinking of maybe putting mine outside in spring.


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## KSALguy

I will try and get some pics tomorrow for you, I am not sure if I can post pics from my phone or not lol


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## KSALguy

First pic if it does right is one of the cages top view. Seccond pic side view with pigs. Third pic is a grass feeder i made 

Sent from my LGL86C using Homesteading Today mobile app


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## JudithCS

Hey, the cages look great! Welded wire and chicken wire? Is there a door? Is there wire on the floor? No problem with predators trying to dig under? 

It's been colder then usual here for a few nights, and I'd have to give my cavies a lot of shelter in winter. Got down to the low 20's last night, which is cold even for January, and might be colder tonight. But in spring, I may try to put them out in something like this with a roof, and houses I can stuff with hay when it's cold. I've had them 4 weeks now, and I'm still figuring out the best bedding, trying fleece over towels in the bigger cage. It's easy to get the used bedding and hay out, but I have to hang the cloths out to dry and then brush the fleece a lot to get poop and hay off, before I can wash it. Don't want to kill the washing machine.


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## KSALguy

now that the grass is not growing fast enough I have these cages set in one location, I have lots of hay for them in there, they burrow in the fresh hay and have the huts to hide in, I keep tarps over the top for shade/cover/rain protection, they like something over top to feel secure, there is a small door cut in the wire to access them. nothing has bothered them, I have seen a grey fox in the yard near them, and I know there are possum and **** in the woods and nothing has attacked them like they did the chickens, I reinforced the cages sense the chicken massacre that may be why


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## Jesusfreak

Hello all! I'm new here on the boards.
I have a large herd of guinea pigs (and some rabbits). They all live inside my house. I'm in a subdivision with a tiny yard. Anyway, I've been raising guinea for many years. I never thought of using them for meat until I ran across this thread. 
Right now, I'm looking for outdoor cage ideas and wholesale/bulk food sources. And I'm thinking about thinning my herd.
Thanks for reading! And have a great day.


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## JudithCS

Jesusfreak said:


> Hello all! I'm new here on the boards.
> I have a large herd of guinea pigs (and some rabbits). They all live inside my house. I'm in a subdivision with a tiny yard. Anyway, I've been raising guinea for many years. I never thought of using them for meat until I ran across this thread.
> Right now, I'm looking for outdoor cage ideas and wholesale/bulk food sources. And I'm thinking about thinning my herd.
> Thanks for reading! And have a great day.


Hello! I'm pretty new here, too. I have had 4 guinea pigs for a month, inside so far. I'm still figuring out what kind of cages I want and which bedding is best. What options have worked best for you indoors? I'm still learning how to keep them warm and safe from predators if they go out in spring. I think your outdoor cage needs would depend a lot on your weather, and predators in your area. Some people here let their cavies free range in a fenced yard. Others keep them caged.


----------



## KSALguy

what part of GA are you in? what kind of GPs do you have lol, I am always looking for something different lol, actually I would LOVE to find a nice big SMOOTH solid agouti boar, or a solid color with little or no white


----------



## Jesusfreak

JudithCS,

Right now I have most of them in C & C cages. My son built one that has three separate levels. Each one opens independently, so it's pretty easy to clean.
I really like this set up except that the coroplast isn't quite high enough. So I have bedding on the floor constantly. The other gps are in regular cages.


----------



## Jesusfreak

KSALguy,

I'm in NWGA. I have different fur types and colors and most are pet sized. I don't have any solid agoutis but I do have a large black Abyssinian. I may have another solid that I'm willing to part with.


----------



## JudithCS

Jesusfreak said:


> JudithCS,
> 
> Right now I have most of them in C & C cages. My son built one that has three separate levels. Each one opens independently, so it's pretty easy to clean.
> I really like this set up except that the coroplast isn't quite high enough. So I have bedding on the floor constantly. The other gps are in regular cages.


How many do you have?

Someone at a Facebook rabbit forum said her coroplast leaked, and there were big stains on her floor. Do you have any leakage problems? I have two large, shallow plastic bins and I may try making a C&C cage using them instead of coroplast. Coroplast is hard to find here.


----------



## KSALguy

i am down in south east Alabama lol, a solid black Abyssinian would be cool, I have a black and white Aby and some kind of dilute agouti aby/Peruvian mix boars. all but one of my sows right now are smooth though,


----------



## smalltime

Good thread, read most of it but just skimmed through the last 6 pages or so... I'm really interested in giving this a try. I think I got the jest of it but let me get this straight.. If I get say 1 boar and 2 sows that's enough to get started? Can I just put these guys out back (fenced yard) build a low covered box for them and let them run? Sounds almost too good to be true! I do chickens and rabbits already.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

smalltime said:


> Good thread, read most of it but just skimmed through the last 6 pages or so... I'm really interested in giving this a try. I think I got the jest of it but let me get this straight.. If I get say 1 boar and 2 sows that's enough to get started? Can I just put these guys out back (fenced yard) build a low covered box for them and let them run? Sounds almost too good to be true! I do chickens and rabbits already.




If you dont have any predator issues than it should work


----------



## smalltime

I'm the only predator those little guys are going to have to worry about  Now I just have to find some breeding stock, any recommendations on breed?


----------



## KSALguy

hawks, snakes, cats, dogs, possum, ****, fox, etc. if you have a secure fortknox back yard with plenty of cover for them to use they should be fine, but stray cats if nothing else can be a problem, and snakes in the spring/summer. I had a few that lived under our covered portch/stairway they would hide under the landing surrounded by lattice work and rose bushes/jasmine vines then come out and graze early morning and evening I put plastic totes under for more cover/shelter to make them feel safe, it was great until they ate all the grass and my family had a fit lol.


----------



## KSALguy

Americans and Abssynian seem to be the best for size and growth, I have mostly smooth sows right now and an Aby boar and an Aby Peruvian boar


----------



## smalltime

Well snakes maybe, although I never see any around... I have a privacy fenced yard and my little beagle hound keeps it pretty clear of critters. I'm going to set up my 10' x 10' dog kennel and set up the little guys in there to keep the dog from harassing them mostly, we don't have any stray cats around here and I've yet to see a **** or possum even when I had the baby chiks running loose so I think they will be ok... I managed to work a deal with a young lady last night for 3 pregnant sows, I'll pick them up tonight  I'm not sure of the breed though, they are gold n white, short smooth hair?


----------



## doodlemom

At least 81 people are known to have gotten food poisoning from eating the unusual dish August 11 at the Ecuadorian food festival. Though not commonly eaten in the US, guinea pig is seen as a delicacy in many South American countries.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...IG-Minnesota-food-festival.html#ixzz2kuayQqsO 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook


----------



## doodlemom

No guinea pigs for me, but I see a lot more at the livestock auctions.


----------



## smalltime

LOL I love the comments! But like one fella said, they didn't get sick from eating guinea pig, they got sick from eating poorly prepared food. Gotta love the PETA types though


----------



## JudithCS

smalltime said:


> LOL I love the comments! But like one fella said, they didn't get sick from eating guinea pig, they got sick from eating poorly prepared food. Gotta love the PETA types though


I agree. People have been eating cavies for thousands of years in South America, and for many it's been their only source of meat. They were mostly poor farmers without refrigerators. It's not that cavies are dangerous to eat, but how the meat is handled.


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## smalltime

Ok, so I set up my guinea habitat. its a 10' x 10' chain-link enclosure mainly to keep the dog away from them, I set it up around a butterfly bush/cactus to provide some cover from any flying predators and built a approx. 1ft x 9ft long shelter that sits approx. 4inch off the ground? Now I read on here somewhere that I don't need to provide a water source? I can add a couple rabbit water bottles if I need too? anyways, anyone wanna trouble shoot this for me or does it look good? I'm picking up 3 prego sows tonight and I would like to have everything ready to go when they get here.. I guess I just stick them in the enclosure and they will be fine? should I put bedding down for them or food? How do they know to stay here and not wander off looking for a better place to call home?


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## JudithCS

I'd give them water bottles. What part of the country are you in? How cold will nights be soon? If they only have short-mowed grass to eat, I'd give them food, too. Hay, grass, safe weeds, etc.


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## smalltime

I'm in Florida, Tampa bay area, temps are tropical lows in the high 70's until January ... Water bottles check  hay, weeds, grass no problem! can probably work something out at the farmers market on getting some of the over ripe beat up veggies too. The lady I got them from said she gave them tang for vitamin C? I'm thinking of doing away with the wood shelter I put in there and using some old tiers with a hole cut out for an entrance and a piece of ply wood on top... Now all the videos I've watched, they keep everyone sectioned off prego females together, males in another section, breeding sows with a boar in another etc. is that necessary? or can I just leave everyone in the same pen and put the cull's into a grow out pen for fattening? I guess I'd have to separate the male and female cull's so no breeding would take place? And if I can leave the heard all together how many breeding boars to sows should I leave in the heard?


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## KSALguy

ok first off the pen looks good but I would put chicken wire around the bottom of the fence to keep them in so the dog doesn't catch them, they will eat the grass and weeds in the pen, that is great, I actually like the idea of the tire with entrance holes cut and a piece of plywood ontop, that will give them a nice dark safe place, I would put hay inside the tire, they will eat the hay and bed down in it, will be great during the winter but HEAT is a BIG problem, they can get heat stroke very easy so you need to put the tires in a shady spot out of direct sunlight, I would also cut the bottom inside wall off so it is all on the ground, 

they don't need ALOT of water as they do get SOME from the fresh food they eat but they still need water. especially nursing and pregnant sows, you don't need to put anything in the water IF you give them LOTS of good fresh food, Oranges, Spinich, Kale are all high in Vit C. mixed grain is good too feed them as a supliment too, Kudzu too when its growing, 

you will need to devide the pen up into at least Two maybe Three pens if you can, the adult sows and breeding boar in one, then you need to separate the young sows out at weaning at 3 weeks old so that they don't get bred too soon, you can leave the young boars in the main pen if you want as the adult sows will already be bred back by the breeding boar, you wont need to take them out until just before the sows deliver again or you can put them in their own grow out pen to fatten up for butcher, the young sows can go back into the breeding group when they are 5 months old or so if they are a good size


----------



## KSALguy

one good adult boar can cover 6 or even 10 sows if you really wanted, right now I have two boars each with three sows, but will soon be getting 6 more sows, three each again, given enough room like yours you could have a couple adult boars in there with a dozen + sows to share no problem if they have multiple hiding spots and water bottles/feed locations so each can set up his own area.


----------



## Jesusfreak

JudithCS said:


> How many do you have?
> 
> Someone at a Facebook rabbit forum said her coroplast leaked, and there were big stains on her floor. Do you have any leakage problems? I have two large, shallow plastic bins and I may try making a C&C cage using them instead of coroplast. Coroplast is hard to find here.


 I have 35 including babies.
I have no leaking or staining problems; just shavings on the floor.
I got my coroplast from a sign company.


----------



## JudithCS

Jesusfreak said:


> I have 35 including babies.
> I have no leaking or staining problems; just shavings on the floor.
> I got my coroplast from a sign company.


You do have a large herd! Good to know that you have no leaking. Most sign companies I've called don't want to sell any. I will keep trying.


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## KSALguy

just had my first litter born today while I was at work, three pups, not sure gender yet but one is Agouti/cream and white, and two are Red/Agouti and white. I am excited, looks like the sow did a good job and hopefully will be a good momma, two more to go in the next week or two, then one a few weeks after that and two next year some time lol


----------



## KSALguy

I will be getting 4 maybe even 6 new sows Friday, I am excited, I will soon have more GPigs than I know what to do with lol


----------



## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> I will be getting 4 maybe even 6 new sows Friday, I am excited, I will soon have more GPigs than I know what to do with lol



What's your source? Curious to know how people find new cavies locally.


----------



## smalltime

I got mine from CList, actually found 2 sources there. Should be picking up 2 more sows and a boar tomorrow


----------



## KSALguy

I have gotten mine from Craigslist and a couple from the local pet store, most from Craigslist, some were even free, I also just had four new pups today YAY


----------



## smalltime

Can/will my guineas eat this?

Never mind! I think I found my answer. It looks to me to be some type of Philodendrons, according to this web site http://www.pimms-pages.co.uk/poisonous.asp they are poisonous.


----------



## KSALguy

looks like some sort of house plant I have seen in walmart Garden Center, I wouldn't try it, most house plants are not the best to chew on lol. right now the bulk of what I am feeding mine is fescue that grows along the road side in the fall/winter here. soon winter rye will be mixed in when its tall enough to cut. they also get any dandelion I can find, baby spring mix lettuce/spinach mix when I cant go collect fresh greens, these Gpigs I have now don't like the wild mustard I used to feed the last batch I had, they also get some grain a couple times a week.


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## smalltime

Yeah, I wasn't really looking to feed it to them, I was thinking about moving their habitat over there for shade but now that I see they are poisonous that's out. picked up 2 more sows and a boar yesterday so that gives me 6 total, 3 of which are already pregnant, the beginnings of a small herd lol Now just have to get the housing thing figured out...


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## ohiogoatgirl

No Smalltime that is perfect  do you have a boar yet? Lol or did i read too fast and missed it...


----------



## smalltime

ohiogoatgirl said:


> No Smalltime that is perfect  do you have a boar yet? Lol or did i read too fast and missed it...


Yup, I picked up a boar last night, he's about 5 weeks old. Been watching your youtube videos :thumb:


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## KSALguy

5 weeks is old enough to start doing the job lol, you will have pregnant sows in no time lol, are they all the smooth coats? the pics you posted before were nice American sows,


----------



## smalltime

All but one are smooth coats, the one that isn't is my favorite lol she is all black with a thin white uni-brow lol she has longer hair, I'll try n get some pics up of her and the new guys tomorrow


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## Nathanaf8388

How much do you guys sale them for or price you pay for them?


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## smalltime

I paid 55$ for the three prego sows and 35$ for the 2 baby sows and 1 boar... I haven't sold any yet. but from what I've seen they go from 20$-55$ each depending on breed, age, etc.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

Thanks i am havin trouble signing in from my phone so dont have another video up yet /:

5wks is possible he could breed. My boar didnt breed until he was 5.5 months i think. Even though he was in with the sows from 4months old. Although i cant say for sure if it was him not being ready or the sows not properly comin into season due to not enough light/improper light cycle from havin to be livin in my old room in basement.


Pet quality goes 5-25$ dependin on the area and greedyness of people.
Show quality goes 20-150+$ depending on area, quality, show background, color, breed.


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## Nathanaf8388

How much space do you give each guinea pig?


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## KSALguy

my current two breeding cages are 4x4 ground pens and I have 5 adults and their pups in there, its actually not that crowded, as long as their is enough huts and hiding places for everyone, guinea pigs actually don't need ALOT of space contrary to the tree hugging pet people, but you still don't want TOO many in too small of a space, I probably wont keep any more than maybe 7 adults and their pups in the size pens I have now, that's 6 sows and a boar, right now I have 4 sows and a boar in each cage. 

as far as prices I have paid, I have gotten some for free, I have paid retail price of 25 and 30 a couple times, I got a couple for 15 and a couple for 20. I just got total of 7 plus three cages and food bowls for 100. I gave one to a friend, traided two to the pet store for a different boar, and now have the four sows and new boar split up between one of my existing pens and then two of the new sows with the new boar in a small temporary cage.


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## smalltime

My space is 10' x 10' with 2 tire huts and a 9' long x 1' wide hidey hut, 5 sows and 1 boar... I don't plan on adding anymore outside stock for now, with 3 of the sows at different stages of pregnancy I think I'll have plenty of new stock here in the near future  although I will keep an eye out on CList for any freebies.


----------



## Nathanaf8388

I was curious I have seven of them right now I am in the process of selling just didn't know what you guys pay for them! I figured around 20 was acceptable. I have less than that in them but I'm not here to lose money.


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## KSALguy

where are you located lol, If you were somewhere close I might take them off your hands lol,


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## Nathanaf8388

Middle of Indiana had three sows and 4 boars for sale sold all but one boar and one sow to a lady for 70 and have a guy that wants the other two for 35$ but I may just keep them I just sold two more a week ago plus a cheap cage I had em in for 40$


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## KSALguy

oh ok lol, well Indiana is a bit far lol,


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## Nathanaf8388

If you would've wanted I would've given a very good discount because of the drive


----------



## KSALguy

I am almost into Florida I am so far south in Alabama lol, it would be a HUGE drive just for some guinea pigs lol,


----------



## Nathanaf8388

True... I have rabbits I could sell you too...
Well to late now I guess anyways seeing as they are sold


----------



## KSALguy

lol, yep, now if I could just find a Smooth coat solid color (no white) boar for my next NEXT breeding pen lol, oh and about those pens lol, I need to make at least two more and a top for another,


----------



## Nathanaf8388

I had two smooth coat solid colored boars one bi colored boar


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## KSALguy

great lol, now I am wishing you were closer and still had them lol, but eventually one will turn up here in the area, I gave my name to the local small pet shop and if anyone is getting rid of any they will give me a call.


----------



## Nathanaf8388

I figure New Year's Eve and craigslist will be littered with all the tender pets people can't stand to clean up after


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## KSALguy

yep, that's the plan and that gives me time to build another cage or two, I need to get some grow out pens set up, I am planning on using the bed of an old truck we have sitting out here for either a breeder pen or a grow out, I just need to put a top on it, we have varmits in the woods and cats that need to go away lol.


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## Nathanaf8388

View attachment 18026
theres your smooth coat boar
Here is the boar I think I am going to keep for a little while
View attachment 18027


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## KSALguy

wow, lol I like that Aby boar too, very loud colored lol, my pure aby boar is black and white, he is in with all broken tri sows.


----------



## Nathanaf8388

View attachment 18028
the last two sows I had I loved the colors on these (I haven't educated myself very much on the colors and breeds of cavies yet but I intend to)


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## KSALguy

a red agouti and a silver agouti, two of my favorite colors lol, that silver sow is awesome lol, they would go great in my agouti pen lol


----------



## secuono

Is there a FB group for raising meat GPs yet? If not, anyone interested in joining if one is made?


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## KSALguy

yes Ohiogoatgirl has made one, there are several folks on there both from the states and over in NewZealand,


----------



## GBov

Any idea what temps to scald them at? 

I want to try skin on and see if my mum likes it better than rabbit. She likes rabbit but likes poultry more because of the crispy skin.


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## KSALguy

never thought about the actual temp before, have scalded lots of chickens in my day, looked it up and it says between 145 and 150 for poultry, I would think that's probably about the same for a guinea pig, I might stay close to the 150 side to be sure


----------



## GBov

KSALguy said:


> never thought about the actual temp before, have scalded lots of chickens in my day, looked it up and it says between 145 and 150 for poultry, I would think that's probably about the same for a guinea pig, I might stay close to the 150 side to be sure


Thanks! Can you eat the livers and hearts too? I know we do with rabbits but they might be a bit small and fiddly to sort out.


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## secuono

Is there any truth to 'near birthing GPs need to be moved away from other pregnant sows or they could go into labor early' ?


----------



## secuono

JudithCS said:


> Looking at this again--did you have only one layer of towel everywhere? Just wondering if I do this, how many towels to use. It does sound good. So you were doing less than one load of laundry a week for them? Not bad at all.


Just one layer. One side they peed the most, so that was changed more often. But the other two towels lasted a week. I had 4-5 sets of towels, so washed them when I was on the last set. They sat outside until there were enough dirty towels, didn't bother doing it every week, had to do people laundry which is a bit more important. Not fun to run out of underwear and socks because we're waiting on pig towels even though they have a stack all clean and ready to go...lol.


----------



## secuono

OhioGoatGirl, are you going to change your UN now?

Thanks for the oinkies! The Abby is very brave and friendly, the agouti likes to sneak up on me and sniff/lick when I'm busy doing other things. Pointed looking one hides in the hay until I leave. 
=D
Still need to pick out names for them!


----------



## JudithCS

Secuono, thanks for the info on bedding. I've used fleece with towels underneath a few times now. Works pretty well! When I use up the aspen bedding, everyone will have fleece. I need to set up a C&C cage for the 3 sows first, though. Then Boris the boar will move into their original cage, and everyone will have more room. I'd rather wash fleece and towels instead of having a huge bag of aspen take up space and make me cough whenever I handle it.


----------



## KSALguy

all of my sows have given birth in the pen with other sows no problems, congratulations on getting those sows from Ohiogoatgirl that Cinn agouti is my favorite lol.


----------



## secuono

They are small, not what I'm used to seeing here in VA. I'd say half the size all my past GPs were, not really sure why that is. Hoping to get some CL pigs, but people are a little nuts with prices right now...

Good to hear you didn't have issues. I'm not sure when these were bred or if they really were, so it'd be impossible to separate them in time.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

secuono said:


> Is there a FB group for raising meat GPs yet? If not, anyone interested in joining if one is made?



Here is a link. Hope i do this right from my phone.
https://m.facebook.com/?refsrc=https://www.facebook.com/

Facebook friend me so i can add you. Anyone interested can just pm me you want to be added to the group. And for any crazy AR people i will not hesitate to remove and block trouble makers.
Katie Lunemann


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

GBov said:


> Any idea what temps to scald them at?
> 
> I want to try skin on and see if my mum likes it better than rabbit. She likes rabbit but likes poultry more because of the crispy skin.



I would guess dipping in boiling water to pluck the fur off. Then bbq or grill or shallow fry like chicken i suppose.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

secuono said:


> Is there any truth to 'near birthing GPs need to be moved away from other pregnant sows or they could go into labor early' ?



I have always had mine in together the whole time and never had a problem with that. Be the births hours apart or days or weeks or a month.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

secuono said:


> They are small, not what I'm used to seeing here in VA. I'd say half the size all my past GPs were, not really sure why that is. Hoping to get some CL pigs, but people are a little nuts with prices right now...
> 
> Good to hear you didn't have issues. I'm not sure when these were bred or if they really were, so it'd be impossible to separate them in time.



I didnt spot any of the three come into heat but they could be bred. If so i wiukd guess within the last month as i couldnt feel any babies and they werent showing.


----------



## KSALguy

mine gave birth in the little igloo in each of their cages, actually even the pen where two sows have given birth within a week or so apart used and shared the same igloo, the are very social and I would think it would be more stressful to separate them for delivery than to just leave them all together and let it be, as long as they have a safe secure place to give birth in they should be fine,


----------



## JudithCS

ohiogoatgirl said:


> Here is a link. Hope i do this right from my phone.
> https://m.facebook.com/?refsrc=https://www.facebook.com/
> 
> Facebook friend me so i can add you. Anyone interested can just pm me you want to be added to the group. And for any crazy AR people i will not hesitate to remove and block trouble makers.
> Katie Lunemann


That FB link isn't working for me.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

S


JudithCS said:


> That FB link isn't working for me.



Darn... sorry guess yall going to have to friend request and message me. And please message so i know you want added to the group. Otherwise its just a random friend request and i wont accept it.


----------



## JudithCS

ohiogoatgirl said:


> S
> 
> 
> Darn... sorry guess yall going to have to friend request and message me. And please message so i know you want added to the group. Otherwise its just a random friend request and i wont accept it.


I sent you a PM here saying that I friended you on FB.


----------



## tentance

i know this is a jump from a few pages back...

as one poster mentioned, regular pineapple that you can get at the grocery store is usually covered with a lot of pesticides. i have fed my three rabbits large amounts of pineapple peel and leaves in a short timespan, with no adverse effects on their health. they didn't bat an eye, just gobbled it all down as fast as i could put it in their cages. i didn't even wash the pineapple skin first. no diarrhea or even loose pellet stools.
some squirrels (or perhaps opossums) even stole half a pineapple top from the roof of the rabbit cages. 
so, i can't speak for the mouth sores that guinea pigs can supposedly get, but rabbits can sure handle a whole lot more than people on the internet think they can, and i suspect the same is true for the guineas.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

Ok if anyone has friended me on facebook to be added to the group and has not been added please message me here on the forum! I would love to add anyone truely interested! I dont know whats messin up that it seems inshould have more friend requests that i never got.


I have gotten some new ones!  a BIG teddy boar who is like huge. A muscle version slightly bigger than my preggo sows! Also got a nice big teddy sow. Both of those are silver agouti and white and high show quality. Also a young teddy sow that is lemon agouti and white but when old enough should when bred to the new boar have silver agouti and white, red and white, red/black/white, red agouti/red/white. 
Got the new young sow with my young sow in one hutch section. And the new boar and new sow and my two preggo sows in another hutch section.


----------



## JudithCS

ohiogoatgirl said:


> Ok if anyone has friended me on facebook to be added to the group and has not been added please message me here on the forum! I would love to add anyone truely interested! I dont know whats messin up that it seems inshould have more friend requests that i never got.


Ohiogoatgirl, what is the name of your FB group? I can't remember if I joined a while ago or not!


----------



## JudithCS

I'm making progress taming my 4 cavies from the guy in Georgia. When they came, they were scared of me. I'd walk in the room and they would all run and hide, and stay hidden a while. They never "wheeked" for weeks. Now they wheek when they hear me coming, come out and sniff the air. They all take food from my hand and nibble while I hold it. Boris, my boar, lets me pet him, especially when he's eating something good. I'm starting to touch the girls' faces while they eat--anywhere else, and they run. I've had them about 7 weeks now. I want them comfortable and unstressed with being handled.


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

Well darn.. judith message me your facebook name and i will friend you. I dont know whats up with it because i dont have any friend requests or messages /:


----------



## ohiogoatgirl

Nd For anyone looking for me on facebook my profile picture is now a girl in a tree with a quote at the bottom. ((Pic is my sister, i did the photography and editing, just fyi lol))


----------



## JudithCS

Is it possible for cavies to have a 60 day gestation, or even shorter? I found a baby in the cavy house this morning, and to my knowledge, no one has bred yet. I was letting the sows grow out another month or two before breeding. I am supposed to have one boar (kept separate) and 3 sows, but now I wonder who is what! I haven't checked them myself, just figured the breeder knew. They were supposed to be kept separate in transport, which was 60 days ago. I figure they bred before they came, or the sex change fairy paid us a visit and this was a very short gestation. Maybe the transporters got them mixed up somehow. Or there was a boar in the sow cage at the breeders before they came.

My information says gestation is 65-70 days, with 67 the average. What do you all think happened?


----------



## Wolfy-hound

Could i get the Facebook info too? 

I think I'm going to hold off getting any guinea pigs until I have some grass for them to eat. If I have to feed them completely, they'd be pretty expensive meats.


----------



## smalltime

Update: We had 4 babies from "Big Momma" on Dec. 7th all the little piglets are healthy and happy  we started with 5 females and 1 boar and now have a heard of 10 lol I made 2 hidey holes from used tiers by cutting around the outside side wall on one side of each tier and cutting a door way with a jig saw, putting the cut side down I used the left over outside wall to form a sloped roof to keep the wet out and topped the whole thing with a piece of plywood for easy access to the piggy's! They love it and the whole thing cost me nothing to make. here's a pic of my happy piggy's and a shot of "bear" my boar.


----------



## KSALguy

that's cool, welcome to the joy of keeping a herd of guinea pigs lol, I just had my fifth sow deliver the other day, three more pups in the herd,


----------



## smalltime

We had a Christmas baby, one of my sows gave birth to, 2 babies Christmas morning. One was born dead  the other is in great health but it's a skinny pig! I knew the girl I got several of my piggy's from raised skinny pigs but she didn't say anything about the ones I bought carrying the gene for them... So cool and so cute!


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## KSALguy

wow, that's impressive, they creep me out though lol, I wound up having a litter that had two teddies in the litter, the mother was normal smooth coat and the father was a Aby/Peruvian mix so there was no indication of there being teddy in the mix at all. I like surprises though so its all good


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## secuono

I had 3 males born the other day. They'll be available for sale soon. Don't think I'll be able to butcher them yet.... :/


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## KSALguy

hey Smalltime, how is your baby skinny pig doing


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## smalltime

Died  actually we had a few losses.. One got carried off by a hawk and a second we found dead and mangled? We assume this was a hawk attack too that we interrupted and it flew off before we seen it. Then we had one get bad sick and died within a few hrs. of us realizing it was sick? we think it might have gotten injured by the hawk maybe.. Then we found our little skinny pig dead in one of the houses? Not sure what did him in, he didn't seem to be growing well and would almost never come out of the hidey house, the momma would take food to it but I don't think it was getting enough water and this was her first litter, she only had two babies and one was born dead so idk? Hopefully we will get more skinny pigs from the prego piggy's we have now seeing as about 1/2 of my breeding stock came from the breeder that was doing skinny pigs? I know losses are all part of what we do... but that little skinny pig was my favorite and I almost gave up after I found him dead... But there is hope and I have 1/2 dozen prego piggy's so I'm just gonna keep on keep'n on


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## KSALguy

oh wow that sucks, yeah predators are an issue, do you have a top on the pen now? skinnies don't do the best out side I don't think, If you do get some more you probably need to bring them inside, pups stay inside the huts here for a few days until they are ready to come out and about, the sows go in to feed them several times a day, hopefully they will figure it out next time, I had my first losses recently too, had some misscarrages,


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## smalltime

Yup, I put a tarp top on it. I've never seen hawks around until that day, now I see them all the time? Maybe now I'm just more aware of them... Idk, beautiful birds though. Yep, if I have anymore skinny pigs I'll set them up inside until I'm sure they are healthy enough to go outside. Sorry to hear about your losses  no fun for sure! 

I'm going to be packing up the Gpigs and my rabbits here soon and heading to Va. Hope they don't get to stressed out over the 1200 mile move? I might even stop at my favorite rabbitry on the way out of town and pick up a few more buns for insurance


----------



## GBov

smalltime said:


> Yup, I put a tarp top on it. I've never seen hawks around until that day, now I see them all the time? Maybe now I'm just more aware of them... Idk, beautiful birds though. Yep, if I have anymore skinny pigs I'll set them up inside until I'm sure they are healthy enough to go outside. Sorry to hear about your losses  no fun for sure!
> 
> I'm going to be packing up the Gpigs and my rabbits here soon and heading to Va. Hope they don't get to stressed out over the 1200 mile move?* I might even stop at my favorite rabbitry on the way out of town and pick up a few more buns for insurance*


That's what I did when we moved up to Georgia! Am sure glad I did. :icecream:


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## ohiogoatgirl

Whereabouts in VA ya moving to?


----------



## motdaugrnds

I've been trying to get thru this lengthy thread and have come to believe some of you are talking about "rodents" instead of actual guinea pigs, especially those of you who are raising them for food. Have I misunderstood?


----------



## GBov

motdaugrnds said:


> I've been trying to get thru this lengthy thread and have come to believe some of you are talking about "rodents" instead of actual guinea pigs, especially those of you who are raising them for food. Have I misunderstood?


Guinea Pigs are rodents. Guinea HOGS are swine, aka pigs.

Those of us who now, or who have, raised guinea pigs for food are raising rodents. Very tasty rodents too!


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## smalltime

ohiogoatgirl said:


> Whereabouts in VA ya moving to?


Spotsylvania


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## secuono

Open group for cuy meat.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/715376505163906/


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## secuono

smalltime said:


> Spotsylvania


Busy city! But you'll be near by some of us. =)
What kind of rabbits do you raise?


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## smalltime

I am raising NZW.. We are looking at properties online now but wont be moving till the end of March, we would like to have at least 5 acres. I'm mostly worried about the snow! I'm a Florida boy born and raised lol


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## secuono

We usually don't have much snow to really worry about. This year is an exception, no idea what nature is doing! lol
Buy FLAT or gently rolling hills, unlike what we did. Much easier to use the land when it's more flat than a mini mountain! Plus, more land when it's flat!

There's many for sale, but depending on the town, they can be crazy pricey!
Do you know anyone up here in the area you're looking in? Would also be smart to have someone check out the property right after a downpour. Then you'll find leaks, where water pools and where it runs off and might erode the ground. [another thing we didn't think of doing, lol]


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## secuono

Had 4 new babies born. Last three a rat got to...
These are from 2 moms, himi and agouti. They had 2 each on the same night! Took me awhile to realize what happened! They are all growing well.


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## ChocolateMouse

How are people's projects going on breeding them up in size and litter counts for meat production purposes?


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## KSALguy

my numbers are up but i have yet to breed the second generation, i now have some good sized boars i was able to find so i am saveing the best of my young sows to breed back to the bigger boars, and see how that goes,


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## GraceAlice

Alright, so I've seen this thread off and on, and it sounds a little crazy! Isn't eating guinea pig like eating a rat? Is there a real purpose to it, I mean... even a chicken only lasts us one meal, we would have to have like five guinea pigs! So where did this idea come from and why do you guys eat them?


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## sherry in Maine

I have been considering it, because I raw feed my dogs. Used to raise rabs, but, I dont do it anymore. When oldest dd left, got rid of all cages & equip.


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## ChocolateMouse

Grace, in South America, guinea pig (or cuy) is a very common food. Their guinea pigs are much larger than ours and grow similarly to rabbits. They have a longer gestation, but they are born much more developed and can escape predators. They are really good at free ranging, and are a lot more practical for most people as "put them in the back yard to forage, supplement feed as needed" animals than rabbits are. Plus a diversity in diet is important! 
I think it is a lot more like eating squirrel, porcupine or groundhog than rats... At one point in north America those were important parts of people's diets! Think of how many fewer types of meat we eat today than we used to. Most people eat 3 (beef, pork, chicken), still less than 10 if they're not picky and have the money (3-4 seafoods, lamb, goat, bison, duck, turkey MAYBE goose).

But eating diverse is important and cuy has a very different meat that can be raised on a small homestead and potentially be cost efficient. Can't say the same about things like bison, goose, or seafood!


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## smalltime

Solid post ChocolateMouse :thumb:

Their ability to be free ranged is what really got me interested. Once established, they can fend for themselves with little work and cost on my end. I think 1-2 GP per person is a fair estimate of what my family would eat, so if we do 6 GP's once a month that's 72 GP's a year. That's pretty doable with a small heard IMO.


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## sherry in Maine

where do you get these 'cuy'? All I see are the 'pet' kind (small, cute, furry). I might consider, if I could find some of the 'wild' kind from SA......


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## secuono

There's one known breeder that Ohiogoatgirl has the contact info. But she says you need a permit and they are stupid expensive. 

Can we have this breeders info??


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## smalltime

This is the guy Ohiogoatgirl got her cuy from. He says in the comment section that he sells them for $10 each and he is located in Georgia to PM him for info...

http://www.youtube.com/user/LeonRFpoa/about

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7bU9ZIsh_k[/ame]


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## CAjerseychick

I have heard they are tasty, and I forget where (was it early on in the thread) some one's set up in a yard in Florida looked pretty hands off and easy too.. They are pretty meaty for such a small animal chunkier than a bird same size...


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## CAjerseychick

and years back (like 19) we answered a newspaper ad for a free guinea pig-- and ended up at a preschool with a large shed out back -- they opened the door and it was TEEMING with loose guinea pigs, seriously like 50(situation had gotten way out of hand)-- we picked out a big fat one, and she had a pair of healthy little babies pretty quickly...


----------



## secuono

smalltime said:


> This is the guy Ohiogoatgirl got her cuy from. He says in the comment section that he sells them for $10 each and he is located in Georgia to PM him for info...
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/user/LeonRFpoa/about
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7bU9ZIsh_k




How do you contact people on Youtube? I've tried before, but never found a way to email them....

Also, I don't think this is the giant imports I was talking about.


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## smalltime

secuono said:


> *How do you contact people on Youtube?* I've tried before, but never found a way to email them....
> 
> Also, I don't think this is the giant imports I was talking about.


 
You just go to the users page and click the "About" tab in the tool bar, there is a "Send message" button right below their user name. The first link I posted will take to the "About" page where you can send a message.


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## JudithCS

The guy in GA doesn't have the super-large cuy bred in S. America. He has bred normal, pet-type GPs for size, over a few years. They are not a whole lot bigger than the GPs you would buy at a pet store. I have 5 of them, and they arrived healthy in October and are doing well. They don't require a license like the imported, large cuy, and it's true he sells them for just $10. Transport cost more!

I may get a few more from him, and I will also get some cheap and free GPs through Craigslist to add to the gene pool.

Rabbits tend to have more diseases, and lose more newborns than cuy/cavies/GPs. GPs can live in groups in less room than rabbits, and are easier to feed from what you grow and gather. I know someone who has fed her GPs nothing but fodder and hay for a year, and they are doing great. (Fodder is wheatgrass or other grasses grown without soil; you feed the whole plant, including the root mass. I'm growing fodder for my GPs.) 

Mine are indoors, which is a hassle, but I may keep them there because of all our predators and rain. It would be harder to keep rabbits inside. GPs are a great size for feeding my small dog and cat with little to no butchering. And if something happened so there was no refrigeration, having small meat animals would be an advantage. Keep them alive until you need a meal, feed them cheaply or for free, and you don't have to worry about preserving the meat.

Plus, I really like these little shmoos.


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## JudithCS

secuono said:


> There's one known breeder that Ohiogoatgirl has the contact info. But she says you need a permit and they are stupid expensive.
> 
> Can we have this breeders info??


The guy in GA where Ohiogoatgirl got some cavies doesn't have the expensive, imported, large cuy. Just pet GPs that have been bred to be a little larger. No permit required.


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## JudithCS

I'm keeping my cavies inside for the time being. Cage cleaning and bedding are the only problem. I'm not happy with using fleece and towels. The last hay I got had tons of seeds in it, and they latch onto the fleece and are hard to remove. Plus, poop tends to get stuck, too. I have to spend a lot of time taking stuff off before washing the fleece. I'm afraid hay and seeds will mess up my washing machine or plumbing; our neighborhood has its own sewage system and it's a little delicate. Is there a way to make fleece easier to work with?

Any suggestions for good, cheap bedding? I'm using aspen shavings in the other cage. They aren't expensive, but they make me cough a lot, so they might not be so good for the cavies. I know most folks here keep their GPs outside, and it does make a lot of sense.


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## PezHen

You could try to buy wood pellets. The wood stove pellets work just fine. Just put a thin layer on the cage floor. It is far easier to clean up then shavings. You can also put the soiled pellets in your flower beds. I like these due to the lack of dust.


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## JudithCS

PezHen said:


> You could try to buy wood pellets. The wood stove pellets work just fine. Just put a thin layer on the cage floor. It is far easier to clean up then shavings. You can also put the soiled pellets in your flower beds. I like these due to the lack of dust.


I'm going to check the pellets out. Just have to make sure they aren't treated and don't have a lot of resin. Any type/brand recommended? 

I may try one more type of fleece. Maybe the stuff I'm using is not anti-pill, so I will try some of that fleece and see if it helps. If it's just as bad, I am done with fleece. 

Thanks.


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## PezHen

I haven't run into any problems with them being treated. The local feed store may have them for horse stalls also.


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## KSALguy

I just use Hay, when the board drags his butt marking his territory it doesn't get gungked up like it does on dirt (mine are outside) I have seen them on pellets and on aspen, aspen seems to do find but wanting to get away from that Idk how a boar would do on pellets, it might be fine,


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## PezHen

Boars are fine on pellets. Pellets are used mostly for your long haired show pigs. Also good if you keep them in the house were it has to be cleaned up off the floor from them kicking it out.


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## JudithCS

Yep, the aspen is sort of messy, too. Gets stuck to surfaces and is hard to get off. But the hay is messier! I feel like I'm mulching the carpet in the cavy room, with hay. I need to put down a big tarp to protect everything else from hay.


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## akane

There is no way to make fleece easy to clean except to feed only pellets and veggies or get a very good washer. I kill ours every week with chinchilla hay and hedgehog poop because they are all on fleece. My husband gets annoyed having to pull the filter out and drain the dirty water. We were using wood pellets and you can get paper pellets or if you want to go really really cheap feedstore bulk shavings. Usually pestel brand around here. They come in huge bags but the dust and oils left in such cheap unsifted shavings can cause respiratory problems. They are better suited to use in a large outdoor pen. We can't use anything wood inside now because we got wood eating beetles in a bag of shavings and they weren't even the low quality shavings. I managed to get the beetles out of the animal room but now they are taking over the kitchen. This place has also had a horrible fruit fly/gnat things problem no matter who lives here, with guinea pigs indoors we had a huge house fly problem that took 6 months from removing the guinea pigs to get under control, and some indian meal moths (pantry moths) just came flying out of a bag of manna gro. I'm getting sick of indoor bugs. I want to remove everything living and bomb the place clean.


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## KSALguy

I forget you have yours inside, I have a friend that uses that paper mulch stuff from the pet store, I don't know what you call it other than bedding, he has two inside in a normal size pet cage with that bedding and its not too bad,


----------



## JudithCS

I think the pet store bedding is expensive, but I haven't done a comparison. Found that the local feed store sells a few types of hardwood pellet that have no additives, so I'll check them out. I think all their bedding pellets are pine/soft wood. Sorry to hear that it's always going to be hard to get stuff off of fleece. I may not try new fleece, then. My aspen shavings are supposed to be good quality, but they make me cough really badly when I handle them. I'm glad they get covered up with hay in the cages so the cavies don't breathe that stuff. I had better figure this out in the next two months, cause there will be more cavies by then, and more cages.


----------



## Lindafisk

I found a new pine shaving we are really happy with, it's by America's Choice and called Mini Flake, they are very, very fine but not dusty because they are triple screened. They are much more absorbent than the regular shavings I was using-which is good because now I am up to 9 piggies and they are almost all peruvians and silkies and that long hair can get icky quick! I don't have to clean cages nearly as often.
I'll hopefully have a few long haired litters soon if anyone wants to add some hair to their herd!


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## smalltime

I couldn't imagine trying to keep mine inside! I've had them inside a few time's on some of the coldest nights and it was hard to keep up with them...


----------



## JudithCS

smalltime said:


> I couldn't imagine trying to keep mine inside! I've had them inside a few time's on some of the coldest nights and it was hard to keep up with them...


It does get complicated! But my front yard has a really tough, toxic ground cover that's hard to get rid of, and that's the best spot. The back yard has uneven ground. I'm in the woods, on a slope, with rocks here and there. I don't have any nice, level, grassy areas but the front is not too bad and gets more sun. 

I'm starting to cover the toxic plants in the front yard with weed barrier and cavy bedding/compost. If I can smother the weeds there and grow grass, I could put a few mobile cages on it. Maybe build a hoop house around the area to keep predators out, covered with plastic in winter for protection from snow and ice, and wire and shade cloth in summer. But that's going to take time and lots of mulch. I have about 8' by 8' mulched now, and it has to break down. I'll ask friends for some chicken manure to speed it up. Might even be able to kill the toxic ground cover with a layer of chicken manure. 

If nothing else, I can grow some food for the cavies there.


----------



## JudithCS

Lindafisk said:


> I found a new pine shaving we are really happy with, it's by America's Choice and called Mini Flake, they are very, very fine but not dusty because they are triple screened. They are much more absorbent than the regular shavings


Linda, do you notice any pine odor from the shavings? Any odor at all?


----------



## Lindafisk

Not very much at all with these, the larger shavings have a lot more scent. And these really cut down on the urine smell, I clean cages alot anyway but hate to have any stinky piggie cages!


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## KSALguy

if you can get some good out door ground pens made you can use hay like I do, works great,


----------



## sn4k3grl

KSALguy said:


> I have a friend that uses that paper mulch stuff from the pet store, I don't know what you call it other than bedding, he has two inside in a normal size pet cage with that bedding and its not too bad,


For my rodents (rats for snake food) I use shredded paper. I find large, think text books at our GoodWill store that does bulk. Usually there are MS Dos manuals and books with floppy disks and other really outdated books. They are 25 cents a piece. I just rip out the pages and shred them in a cross shredder ($50) like for bills and documents. It takes a bit of time to do it and it is noisy, but it is much cheaper than buying pet store bedding. I wonder if guinea pigs would do ok on shredded paper too?


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## JudithCS

sn4k3grl said:


> I wonder if guinea pigs would do ok on shredded paper too?


 I wonder, too! I've seen conflicting opinions at the pet guinea pig sites. Some use it, some say it's not absorbent enough. Good idea, though!


----------



## akane

If you are on a dirt or compacted aglime floor shredded paper works fine because the urine doesn't really go anywhere and excess in one spot is partially absorbed by the floor. We used to buy shredded newspaper in large bags for foaling horses when we had a dirt floor barn. If you are on concrete or thick rubber mats the urine pools and either soaks one spot too much resulting in needing a really thick layer of paper or soaks in to the concrete and stinks for years whenever the humidity gets high.

My absolute favorite setup for outdoor animals that pee alot whether it's tiny guinea pigs or 1000lb horses is a stall skin over sand with drainage gravel ditch. A stall skin can be found with a google search and cut to any size. They use them under roadways so they are extremely durable. They are also semi permeable letting small amounts of fluid through requiring less bedding and dirtying less bedding. With sand sloped towards a gravel drainage ditch that leads out the building it can move any amount of moisture away from the surface which means away from the bedding and the animal. Mildly expensive and a little work to setup but still cheaper and more effective than actual rubber mats and much cheaper than pouring a concrete floor.


----------



## smalltime

So how's everyone's piggy projects coming along? We are up to 20 piggy's now, with our original 7 breeding sows and just the 1 buck! lots of new babies these last few weeks


----------



## KSALguy

love it, awesome set up, I have 20 young sows in a grow out pen now, plus all the breeding sows and boars in their individual breeding pens, shoot I probably have about 50 now idk lol


----------



## sn4k3grl

I am definitely contemplating this idea. I live in an apartment so rabbits are kind of a bit too big for me, but I think I could fit a few guinea pigs. Also, because of the apartment, I cannot free range. I was thinking about growing forage in a system similar to: http://www.cropking.com/fodderking though on a smaller scale. I would also supplement with hay because I think the forage would spoil after a certain amount of time, maybe a few hours. I have been looking for different types of grasses, etc that would be acceptable for guinea pigs but am having a hard time finding info. I looked on Guinea Lynx (and while I love the diet they tell you, it's not quite what I am looking for) and the only forage they have listed are things like dandelion and plantain that "should be fed as treats". I know alfalfa shouldn't be fed exclusively because of the protein and calcium content.

What I am thinking is doing a seed mix of wheat grass, timothy, and clover with maybe up to 5% alfalfa and brassica. If there anything that you would add to the mix? Also, how much to feed per day per piggy? 

I don't have a ton of experience with guinea pigs  I have only kept 1 rescue which was severely malnourished and ended up dying of organ failure (thanks to a human getting it to please his ex girlfriend...) That one we put on timothy hay and about 1 cup of mixed veggies and a bunch of lettuce (the Guinea Lynx diet) per day, but that would not be economical for a meat production.


----------



## smalltime

sn4k3grl... To raise a small heard of guinea pigs for meat you are going to need just as much space as you would need to house a trio of NZW if not more, and the rabbits are much quieter. Both are going to require a bit of work to keep odors down and habitats clean. 
That being said, I feed my herd commercial Guinea pig pellets all they can eat and they each get approx. a cup of fresh greens dusted with vitamin C powder daily. The greens are usually Kale and or whatever weeds I pull around the yard, they are not picky :cute: I've had better luck at finding info on what not to feed them, I figure everything else is game... I think it would take a fair bit of fodder to keep even a small herd covered for any significant amount of time, but would be a great addition or treat. 

Good luck on your endeavors :thumb:and please keep us updated.


----------



## Lindafisk

I love it when this thread is active. 
Guinea pigs are one of my favorite pets, I didn't want to eat any though so I got some fancy long hair ones from a breeder. Figure maybe I can sell them as pets because there aren't many out there! 
I have silkies and peruvians and coronets. I have one male peruvian big enough for a meal for two- he's huge! Bigger than any piggie I have had and he has long red hair. Of course his name is Killian. 
The guinea lynx diet above sounds a bit odd, especially for a sick animal. I never feed lettuce (except maybe a little really green romaine every now and then) and would think pellets and hay would be the best food for a malnourished pig. 
For those that have them inside- what kind of cages do you use?


----------



## sn4k3grl

smalltime said:


> The greens are usually Kale and or whatever weeds I pull around the yard, they are not picky :cute: I've had better luck at finding info on what not to feed them, I figure everything else is game... I think it would take a fair bit of fodder to keep even a small herd covered for any significant amount of time, but would be a great addition or treat.
> 
> Good luck on your endeavors :thumb:and please keep us updated.


I live in Arizona so weeds in the yard are kind of hard to come by, so is grass, which is why I was leaning towards fodder. The only bulk pellets I have run across have animal byproduct in them, so I wasn't too inclined to get those. Do you have any recommendations for pellets? 

I did some pricing based on the feed recommendations in this PDF: http://www.bensoninstitute.org/Publication/Manuals/guineapig.pdf and the meat/pound price I came up with using only fodder was pretty astronomical, even when I used the cheapest seeds I could find and didn't include any set up cost.


----------



## BarkingPup

Thanks you, everyone, for starting this thread! I am severely allergic to rabbit fur (skinning wild rabbits takes some balls) and had to give up my pet bun because it wasn't fair to his fat white bum. I started wanting to homestead years ago and decided on bees, quail, pigeons, and mini goats but couldn't find a meat animal that _wasn't_ feathery (also allergic to bird dander so trying to keep the feathers to a minimum). I had no idea you could eat GP's! And they sound less space consuming than rabbits 

Once I have the camper set up I'll be purchasing the utility trailer and turning it into a barn (oh yeah, did I mention I'm a travelling homesteader)? Hopefully, with the indoor garden set up they'll be well fed year round and I'll have some easy, delicious sounding meat animals. My cats and dog are fed raw as well and quail, pigeons, and GP's (plus the mice... which I won't eat) equal a nice solid four types of protein. Well, that and unwanted goats but that will, hopefully, be rare as I have big plans for the whethers.

I'll keep an eye on this thread and post my own foray into cuy raising when it happens.


----------



## JudithCS

BarkingPup said:


> Once I have the camper set up I'll be purchasing the utility trailer and turning it into a barn (oh yeah, did I mention I'm a travelling homesteader)? Hopefully, with the indoor garden set up they'll be well fed year round and I'll have some easy, delicious sounding meat animals. My cats and dog are fed raw as well and quail, pigeons, and GP's (plus the mice... which I won't eat) equal a nice solid four types of protein. Well, that and unwanted goats but that will, hopefully, be rare as I have big plans for the whethers.
> 
> I'll keep an eye on this thread and post my own foray into cuy raising when it happens.


Please do post photos and information about what you are doing! I've been interested in vandwelling for a long time, but I also wanted to raise some of my own food, and raw food for my dog and cat. Looks like the self-sufficiency is winning out; I have 5 cavies now, with two sows very pregnant, and I'm planting food for them and me this spring. I'd like to see how you combine homesteading with travel! I've thought about towing a greenhouse trailer or a barn trailer, and growing fodder and veggies in pots.


----------



## JudithCS

Today I started foraging for cavy food in the yard. Lots of great weeds are coming up. I got a half-grocery bag of wild foods, which was a lot for 5 cavies: mostly cleavers, which they love and is very nutritious; a little wild strawberry, lemon balm, and Japanese honeysuckle. The lemon balm is very small now, but it should produce well later in the season. The wild grape, wild berry canes and wineberry canes are just leafing out, and the dandelions and plantains are still small. Someone is sending me a few willow cuttings, and I'll pot them up. Willow twigs and leaves are good fodder. I want to grow mulberry, comfrey and clover too. 

I grow barley fodder, and it's a main part of their diet, but I still have days when there isn't any ready to harvest. I think there will be more foods in the yard, once I identify all the wild plants, especially tree twigs.

The yard is going to provide a lot of their food this summer.


----------



## BarkingPup

JudithCS said:


> Please do post photos and information about what you are doing! I've been interested in vandwelling for a long time, but I also wanted to raise some of my own food, and raw food for my dog and cat. Looks like the self-sufficiency is winning out; I have 5 cavies now, with two sows very pregnant, and I'm planting food for them and me this spring. I'd like to see how you combine homesteading with travel! I've thought about towing a greenhouse trailer or a barn trailer, and growing fodder and veggies in pots.


I've been researching for years on how to live in campers and trailers  I tried to shut down my desire to homestead, then the need to travel (plus the obsession with small houses and minimalism) and finally told myself I'd make it god**n work if it killed me!

I was going to be doing it all in a large trailer (most trucks nowadays have better towing capability than hauling payloads) but some unfortunate life circumstances have pushed it to a living camper and utility trailer. The camper is still a 11.5' so it's big-er than most campers. I have never built anything in my entire life so it's definitely going to be interesting.

As soon as the camper is delivered (waiting on a Ford F-250 or 350) than I intend to start a thread on all my forums! I could go on and on about how I've planned it out and what I'm doing for self sufficiency, etc. But I'd be hijacking the thread XP


----------



## akane

What did I start.... :rotfl:
and I don't even have my own cavies to add to this thread anymore. For now I'm butchering the hedgehogs that have behavior issues so I don't want to sell them as pets. Keep that quiet or I'll have exotics breeders and animal rights activists at my door. We are looking in to houses but probably nothing with much of a yard so they'd still need to be indoors. If the house is big enough I can put them in their own room far enough away from my husband that he doesn't have the desire to kill them all off. I have a source for dalmation cavies and the mismarked show culls are free to $10 at this show every spring. The show cavies tend not to be very big though. Might have to keep one line for selling and put some larger pet cavy in to a meat line.


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## JudithCS

akane said:


> What did I start.... :rotfl:
> and I don't even have my own cavies to add to this thread anymore. For now I'm butchering the hedgehogs that have behavior issues so I don't want to sell them as pets. Keep that quiet or I'll have exotics breeders and animal rights activists at my door. We are looking in to houses but probably nothing with much of a yard so they'd still need to be indoors. If the house is big enough I can put them in their own room far enough away from my husband that he doesn't have the desire to kill them all off. I have a source for dalmation cavies and the mismarked show culls are free to $10 at this show every spring. The show cavies tend not to be very big though. Might have to keep one line for selling and put some larger pet cavy in to a meat line.


I hope you find the right place that has enough space for you and the critters.

I have never seen dalmation cavies before, so I checked out some images online. They are cute!


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## agrichick45

So, I decided to raise Guinea Pigs for meat for my dogs when my DH brought home a female from an auction (Butters, she is my pal! And yes, I name them even if I eat them) over a week ago. I have read this whole forum. 

Anyways, I got a free boar from Petsmart (and a female with conjunctivitis that disappeared when I brought her home). Somebody walked in, said her son was terrifed of him, and said she was going to set him free if Petsmart didn't take him back. 

So, I put him in with my five (free) females, and he went from 2.44 lbs to 2.25 lbs in one week. Could he have been overweight? Or adjusting to his new life in a large cage? Should I be worried? Or is he just trying to chase down a bunch of tail? He is eating and drinking every time I check on him.


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## Elizabeth

For bedding, I put down a thick layer of newspapers, then cover that with shredded newspaper. This is the best (and by far the cheapest, at no cost to me as I already had a shredder) bedding I have used so far. I put extra layers of folded newspapers under the feeders, waterers, and in the corners and other spots where they seem to potty a lot. That way I can replace bedding in those areas more frequently, and only have to change bedding in the entire cage once a week or so. I have gone longer by adding more clean shredded paper and/or hay on top of existing bedding, making a sort of "deep litter" system, but it is important to keep enough bedding in the pen to absorb the urine, and still have a dry layer for them to stand on.


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## akane

I believe dalmation is a modified roan gene pattern. That would make it a lethal gene and generally you would not cross 2 animals with a lethal gene. It makes a much better pattern though so show breeders of roan based colors have admitted to crossing them and just using the lethals as pet food. As you can imagine this goes over great with the pet guinea pig fanatics. I've always liked the roan patterns but you don't see them much in pet stores or even in pet guinea pigs overall. I do like that cream color I've been seeing in pet stores lately. It's been hard to resist getting some but I have no space and my husband likes the babies but hates the adults. They pee more and make a bigger mess than any of our other animals which led to a fly outbreak. It took 8 months to solve the fly outbreak. 2 of those months were after the guinea pigs had all been butchered. Better cage design and more absorbent bedding needs to be investigated. There is also the indoor bedding style of fleece layers over cotton like towels that I decided to avoid previously but have been considering it again. We keep all our chinchillas and hedgehogs on fleece but one is a desert animal and the other is from mountains with lots of rock so they don't take in or pee out much liquid unlike guinea pigs.


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## JudithCS

akane said:


> I believe dalmation is a modified roan gene pattern. That would make it a lethal gene and generally you would not cross 2 animals with a lethal gene.
> 
> They pee more and make a bigger mess than any of our other animals which led to a fly outbreak. It took 8 months to solve the fly outbreak. 2 of those months were after the guinea pigs had all been butchered. Better cage design and more absorbent bedding needs to be investigated. There is also the indoor bedding style of fleece layers over cotton like towels that I decided to avoid previously but have been considering it again. We keep all our chinchillas and hedgehogs on fleece but one is a desert animal and the other is from mountains with lots of rock so they don't take in or pee out much liquid unlike guinea pigs.


I wondered if dalmatian is a roan-type gene.

As for fleece, I hate it. I read about bedding for hours at the pet cavy sites, and decided to try fleece. It's nice in most ways, but hay seeds and poop get stuck to the fleece and are almost impossible to remove. I think I ruined two nice fleece throws, because I am not putting them in the wash with hay stuck on them and ruining my washer. They were smooth fleece and not nubby, so I don't understand how people use fleece without problems. If they don't have much hay spread around, and they sweep up the poop a few times every day, it might work. 

But my cavies get hay everywhere, even though I have it in a hay rack. I think it's because I can't find very good hay. A lot of it is coarse and stemmy, so they scatter it instead of eating it. And one bale was very seedy. 

I'm learning about substitutes for hay, in case decent hay gets harder to find. But in the meantime, I won't use fleece.

I'm going back to aspen shavings for now, and might try newspaper with shredded paper on top, or maybe wood pellet bedding, if I can find some that's hardwood. If anyone has another type of bedding that works well, please post.


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## akane

This is what I did for feeding hay when I had a dozen on a 9' x ~30" wide cage down one wall of the room. 


















The hay is over wheat pellets. Love them as bedding but too hard to find and too expensive. Pine pellets would work just as well.


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## CAjerseychick

agrichick45 said:


> So, I put him in with my five (free) females, and he went from 2.44 lbs to 2.25 lbs in one week. Could he have been overweight? Or adjusting to his new life in a large cage? Should I be worried? Or is he just trying to chase down a bunch of tail? He is eating and drinking every time I check on him.


Yes I think he has been getting alot more excercise now that he is in with five females ... if ya know what I mean...


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## JudithCS

Akane, what did you do to keep the fleece clean? And how often did you change it? My biggest problem was hayseeds that were hard to remove from fleece. I tried a small brush, a flea comb, and a few other tools. I ended up flea combing the fleece and it took a half hour or more for one smallish cage, and was rough on the cloth. 

Maybe I should try new fleece that is really smooth.


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## akane

Well first I bought higher than your average quality of fleece. I don't remember from which site but I still have several of those pieces in perfect condition being used as dog blankets since they are so tough. I know one brand is huntingdon and the other started with an m. Maybe malden or some variation of that spelling. They are 300 weight instead of the typical 100 weight. Then like I posted we separated off a section with bedding instead of fleece just for the hay. To reduce changing the fleece and wet areas since guinea pigs pee so much we laid towels under the fleece. In the middle of the week we just rolled back the fleece, pulled out the towels, put in new towels and rolled it back in place. At the end of a week we washed the fleece and towels. Some people have made cotton liners out of cloth off the bolt like you normally buy fleece for these things but cheap towels from walmart was easier. The chinchilla crowd often takes their fleece to laundromats and use the big washers so they don't clog their own washer. chinchillas like to run off with hay and pull it out all over. We have the washer clog every now and then but ours has a filter and drainage area in the front bottom corner that you just pull out, clean, and washer works again. I also run a washer cleaning load with just bleach through between loads of hedgehog and chinchilla fleece.


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## JudithCS

Thanks, Akane. I don't want to go to the laundromat--it's not close by. And I don't know of a way to clean out the washer easily. I could possibly wash the fleece without a machine--I have a nifty "mobile washer" that is sort of like a plunger and works great with a bucket. It gets heavy fabrics cleaner, faster than the machine. I might consider doing that. 

Maybe my fleece was not the right kind. I think the hay seeds were my worst problem--they held onto the fiber and were really hard to remove. As long as I'm getting horse hay by the bale, that might happen again. 

This information will come in handy if I decide to try fleece again. Could use it in one cage and see how it performs with new fleece and a "kitchen" for the hay.


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## agrichick45

So, I have been getting a ton of free guinea pigs off craigslist in the last week or two (like, 9 of them). Even though they are females. However, I don't know much about them (including age) until I get there. 

Sadly, a lot of them happen to be between 1-3 years old. Is it even worth breeding them? They haven't had any babies yet, and I know that the pelvic bones fusing is a myth, and the ligaments hardening is genetic (though i am not 100% on the last one). I mean, if they happen to die during birth, they will get put to good use. 

I love my animals, even my meat ones, and I don't want them to suffer needlessly. They are not costing me much to feed (about 1 cup of pellets a day for the lot, since they are free ranged). And I had a cage already (and have scored four free from craigslist.

What would you guys do?


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## Grandmotherbear

I have a prolific shrub I believe to be "tithonys" (Mexican or african sunflower) A neighbor uses it as cattle fodder for her Highland cattle. Would it be acceptable for rabbits or cavys?? I mean, they don't have 4 stomachs like the cattle.


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## JudithCS

Grandmotherbear said:


> I have a prolific shrub I believe to be "tithonys" (Mexican or african sunflower) A neighbor uses it as cattle fodder for her Highland cattle. Would it be acceptable for rabbits or cavys?? I mean, they don't have 4 stomachs like the cattle.


Are you on Facebook? There's a great rabbit group there, Backyard Meat Rabbits, that has information in their files on what's safe to feed. The important thing is to have a definite ID on the plant.


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## akane

> I think the hay seeds were my worst problem--they held onto the fiber and were really hard to remove.


Try hedgehog quills.  When the adolescents are quilling right before I sell them the fleece just gets coated and the quills stick in the washer and drying to jam in other fabrics. My husband somehow keeps finding quills in his shoes.

If you truly have tithonia diversifolia it is edible in small amounts. It can be mistaken for other tithonia plants though before it flowers so double check.


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## JudithCS

akane said:


> If you truly have tithonia diversifolia it is edible in small amounts. It can be mistaken for other tithonia plants though before it flowers so double check.


Hi Akane. Do you know if ground ivy, Glechoma hederacea, is toxic? I believe it is, but the information I found wasn't definite. I have a lot of it and if it's OK to feed in small amounts, I'd like to. Thanks.


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## secuono

Started with three girls, have 20 now. Trying to sell 5 boars this weekend. 
I'm moving them 2x a day. But thinking of now to make a pen for them in one spot and just bringing the grass to them. Or making a short fence for them so it's easier to move them around. Still need to make them a shelter for winter!
Made a site for me to post info to keep track of things.
http://growingcuy.webs.com/












Also learned that Pasteurella can happen to cuy, they can pass it to rabbits and vice versa.


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## sn4k3grl

@secuono I love the cuy collection! Also you pen setup is great. Is there hardware cloth over the fencing? I really wish we had grass like that where I live.


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## agrichick45

secuono said:


> I'm moving them 2x a day. But thinking of now to make a pen for them in one spot and just bringing the grass to them. Or making a short fence for them so it's easier to move them around. Still need to make them a shelter for winter!


I do a combination of both, I move them to a new location (to mow my lawn), and then bring them grasses in the evening, making sure they get plenty, as I have areas that the cages don't fit. They get pellets and ample amounts of hay as well. They don't eat much of the pellets and hay, but I feel better to have them there. :sing:


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## agrichick45

Well, I just finished dressing my first guinea pig! He was 2.15 lbs, and dressed out at 1.05 lbs (without the head attached), I lost some of the rear leg meat and stomach meat because of my inability to work a knife! 

Anyways, I have him in the slow cooker, and hopefully he will be amazing!


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## KSALguy

Here is a pic of my sow grow out pen. There are 31 young sows in here. Thank God the dogs didn't get in here. I have replacements for most of what I lost. Except for the boars and the special pure and project stock. That will take time.


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## secuono

Hardware cloth along the bottom 8in to keep babies in.


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## Grandmotherbear

Have any cuy breeders seen an increase in size during your breeding project, and if so how long did it take?:cute:


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## akane

Using the largest pet bred you can find and culling for size is effective. You can do it from show lines and sell the excess with proper color to the show crowd but most are much smaller than the pet trade cavies so you'll have farther to go. The giant cuy were partially motivated by the problem of eating the biggest cavies so they were getting rather small in south america.


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## KSALguy

Here are two views inside two of my new breeding cages.


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## Elizabeth

I am in awe of some of the great deals some of you find on guinea pigs. I check craigslist all the time, but we are too far away from civilization, I guess, because whenever I see what I think is a good deal it is several hours away from us.

I did get four free gp's last Fall, but they were all too old to breed (all females). I did not mind at the time because it was my first foray into the realm of gp's, and they were just to get used to and to see if we liked having them. Also meant to be pets for my daughter, but at just 3yo she is a little rough on them sometimes. She does play with them, but I have to watch her like a hawk.

I finally found a couple of young gp's which were supposed to be a male and a female. Well, the male turned out to be a female, so I now have SIX girls. This could only happen to me- everyone else I hear about winds up with unwanted litters. sigh.

I finally followed up with the gal who I got the "pair" from, and she offered to replace the un-male for me from their last litter. Well, when I got there, she showed me the huge cage that she had made for what were supposed to be her daughter's pets. They had purchased a female who turned out to be pregnant (at a pretty young age, too). She had three babies (one male, two females), and then they also had another, unrelated male who is two weeks older than the litter their female had (now about 8 months old). She offered to sell me the whole deal for $100, but I am too cheap to shell out that much cash. Plus, I only had around $43 or so in my pocket. I kind of jokingly offered her that, and she took it! She REALLY wanted to get rid of those guinea pigs! I got a 2 1/2' x 6' c&c cage which is divided into three sections for girls, boy 1, and boy 2 who does not get along with boy 1. Top of cage included, as well as a nice 6' folding table to set the cage on. The cage came with three water bottles, three feeders, two hay racks, three igloos, three food bowls, and assorted hanging treats and chewies. In addition, the lady had (I kid you not), a baggie of expensive, store-bought willow sticks (I just go to the swamp and cut 'em when I need them, lol) six bags of different kinds of treats, a few pounds of pellets, half of a 25 lb. box of jojo's best timothy hay (shipped from someplace out west at around $50 including shipping!!!!!), about 6 different bags of treats, an unopened bag of carrots and a head of romaine, and four bottles of cage cleaner/deoderizer and gp shampoo, and a nearly new bag of pine shavings. Man, are these piggies coddled, lol!!!!!! Oh, and all five gp's, too. Very nice, clean, healthy piggies.

So now I have five females and two males as potential breeders, plus the four older female "manure producer/lawnmowers". I would like to build two or three portable pens for outdoor use in our garden and orchard, and I am trying to figure out the best arrangement.

If a make three 4' x 8' pens, I could put the unrelated male in with the mother and her two daughters in Pen 1. The male son could go in with the two females (the un-male and her sister), and the four older, female lawnmowers could go in the last pen.

Or, I could divide one pen in half and put a male in each side of it, then put my original six females together in pen 2, and the new group (mom and two daughters) in pen 3 and then take the females to the males for breeding.

Any suggestions on which would be better? Or, any other ideas?

Thanks in advance.


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## KSALguy

how old are the older sows? unless they were REALLY old for first time pregnancy I don't see a reason not to breed them, I have bred sows over a year old for first time delivery and I have a couple sows now that are several years old and still breeding, 

otherwise what ever cage set up works best for you will be fine as long as they are safe from predators, heat and rain, my cages are all outside and am in the process of rebuilding to a new more solid construction like the pictures show above,


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## Elizabeth

One set of females is probably 3 1/2 years old, and the other two are around 2 1/2 years old.


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## KSALguy

Any breeding history? If they have had pups at all before I would try breeding them for sure. If not I still probably might if they were in good condition.


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## Elizabeth

No breeding history, as none of them have been bred, other than the new one I just got which had one litter 8onths ago (she is now just over a year old). I will breed her again, but I think the others are too old and will just have to earn their keep mowing grass and producing manure.


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## Grandmotherbear

Has anyone considered asking the Moderators to sticky this on Page 1?


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## JudithCS

Question about behavior in adolescent cavies: I have 8 pups that are about 7 weeks old, separated into sow and boar growout cages. I'm confused about the behavior in the boar growout cage and wonder if I sexed them wrong.

I've looked at a lot of pictures of females and males, and read how to tell the difference. One thing I haven't been able to do is to extrude the penis on any of these little guys. I can feel the ridge above the penis under the skin, but I still wonder if I'm guessing wrong.

Once I separated them from each other and their mothers, the boar cage had some mild fighting and mounting, and a lot of marking and odor. Is that normal for such young boars? I rechecked a few that were being mounted, thinking maybe they were sows. 

Is it normal for adolescent boars to make the sound that an adult boar makes when he wants to mate? Is it a sign of aggression too? I don't want anyone getting hurt or stressed out. I am making more cages in case I have to separate the boars. The young sows are getting along better.


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## KSALguy

Males will mount an display as soon as their hormones kick in. This normally begins at around 5-7 weeks. If the young boars are left in the colony the adult boar will keep them in check. But moving them to a new pen with out an adult boar in charge they will have to sort it out for their self. If you add a new young boar to the pen with older boars that have their status settled they will all mount the new young boar. If the new boar is older he will fight back.


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> Males will mount an display as soon as their hormones kick in. This normally begins at around 5-7 weeks. If the young boars are left in the colony the adult boar will keep them in check. But moving them to a new pen with out an adult boar in charge they will have to sort it out for their self. If you add a new young boar to the pen with older boars that have their status settled they will all mount the new young boar. If the new boar is older he will fight back.


That could explain it, then. I'll check them all again to make sure the sex change fairy hasn't visited, but I think they are in the right cages. Yes, they seemed to get along much better when they were all together in the nursery pen with my adult boar, but they were younger too. 

So, is that purring sound also about aggression? 

Do you separate the young boars in a growout pen by themselves, or keep them with an older boar?


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## KSALguy

Teeth chatter is more aggression. Purring and butt swaying is more display. If I'm growing the boars out I HAVE left them in the main pen and it works fine. Growing up in that setting everyone knows their place. I do have some in a separate pen now because I got a new young teddy boar and didn't have a cage or sows ready for him yet but he is too old to join a pre existing pen. So he has some other young boars for room mates. I'm fattening them up to eat. The room mates not the teddy lol.


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> Teeth chatter is more aggression. Purring and butt swaying is more display. If I'm growing the boars out I HAVE left them in the main pen and it works fine. Growing up in that setting everyone knows their place. I do have some in a separate pen now because I got a new young teddy boar and didn't have a cage or sows ready for him yet but he is too old to join a pre existing pen. So he has some other young boars for room mates. I'm fattening them up to eat. The room mates not the teddy lol.


OK. There is a lot of purring and butt swaying, and some mounting or chasing, but I don't think there is any teeth chatter. When you leave the young boars in the main pen, who else is there?


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## KSALguy

all main pens consist of one adult boar, his harem of sows, any pups they have up to 4 weeks old, and any young boars I have not sold or pulled out of the pen for one reason or another, the longest I have left any one young boar in a pen was probably around the 15-20 weeks range? I only pulled him out at that time because I was re arranging some of my pens to get different results, he wasn't a problem, just didn't fit the new plans for that pen,


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## secuono

4 new additions. 2 boars, 2 sows. 3 more sows looking big this week.


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> all main pens consist of one adult boar, his harem of sows, any pups they have up to 4 weeks old, and any young boars I have not sold or pulled out of the pen for one reason or another, the longest I have left any one young boar in a pen was probably around the 15-20 weeks range? I only pulled him out at that time because I was re arranging some of my pens to get different results, he wasn't a problem, just didn't fit the new plans for that pen,


So you have growout pens for young sows, and keep the young boars in with their family group longer, or sell them (or eat them). And because there is a dominant boar, the younger ones don't cause trouble or get the adult sows pregnant. Sounds very workable!

I was going to make a more complicated cage system following directions in some articles, but I would rather not do that. I may try your arrangement next time. Two sows are due around July 1 or so.


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## KSALguy

The dominant boar breeds all the sows. I suppose if he's not looking a young boar could sneak a mating. Only time I have had issue is when I tried to put an extra young male In an existing group that I thought was young enough. That dominant boar had other ideas. But if it was raised in the herd they do just fine.


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> The dominant boar breeds all the sows. I suppose if he's not looking a young boar could sneak a mating. Only time I have had issue is when I tried to put an extra young male In an existing group that I thought was young enough. That dominant boar had other ideas. But if it was raised in the herd they do just fine.


So you just remove the young sows before they can be bred, and leave the young boars in longer? I will try that next time. The 4 young boars are still a little tense, but I think it hasn't been too bad.


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## KSALguy

Now that they are settling in they will be fine. But yes I have left young boars in for quite some time without issue. If for some reason there WAS an issue I would pull them out immediately but so far it has been fine.


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> Now that they are settling in they will be fine. But yes I have left young boars in for quite some time without issue. If for some reason there WAS an issue I would pull them out immediately but so far it has been fine.


You're right--the young boars are settling in and there is less tension.


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## Blackmoriah

this is very interesting and I've read this thread from first page to last... I am interested in feeding gp to my dogs and maybe for us too... Just want to ask is it okay to feed the whole gp to my small dogs as well.. wont the gp's small bone be bad for them?


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## CAjerseychick

Blackmoriah said:


> this is very interesting and I've read this thread from first page to last... I am interested in feeding gp to my dogs and maybe for us too... Just want to ask is it okay to feed the whole gp to my small dogs as well.. wont the gp's small bone be bad for them?


Raw bones are very soft and should be fine...


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## JudithCS

Blackmoriah said:


> this is very interesting and I've read this thread from first page to last... I am interested in feeding gp to my dogs and maybe for us too... Just want to ask is it okay to feed the whole gp to my small dogs as well.. wont the gp's small bone be bad for them?


CAjerseychick is right. All the raw bones of small animals are safe. Cooked bones are hard and can splinter, so they are not safe. The weight-bearing (leg) bones of large animals can be too hard for most dogs' teeth and can molars to crack, but most dogs can handle the other bones of large animals as long as they are raw. I'm raising cavies to feed my cat and small dog (the dog is about 15 pounds) and I hope I can feed the whole animal. If they can't manage that, I'll butcher the cavies.


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## secuono

Hello all. I'll be selling the herd in the Fall. There's 34 of them right now, mostly sows. More sows are due soon. I'm in VA, if anyone would be interested in them, PM me.


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## agrichick45

This may be a weird question... but I had 4 sows give birth this week (Creme 3, 2 lived, Cookie 4, 1 lived, Charcoal 4, 2 lived, and Brownie 5, 2 lived) for their first birth. 

Brownie was the last, gave birth overnight and ate the internal organs out of two of them (I saw the blood on her muzzle). Another one was dead. There were two living, out of the two, one was moving around, and another was weak, flopped over, and was breathing fine, just couldn't stand much.

Anyways, fast forward to seven hours later, and Brownie will nurse any of the other pups in the colony, but not her own? So hers seem to be weak. Is she ignoring them for a reason? Can I do anything? Other than not breeding her again?


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## KSALguy

in my limited experience I would look at first their over all diet, that's a heavy mortality rate in all the litters, a few here and there can be expected but that's a a lot all at one time, they don't always eat their dead young but if the sow is particularly stressed from delivery she seems to eat them more often, as far as not nursing her own pups that is more likely that they are too weak to get to the milk not that she is ignoring them, pups are very mobile and go after the milk source, and the sow then pauses to let them nurse, I would give her a second chance and be sure she has pleanty of fresh grass/veggies/hay and a good pellet, if that doesn't work then I would think about culling her


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## agrichick45

They are in a tractor style device, and get rotated to new grass/weeds every day. Most of this is fescue/white clover. They have an unlimited amount of timothy hay available all the time, as well as guinea pig pellets. Each day, they also get some form of veggie/fruit, zuchinni, radish, carrots, cauliflower, apple, etc. A mix of these, over a cup a day.

It is really hot out... Over 85 at night... and our AC is broken, so I couldn't get them indoors. 

I also had a roan boar... I knew about the grey roans, but my coloration when looking at the females was tough... So maybe we could have some recessive roaning??? 

One of these was a free rescue from Petsmart, and the other three are over 1 year when they were bred. So, they may not have been quailty... but they were all free, and it hasn't cost too much to feed them.


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## KSALguy

ok my first two possible ideas that come to mind is the fescue and the coliflower, I KNOW coliflower is in the Brasicas (sp?) family like cabbage and broccoli and that is nto good for them, second fescue can have endophite stuff at certain times of year, I think the summer? that can cause birthing issues in horses and cattle if not careful, I don't KNOW if that's the issue or not, just throwing out possibilitys, third could be age and roaning but idk, I would go ahead and try again,


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## agrichick45

I thought Cauliflower was a 1-2 week food? So long as I didn't feed any other brassicas?

It could be the fescues... I didn't know that. I will cultivate wheat grass for them instead.

Radishes are a once a month food, and I have been feeding that WAY more often... (like once a week). So, I probably threw everything off. 

Thanks for the advice!


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## clothAnnie

Just got a gp! Smallish female 811g, about 1lb 10oz- small, right?). Previous owners said she was two yrs old. I had and lived GPs when I was a kid but eating them would be new for me. I'm very open to the idea, though. 

Previous owners said she didn't eat/like pellets and were only giving her Timothy hay and veg scraps. Does she need pellets? I'm getting clearer on the vit c needs. 

Hoping we can find a male and breed her soon. 

We are in va- very far north. Wasn't someone selling their herd? Where are you ?


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## secuono

clothAnnie said:


> Just got a gp! Smallish female 811g, about 1lb 10oz- small, right?). Previous owners said she was two yrs old. I had and lived GPs when I was a kid but eating them would be new for me. I'm very open to the idea, though.
> 
> Previous owners said she didn't eat/like pellets and were only giving her Timothy hay and veg scraps. Does she need pellets? I'm getting clearer on the vit c needs.
> 
> Hoping we can find a male and breed her soon.
> 
> We are in va- very far north. Wasn't someone selling their herd? Where are you ?


I'll be selling my herd. I'm in Culpeper, 1.5-2hrs from DC depending on traffic. 
They don't need pellets, but if you'll be breeding, better for them to have some just in case to make sure all nutritional holes are filled.


----------



## JudithCS

clothAnnie said:


> Just got a gp! Smallish female 811g, about 1lb 10oz- small, right?). Previous owners said she was two yrs old. I had and lived GPs when I was a kid but eating them would be new for me. I'm very open to the idea, though.
> 
> Previous owners said she didn't eat/like pellets and were only giving her Timothy hay and veg scraps. Does she need pellets? I'm getting clearer on the vit c needs.
> 
> Hoping we can find a male and breed her soon.


Has she been bred before? I would probably not breed a sow that old if she hasn't had any litters.


----------



## clothAnnie

JudithCS said:


> Has she been bred before? I would probably not breed a sow that old if she hasn't had any litters.



Hmmm. You know, I remember reading about that somewhere. What is the reasoning? I'm guessing she's never been bred.


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## JudithCS

clothAnnie said:


> Hmmm. You know, I remember reading about that somewhere. What is the reasoning? I'm guessing she's never been bred.


The parts of the pelvis have to stretch apart when the sow gives birth. Otherwise, the pup can be stuck in the birth canal and the birthing can go wrong. As the sow ages, her tissues become stiff and less able to stretch. My breeder said to breed my sows by the time they are 7 months old to avoid trouble. It could kill your sow. 

I'm sure someone here has better information, or you can google it. But old sows can die giving birth, if it's their first time. If you breed them early enough, you can keep breeding them.


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## secuono

Going to start selling the Cuy now. I'll post back when I get a count on how many boars/sows there are. Please don't ask for a specific fur type. Be picky when you're here, as I won't be able to get pictures of them nor hold any of them. 

Also selling all the rabbits. These below are left. 

ALL UNRELATED RABBITS

All SF are pedigreed! Black & blue.
Price is NOT negotiable, no trades, cash only. No refunds, final sales! Must be able to pick up yourself. Zip Code 22701.

BREEDING STOCK $60 each!
Blue trio. January 19th, 2014 Doe. March 22nd, 2014 Doe. January 10th, 2014 Buck.
Black pair, proven, carries blue. October 24th, 2013 Doe. October 5th, 2013 Buck.
Doe has a litter of kits, they come with her. 

PUREBRED SF GROWERS $25 each
DOB April 1st, 2014- black and blue, all females
DOB April 4th, 2014- black and blue, all females
DOB, May 2nd, 2014- lilac, 3 male, 1 female.


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## secuono

23 or 24 sows, 14 boars


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## secuono

Cuy escaped, been running around catching them. Most have been caught, couple are a bit too fast...
What is contained is officially available for sale. $5 per boar, $10 per sow. 

Also have the following left from my rabbitry. 

Have 3 rabbits I'll toss in free if you buy everything. The SF adult buck, blue baby SF buck and a meat mutt doe with her litter. 
You'll have to be able to haul yourself. Culpeper, VA.
If you're seriously interested, I can send pictures. 

CAGES $450
30x36 three hole stacker. Heavy gauge wire.
30x30 three hole stacker, divided into 6 holes. Heavy gauge wire.
30x30 two hole stacker. 
30x36 one hole.
2x7ft grow out.
2x8ft grow out, needs new floor.
2x4ft grass cage.
2x2ft one hole.
30x30 one hole.
2x2ft one hole. 
Might need repair. Might have other cages I forgot to list No hutches. 
Left over floor wire, extra wall wire in diferent hole sizes.
Stackers need new pans, current pans are rusted out. Used litter boxes and poop boards instead.

TRAVEL CAGES & EQUIPMENT $250
Two hole, new, 2x
4 hole, 1x
3 hole, 1x
1.5x2.5ft, 1x
1x3ft solid floor, 1x
All have metal pans in good condition
3 metal nests
15-20 water bottles
15-20 metal crocks
20+ JFeeders of different sizes, half need repair
Tattoo pen


----------



## akane

All sows can die the first time they give birth or every time after. That's usually how we lost sows. Eventually they'd have a litter not come out no matter when breeding started. The increase in risk of breeding an older animal for the first time is not that great. I have no problem doing it. If you didn't buy the animal to be a pet then why not try it. If you did buy the animal to be a pet you wouldn't want to breed at all, irregardless of age, because there is always a risk of death. Many of the south american rodents have the highest rate of birthing complications because of giving birth to young that are ready to run and eat solid food.

Raw bones of pretty much everything are safe. Cooked bones are like digesting concrete but raw bones will break down in the digestive tract so they don't get stuck. You have to watch for gulpers who try to swallow too much whole and as mentioned heavy bone can sometimes break teeth. When they are raised on raw they tend to eat it a lot better. They chew it better and they don't try to break something they can't. Dogs newly fed on raw as adults can have issues. I just had to pull a chunk of chicken out of the shiba's throat. It didn't even have any bone. It was a breast chunk I'd cut out but she didn't want the other dog taking it so she tried to swallow it.  Doesn't matter what part of the animal it is. If you have a gulper you have to supervise and possibly cut things in to smaller pieces.


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## KSALguy

have been feeding surplus young males to my terrier pup for a few weeks now, he is doing great, he eats the whole thing and is out growing his siblings that are still at the breeders house by leaps and bounds, no issue at all,


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## agrichick45

Well, after realizing that i was overfeeding radish (a 1-2x a month food, and I was feeding it biweekly), my last pregnant sow (My favorite, #6) wound up having 4 lively, animated kits. I am really happy with this. They have been getting a ton of corn husks and zucchini as of late, and they are so happy and bouncy. 

Now, i have five sows, four babies born about three weeks ago (2 males, 2 females), and four new babies to add to the mix. 

I am picking up a pair of two year olds free of craigslist on Friday, I hope. They will need to trim down before I breed them though. I should stop getting more pigs, as I am moving in 14 days, and seven adults and 8 babies in 24 square foot of space is pushing it, and adding to the headaches on moving day.


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## secuono

Haven't lost any sows to birthing issues, either too young or bred too often. And if I did, I wouldn't keep any of the pups from her. You don't want those genes to continue. You don't allow it in sheep, goats, cattle, so no reason to allow it in cuy either. You don't keep offspring from any adults who have bad feet, mastitis, any issues at all. 
Only lost pups, to one young new mom and rest to those danged buttercups and other bad plants. Haven't lost any since and a few days ago a new young mom had 3 pups, no issues.


----------



## chickenista

Yay!
The LPS had it's 'no one buys black guinea pigs' sale.
I got a (possibly) pregnant sow that was a drop off and a younger boar, each for $5.

I am going to use the old rabbit room where I colony raised my meat rabbits. 10X12 cement floor room with an opening to an outside pen.

The questions I have..

They have never been together. They were put together briefly at the LPS and he chased her. She was uninterested. Should they be put together in the rabbit room or should I house them side by side in dog kennels until they acclimate to each other?

And pregnancy? She is large on one side etc.. the LPS said they figured that she was bred. I guess there is no way to really tell until I have piglets. Right? Or as she gets bigger and the nipple changes etc..

And..yay!
This is something that DH doesn't really care one way or another about, but that DS and I have been talking about for almost a year.

I will pick them up this evening after work.
If I don't hear anything about the chasing before then I will just start them separated.


----------



## KSALguy

boars chase females every time they first meet, its normal, they are very social and will settle down once he realizes she is not in the mood, she will bronco kick and bounce away from him till he gets the idea, if she is getting a swollen belly feel of her insides gently and see if you can feel a hard lumpy mass, thats the pups, gestation is about 72 days give or take,


----------



## secuono

Met *agrichick45* today, nice lady. She bought all but 4 sows and 2 babies that I'm keeping as pets. 
agrichick45 asked to see some Buttercup, we couldn't find any, it's gone away for the summer. So! Here are pictures I found online. Yup, I can't even find the pictures I took of the plant! =0
There are several species of Buttercup, pretty much look the same, just slight differences. 
Best to dig it out with the root or keep it mowed and avoid grazing on the area until summer, when they disappear until next year. At least, that's what they do here.


----------



## secuono




----------



## clothAnnie

We just ran out of Timothy hay from southern states (was given to us). I asked on my local fb group if anyone knew where I could buy Timothy hay around here. the one lead I've been able to contact so far says she only grows alfalfa. I know my sow shouldn't have alfalfa unless pregnant (or lactating?) but wonder how I might find Timothy hay locally. What other animals eat it? I think there might be a local rabbit group. I'll try asking there too.


----------



## secuono

Why not feed just grass hay or other hays? All grass eaters will eat any hay you give them, as long as it's not too stemy and hard or moldy.

http://www.guinealynx.info/hay_chart.html


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## clothAnnie

I actually thought they needed specifically Timothy hay. I think I'll have to look more at that link to try to understand. Thank you!!


----------



## agrichick45

I really like my new additions from Secuono. Other than the poor pig that went into premature labor because of transport stress. Three Guinea pigs were born deformed. Hope the sow is ok. 

Well worth the four hour drive. They are hanging out on my porch in various cages while I attempt to get their outdoor cage area.

On another note:
I have been feeding all sorts of grass hay... I use Fescue mixes all the time, as it is $5, whereas timothy is $14... so, I am broke.


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## secuono

Oh no, poor sow. I wonder if the escaping had anything to do with it as well? =(


----------



## agrichick45

Moving to another location is kind of a shock to everyone. Being handled a lot can do this too. So much stress in the new environment, comparatively speaking.


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## KSALguy

Any grass hay will do. I have used alfalfa hay a couple times without issue but it just didnt do as well as I would like as I use it mostly as an edible bedding. Still good tho.


----------



## akane

Bump

I am back to the thread. I convinced my husband to let me try guinea pigs again now that we are in a new house with lots more room. I got this boar for $10. Haven't weighed him yet but it wouldn't be accurate for determining his offspring weight because he's rather chubby.


----------



## Flodes

We're currently raising some for meat. Waiting for two little boars to get big. They're 3 months old and still puny. They were our first babies so I don't have any others to compare them to, they're just growing a lot slower than I expected.


----------



## akane

So has anyone successfully scalded the hair off a guinea pig? Skinning them is quite a bit of effort.


----------



## agrichick45

I scald all the time. Just like a chicken. Heat water to 140 F, and the hair comes right off. However, cooking recipes need to be adapted, and the skin needs to be cut into to let the fat drip through.


----------



## akane

I have my roan's sows


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## agrichick45

We both have totally brown sows! As well as black and reds.


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## secuono

Have 2 adults living under my hay shed, haven't been able to catch them. Didn't know they were there, thought the freezing temps would finish them off, but no. 


Adding, moved around the last few hay bales and found 3 dead, don't see the two adults I've seen on and off for a few weeks. Guess they go somewhere during the day.


----------



## akane

Well one of my young sows turned out to be a young boar. No problem I just picked up 3 more sows for free to choose from. Current breeding herd, roan is the boar.


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## danielsumner

I spent 5 weeks in Peru this year, I know what Guinea Pigs taste like. I tried it both Fried and Roasted. There in not a lot of meat on the things once they are cleaned and cooked. I didn't dislike it, but wouldn't go out of my way to ever order it again. The fried one was cut up into pieces and was OK. The roasted one was cooked whole, head and all. To me it was a little like duck meat, grease and all. A very greasy meal.


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## akane

One died of unknown causes after getting very skinny so I decided it would be good to experiment with scalding. Not having a thermometer I just got the pot to boiling and then let it keep going for awhile. It worked pretty well. I did have to dip twice. Mainly cause my knife skills suck. Scraping the hair off was far better than skinning but I suck at it. Practice makes perfect. I found nothing wrong internally with the guinea pig so I froze it to use as a dog treat. I should have taken a quick picture. It was pretty low effort. The difficulty to skin and remove unwanted offal was a major downside of such a small meat animal.


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## agrichick45

I know that I use guinea pigs for dog food because they are a pain to skin and scald... After my cannibalistic losses and poisoning (pine needles and maple leaves blew in when the roof blew off during a storm) from a few months ago, my growout boars are starting to recover in population. 

I have 14 new babies in the last two weeks, 30 sows, and 3 boars. Plus 9 females in growout. 

Once I get some solid records on the sows, I will probably start culling. They don't cost me much money as I feed them a lot of spent grain from the brewing process.


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## akane

My dogs won't eat furred or feathered animals. It has to be removed. They normally don't eat heads either but the husky pulled it out of the trash and crunched it up so maybe I don't have to behead the things either. Scald, scrape, remove intestines for cleanliness of feeding inside, and done. That would take less time than a rabbit. Less hand cramps too since I have to butcher over the bathtub and apply all the opposing force of things like pulling skin off with my other hand.


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## KSALguy

My dog loves the extras. Eats them whole. No problems.


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## Backtolandscape

I only read a few pages of this thread, so sorry if its a repost.
I saw on PBS a show on south America where in a open air kitchen the cook would
purposely, regularly drop a few vegetable scraps on the floor to keep guinea pigs regularly nearby. When she wanted to eat one, she just reached down and grabbed one.


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## akane

Sometimes they make little huts for them in the kitchens so they will come back to hide even if they go off to eat somewhere else. They can actually be taught to stay in the area if provided with everything they need. There may also be tiered setups with little railings. The top ones are the guinea pigs they are getting ready to eat down to the bottom ones they are fattening up and the ones running around down below reproducing until they go on the ladder. They live on vegetable scraps and picked vegetation or an outdoor area to eat. Some are raised in outdoor pens instead of in the kitchen area. It seems to vary a lot but how many ways are there to raise large livestock in various parts of the world.


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## JudithCS

KSALguy said:


> My dog loves the extras. Eats them whole. No problems.


My dog is small. He has happily eaten a few stillborn pups, as is, but I haven't tried any growouts on him yet. My cat eats a raw diet too, but he wasn't interested in the pups. He'll have to adjust to cavy and might need them to be hairless or even butchered.


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## akane

Like I reported earlier it's not too hard to make them hairless. I used a small, sharp pocket knife and minimal knife skills after scalding at an unknown temp. It came out mostly hairless. The only parts that weren't were do to my lack of skill. I do take the stomach and digestive tract out of my guinea pigs and rabbits cause the dogs make a mess with them.


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## agrichick45

Well, we got 2.5" of rain, and everything was soaked, then the temps went from 70 degrees to wind chills below zero (almost never occurs in NC) within 30 hours. I lost a total of 15 pigs, all of my babies, and three of the recently weaned males. 

It is so frustrating that all it took was one day of freezing drafts to kill them, but what do you expect? There was a shelter, surrounded with straw that the temp didn't get below 50 inside, but the way that things were whipping around with the wind from all directions (including the tops and sides), I am betting that the drafts got in.

The ground also froze solid, and was sucking all of the heat from their bodies if they went out to eat or drink. Arg. They have done cold temps before, (no problem surviving temps down at 11 at night), but the wind was coming from one direction.


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## akane

How temp fragile they are is their greatest weakness. They make good basement, where mine are going for now, and insulated shed animals in places that don't get too cold. I'm not sure what too cold is yet. We hit -20 and sometimes for a couple days -30 before windchill so when I have some extras to test with I might see what I can keep them alive in. That probably won't be until our coldest temps are over but even Feb-march temps would be good to test. I won't be able to fully test it until next year.


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## agrichick45

Yea, I don't have a basement at all. Temps getting that low is super uncommon in NC. I think I will have to bring the babies inside next time. Lesson learned.


----------



## Elizabeth

How exactly do ya'll kill your gp's?

I did three of my big males a couple of weeks ago by whacking them across the top of the head with a piece of pipe. I think I hit them too hard, because they bled from the bottom of their heads, like the jaw/mouth. They were still kicking after the first hit, so I hit them again. Wasn't sure that was necessary, but did not want them to suffer if I had not hit them hard enough 

I have 39 gp's at home right now, plus two that are at my daughter's pre-school, on loan till the end of the school year. At least a half-dozen of the sows are pregnant. Unplanned pregnancies which resulted when my 3 year old left one of the pen doors open while she was inside. I don't really have enough room for them all, and was hoping to sell some of them rather than have to kill them. But, none sold, and as the babies grow up they need to be separated and moved into larger quarters. So, I have decided to send most of the males to freezer camp. I'll probably keep three for breeding, and the rest will have to go. Poor boys. sigh.


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## akane

While it's generally not an accepted method I drown mine. They can't seem to hold their breathe so just push them under and they are dead in seconds. I wouldn't do it if they didn't immediately breath in water and die. 

More standard methods are slitting the throat or breaking the neck by hand. They will continue to kick in most instances. Unlike on tv when you kill something it doesn't just fall over dead and stop moving. Unless it's a slow death the body reacts violently to suddenly getting no signals from the brain. Checking the eye for reactions is a good way to tell.


----------



## agrichick45

Putting a broom on the back of their necks and stepping snaps their spine. Especially if you pull up on their legs a bit. They are surprisingly easy to kill.


----------



## MeatPigeons

Anyone here ever have gps in Alaska? What's the coldest temp they've had them in?

Anyone use a silkie as a breeding boar?


----------



## agrichick45

There is a facebook group called Alaska Rabbit and Cavy Breeders Club. I know people do it. Some parts of Alaska are warmer than other parts of the continental US. As far as using silkies for breeding, I have a female, but she is much smaller than she appears. They are very well insulated, so long as they are blocked from direct winds.


----------



## MeatPigeons

Where I'm at it gets fairly cold. But during the worst part of winter I could possibly bring them in. 

The facebook group isn't where I'm at. It's about 500 miles away. Lol. 

Thank you


----------



## agrichick45

Well, it can be done!


----------



## MeatPigeons

When you introduce new foods to guinea pigs, do you have to do it like rabbits, ie introduce slowly? Based on what I've read you do, but I've also read guinea pigs aren't as fragile and can just be fed whatever however much they want, which is why they're nice (can give them all sorts of veggie scraps without fear of them keeling over)


----------



## akane

You can intro foods a lot faster and more than rabbits. They handle vegetables well and forage plants even better. They are fed on veggie scraps with some grazing in the country they come from. Don't get sucked in to the pet sites too much. They make guinea pigs out to be one of the most fragile animals in existence when they are probably the hardiest I've raised aside from sensitivity to temperatures.

Our first pups are born. I'm not sure I will be able to butcher the golden agouti roan. She's just so pretty. I only took a quick pic.


----------



## MeatPigeons

They're adorable. Guinea pigs are probably the hardest to butcher (maybe after rabbits) just cause they're so cute.

So I finally acquired 2 sows. 1 is older so im iffy about breeding her, but I've also read that the calcification isn't a huge deal because it only happens when the pig isn't well taken care of? Ie, metabolic disease? 

The other is 4 months, very glad I found her. Our boar will be very happy. Do you just leave the boar in for most of the pregnancy? Should I be concerned with the boat being lonely by himself while the sow(s) have babies? Maybe I'll find a friend for him once it gets warmer. 

Thank you. Have fun with your new babies. I love that red!


----------



## akane

If you have at least 3 sows you could move a sow with him and just alternate sows so only one gets a back to back breeding. They can handle the occasional back to back pregnancy quite well and boars usually are not a threat to pups. If you put them in a large area they form a train with the sow leading, the pups in the middle, and the boar at the back to watch for pups that got stuck or lost while running through tall grass and over terrain. It's really interesting to watch how they work in herds and family groups.

I setup 2 cages of 3 sows so I just swap my boar. I actually used bookcases. I took out the shelves and laid them on their back. One turned out to have too cheap of material for the back so I had to replace it with a piece of plywood but the other has been holding up well without visibly absorbing any urine.

These were born a few hours ago


----------



## MeatPigeons

Ah I see. I'll probably just get another boar. He's so freaking big! I feel bad for the girls, he looks nearly twice their size (though I doubt they're that large)

Wait, so are you on the guinea pig forum (there really only one)? There's _someone_ using that first pic of the babies over there..

They're so cute! I want babies, lol. 
That's an awesome idea with the book cases! I might have to go onto Craigslist :hobbyhors


----------



## Elizabeth

I seem to be doing rather well with my gp's. A couple of months ago I was up to 41, plus 2 which I have "loaned" to my daughter's pre-school class for the school year. I was running out of room to keep them, and was unsuccessful in selling any, so I decided to send some of the males off to freezer camp. I think I did around 9-10 of them in the first batch. A few weeks later, I did another 6-7.

That left me with with around 25 at the house, mostly females and young males. I was planning to keep the males and let them grow a bit more before sending them off to camp, but we had another three litters last week, which put me back up to around 41+ again. I finally sold three of those.

I sent 10 more to freezer camp yesterday. This time I used the broomstick method- very effective, and much less traumatic than hitting them with a pipe. I still have a hard time dispatching them, but I got it done.

I am now advertising my two week old litters, hoping to sell more of them to get some cash, but, if not, I will have them all out on pasture soon and can them keep them all till Fall, at which time I will cull again. My main purpose in raising them was for dog food, but I figure that if I can sell a few here and there, the $$$ can help pay for GP pellets, of which 40+ piggies go through a LOT, lol.


----------



## mekasmom

danielsumner said:


> I spent 5 weeks in Peru this year, I know what Guinea Pigs taste like. I tried it both Fried and Roasted. There in not a lot of meat on the things once they are cleaned and cooked. I didn't dislike it, but wouldn't go out of my way to ever order it again. The fried one was cut up into pieces and was OK. The roasted one was cooked whole, head and all. To me it was a little like duck meat, grease and all. A very greasy meal.


So, you are saying rabbits are a much better idea, then? Thank you for describing this. I was curious.


----------



## sonofman

The main benefit to guinea pigs is that they eat for free. They do not require anything but grass.


----------



## MeatPigeons

Figured I'd show off my pigs  











This is Elsa. She's ~4 months old, and very skiddish, but starting to warm up. Just came from the shelter, not sure what her breed is. Any ideas what color you'd call this?











Celeste. She too came from a shelter, she's an american tri color white. I absolutely adore this pig. She's so much like rat - she grabs food and hides it, she holds it with her feet. It's just too adorable


















Lastly, Einstein! He's a coronet we got off craigslist. He's super bold, not at all like a guinea pig. I intend to show him, cause he's just too cute and seems like a great pig to show. Since he's not super skiddish and all.

And they all love each other, but I think Einstein is a bit more in love than the girls, lol. Celeste is a bit of a bully to Elsa, (which is actually the reason she was given up, she was a bully), but since Einstein annoys them both they sorta stress bond with each other.

I've been looking at the shelters and craigslist for another boar, so that I'll have a friend for Einstein when hes done his duty. How long do you leave the boat in? Until the does are visibly pregnant, or?


----------



## Elizabeth

MeatPigeons- Your piggies are adorable, and your pictures are awesome. I need to take pictures of some of our babies to post on craigslist, but I have not had good results photographing them in the past. Love yours!

The bunny is cute, too.


----------



## Elizabeth

Here are some pictures of some of the baby gp's I am trying to sell. One male, and the rest are females. I think I have another male sold, will know for sure tonight. I haven't really tried to sell any females yet, since I have been keeping them to build up the herd, but I did sell 3 last month after someone asked for them specifically, but this is the first time I have really tried intentionally.


----------



## MeatPigeons

Elizabeth said:


> MeatPigeons- Your piggies are adorable, and your pictures are awesome. I need to take pictures of some of our babies to post on craigslist, but I have not had good results photographing them in the past. Love yours!
> 
> The bunny is cute, too.


Thanks! I like your pigs too! Good luck on selling them, I'm planning on just culling all of mine. No one wants guinea pigs around here. I'm hoping once I've got some good breeding going on I'll be able to talk to some meat rabbitors into doing guineas. 

On a different topic, I was recently lucky enough to visit Ecuador. While there, we visited a native village and saw the head of the communities house. She had probably, ooh, 50 pigs? They were all very skittish, and super super loud. Some of the biggest sows were the size of my holland lops!
















The babies could to into these corner bars to get away from the parents I guess. They were soo tiny and cute.
















They were all in separate concrete cages. I presume there was a pregnant sow one, raising babies one, boar one, and a few others that might be duplicates (ie, multiple cages for raising them). But there seemed like there was pregnant sows with babies. Idk.
























They were huge. That blonde and white female was about the size of a smallish but normal guinea pigs 0_0

They also had rabbits

























We got cuy at a restaraunt, and saw some being cooked (I'll try and get pics of it). It was.. Ok. Not cooked too well. Super oily, deep fried. Otherwise just tasted like fish or dark game meat. But it's affordable for them to raise. Hopefully with some garlic ill like it better.


----------



## akane

I'm probably going to have to add one more pen for sow grow out and definitely more pens if I want to expand production but this is the current setup. 2 are bookcases and the other is an old screw together style ferret nation. We got a bunch of them for cheap from a chinchilla breeder selling off everything.

Breeding pen, currently 3 sows and a roan boar. Boar is still growing back his bottom front teeth and putting on weight again.




Male grow out pens. Currently 3 weaned in to the top ~2x3'.


If sows look obviously pregnant they go to this pen until their pups are 3 weeks old and wean before going back to the breeding pen. Also right now the sow grow out pen.




The top food dish in the sow pen is actually a supplement mix of 1 part black oil sunflower seeds, 2 parts ground flax (bought in bulk 50lb tubs for horses), and some apple flavored electrolytes that I eyeball the amount.


----------



## GBov

That bookcase idea is GREAT!

I plan to try g pigs again but this time to run between raised beds and, hopefully, keep the grass mowed down.

Has anyone tried that?


----------



## akane

I sort of did. I did not raise the beds but lined them with fencing panels so the guinea pigs stayed on the path and I could remove a panel to let them eat. Anything over about 8" would most likely work even though they can jump 2' or more. They generally don't without a good reason. This is the process of making the former herb/guinea pig grazing garden
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/aqh88/library/guinea pigs/outdoor pen?sort=3&page=2


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## GBov

akane said:


> I sort of did. I did not raise the beds but lined them with fencing panels so the guinea pigs stayed on the path and I could remove a panel to let them eat. Anything over about 8" would most likely work even though they can jump 2' or more. They generally don't without a good reason. This is the process of making the former herb/guinea pig grazing garden
> http://smg.photobucket.com/user/aqh88/library/guinea pigs/outdoor pen?sort=3&page=2


 I could only view a few before the computer locked up :grit: but what I saw looked really good.

Did you find that your g pigs overgrazed the area?


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## akane

My 5 had plenty of grass and weeds. Also the catnip bushes I planted along the middle of the right side in most pics grew to about 3' in all directions and I had 3 of them. I also had multiple varieties of mint or other mint relatives so those grew fast. The fennel, anise, cilantro, and chard needed the most protection and were mostly handfed to the pigs. The edible flower section of nasturtiums and snapdragons was grazed lightly when the barriers were removed. This was the edible flower bed within a couple months 









Unfortunately I don't have too many other completed pics with the plants growing. I always got too busy as summer came.


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## GBov

akane said:


> My 5 had plenty of grass and weeds. Also the catnip bushes I planted along the middle of the right side in most pics grew to about 3' in all directions and I had 3 of them. I also had multiple varieties of mint or other mint relatives so those grew fast. The fennel, anise, cilantro, and chard needed the most protection and were mostly handfed to the pigs. The edible flower section of nasturtiums and snapdragons was grazed lightly when the barriers were removed. This was the edible flower bed within a couple months
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately I don't have too many other completed pics with the plants growing. I always got too busy as summer came.


 I miss nasturtiums, they just don't do very well for me in Florida. Your information on their grazing is good stuff. My plans are 4' by 4', 2' high, raised beds with 3' rows between in grass for the G. Pigs. I may or may not put pvc pipes through the beds at ground level for the g pigs to shelter from the heat (and hawks) in.

Speaking of hawks, did you have any problems?

We lost a few to snakes when kept outside but that was all.


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## akane

I found a big pile of old clay drainage tube and dug out mostly unbroken pieces. You can see a couple starting to be placed in some of the later pics









That gave lots of hiding along with a wood house and then the sheltering of the plants. Hawks were everywhere so I'm sure there would eventually have been losses to hawks and if you get the attention of a hawk you might have trouble. If your pen is within about the 20-25' or less size range you can get bird netting to throw over it. I had a roll that I never used. They will seek shelter and run alongside structures to be less attractive to predators. More open areas they will slowly eat their way on to and dash back to the edge at any movement around them. That kept them safe even when we had them running around a couple acre fenced backyard. They never ate in the middle of the yard. They trimmed along buildings and fencelines.


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## akane

Guinea pig production is picking up. I've got 2 males and 2 females in growout for butchering and just had another litter. It was 4 but 1 didn't make it.

If nothing else I find guinea pigs are a meat source with much cuter babies. I need to make some outdoor tractors for good weather because they are burning through wood pellet bedding.


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## MeatPigeons

My sow is visibly pregnant and you can feel the babies.. It's so creaking cute!

Hoping for a large litter! She'll be for my show pig, and I've got a new boar for her to get some quality babies. Otherwise Elsa is solely for meat producing pigs.


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## StevenHughes

Picking up four free pigs sunday! kind of excited! Does anyone hear raise them in the northern Midwest? I am wondering if I can keep them outside year round.


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## akane

I'm in Iowa and I've been debating if there is a way to keep them outside year round. We had some go through snowstorms in the past when we didn't catch them out of the fenced area early enough but they were usually inside within the next 24-36hrs. Last winter wasn't too bad with only the odd subzero day and none of that -30F stuff but some of our winters are horrible. I think someone else reported they kept an area warm enough for the pigs but the pigs would not leave it to where the food and water was so they started getting sick. I've been thinking about if you can coldframe or greenhouse at least a portion of a guinea pig pen or if you'd have to cut the airflow down too much to get any effect.


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## StevenHughes

Yea Minnesota winters can be brutal. I guess I will just have to find out.


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## GBov

StevenHughes said:


> Yea Minnesota winters can be brutal. I guess I will just have to find out.


 How about setting up a winter home and then pasturing them outside after the worst of winter is over?

Or heat lamps perhaps?

I found that, with such a small body size and no under coat to speak of, mine got cold easily.


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## StevenHughes

I suppose I could put them in the garage with my rabbits but that won't be much better. It is unheated and uninsulated.


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## akane

Mine are in being setup in the basement for now. I have been looking at ideas for basically guinea pig boxes to set outdoors with or without a floor during weather above freezing. I have a 4x8' sort of tractor. It's also 4' high to keep me from having to bend too much and it's half all sides plywood and the other half wire so it works better to roll it for moving than to try and slide that much weight. I wouldn't need something so tall for guinea pigs. I had to fit in chicken roosts and be able to get to eggs so I put it that tall. I don't know. I have lots of options and maybe make some combination of chickens, rabbits, or guinea pigs together.


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## akane

Interesting guinea pig info from another source that is talking about using them for meat. Mainly feed them insanely full with all types of greens. Apparently they can easily get another pound or more bigger than they otherwise would. Within a few generations of stuffing them full from birth the person I was talking to had 5-8lb pigs from random pet pigs. Large amounts of pellets doesn't seem to do this. This may change my planned method of guinea pig raising.


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## GBov

akane said:


> Interesting guinea pig info from another source that is talking about using them for meat. Mainly feed them insanely full with all types of greens. Apparently they can easily get another pound or more bigger than they otherwise would. Within a few generations of stuffing them full from birth the person I was talking to had 5-8lb pigs from random pet pigs. Large amounts of pellets doesn't seem to do this. This may change my planned method of guinea pig raising.


That is VERY interesting info!

Shall file it away for after the move and give it a try. Would save quite a bit of money without having to buy the big g. pigs.


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## StevenHughes

Random question, can they eat rhubarb? I have a bunch growing behind my shed that I don't use.


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## akane

Yep, mine have eaten their fill of it several days this month. It is a mild laxative but they seem to limit themselves on their own. I fed part of the leaf too. It has nothing uniquely toxic compared to other plants. It is just higher in oxalic acid than most. Oxalic acid is in many plants we eat so it's not toxic on it's own. It's entirely an amount thing and it's found in increasing amounts in the stalks with age and higher in the leaves so just don't overfeed, especially the leaves. Like I said though the guinea pigs stopped eating the stalks on their own and the rabbits someone had loose around rhubarb did not overeat the leaves so I think given food options they will not overeat any part of rhubarb easily. Which is good cause the pen I plan to turn into their grazing area next year has 4 stubborn patches of rhubarb that I'd rather not kill even if it weren't such stubborn stuff.


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## StevenHughes

Its been in the 40's the last few days here and the pigs seem fine. Running around and eating just fine.


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## StevenHughes




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## StevenHughes




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## StevenHughes

My first litter!


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## Lady89

Just don't know if I could eat that they are so cute


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## StevenHughes

Cows are cute when they are babies too. They get less cute.


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## Rivmage

Question for the GP group, how are GP droppings for the garden? Are they like rabbit droppings? 

Scott


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## HoneyMelon

Well, I add the GP droppings right in with all of my other animal droppings and I compost it and into the garden it goes. I would assume that you can put GP droppings on straight to a garden like rabbit without composting, but not sure. Rabbit has little or virtually no nitrates that need time to break down. To play it safe I compost everything and then put it out.


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## GBov

How high of a wall is needed to keep them in if one is running them on grass?


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## Bearfootfarm

GBov said:


> How high of a wall is needed to keep them in if one is running them on grass?


 I think the issue with that would be keeping predators out instead of keeping them in. They aren't really "climbers"


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## GBov

Bearfootfarm said:


> I think the issue with that would be keeping predators out instead of keeping them in. They aren't really "climbers"


The area is already fenced so I want to run some kind of inside partition to keep them in a set area where they will have day time access only.

Was thinking 18 inches might be enough and easy for me to get over. People throw away those metal shelves round here all teh time, you know the ones, plastic coated wire that adjusts up or down? It might work well to keep the G pigs in.


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## akane

Hey my thread is still going. Currently I have 4 breeding groups with 3+ females each. I recently found this 3lb chocolate boar and have his first litter out of a good sized red sow.




I am picking up a giant cuy boar the 21st of this month. The last 3 days I was sealing the base of my cuy cage with enamel paint and I'm ready to put the wire panels on tomorrow. 

Not as meat related I have a side project of teddy coated and another of roan colored pigs. Although I still use culled offspring from them as cat and dog food. I'm just not concentrating as much on size for them. I haven't been getting roan sows, just boars, so my roan breeding is going nowhere fast.

Major garden plans for a big grazing pen. I started laying out the dividing line of cement blocks set in the ground between guinea pig grazing and human vegetables last fall. We are going to build a pallet based fence on that and then wire across it as needed for the guinea pig portion.


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## Iason

Glad to see someone doing this with an understanding of importance of maintaining genetic diversity and working to increase size. Where did you get the chocolate boar? I presume it is a cuy but I never heard of them in that color. I have some ideas about setting up my landscape to allow these little critters to do the weeding for me.


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## Iason

Will someone please message me if you know where I can buy a few cuy? Thank you!


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## Forcast

Craigs list


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## sn4k3grl

Is anyone in in the New England seacost area (ME, MA, NH) having any success with guinea pigs? I am looking at getting into them and would love to meet up.


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## fluttervale

I know I'm late to respond, but I could keep my household pets in with 4 inches of fence...on the floor...

They're not very bright creatures.


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## Grandmotherbear

Bumping


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## suburbanfarmgirl

Hello! I'm not sure whether anyone's still looking at this, but it's been a really interesting read! (...resulting in 2 _very_ late nights!) 
I'm in Perth, Western Australia - I'd really like to be able to grow some of my own meat, and guinea pigs are looking like one of the more promising options. We're not allowed roosters where I live, so breeding chickens ("chooks" in Australia...) is out. Quail are an option, but seem really fiddly. 
NZ White rabbits are the other serious option I'm interested in - they have the advantage of being bigger (and I've eaten enough rabbit in the past to know it tastes good - my cousins used to catch feral ones from their farm for my mum). The biggest point against rabbits is that myxomatosis and calicivirus are used here to control feral rabbits (which are a big problem in rural areas) and it's actually illegal to vaccinate against myxo here, due to fears of vaccinated rabbits spreading increased myxo-resistance to the feral population. (I'm not sure how that works... assume it must be a "live" vaccine?) Anyway, I know several people in Perth who have lost pet rabbits to either confirmed or suspected myxo, and also know of someone near Perth who lost an entire rabbitry to calicivirus. (Calicivirus vaccine is available here, but would work out quite expensive for a meat rabbitry, and a new strain was also "accidentally" (?) released here a few years ago before the vaccine for that strain was available.) Also, I'd prefer to be able to feed mostly "real" food rather than pellets, but that would probably be difficult to maintain when I needed to get someone else to look after animals whenever we go away, so rabbits' sensitive digestion is another point against them. 
My sister and I had a pair of pet GP boars as teenagers - they just lived in the bottom of an old canary cage, outside, with no issues, and I know of a few other people who have GPs running around in the garden (...and now I'm wondering whether any of them are actually being kept for meat - that didn't occur to me when I heard about it before, as they were described in a way that sounded like they were pets, but that may just have been to avoid objections from visitors they didn't know well.) (We have a pretty mild climate here - virtually no frost, but it does get over 100degF pretty regularly in summer.) I _really_ wish we could get the Peruvian super-cuy here!  The Rex breed seems to be the biggest here... might just have to start with some of those and breed up, but I still need to convince my husband, anyway!


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## suburbanfarmgirl

Oh, meant to note above... myxo and calicivirus are mosquito-borne here - at least one friend who lost a rabbit to suspected myxo said that pretty much no-one manages to keep pet rabbits alive in her suburb, because of the mosquito spread. I could build a mosquito-proof cage arrangement - I've actually designed up an idea with standard-sized rabbit cages inside an insect-screened enclosure - but in reality, it's hard to keep mosquitoes out once you need to open doors for feeding and maintenance, and we have quite a lot of them around. 
Guinea pigs not being susceptible to those is one of the biggest points in their favour in my situation...


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## Lady89

i would say breeding G pigs follows about the same rules as rabbit breeding. chose breeders for size, meat quality and meat/bone ratio. Not looks or show blood lines. The exception is if you have a good market for show pigs where you are.


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## suburbanfarmgirl

Lady89 said:


> i would say breeding G pigs follows about the same rules as rabbit breeding. chose breeders for size, meat quality and meat/bone ratio. Not looks or show blood lines. The exception is if you have a good market for show pigs where you are.


yes, I figured that would have to be the plan  I'm not sure how much of a market there is specifically for show cavies here, but there _is_ apparently a shortage of guinea pigs in general - possibly a mixture of pet and show market. There are very few being advertised - I was surprised!


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## suburbanfarmgirl

The Cavy society here seems to have pretty regular shows - every month or two! - so I think I'll try to get to the next one just to scope the situation out


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