Can guinea pigs tolerate cold, with shelter? I'm all inspired about guinea pigs now.
Could they live with chickens? Or in an un-used stall in a stable?

Can anyone recommend a good guinea pig breeder? Do not want to do the "puppy mill" route again......
To eat them, how do you get the hair off, or are they skinned?
A recommended web site?

I raised guinea pigs, love them! I do not think they could tolerate extreme cold. They can get colds easily. That is why they are used in laboratories because they can pick up human diseases easily. I would set up their pen away from drafts, provide an enclosed area with lots of straw. They do snuggle up together.
Watch out, they can begin to multiply quickly. Keep males and females separated for most of the year until you want young ones. The little ones are darling, born with eyes open, hair, and ready to go. they do nurse from their mama's for awhile.

I would not put them with chickens. chickens can peck them and hurt them, especially any little ones. And chicken poop can be messy and you do not want your pigs wandering around in it.

Guinea pigs need to be fed Guinea pig pellets, because they have vitamin c in them to protect their immune systems and their getting colds. Pigs enjoy veggies
romaine lettuce, carrots, spinach, been sprouts etc. I would stay away from cabbages as it can cause stomach upset. They need water bottles to drink from so they do not get themselves wet or spill the water dishes.

They can become very tame. they are completely defenseless and any animal can kill them easily, so please protect them. they needed to be handled very tenderly by children.

Hope this helps. sharon

 Quote: betty landercasp

Can guinea pigs tolerate cold, with shelter? I'm all inspired about guinea pigs now.
Could they live with chickens? Or in an un-used stall in a stable?

Can anyone recommend a good guinea pig breeder? Do not want to do the "puppy mill" route again......
To eat them, how do you get the hair off, or are they skinned?
A recommended web site?

They're not super cold or damp tolerant since pigs have hair and not fur. With Americans I used to pack their cages with grass hay in winter so they could make a tunnel system and they stayed pretty reasonably warm but Washington is not Minnesota cold. I wouldn't house them with chickens (or anything else), chickens are pretty nasty and messy. You could use a stall in a barn provided it's proofed for escape, dry, and you figure out a way to keep water on them. The major danger with these guys is upper respiratory infections. They can catch the human cold and a couple other diseases.

As far as breeder, I'd just pick someone locally at a show and buy a few baby sows from the same breed or if you don't care about breeding get whatever females you want. They're pretty accepting of each other as long as there is enough food, water, and hidey holes to go around. Really anyone can get into the guinea pig thing with reasonable success. Just look for healthy stock with a strong facial structure instead of one who looks like a rat. Here's a secret, all guinea pig breeds have pretty much the same desired type- brick with the corners knocked off. The only real difference is coat and the points allotted to coat.

Normal piggie
http://sp.life123.com/bm.pix/guinea-pig3.s600x600.jpg

Show piggie
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzAkq-8URrh2PQoqUhzWzNheb94fohSBFG2swBJnkmEa8Fsedn

I've seen them eaten a couple different ways. One way is skinned, stem to stump, and I've also seen them with the hair burned off.

The chestnut show pig looks just like my old Gertrude.
Are some breeds larger than others?
My sow was 3x the size of the boar, and much more blocky.

There are folks here who raise rabbits, more for meat than for show. "Snuffles" is a big deal, they do best housed on wire, but I am not up for that, would prefer my pigs in a sunny stall.

You really don't want pigs on wire. It's a bad news waiting to happen on those poor tiny feet. You might be remembering your piggie when she was knocked up. If she has a big litter they tend to look like a cowpie with a head.

According to standard it's bigger the better in piggies but the minimum for adults is 32 oz. Some stuff tends to run bigger (americans and peruvians), some tends to run leaner (abbys), and some tend to run somewhere in the middle (teddies, texels).

As far as snuffles in rabbits I've heard it's an issue back east. I did rabbits 10 years here and saw a minor case here once in an individual. I'm more apt to think genetics, environment, and housing is a factor

Wow. Guinea pigs are pretty fascinating. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pig

Wow... who would have thought they are "exceedingly good swimmers"?? I would have guessed that they would sink like a brick.

Perhaps a "silky-satin" guinea pig could satisfy the urge for an afghan....

it would be fun.

Here's how to wrap a long haired pig
http://www.storybookcavies.com/wrapping.htm