First Guinea Pig

[Moros]

1. I bought the most awesome GP today. Pictures later, he's still quite shy and skittish.

2. He's a male.

3. I bought one of those combination cages that came with a water bottle, pellets, bedding, a "kebab" thing, a treat, and a food bowl.

4. I bought vitamin drops, hay, a hut, and chew-sticks to supplement this combination.

5. I need to get a running wheel.

6. Is there anything else I should get for it?

7. How do you get them to warm up to you?

 

[SparkyMaddie]

be quiet with them and put them in your lap on a towel,just let him know you and dont pick them up and hold to your face.lol he thinks your a giant. theres a guy on this pet forum,see the cavy thread that knows way more than me.

never ever feed them romaine lettuce that killed mine. so happy for you though,have fun with him

 

[cavymom]

Congrats.

I've never bought my piggys a running wheel or a walking ball. But they have a small fence for playtime in case the phone rings or soemthing I can pen them in safely. And I have a little piggy leash so I can walk them on clean grass in the summer, they like the all-you-can-eat-buffet.

If you want them to like you... or at least wheak at you.... buy carrots / kale / parsley /cilantro at the store in those noisy little vegetable bags that no one can ever open... dig those out of the fridge and let him hear it ruffle as you pull out his snacks and pretty soon he will wheak at you whenever he hears a bag ruffle.

 

[GPguy]

Hello, Moros!!!

It's awesomely great to hear of you getting your first little cavy(guinea pig)!!

I can't wait to see his pigtures!!!

Now, I'd like to let you know a few things about guinea pigs.

First, the things guinea pigs should not have.

1. Exercise wheels should never ever be bought for cavies, never! These may be enjoyed by hamsters and gerbils, but cavies in no way have interest in them, and besides them not having interest in them, these toys can cause, very severe back injuries to your little friend, please do not purchase an exercise wheel for your guinea pig!

2. The leashes\harness's are also, not good for cavies. These can prove quite tight on a cavy's neck, and easily choke him! These are not the greatest of things to get for a cavy either!

3. Do not get your cavy chewing blocks. They have no interest in these and will, if anything urinate all over them, and then if they do happen to chew on it, they'll be chewing nothing but a very unclean block!

Now for the things cavies do need.

1. A cavy's teeth never cease growing! To help them keep their teeth in trim, you will need to provide a chewing toy of anykind, except, a chewing block! You can provide them with tissue paper roles, paper towel roles and any other card board tube. You can also purchase a chewing log tunnel for him! Timothy hay is also a necessity!

2. Cavies need Vitamin C in their diet! Give veggies and fruits that contain much of it. They cannot produce this vitamin themselves, just as us, so they will need help getting it by the food they eat!

Now, how to get your cavy to warm up to you.

You can easily get your guinea pig used to you, by sitting by his cage as often as you can, and by hand feeding him treats such as Corn Flakes, my piggies love their Corn Flakes! Also, spend all the time you can picking him up and cuddling with him, give him some petting and again, a few treats, while holding him. Once more, spend all the time you can with your cavy, to get him used to having you around and to get him to love you. They love being where the action is, so it would be best putting him in a very active room.

I hope I've helped you some. If you'd like to know a little more about guinea pigs, than please do check out my site, Cavies R Fun and it's forums. Here are their links.

http://cavyfun.bravehost.com/

http://z9.invisionfree.com/Cavyfun/index.php?act=idx

God Bless

Jonathan

 

[K9_Trainer]

I agree! Nice post

The best way you can provide exercise for your piggy since they don't use exercise wheels, is just to let him run around in a safe, enclosed room.

How big is your cage? Most guinea pig cages on market are actually too small. The old rule was 2 square feet per pig, the new one is 7 per pig and 10 for 2. And because cages don't come this big, you can make your own very cheaply using cubes and coroplast. See www.cavycages.com for instructions and further info on piggy care.

If you don't have room for this, a cage that is 2 or 3 square feet will still work as long as you let the piggy out daily for exercise as cavies are prone to obesity.

And GPguy is right about the vitamin C also. I remember reading somewhere that 1/4 of a bell pepper a day will provide sufficient vitamin C. Mine get that, plus a variety of other veggies including squash, carrot, tomatoe, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach and others along with some fruit like apple, pear, grapes, blueberries, kiwis, melon and oranges when the ones on our tree ripen.

Some guinea pigs like chew blocks, some don't. It's always worth a try. If he doesn't use it and it just ends up being peed on or ignored, then you can just toss it. An un treated piece of redwood works. I've only had one cavy that would use it.

The other thing that works great for keeping teeth worn down are hay cubes.

As for diet...staple diet is hay. This can be provided one of three ways...1) Loose timothy hay, 2) hay cubes or 3) pellets. Most people choose the third one as it's more convienient, but I must say going the other 2 routes are much cheaper because you can buy hay by the bale very cheaply. Hay must be available at all times no matter what form you use. The only advantage pellets has is that they also supply vitamins. But if you supplement with veggies and fruit, then they'll get all the nutrients they need.

That is how I feed mine. Loose hay in the hay rack with pellets also available incase they eat all the loose hay. Then they get a variety of chopped veggies and a fruit a day, including a half a bell pepper (1/4 for each of them).

And taming them, GPguy summed that up too. The only way you can get them used to you is to handfeed them treats and cuddle them. Just be careful not to cuddle them for long periods of time because they will urinate on you if you hold them too long.

 

[cavymom]

Hi there... about the leash for guinea pigs... they are safe as long as you purchase a body harness style... I don't even think they sell neck style collars for such small pets. It's better to have them safely on a leash if you bring them outside rather than have them slip away and hide or run into traffic or be attacked by bigger or winged animals.

You should really buy yourself a good book about guinea pigs or ask your vetrinarian to give you some information on them. Our vet gave us a great package of information when we brought our piggies in for thier check-up... plus they can answer any questions you have about them.

 

[K9_Trainer]

I've tried harness and leash on guinea pigs, they just kind of freak out and freeze. Thats their tactic if they get scared btw, just freeze on spot. There's not really any point to putting them on the leash either. They won't learn to heal or follow you like a dog will. If you put them out on the grass in your yard (assuming your grass hasn't been sprayed), a tame piggie won't run. He'll just sit there and eat the grass. For the ones that do run, it's not very fast and you can catch them easily. This is just my experience though.

Which reminds me....dandelion greens and filliander are weeds that you can find in your yard that are ok to give piggies.

 

[GPguy]

Hey K9 Trainer,

You seem to be most interested in cavies, please do check out my site, Cavies R Fun's forums!! I'd love to have you be a part of it! Here's it's link,

http://z9.invisionfree.com/Cavyfun/index.php?

Now, back the topic of leashes and harnesses.

As I said, these aren't really good for cavies, most harnesses still have a strap that goes around the cavy's neck, and most of them cause choking. If you'd like your piggy to have time outside, allow him to run free in a fenced yard. Piggies enjoy this much, and will most of the time while being out there, just sit and eat the grass. Leashes and such are much more better suited for dogs. Oh and by the way, please do not place your guinea pig outdoors if the grass has recently been mowed. The oils and gas of the lawn mower are in no way good for cavies and can cause severe illness to them. Wait a week or so to let them out after the yard's been mowed.

Also, never leave your little friend outside un-attended. If he's out alone, there's always a chance of a cat or some other animal getting to him. Please allow him to be outside, only if you're with him.

God Bless

Jonathan

 

[K9_Trainer]

I am interested an any animal under the sun

One last note, dog urine can also be harmful to a cavy so try to be in an area that you know your dog doesn't use if you have a dog.

I'll check out your site right now gpguy

 

[GPguy]

Great!!

Thanks a lot K9 Trainer!! I do hope you'll become a part of it!!

God bless

Jonathan

 

[SecretBlessings]

Hi

 

[GPguy]

Hi right back

God Bless you.

Jonathan

 

[K9_Trainer]

Hi to both of you

 

[GPguy]

Hey, K9 Trainer!

I've not seen you around Cavies R Fun lately.
I do hope you're enjoying it

God Bless

Jonathan

 

[ChrisCountryGirl]

Hi Moros,

Congrats on your new pet. I don't know much about guinea pigs but they're cute!!!!

 

[GPguy]

Aren't they!!!!!