I will have a lot..

**futureguineamom** · #1 10-04-05, 08:47 pm

of Questions! Okay, I'm adopting a guinea pig named gwyneth from our animal shelter, and starting the process tomorrow.

At the moment, I only have one question - can I buy those dried corncobs from our petstore to give my new baby? They say that they can be given to guinea pigs but I don't always trust pet stores.

Oh yeah and what nutritional information should I look for on the guinea pig pellets? I know they need a lot of vitimin C and fresh veggies every day (other than spinach, cabbage and ice-burg lettuce).

**DocDolittle** · #2 10-04-05, 09:17 pm

First, for the veggies, go here: http://cavycages.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10288

And as for the corncob things, no, they cannot be given. They have almost nothing nutritional in them and the seeds in them can cause a pigger to choke and die. Thanks for adopting!

**futureguineamom** · #3 10-04-05, 09:19 pm

Wow thanks for telling me! It's a good thing I haven't bought any

. On the sign it says they are good for all small animal types - bunnies, degus, piggies, the works! Sheesh, the ignorance of some pet stores!

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #4 10-04-05, 09:33 pm

Icerberg lettuce is bad.

Please read over www.guinealynx.info esp. the diet info.

**futureguineamom** · #5 10-04-05, 09:35 pm

Oh! I have another question.. is there any way to tell the age of a piggie? They don't know the age of Gwyneth as they found her in her cage in a ditch. Poor angel.

Also, what do you think of the name Malaika? It is African and means "angel"

**C&K** · #6 10-04-05, 09:39 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by futureguineamom

Wow thanks for telling me! It's a good thing I haven't bought any

. On the sign it says they are good for all small animal types - bunnies, degus, piggies, the works! Sheesh, the ignorance of some pet stores!

Yup, petstores are pretty crummy at giving out advice.

We will be waiting to hear all about your new pig.

As for pellets, I would suggest looking over this thread in great detail :

Why *Plain Pellets* may not be good for your piggy.

Only two brands are considered high quality, Oxbow and one by KM. Mazuri can be used if the other two are not available. If you are in the states, Oxbow and Km can be ordered online if not available locally for a reasonable cost. You want a plain pellet, one that does not have little coloured pieces of junk in them. But don't be snowed in by any plain pellet, some have really horrible stuff in them or are just not that great, a lot of filler.

Welcome to the board!

Have you looked over the info on C&C cages and cage space needed? Also it is a good idea to get familiar with what types of bedding are available. The preferance here is for fleece, the worst is cedar, it can cause severe resperatory problems and even kill pigs.

**C&K** · #7 10-04-05, 09:45 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by futureguineamom

Oh! I have another question.. is there any way to tell the age of a piggie? They don't know the age of Gwyneth as they found her in her cage in a ditch. Poor angel.

Also, what do you think of the name Malaika? It is African and means "angel"

This may help with telling ages: http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8009

I love the name Malaika... but I like Gwyneth is very nice too.

My girls are Boots and Barbie. Boots was named Bootie by her previous owners and has morphed into Boots from Dora. Barbie was snowflake, she is golden red and white longhaired, and very attractive, almost over the top. When I brought her home the first thing my hubby exclaimed was "oh my, its Guinea Pig Barbie"!

**futureguineamom** · #8 10-04-05, 09:48 pm

Thank you.. yes I have been researching all day. I've had many types of small animals, guinea pigs are the one that I haven't had. When I saw her on the OSPCA website I knew I had to have her! So I went to visit her and fell in love

. I can't get any fleece for a while, so for now I will be using towels with newspaper underneath, and a small bin in a corner with aspen. If that doesn't work I'll use all aspen. I'll just have to try a few things out and see I guess.

The thing with my parents is that my mom hates any kind of smells, so I thought just to be sure I'd get a glade plug-in thing for my room.. is that okay, or might the odors bother her? (the piggie)

**DocDolittle** · #9 10-04-05, 09:51 pm

My mom uses glade plug-ins all around the house and our pets really don't mind.

FYI, your little girl should have a little friend. Guinea pigs live much more content and do much better in groups.

**AmiableAnimals** · #10 10-04-05, 09:54 pm

Yes, I agree with Doc, please consider adopting at least 2 piggies . . . best of luck!!

**futureguineamom** · #11 10-04-05, 09:55 pm

I know, but being as I have no idea how old she is, and from what I can tell she has never had another guinea pig I think she will be better off without. She is extremely friendly, the friendliest guinea pig I've ever met around here. I have a lot of time on my hands and will spending that time with her, I wish I could do the other guinea pig thing but I can't, due to parents and also I am afraid of how she'd take to it.

**dagwellismypigy** · #12 10-04-05, 10:19 pm

If you can't get two pigs, don't get any. I know it's harsh but it's true. Guinea pigs are almost always happier in pairs ( I read something that said only 2 or 3% are happier alone) I doubt your girl is one of them. Go with a baby.

Even if you spend all your free time with her, its not the same. What about when you sleep, go to school, hang out with friends, etc? Can you imagine your whole life living alone with no one to talk to, except for this giant that routinely comes in and picks you up to play? Yes, you would love the giant, but still be bored the rest of the time.

**DocDolittle** · #13 10-04-05, 10:35 pm

My boy, Cocoa, went almost a year without living with another boy, and when I finally added another, he was overjoyed! Granted, he fought a bit with him, but in the end they were both so happy with each other.

**JiggityJig** · #14 10-04-05, 11:04 pm

Not to argue with Dagwell (

), but I'll offer a different opinion:

I don't agree with "adopt two, or not at all". The more homeless piggies that are given loving, caring homes, the better. Why is it better for her to live alone at a shelter, than living alone (and likely getting tons more pampering and one-on-one attention) in a home?

So don't let that be the deal breaker for you, Futureguineamom. THAT SAID...caring for two piggies is really not that different from caring for one, and yes, I'm sure they *are* more content having a friend! So it's definitely something you should strongly consider!

About the smell---I'd start out using pine shavings. Some people have trouble with fleece smelling, and we don't want to irritate mom with the smell of a new pet right off the bat, especially if you're trying to convince her that you need two!

Is the picture still on the website, so that you could link it for us? We love piggie pigtures!

**futureguineamom** · #15 10-04-05, 11:05 pm

Thanks, again. I don't go to school I'm done, I don't have friends to hang out with, I only work two days a week. I just don't want her to end up in a ditch again. What if she is already four years old, and has lived her whole life alone? I'm just iffy about putting another with her. I can understand your concern, believe me. I'm a huge animal fanatic and I spend almost every day researching a new animal and finding out all of the information I possibly can about them. Right now she is in a very small cage, with little to no companionship from people or otherwise. One day I will likely get another one, but not at this time. I don't want her ending up with somebody who won't take good care of her. I've seen what people can do, and I don't like it.

But again, thank you. I feel that way when I see people adopting a single gerbil, however if they have been that their whole life I don't see too much of a problem with it. The animal shelter also has no clue how old she is, not even an estimate. She doesn't seem very young.

Oh sure.. here's a pic: http://www.ospcaperth.com/other.html

And yes, thank you everybody for your different perspectives. The people at the shelter seem to rarely interact with their animals and I've volunteered there about 5 years ago. They've come a long way since, because I still remember the conditions in the past.

**JiggityJig** · #16 10-04-05, 11:08 pm

If you're done with school (not to sound like a mom, but!...) you need to find a job working more than two days a week, because what if your new angel gets sick? Those vet bills add up FAST. Not to mention the weekly cost of routine care which, sorry, you need to be responsible for, not your parents.

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