New guinea pig owner [help D:]

[omgzz]

Okay, I got two guinea pigs a a few days ago without knowing much about them(I've had one before but I knew nothing about them. Now that I think about it, she was horribly cared for. Poor thing. ;_;)... Then I searched "guinea pigs", found some websites, and now I know much more I would have done everything wrong if it weren't for me reading up on them. I had no idea that the pet store get the sexes wrong so often, or that they needed a 7 to 10 foot squared cage(They're currently in a tiny pet store one. I'll be making them a new cage next time I can get out and buy the things I need, yay.). :/

Anyray, I have a few questions. I'm sorry if the answers are somewhere here already...

First of all, one of them keeps kind of pushing underneath the other, sometimes she even flips her over. I don't know what she's doing. Is this normal?

Second, I have no idea how to check my piggies' sexes correctly. D:
I tried with one and, I don't know, I guess I just had no idea what to do. I've read the page on it but I guess once I went to do it, I felt like I wasn't doing it right, haha o_o
When I tried with the other, she wouldn't let me look. Should I be having another person hold her while I look(Or the other ray around)? Should I get to know here better first, or something?
And if I'm just supposed to go to a vet, isn't there a particular kind of vet (Like an exotic animal/small pet one) to go to? I looked at all of the "recommended vets" lists but there weren't any in my area. I'm probably more worried than I should be about them getting a horrible vet, lol.

I probably sound like I'm very new, eh? I guess I have a lot to learn. ._.

[clotho]

Hello and welcome to the site!! You have found THE best source of information on your guinea pigs.

Here is a link on sexing your piggies if you haven't seen it already:
Guinea Lynx :: Sexing Guinea Pigs

If there is ANY doubt as to the sex of your piggies, you should separate them just in case. Find an exotics vet in your area and get them sexed properly if you can't figure it out yourself. The last thing you want is babies!!! It might help to have someone else hold the piggie so you have both hands free to check.

There are plenty of dominance behaviours that are perfectly normal - like rumblestrutting, mounting, nose offs. Is the one piggie sniffing the other's butt and just getting overzealous?

Just a few basics that you may already have covered - you already plan to make a bigger cage - good for you! You also need a high quality, plain pellet like Kleenmama's or Oxbow, unlimited grass hay (like timothy) and fresh veggies every day. Here is a chart that will help show you what veggies are ok, how much to give, and how often. For example - iceberg lettuce is a big no no - but all other lettuces are great!

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...arts-info.html

Good luck and have fun making your new cage! Please keep us updated, and ask any more questions as you think of them.

[omgzz]

Originally Posted by clotho

Hello and welcome to the site!! You have found THE best source of information on your guinea pigs.

Here is a link on sexing your piggies if you haven't seen it already:
Guinea Lynx :: Sexing Guinea Pigs

If there is ANY doubt as to the sex of your piggies, you should separate them just in case. Find an exotics vet in your area and get them sexed properly if you can't figure it out yourself. The last thing you want is babies!!! It might help to have someone else hold the piggie so you have both hands free to check.

There are plenty of dominance behaviours that are perfectly normal - like rumblestrutting, mounting, nose offs. Is the one piggie sniffing the other's butt and just getting overzealous?

Just a few basics that you may already have covered - you already plan to make a bigger cage - good for you! You also need a high quality, plain pellet like Kleenmama's or Oxbow, unlimited grass hay (like timothy) and fresh veggies every day. Here is a chart that will help show you what veggies are ok, how much to give, and how often. For example - iceberg lettuce is a big no no - but all other lettuces are great!

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...arts-info.html

Good luck and have fun making your new cage! Please keep us updated, and ask any more questions as you think of them.

Thank you so much! :]]

She's not really sniffing, just shoving herself underneath hahaha. I don't know how to explain it... She's doing it more from the side.

Mmk, I'll check that out. Thank you for the link! ^^

I will 8D

I just thought of a question hah. Do I need to brush them? I have one that's sorta long haired... She's not one of the ones with the swirly fur (Ugh I knew the word for what that was but I've forgotten it :|). She's just kind of more fluffy than most guinea pigs. The other has normal shiny fur.
And if I do need to brush them, what kind of brush would I need to do it with? Or would it be a specialty brush just for guinea pigs? x]

Thank you again! :3

[clotho]

Swirly hair - were you thinking of abyssian? I don't have any piggies that I need to brush, but I'm sure you don't need a specialty brush. A baby brush would work fine I'd think. Maybe try a search on brushes here on the forum - or perhaps others will post with what they use and what works well for them.

If you have a longer hair piggie, then yes I'm sure brushing is a good idea - keep the tangles out of her hair. You may need to clip the hair around her legs & bum as well if it ends up getting stained with pee - just to keep her clean and comfortable.

[babybunny]

I bought a soft bristle brush made for cats to brush my piggies. I have a long haired and a short haired one. They both enjoy the brushing and it helps remove any loose hairs and hay (they love to lay in it).

[Biscuit]

I'm glad you did research. Sometimes I forget we didn't used to have the internet. I feel guilty to this day for the way my pets were likely treated as a child, when I went by what my parents told me and had no idea not to trust pet store info.

My memories of the details of their care are foggy at best, but I know we did a lot wrong and never even questioned it.

[pigsmakemesmile]

Ditto to Clotho,
You found a very good site here. It's very informative. All of us of course have our pigs and unique experiences to share, use of grooming things, foods to give you name it. It's great your building a large cage. I never would have known about cubes and coroplast cages if I didn't find this site. My pigs all shed a little, I try and brush them every several days except for my peruvian whom I brush daily. I use a soft bristle baby brush and a wide tooth comb on him. I use baby nail clippers to snip just the tips to avoid the quick and prevent bleeding. I keep a ton of q-tips for cleaning their anal sacs (pew) hehe and hydrogen peroxide for cleaning simple cuts. My boys tend to get into a tiff time to time and I check them regularly for cuts, scabs, broken teeth, you name it. I prevented a lot of serious complications from checking so it's a good habit to get into. I was lucky when I got my first then second pig as they both were males. As they got a little older, it was much easier to tell they were boys as they grew big b......s hehe. I swear if they had a brain big enough to realize they were boys and hu...ing wasn't a proper guy thing to do...they'd be mortified because they mount each other and take turns doing it to. They get good hay from Kleenmama's...it's so worth it, there is no comparison. For veg...Guinea lynx has a good topic on this and diet. Oxbow is fantastic for them however finding it is somewhat trying. I finally found it and travel to get it. My boys are my buddies...I'd do anything for them.
Good Luck

[omgzz]

You guys are all so helpful! Thankyouthankyouthankyou x]
<3