New Guinea Pig Baby

[Charm]

Hi I just purchased my third guinea pig ever. It has been quite a few years since I have owned one. I have a few questions that I need help with:

#1 - Is it normal for him/her to be scared and jumpy when you try to touch him/her? (I have just bought him/her today at the pet store and I know this is awful fast in asking, but I just want to do what is right by him/her)

#2 - Do they bite? I have never had one bite me, so I am curious if they do and if so is there a way to stop that?

He/She is small a baby only about 1/3 of how big he/she will be.

Thank you in advance for your help and I know I am jumping to asking questions fast, but I just want to take care of him/her properly!

[Haley0489]

1. Yes.
2. They can. Mine do it when they don't like how I'm holding them. Just be sure not to startle them and support their bodies when you pick them up.
3. You should schedule a vet appt. to check for mites, lice, and URI's. Since you purchased your piggie at a petstore, it's very likely he/she may be ill.
4. All piggies are better in pairs, and are often more confident with humans when they have a same sex friend.

[Amelioratione]

Jumpiness is normal, the quickest and surest way to a guinea pigs heart is through vegetables. When you handle him, make sure to give him a veggie treat. He will warm up to you in no time.

Just a few refreshers on guinea pig owning for you....

Sexing your guinea pig - since I noticed you referred to him as a he / she. Here's a link so you can find out the gender of your guinea.
Guinea Lynx :: Sexing Guinea Pigs

Basic Guinea Nutrition, much more than a bowl of pellets daily
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...tml#post254730

The above link goes into much more detail, however...
-Hay at all times, hay is not a treat
-No Vitamin C drops in water, it doesn't work (veggies are best for Vitamin C)
-Provide fresh pellets daily (excellent brands are Oxbow and Kleenmama)
-petstore treats, and salt licks are also nonos

Those are just some basics, I recommend a lot of forum reading before asking more questions, there is a handy search tool, where a lot of beginner questions can be found and answered. (trust me, I love the search tool!)

Last note, again DO go see a vet about your guinea pig. Often times, petstores guinea pigs are unhealthy and if your pig is a female and she was housed by males she could already be preggers (I cannot say for sure, because I dont know her age).

As Haley0489 said, all piggies are better in pairs. This gives them someone to socialize with when you are away. They're very social in nature, and instead of purchasing you should really look into adopting. Often you can find amazing guinea pigs up for adoption, for a fraction of the price. Sometimes, on craiglist, for example, people are giving away all of their guinea pig items (toys, begging, cage etc). in order to get rid of the animal for next to nothing. By adopting you save a life, you DON'T support petstores, and you DON'T support breeding mills, you GET a healthier guinea pig, you also GET a guinea pig that is not pregnat, and you GET a guinea pig that was treated humanely. Seriously, think about it, what is there not to love about adopting a guinea pig?

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Look over Guinea Lynx :: Guinea Pig Care Guide for care info and read http://www.cavyspirit.com/petstores.htm when you get a chance.

Please adopt from a shelter or rescue next time.

Keep a close eye on your new pig. Pet store pigs are often sold sick and/or pregnant and missexed.

[Charm]

Thank you for the replies. I have set a vet appointment yesterday for next week. I never asked the store if the guinea pig was a he or a she, that does not make a difference to me. I will ask my vet for the sex. I remember the veggies really well and green ones!! My family and I were only thinking about buying one and when we were in the pet store buying our ferret food, the one guinea pig caught my eye so we purchased him/her!!

I am sorry I did not read the posting rules, thank you for taking care of the wrongs that I did

[Char-x]

Originally Posted by Charm

Thank you for the replies. I have set a vet appointment yesterday for next week. I never asked the store if the guinea pig was a he or a she, that does not make a difference to me. I will ask my vet for the sex. I remember the veggies really well and green ones!! My family and I were only thinking about buying one and when we were in the pet store buying our ferret food, the one guinea pig caught my eye so we purchased him/her!!

I am sorry I did not read the posting rules, thank you for taking care of the wrongs that I did

It will definatly make a difference if you plan on adopting another pig. Like other have said its probabaly best to rescue/adopt next time because there is more chance of getting a healthy, sexed pig.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

You want to know what gender you have for health issues too. Males you have to deal with impactions. Females can have reproductive issues.