im new

[982792]

a few days ago i saw some guinea pigs at the petstore and i was blown away by there tameness and cute haircuts, so i got interested to learn more about them so i found this great website. well im thinking about getting a guinea pig but i want to learn more about them... i hope to learn more on this website and if anyone has any good info site i would love to see them

~Cody~

[guineagurl]

Welcome Cody!
This is a great site to learn all about piggies, have you given much thought to what you will house the guinea pig in if you deciede to get one? There are pics in the gallery that could give you some insperation!
Also, seeing as it's not too late, have you had a look at the shelter's close to you? There are so many piggies looking to be adopted, maybe you can help~
Best wishes for whatever you deciede.

[dagwellismypigy]

Yeah, make adoption your first option! Welcome to the forums!

[982792]

well i was thinking about buying a baby so that it can grow close to me... but first i think i better get ready for it and all... oh and thanks for welcomeing me to the forum, you all seem nice


~cody~

[Christys GPS]

Hi Cody,

Welcome to the site, you will learn alot here and it is awesome that you are learning more about piggies before you adopt one, on the main page there are many sites like,

www.cavyspirit.com

www.guinealynx.com

Those two websites will give you all the information you are needing for guinea pig care, check them out, they talk from nutrition, behavior, medical needs, housing, if youy plan on adopting, before hand make a cavy cage, (see photo gallerys) I had a blast making mine and my guys love it.

Again welcome to the site, feel free to ask any questions or voice concerns that you have.

[Christys GPS]

Alot of people will say do not buy from a pets store, we all, I think encourage you to adopt a guinea pig I am also in Ca and got my guys from local animal shelters, but if you go to www.petfinder.com you can search for gps there.

[*Piglets-Angel*]

Hey, Welcome, glad you might get some guinea pigs, but make adoption your first option!

~PiGleTs

[guineagurl]

Cody,
I can understand you wanting to have a close bond with your pet, but as Guinea Pigs are very skittish to begin with I cant see that it will make any difference between buying a baby or adopting, infact the one's in shelter's will most likely be friendlier because they have been handled and cared for more. So if a close bond is what you want, go with a shelter piggie and give it a new lease on life~
Save a piggie, it's good Karma!
All the best.

[Emily F.]

Hi, welcome. I would have to agree with everyone else, adoption is your best option.

[stipma]

When I adopted my boys they were 3 months old. They also had piggies that were 8 weeks. So, yes, you can still adopt babies.

[VoodooJoint]

Welcome to the forums 982792...we have to think of a nickname for you ‘cause all of those numbers confuse me. I think I will call you Niner if you don’t mind.

I for one am thrilled that you are doing your research BEFORE you get Guinea Pigs. VERY responsible.

Links were already provided for you that you can get most of your info from but I’m going to break it down by what you need and links to read more. With everything feel free to ask questions of us. We are more then happy to help you.

Cage - The best cage is a C&C cage. It’s cheap, roomy, easy to clean, has great ventilation and is easily added to and changed. http://cavycages.com/

Bedding - The best bedding is Aspen, Carefresh, Kiln-dried pine or fleece. NEVER CEDAR http://www.guinealynx.info/bedding.html

Toys and Hidey Houses - These help make your GP happy
http://cavycages.com/toys.htm

Food - High quality food, Unlimited hay and plenty of fresh veggies are a must. The best pellets I know of are made by Oxbow http://oxbowhay.com/index.sp Don’t forget a big water bottle and food dish.
http://www.guinealynx.info/nutrition.html

A Good Vet - Find a great GP vet now...you don’t want to be in a rush to find one when it’s an emergency.

The Guinea Pigs Themselves - I use the plural because Gps are social and are happier with friends. If you look at the Toy link you will see that the first toy mentioned is a friend. The best place to get a new GP is from a rescue. There are GP rescues all over...and many have babies! As someone else said you can also look on http://www.petfinder.com/ Often people are trying to get rid of pigs...even babies...that they do not want or because they decided to breed.

Be sure to get a same sex pair or neuter/spayed pair. There are already too many piggies looking for homes the world doesn’t need more right now. Pet Store Pigs are often sick, pregnant and badly treated...you (and the GPs) are better off rescuing.

Things you won’t need and should not get (no matter what pet store people tell you). http://cavyspirit.com/care.htm

-A store bought cage

-A wheel or exercise ball (really bad for Gps-they can kill them)

-Salt or Mineral wheels

-Water Soluble Vitamins

-Store Bought GP treats (full of sugar and dairy)

-A Guinea Pig harness and leash (for the same reason as the wheel and ball)

[Sabriel]

Believe me baby piggies find thier way into shelters in ways that you would least expect. Some sheters get pregnant pigs. I'm assuming those pigs are put into foster care untill the mother and offspring are ready to adopt. Then volia homeless baby pigs.

My Kero was 2 months old. More then young enough for me.

[DocDolittle]

First of all, welcome. It's nice to see you doing the responsible thing and doing research before getting a pig! Second of all, I also agree, try to go with adoption and rescue. I rescued one of my boys when he was only two months old when he was dropped of at a local feedstore. Petfinder.com is a very helpful site for trying to find shelters that have pigs!

[982792]

thank you everyone! i loved reading all the post, its great to have careing people who take there time to get my started in this cool "hobby" (as we call it with goldfish)... i love all the websites you gave me but im still reading them, there so interesting its hard for me to get my eyes off the screen LOL... um about the adoption issue, it really dont bother me about that its just that the males smell so i want a female but at the shelters they keep them all mixed up, and babys aren't a problem but the females health is so its kinda a hard choice...oh and voodoojoint,i have been called cody/kodie, C and 98 but never niner but i think that name is really cool (it has a nice ring to it LOL) and if anyone has any nicknames i would like to hear them... sand about the petfinder website, i think that is so cool that they have websites like that! but im not gonna start up on that yet until i get ready for my baby piggy, you guys are gonna have to help me with some names because all of your piggies have cool names and there all cuties! LOL... well its nice talking to you all and seeing what you guys had to post and i'll make sure to look at some more of the websites



~cody~

~AKA niner~

[Ly&Pigs]

You may not realize this but there are many babies and young cavies in rescues/shelters.