hello, i'm new here ..

[kewm53]

I'm new here so bear with me as I find my way around..I have had hamsters before when my daughters were young..I now have my twin granddaughters living with me and we adopted two cavies..( their teacher's helper discovered her daughter is allergic) both males, I describe them as one being a calico Alvin and one a sandy colour long haired (sikie?) Wilson...the girls are 13 and quite capable of taking care of them but it seems to be me doing the work..I have a friend that is a vet and has had cavies over the years..when I showed her the cage they came in she said too small so we now have a 2x3 grid cage..I have tried many bedding ideas but have yet to try the fleece..just so I understand..you place towels underneath the fleece, clean up poops daily and once a week do a complete bed change..extra padding in sleeping areas..I was told they can't be litter trained..I find our two go more where they sleep..is that common? right now I am using newspaper as a liner and care fresh along with hay..it works for the most part but is messy and a pain to clean out. I feel the towel fleece way would be simpler. I just don't want them to be lying on wet areas..I will post a picture of their cage..I have a second level but concerned that the grid might not be high enough..are they apt to climb? I did have them on the floor in the kitchen but have moved them up onto the table..is this s bad idea?

[Catahoula]

First off, Welcome to the forum!!

If you post some pictures of Alvin and Wilson we will be able to tell you what breeds they are. There's a few different types that can have long hair like silkies and peruvians, so we'd have to see to get a better idea.

Kudos on getting a C&C cage! They are awesome and work so well with fleece. In my opinion, fleece is the best bedding. Sounds like you've done quite a bit of research already. Yes, you put a layer of fleece over top of an absorbant layer (towel, u-haul pad, puppy pad, etc...). You don't have to worry about them laying in dampness, because the fleece wicks moisture down to the towels, therefore the fleece stays dry on top.

Most guinea pigs can't be litter trained, but you can use helpful tips to keep their cage cleaner. One you already mentioned, putting smaller pads in areas they sleep. They also like to wee and poo while they are eating. You can make or buy a small letter pan to feed their hay in. This is help catch some of the mess.

Can you post pictures to get a better idea about the second floor? I'm not quite sure I'm understanding... Most guinea pigs aren't apt to climb, but you'd rather be safe than sorry. Boys have been known to scale their cages if they smell a female in heat.

Having the pigs on the floor or on a table is preference. I have mine on a stand and feel it saves my back when cleaning. I couldn't imagine bending that far over to clean, but then again, some people like in on the floor because they can get inside the cage for cleaning.

[NarwhalsRock]

What a coincidence! I'm 13!

With males, you might want a bit more space. They can get tired of each other, and if they can't get away from the other sometimes, they'll probably fight a bit.

The fleece is GREAT! A majority of users here use it, and are very happy with it! Some people use U Haul furniture pads, as they are absorbent and cheap ($8). The whole point of the fleece s to "wick" away the moisture. After a few washes, the water/urine should go right through to the towels or U Haul pad. They won't be sitting in their pee, as with newspaper they will. Run over to Jo Anns or WalMart and grab about 2 yards. If you're a sewer, you can sew the U Haul pad to the fleece, or make it double sidd, so halfway through the week you can flip it over to neaten things up. But you'll still need to wash once a week.

I know that you can litter train to an extent. They're not cats, who ONLY EVER poo and pee in the box, but you should be able to get 85% of poo, and (I have no idea how much) pee in the litter box.

With your 2x3, it's too small for a loft. The ramp would eliminate about 1/2 the cage space! My 2 girls share a 2x5, and that doesn't even seem like enough! I'm glad you brought them to the table! Being on the floor is scary! Imagine giants thundering hundreds of feet above you, making vibrations every time they stepped, while you're trapped with your roommate 24/7 in a cage the size of a large living room. Pretty terrible, huh? On the table, they're more involved in daily life! Nobody can ignore wheeking, hungry piggies every time they walk in the room!

[kewm53]

hello and thank you for your replies and advice..at some point I will make their space bigger but right now it's just not possible..we do let them run in the hall as it's laminate and easily cleaned..and also take them outside where they can "graze" as of late it's just been too hot... I have uploaded pictures, one of the cage and one of each of alvin and wilson..I have an old fleece blanket and lots of old towels so will do that..to me it looks so much more comfy..and no hay poking in the eyes..

I did do extensive research and as I said my friend who is a vet and also has cavies has been a wealth of information...it's shame the size of the cage they were in..it's nice but more like a prison cell....

when I did the cc cage I made it so it would fit on top of the table..so far so good..the previous owners had the for about 7 months so it's taking time for them to get used to us..wilson is more sociable than alvin..they still aren't very vocal but aren't silent either

I like having them in the kitchen as in our house the kitchen , dining room and living room are all one big room open concept..we are in the kitchen quite a bit so they rarely alone..but at night it's quiet so they can at least rest..

we have had them since the lest week of june..I bought a bale of hay from the local co-op but also try and get them fresh grass when I can..with the heat wave we've been having the grass is like straw..

I'm sure as time goes by I will have more questions..I do know this..they love cucumber and parsley and turn their noses up at tomatoes, oranges, ...they do like apples and I have bought dandelion greens which they seem to like....sometimes I think they eat better than us!

[kewm53]

hello again,

I cleaned out their cage and am trying it with towels and a fleece over top..I must say there's no missing any poops..but my word they do poop ALOT...I find that they mostly go where they sleep..under the shelf I have at one end that also serves as their feeding area..(they hop up onto it but Wilson will use the ramp sometimes) ..having looked at many of your cages I really would like to expand and make it more interesting for them...

question..I have bought then tomothy hay from the pet store but I find it just doesn't seem all that great...I did purchase a bale of hay from my local co-op but I find they don't seem that interested...fresh grass from outside they gobble right up..any ideas where to get good timothy hay?

[Roxymarie365]

Hi!
I've noticed that my pigs don't like timothy hay that much. They do eat it, but they won't even touch like 50% (They will not eat the yellow straw-like pieces). So I have switched to Orchard grass. Its really soft, and you won't have to worry about them being poked in their eye. I also LOVE the smell of it!!! I am currently getting it at a family owned pet store (that doesn't sell animals), but I am searching for someone who sells it in bales. Hope this helped, and welcome to the forum!!!

[CavyMama]

hello again,

I cleaned out their cage and am trying it with towels and a fleece over top

Did you prepare the fleece beforehand? If not, you will find that the urine will sit on top and keep the surface wet.

Check out this article about how to prepare the fleece before using it for the first time. http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ect-study.html

[kewm53]

hi,

this was a fleece throw I have had for quite some time and now that it's being used I understand what is meant by "wicking" away the moisture. for the most part I like it as the fleece is light coloured so I can see the poops. I just didn't realize how much they can deposit in a short time. clean up is easy as well. I find though they go more where they rest as opposed to anywhere else. i can also see the benefit of sewing the fleece to the padding..wilson likes to scuffle in the back corner and the fleece ends up pulled back off the towels...I put it back and next thing he has it pulled back again..

I had made a shelf (with two grids covered with signboard and a towel) halfway up the grid and that's where I have been feeding them. they hop up there quite easily but after reading another post about how high they can "pop" I don't think this is a good idea. I am going to add a proper loft for them. I do however think I will wash their bedding more than once a week..having them in the kitchen warrants this as I'm starting to notice a bit of a urine smell as well as their poops..

I'm a bit concerned as they are not very vocal..I try and get them out every day for floor time as well as being outside...but even when out they tend to huddle in their pigloos or other sanctuaries I place for them..

any advice will be greatly appreciated

[kewm53]

thank you cavymama for that link..it was most informative..i'm learning something new everyday and just want my boys to be happy and comfy actually I say my boys but they are really my granddaughters ..I find now that they will clean as the poops are easy to see and pick up.