Taking over!

[chiiilover]

To start off I'll tell you my history:

Through my life, all of our dogs have been bought one of two ways. Through AKC show breeders or from local breed specific rescues. (I'm active with the Pug Rescue of NC.) I know mixed dogs deserve a chance too, but I think it's better to use your knowledge of one or two breeds to predict the temperament and health issues of the animal you are adopting to better the life of said breed.

Through my life the cats we found as strays would be taken to the vet before becoming family members.

But.... After all the work we've done with being responsible buyers and adopters, came the guinea pig fallout. I know exactly what you are saying about impulse buying. My little sister bought two guinea pigs from a pet store (one of which had to be exchanged since she found out it was a girl!)

She has since lost interest and is a bit of a slob. Initially, she had the best intentions, but that is never enough. Because they do not receive the attention and custodial care they deserve, I've decided that I will take care of them. They're not the most interesting creatures, but I think they deserve the best life possible.

From researching online I think I know the basics - which is more than she could say. I've also learned that there are several things I should change - need timothy hay, get rid of cedar bedding, clip nails, no vitamin drops, bigger cage etc.. But I feel swamped with things I need to know!

[stubblychin]

I think you'll find them very interesting creatures if you spend the time with them!

[Fluffy_Guinea]

Welcome to the forum!

Make sure to take note of the sticky threads on the top of each subforum they are full of info! I'm also going to give you a few links that might help you out you might have seen them but just to be safe I'll give them anyway. First is a link to a page on links then a link to Kleenmama's hayloft the hay there is absulutely great from what I've heard (I don't have piggies yet but I'm getting some soon). I also heard it is cheaper then Oxbrow (another online hay site). I hope you enjoy the site as much as I am and oh if you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them!

PS. Pigtures are a must!

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ost-first.html

Kleenmama's Hayloft

[aloren]

Welcome to the abundance of knowledge you will learn from this place!
Good to have a fellow NC'er aboard.

[chiiilover]

Originally Posted by aloren

Welcome to the abundance of knowledge you will learn from this place!
Good to have a fellow NC'er aboard.

Thanks everyone!

Last night was a bit of a crash course on this web site!(I stayed up until 5am) Little sis thought she was being nice to the piggies by giving them that colorful food with all the different stuff in it.

Today I am going to the store to get timothy hay & pellets and that Carefresh type bedding. (I think I'll end up getting my mother to place an order with Oxbow too.) I'm also taking a trip to the produce section of Harris Teeter! The nutrition facts page is so so helpful, I printed it out and "laminated" it with clear packing tape. The guinea pigs have a Rubbermaid clear, locking bin in the fridge that has a copy taped on top!

She rarely cleaned the cage (which I knew was wrong). However, I had no idea that the cage was too small (well maybe an inkling), so today I will try to find the materials, but I may have to order one from you guys. How long does it take to ship?The guinea pigs come out of the igloo and kinda have to drag it across the cage to get too food. I think they're getting a little fat, so a bigger cage will help!

I'm sure I can find the answer to my questions on here (eventually), so I'm sorry if I'm asking stupid questions.

[clotho]

Hello and welcome to the forum!! Congrats on wanting to give your sister's piggies a better life. I have 8 piggies now plus I'm fostering a pregnant moma, so I may end up adopting one or two more. They are fascinating creatures if you give them a chance! Once you give them a big cage (at least a 2x4 grid cage) and feed them properly, you will see their personalities come out. I'm betting you will enjoy them a lot!!! I love to hear the wheeks of my little herd when they want to be fed.

It will be quicker and cheaper if you can find the materials for the cage on your own rather than having it shipped. The grids you can find at stores like target, walmart, etc. The coroplast you can find at sign stores, and here in canada I found mine at home depot. You can get very creative with cage building - it's a lot of fun!

If you look on the homepage you will see a section on the left entitled "Find Materials." You can look up where to find materials, and there is a section where people from different areas post where they found theirs. You might find that helpful.

Good luck and I hope you learn to enjoy guinea pigs as much as we all do!!

[chiiilover]

Thanks, Clotho I'll try home depot, but my mom is willing to order the set from this site. I already have those exact grids - in pink and orange. I used to use them as shelving units; they are back in their box since I redid my room last year.

They have a new room- the guest room upstairs which is free from cats and dogs, but we still visit them. They are very timid. How can I socialize them without scaring them too much? What do you think about getting a small animal play pen so I can get to know them while sitting on the floor? If I have them on my lap, will they pee/poo? Should I use a towel to cover myself?

I'm starting to think that I'm allergic to either the piggies or the timothy hay. My face gets all itchy when I hold them, my nose runs, and I sneeze like five times. It's okay though, because they seem happier already. I'm good with animals, so I bet they'll start to like me once they see I am so nice and give them a nice home/food

I went the pet store for a dog costume contest. My pug was a fishy & she loved the attention! I bought timothy hay, timothy hay pellets, and timothy hay pressed cubes. I'm going to have to order vitamin C daily tablets from oxbow. Their bedding is shredded newspaper, and I'm going to see how that works. It feels good to be able to recycle it.

I went to Harris Teeter and bought zucchini, green peppers, and more carrots.

[QuackXP]

The cubes part of the C&C cage can be found at Target and are currently on sale, at my local target they are in an isle with other budget shelving and storage next to the hardware section and come in white, black and blue. Other similar department stores have it but Target seems to be pretty universal at having a close location, always being in stock and going on sale frequently.

The Coroplast can be found at sign shops and some art supply stores. It should be between $10-20 a sheet. It’s usually a few dollars more for colors other than white. A few sign shops will cut it for free but most charge between $1-3 per cut. The pain will be getting it home. If you have a truck or access to one it should not be a problem. I was able to get mine in the back of my Honda Fit hatchback by having it pre cut for a 2x4 grid cage and bending it (no folds) in the back with the back seats down.

[Ly&Pigs]

I went to Harris Teeter and bought zucchini, green peppers, and more carrots.

Is this all you are giving them? Usually the staple of a good pig diet are lettuces (any varieties but iceburg). Carrots are more of a treat veggie. They are fairly high in A and oxalic acid so they need to be kept at a minimum of 1 small/medium sized baby carrot (or equivalent of a regular sized carrot) per day. It's even better to feed them every other day or every 3 days.

[chiiilover]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

Is this all you are giving them? Usually the staple of a good pig diet are lettuces (any varieties but iceburg). Carrots are more of a treat veggie. They are fairly high in A and oxalic acid so they need to be kept at a minimum of 1 small/medium sized baby carrot (or equivalent of a regular sized carrot) per day. It's even better to feed them every other day or every 3 days.

Thanks for the advice; I definitely need it. This is my second day taking care of them, and I think that I'm doing considerably well, actually. (despite being mildly allergic to them). Before I adopted them they had been living off of vitamin C drops(which I know not to use btw) and that colorful guinea pig food mix (which I learned is a choking hazard, etc) - without vegetables, lettuce, or fruit!!!

Their life is much better, and I'm trying to learn as much as I can. They seem happier already and poke their heads out of the igloo every time I put some food or hay in their cage (which I am upgrading soon btw). Then I watch from the door being open a crack and see them scurry out to eat and make these noises. It's so cute!

I printed out the nutrition page and covered it in clear packing tape, which is taped on top of their special produce bin in the fridge.

I have prepackaged baby lettuce & celery-which I minced with my tv infomercial quick chop LOL, but we already had those. They also have pellets and a ton of timothy hay.