Reluctant Cavy Owner

[CasaDe]

Hello!

My name is Pamela. I have two kids, ages 11 and 8, and one guinea pig, about 1 1/2 years old. She is a hand-me-down pig. Her former family bought a ferret and the kids lost interest in poor Penny, so we offered to take her. She moved in two weeks ago. I really didn't know what I was getting into!

Penny lives in a standard store cage. My husband is opposed to allowing a rodent to roam the house, so we bought a large plastic baby pool and we socialize for an hour or three every day.

I feel sad for Penny! She needs more room, but we can't provide her with a larger cage right now - funds and space are tight. Also, I know nothing about cavies. We were using pine bedding and feeding her 5 carrots every day, along with the acceptable things.

I'm trying to replace her (now aspen) bedding with towels, since she loves to sit on an old towel in her pool. I also want to clean up her diet - right now it's cavy food, lettuce, celery, tomatoes, an apple piece once in a while, and too many carrots.

Mostly, though, I want her to be able to get some exercise and play. She won't play with us and she doesn't seem interested in anything but food. She loves my daughter and will squeal for affection from her, but Penny could live without the rest of us. Am I expecting too much when I think she should play more?

Any advice?

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Welcome. Is there a way you can leave her in the pool every day or more than a few hours a day at least?

Don't forget hay. They need grass hay at all times: Guinea Lynx :: Diet

I'd skip the celery and go for more dark leafy greens like cilantro. Bell peppers are high in vit C too.

[CasaDe]

Do you think it would be safe to leave her in the baby pool all day? We homeschool, so we could definitely do this for her, but I wouldn't want her to find some way to climb out while we weren't looking.

Hay!! She gets tons of hay. Forgot to mention that. It's the only reason she likes me sometimes, actually - I usually bring it to her.

Peppers will be added to the grocery list right away!

[buttons]

The best thing you could give a cavy other than space/large cage would be a friend. Guinea pigs are social animals and interact with guinea pigs very well.

Boys can live with Boys
Girls can live with Girls
Neutered Boys can live with Girls

Guinea Pig Toys and Play

Other than that, about her diet, you may want to read the sticky tags in this forum:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/diet-nutrition/

Especially this thread:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...tml#post254730


Otherwise...that should be it.
I'm sure you'd help Penny out as much as possible! (-:

[CasaDe]

Thank you, buttons!

The first two "toys" made me sad - her cage is far too small for two cavies and we can't get a larger cage. Hopefully one day we'll be able to change that.

Someone told me that her guinea pig plays with cat toys and throws things. Penny just sniffs at a toy, decides it's not edible, and ignores it. Maybe she is not used to playing.

I will print that nutrition chart and take it to the store with me. Great information on it!

[Jennicat]

If you're worried about her escaping from the pool, you can buy the cubes used to build the C&C cages here (At Target, a box is about $14), and build a fence around the pool with them. That would serve as quite a large cage until you could maybe build something that wasn't quite so bulky!

[Harrys Dad]

You need to cut the carrots down to 1 or 2 baby sized a day.

[CasaDe]

Originally Posted by Jennicat

If you're worried about her escaping from the pool, you can buy the cubes used to build the C&C cages here (At Target, a box is about $14), and build a fence around the pool with them. That would serve as quite a large cage until you could maybe build something that wasn't quite so bulky!

That is a good idea!! I went to Target today but they didn't have these. I actually looked over the C&C cages after I posted, and they look quite affordable. I just have to find the space for a much larger cage.

Originally Posted by Harrys Dad

You need to cut the carrots down to 1 or 2 baby sized a day.

Thank you! We didn't give her any today. She was looking for them! It's tough to say no to that sweet little squeak!

She was not interested in the peppers or parsley at all. The one thing she absolutely loves is romaine lettuce.

[fourboys4now]

Good luck with building a cage for your piggy. After you find the grids and if you cannot get coroplast right away, you could use an inexpensive bathroom shower liner as a bottom for your cage. I have a piggy in quarantine and that's what I'm using for him. You can put layers of towels on top of the liner then fleece on top. There's a lot of posts on here about how to prepare the fleece and it's cheaper than shavings.

[CasaDe]

Originally Posted by fourboys4now

Good luck with building a cage for your piggy. After you find the grids and if you cannot get coroplast right away, you could use an inexpensive bathroom shower liner as a bottom for your cage. I have a piggy in quarantine and that's what I'm using for him. You can put layers of towels on top of the liner then fleece on top. There's a lot of posts on here about how to prepare the fleece and it's cheaper than shavings.

That's a great idea!! She seems to really like old bath towels, too.

I think the biggest challenge will be finding the room for her cage.

[Jennicat]

They are fairly inexpensive to make. I can build a very very basic one (just the cubes and bottom, without a fancy top or stand or anything) up to a 2x6 for $30.

[A1APassion]

Originally Posted by CasaDe

That's a great idea!! She seems to really like old bath towels, too.

I think the biggest challenge will be finding the room for her cage.

Be careful with bath towels if they are the looped terry type.

The nails of small animals can become caught in the loops. Even with proper & regular nail trimming the nails can snag in those loops.

A plan cotton material (like t-shirts, jersey sheets, etc) is fairly safe & how many of us have an old set of jersey sheets we don't use anymore? I recycle a lot of old clothing through the various cages we have here before they are shredded & sent out to be recycled.

[Toadies]

Hello and welcome. Walmart is a great source of cheap beach towels, looped on one side and sheared on the other. For one piggy, you could probably get away with just 2-3 and just double one of them for her space. How big is your available cage space? Linen 'n Things carries mesh grids, which are great for helping to confine the scatter of hay, food and poops. Bed Bath and Beyond also carries the regular type grids. I, too, am a cavy owned-by by accident. My neighbor proved to be extremely allergic to the boys and asked me to help find a home for them. I did, mine. I wouldn't have gone looking for GPs as pets, but I regret not a minute of having them in my life.

[Wheek Weak]

Originally Posted by CasaDe

She won't play with us and she doesn't seem interested in anything but food. She loves my daughter and will squeal for affection from her, but Penny could live without the rest of us. Am I expecting too much when I think she should play more?

Any advice?

All guinea pigs have different personalities, just as people do. Some are playful, some are docile, some are in between. Please don't take her preferences personally. We have had 8 rescues, so far. They've all had their own unique way about them.

Just as we take to certain people, so it is with piggies. Some of our little ones we have called "Daddy's baby", and others we have called "Mommy's baby". It just depends on which one (if either) they tend to favor more for some reason. It's not because they like one better than the other, it's just that they happen to "click" with that person.

Also, people tend to equate guinea pigs with dogs and cats. Cavies have their own special style. When I finally learned to relate to our piggies on their terms (instead of the way I thought they should be), they become so much more enjoyable. I became much, much closer to them, and them to me.

Just observe her habits and preferences, spend as much time as possible with her in her own environment (her cage and pool), keep your hands doing something in there as much as you can while talking to her in a calm, soothing voice. It won't take long for her to think of you as another guinea pig. Even our most terrified rescues have warmed up very quickly for us with this method.

Read all of the stickies at the top of each forum on this site to learn as much as you can about guinea pigs. Also, search the forums for any specific information you may need. The more you learn about cavies, and the less anxious you get about Penny, the more you will be surprised at what endearing, lovable little heart-thieves they are!

[CasaDe]

Originally Posted by Jennicat

They are fairly inexpensive to make. I can build a very very basic one (just the cubes and bottom, without a fancy top or stand or anything) up to a 2x6 for $30.

I think that is terrific!! I'm still looking for the cubicles and space, but this little piggy is worth $30!

Originally Posted by A1APassion

I recycle a lot of old clothing through the various cages we have here before they are shredded & sent out to be recycled.

This is a great idea. I will go through my husband's drawers and cull for old t-shirts. We should have enough to last a while that way. Maybe a towel with an old t-shirt over it would do the trick.

Originally Posted by Toadies

How big is your available cage space?

Right now the space available is EXACTLY the size of her cage - not an inch more. I have some thinking to do.

Originally Posted by Wheek Weak

All guinea pigs have different personalities, just as people do. Some are playful, some are docile, some are in between.

This is very good to know!! I don't want her to be lonely or undersocialized. Isn't she cute? I managed a pic in my avatar. I hope she will get used to me soon!