Hello.

[theautismgirl]

Hello to all you cavy lovers!

I am a special education teacher and one of my assistants was looking to rehome her adult daughter's guinea pigs. She asked how I would feel about a classroom pet. I agreed to it and after a couple of months, I finally got everything in place for one of the pigs to come and be our classroom. Of course, he needs to go home on weekends and I had originally planned for a rotation type schedule. However, after the first day I was completely smitten with the albino guinea pig that she brought in. He is male and just the sweetest most affectionate guy ever. I have three kids at home ages 16, 12 and 7. My 7 year old just loves this little guy and they are almost inseparable on the weekends.

Now we are looking to adopting her female guinea pig as well, however, I want them to be able to room together, so I'm looking for a vet that will neuter the male. I am really quite saddened by the fact that both of these cavies are solitary animals now that I have been reading about them. I have lots and lots of questions about them as the days go on. We are in our second week and I am quite surprised by how much I am madly in love with this little guy .

I am primarily wondering about how much time is too much time being handled? Is there such a thing? "Hot Wheels" gets plenty of food and hay and snacks in the morning and throughout the day with a final ending to his day with fresh hay and fresh food before "bedtime". But he gets so much attention when he is here on the weekends. He plays with my girls and my son most of the day. He is almost always being cuddled, except when I declare it naptime around noon and he gets a little over an hour in his cage. But the rest of the day he is on the floor or being cuddled or my son is building him elaborate forts out of blankets and chairs where they hang out and he gets a snack and read to. He also watches TV with us and snuggles with me on the couch throughout the day. But is this too much for him? He seems generally content and purrs frequently. He also coos and such but he is also quiet for a large portion of the day. Mostly he sits and huddles but occasionally he burrows into blankets and plays. We had a lot of fun yesterday with my son and I sitting on the couch with a large flannel blanket and him running back and forth between us burrowing under the blanket. I just worry we are exhausting him!! Or that he doesn't have enough free access to food throughout the day. Advice?

[dra&pigs]

I don't think that there is such thing as to much attention when it comes to attention loving pigs. But I do worry a bit about the classroom pet thing-what grade do you teach? Generally, we don't like classroom pets because the students can be loud and disruptive and often can scare the pig. Do you have a C&C in the classroom? Does he get proper veggies hay and water in the classroom?

[AnimalHouse36]

Welcome!

Your Piggy sounds like a doll! My guiena pigs love it when we hold them with some veggies. That might be one way for him to get to food. But since they should be having grass hay 25/7, why not put him in his cage for 15 minutes every house? That way he can do his "buisness", and drink and eat.

Also, be careful with your 7 year old. Make sure he only holds him when your around because one drop can be fatal.

Do you have a C&C? Check out our gallerey for idea's.

As for the buddy, why not get a boy so you don't have to nueter? They get along fine, and he won't have to go under the knife! Nuetering doesn't change his personality and he'll still try to "hump" the female when she's in heat if I recall correctly. Also, this site promotes rescuing so why not check out Pet adoption: Want a dog or cat? Adopt a pet on Petfinder

Lastly, we don't usually agree with classroom pets as Dra said. Sometimes, having roudy kids running around, can get them scared and stressed. Some pigs also have a hard time adjusting to new enviroments and can get stressed. Does he have a C&C in the classroom and hay and veggies? These are vital to a guinea pig. Also, I would suggest getting him a lid for his C&C when you bring him to school since well kids will be kids!

[theautismgirl]

Thank you both for your replies. I like the idea of 15 minutes in the cage every hour. That seems like a lovely compromise for everyone. To answer the questions asked:

We don't have a C&C anywhere yet because I am just now learning about them. I really hadn't done any research on the guinea pigs until I fell in love with him because I didn't think he would be "my pet". I really still felt he would be my assistant's pet for the most part. Now I do feel that he is mine and I am sharing him. Which I know is no excuse, but I am doing my best to do right by Hot Wheels now.

Our classroom is not loud as a general rule since there are only 9 students in all. He does get all of the veggies, hay, etc and loads of cuddles from me while he is at school from me. No C&C there either, but his cage is 2X3 in the classroom which considerably larger than his transport and weekend cage at hom . Poor Hot Wheels. I am working on it. My students don't try to hold him, but they do pet him softly if I am holding him.

ETA: I teach at the high school level.

The sow is still living in her current conditions where we got Hot Wheels. The adult daughter no longer cares for the pigs and the mother is frustrated by it. She does care for their needs, but she works two jobs so just isn't there. Apparently the sow is depressed and lonely and she doesn't always get all the food that she needs. I don't think they ever got very much fresh veggies as Hot Wheels is having a hard time figuring out what to do with the amount that I offer him. So in my heart of hearts I do feel like we would be rescuing the sow just like I feel we rescued Hot Wheels. Although now I have found another boar that needs rescuing too. I could conceivably get four guinea pigs total I suppose(two of each sex), although I think my husband might be quite overwhelmed with that idea and I worry about space for two large C&C cages. Advice on this??

I do worry a bit about the transition every few days, because he does seem to have some confusion about the situation. On Fridays when he comes home, he seems quite overwhelmed for about two hours and on Mondays when he goes to class, he cries a lot for attention (after being cuddled nonstop who wouldn't?) I'm still considering this situation and the best possible solution for all involved.

I have taken great care to educate my son on proper holding and explained to him the dire consequences of dropping the guinea pig or the guinea pig jumping. So he is very careful, but I also told him he would not be allowed access to him at all if he ever got him without a grownup. So far he has been very obedient.

I do need to get a better cage for home and I'm working out perhaps buying a C&C since I am not sure of my skills in building one. I'm also looking at the fleece bedding as I think that would be much more sanitary for Hot Wheels and ecofriendly. I have a lot to ponder and this site has been amazing at teaching me! All advice welcome as I am seriously behind the learning curve right now.

[AnimalHouse36]

Well, I don't know where to start so I'll start with this:

A three by two cage is minimum for ONE boar. If you decide to get the new female, you'll need a 4x2. as for having two pairs, you could stack the cages. But boars need more room than females.

If I were you I would totally adopt the female! But make sure your vet is cavy savvy.

Building a cage is quite easy! You could always buy from this site, or Sue's cages on ebay. I got my first cage from her and it was super easy!
Here's the cage i bought from her: http://www.guineapigcages.com/photos...hp/photo/13558

If you have trouble finding Coro (the bottom) you could also use a shower curtain. I've had mixed results with them though.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/photos...hp/photo/12984

If You decide to use a shower curtain, I suggest cutting it down to the size you need. But I woudl use the shower curtain at home since it isn't very sturdy!

As for your Boar not knowing what to do with veggies; just introduce him into one food at a time. Do a forum search. You'll come up with loads.

[theautismgirl]

I think I am definitely going to adopt the sow and hold off on any other piggies for a bit until we are very good at caring for them and have the C&Cs and fleeces and everything established and in working order.

We are making veggie progress but it is slow. Thanks for the welcome. I havent posted anywhere else yet, because I've been reading and absorbing information right now. I have been reading the nutrition forum for suggestions and trying to figure out what size C&C I need.