Me and My Pig(s): New to the site and somewhat new to Guinea Pigs.

[Wynonna]

Hello everyone! For short, you can call me Wyna.. and as for my cavy, my fiance and I are still coming up with a name. We hope to have one within the next week.

When I was a child, my adoptive brother left his cavy with me to take care of when my mom had to give him up. At that time, my father built it a cage and I thought he was really adorable-- I don't even remember the name-- but since I was a child I freaked out every time it pooped. Haha. I'm 20 years old now and I could care less if it pooped on my head (okay maybe a little) and I'm ready for my first real cavy pet.

I have a history of keeping dogs and recently switched to smaller animals. Last year in October I rescued a Syrian hamster from a horrible pet store unexpectedly and really enjoyed his (Named him Gimmel) company, but since he was old when I got him he died last week and my fiance and I gave him a little hamster burial. I had lots of fun with Gimmel and went all out on getting small animal toys/accessories and learning all I could about the little guy.

I want to take care of all kinds of little animals. Infact, maybe in 8 years when my new little baby lays to rest, I'll go for a pair of rats but.. for now!

The only pet stores my fiance and I could find were Petsmart and Petco in the area, so instead of getting to adopt or rescue, I ended up buying a young cavy. I can't say how young he is, but he looks under a year old, if even 6 months old. I had never seen one so adorable and of the color, but they're probably common after all. The attitude he had really sparked something in me and I decided I must have him. He's black and chocolate-brown colored with completely black beady eyes. In the store, he was mostly in his house but started doing little popcorns and playing with his food once the employee began to clean cages. He was alone in his cage, but I heard from a girl that visited frequently that he had a cage mate before so it was probably purchased. We ended up getting him alone since the only other cavy they had looked kind of aggressive.

Right now, I'm using small animal pens interlocked on the floor over a mat with lots of paper and cloth for him to play in. He has Alfalfa hay, since he's young and Nutriphase vitamin c fortified pellets (the diet he was eating). I was also advised to take Vitamin C supplement drops but I'm trying to decide the best way to distribute these incase he doesn't like them in the water. I plan on bringing home romaine lettuce, an orange, baby tomato , baby carrots and strawberries home later today to get started finding out what foods he likes most (that are healthy for him) and since the water at our apartment is kinda cloudy I'm going to get some bottled water for the time being until we get a filter.

Does anyone have any tips for me, or any "must-have" items for my piggy? I definately want to build him a C&C cage. I absolutely love building homes and buying toys for my pets. He will definately lead a luxurious life!

And especially, any tips on how to get him more comfortable with my fiance and I in his new habitat? We plan on giving him free roam of the apartment (it is a VERY small studio, the size of a master bedroom entirely, including the small bathroom and corner kitchen.) which I've previously made petproofed for my last little critter. I've been feeding him from the hand a little and encouraging him to explore his own area so that we don't overwhelm him with the apartment immediately.

Hope it wasn't too much to read and thank you for the help! Nice to meet you all.

[Wynonna]

Can't seem to find the edit button, but I have some pictures of my cavy now!

My fiance and I decided to name him Vegeta, and Veggie for short. Heh heh.

[Molli_Mayzee]

Welcome! First off, your cavy is adorable and I love his coloring!

My recommendation is to start feeding him Oxbow or Kleenmama pellets because they nutritionally the best for him. Does your food have any seeds or nuts in it?? If so, you should know that they aren't good for cavys. Vitamin C drops in the water are pointless! Your cavy should get enough vitamin C from his pellets and vegetables. There are posts to read about what veggies are good and how often to feed them you should familiarize with.

You should most definitely build a C&C (or order one from the site). They are low cost and provide a lot more space for your cavy to live in. Also, when you build a new cage, have you thought about getting your pig a buddy?

[Wynonna]

Definately. There was only one other guinea pig in the store, and it looked pretty old and a little aggressive, so we decided against getting it but my fiance and I plan to get another young guinea pig male as soon as possible to introduce to Veggie. I think he'll be a lot more comfortable and very happy in the long run.

I've been reading a lot of the stuff here and the fruits/vegs chart is very helpful. I'm going to follow that strictly. As for my food, its just nutritional pellets fortified with vitamin C. The Nutriphase you see in the picture is what I got since we needed an immediate food solution. Behind that is a bale of Alfalfa hay.

Would you reccomend any specific method of "potty training" ? I know I can't expect it to work immediately or even work at all, but I've been moving all of his droppings into a specific area and hoping he'll catch on that its where he should be doing it. When I clean it up, I leave a few there to remind him. I've read thats the way to go about it, but maybe someone has more or a different way?

Thanks! I love the way Veggie looks too. He's more akin to a small dog than a guinea pig to most people I've shown.

[Molli_Mayzee]

I haven't really had experience with "potty training" my pigs since they just go where ever they want! Good luck with him though!

I do know that you should look into adopting your next guinea pig. So many out there are in shelters and are looking for a home. Petfinder.com can be a helpful tool.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

It's best to get an older male. The one you saw may have been sick and I'd be grumpy too in a tiny tank and mistreated by the pet store cycle. If you have two young males, you will have problems when they hit adolescence.

Pet store pigs are usually missexed and sick so I'd keep an eye on him. Nutriphase is a poor grade feed. Are you feeding only alfalfa hay or are you feeding timothy hay? You have to provide a grass hay.

Vit c or anything in the water is a waste and not recommended. Please read over this site and www.guinealynx.info for proper care info

If you had posted here, we probably could have helped you find a pair ro rescue.

[Peggysu]

Welcome to GPC!

I want to start by saying that you have a very cute piggy. You might want to double check and find out if it really is a he. Eventually when the time is right I recommend that you look into adopting a same sex buddy for him.

The veggie charts are awesome and I would definitely follow it. As for the pellets i would recommend oxbow or KM Hay (Kleenmama's Hayloft :: Home). I order my hay and pellets in bulk online as it is high quality and saves me money. If you are only offering Alfalfa hay you really need to offer a grass hay as well, i.e. Timothy, Orchard, Brome etc.

If you have any questions feel free to ask, everyone will give you advice on how to better your pets life.

[Wynonna]

We're gonna check out "Freedom Rescue Animal Ranch" about 5 miles from where we live. I noticed most people are really adamant about rescuing animals rather than buying them and I can understand why. It's so hard to fight against the abuse in petstores, and those pets need love too.

I'll take your advice and go for an older cavy to keep my young one company. Does it have to do with a dominance thing? The older one mentors and leads the younger one like true herd animals?

P.S. I forgot to mention in my first post that I decided I would buy some pellets and hay from Kleenmama very soon. I read good reviews and the site is very reasonably priced!

[Peggysu]

Sounds good. If you have problems finding a pig to adopt be patient though ultimately. The right one will come along.

KM pellets are the best they are made specifically for guinea pigs with nothing bad in them.

[Wynonna]

Thanks! And can anyone give me an estimate on how old my guinea pig is? If it helps, the soda boxes are your typical 12 pack. I'd say he's about as big as a soda can and a third. LOL.

[BabyBellie]

It's really hard to tell age, especially in a picture. However he is a bit bigger so I would guess probably 6 months or older. I'm not expert though, I'm just going by the size of my two boys who were born Nov. 8. He is so cute though! Have fun with him. You've deffinately come to the right place to learn more about your little guy.

[Wynonna]

I'm thinking of growing him a wheatgrass garden and I'm having trouble finding decently price seed/soil sellers on the internet. There is a walmart about an hour away, but I'm not sure that would be any cheaper if they even had it.

Any suggestions? Or dissagreement? I live in the High Dessert area of California and there's not much decent green especially in the Adelanto area I live in so I don't really feel safe letting Veggie run around outside. I'd been wanting to make one of these for my hamster previously but I believe a Guinea pig would benefit a lot more if it isn't unhealthy or anything.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

It's probably too hot for him to be outside. You are better off letting him have free range time indoors.

[Wynonna]

Oh, my mistake. I meant that I wanted to grow the garden inside.

[akstrohm]

Diet: I'm glad you're getting KM. I would throw the Nutriphase out and switch to KM cold turkey when you get it. KM is much better quality, and many pigs will pick out the good stuff anyway. They do not have to be switched over gradually. Throw out the vitamin drops too. They're useless. If you feed according to the charts, he will get enough vitamin C (1/8 bell pepper per day will do it). Hold off on the carrots and fruit until he eats other veggies. If you give too many at once he will be overwhelmed. Start with bell pepper and lettuce. When he eats them, add in more.

Cage: C&C cages are great, and you'll have a lot of fun building yours. Make sure it is at least 2x3 grids (and more is definitely better). Are you using newspaper for bedding? It will get wet and smelly very quickly. Fleece is a popular choice. Carefresh, aspen, or kiln-dried pine work too. Avoid other types--they can be harmful. It's fine to give him free range, but you can't really litter train a pig. Generally people just put the litter box in the place used most often. And obviously make sure there aren't any chords he can chew on or anything like that.

Items: I recommend getting a spray bottle filled with a 50% vinegar solution to clean the cage. Human nail clippers can be used for nail trimming. Make sure you have a good kitchen scale and weigh him weekly. Weight loss is often the first sign of illness. If you got salt licks, exercise balls, or wheels, throw them out immediately. They can be harmful.

Pet stores: There is a huge guinea pig overpopulation problem, and breeding guinea pigs has a very high death rate (about 20%). The conditions the pigs are kept in before and in pet stores are often quite cruel. For these reasons, this site is strongly pro-adoption. Even if you live in a very small city without shelters or rescues, people here can help you find pigs to adopt. However, since your pig is from a pet store, there is a significant chance that he is sick or missexed. I recommend a vet appointment to make sure of the sex and to get him treated for parasites or any diseases he might have. Make sure you go to a vet experienced with pigs. Many are not. Once you've done that, find him a friend. Guinea pigs are so much happier in pairs or groups. Males can live together just fine as long as you have a big cage.

Read all the stickies here. Also check out Guinea Lynx and Cavy Spirit (google them). These sites have the most reliable information. Most of what you find on other sites, in books, and in stores is inaccurate.

Your pig is adorable. Good luck with him!

[akstrohm]

Oh and as for wheatgrass, yes it is good for pigs and they love it. You can often find it in grocery stores in the bulk bins. Any kind of soil will do. Don't add pesticides or anything like that. Basically you just soak the seeds in water for 8-12 hours, then rinse and repeat until you see small roots. Then sprinkle the seed on top of the soil. Keep it covered for a day or two. Make sure it gets a lot of water, and if the soil gets moldy, make sure your pigs don't ingest any mold. It's pretty easy to grow.