Me and My Pig(s) Hailing from Olympia, WA, USA - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Tessa Bea** · #1 09-24-09, 08:12 pm

I'm Tess, my husband James and I are adopting 3 pigs this weekend. This site and Guinea Lynx were recommended to us by the woman who runs the rescue, and boy am I glad I found it! Here's a couple pictures of my progress...

expanded to 2x5 when we decided to open our home to 3 piggies instead of 2...

I think I'll move the 'pigloos' to the middle so they can run laps, also may try to find a better food dish. James is also trying to engineer a second level.

I have Carefresh and Aspen to put in there, but I'm interested by fleece and may be making that switch sometime soon.

Here are pictures of 2 of the pigs, Skippy is a neutered adult male, and Tahiri is an adult female. The third (no picture) is a young female named Kimi.

Guinea care has changed a lot from when I was a kid, and I'm more than happy to change with the times. I've always been an animal and human rights activist- and felt bad for my guinea pigs as a kid but was unsure of alternatives.

Other than guinea pigs, my passions in life are bonsai trees, video games, feng shui, music, and homemaking.

**vicky2** · #2 09-24-09, 08:17 pm

Awesome cage! Your a really good person for doing research.

And the pigs are gorgeous!

**Tessa Bea** · #3 09-24-09, 08:59 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by vicky2

Awesome cage! Your a really good person for doing research.

And the pigs are gorgeous!

Thanks! I had pigs from the late 90s till the early 2000s, but none of them were so fortunate as to have a large cage and good nutrition. I was young and uninformed... going solely on pet shop misinformation. At least they were all rescues. All my pets have been rescues because I refuse to breed or buy while others die!

**Peggysu** · #4 09-24-09, 09:02 pm

Welcome to GPC! I hope you enjoy it.

**Tessa Bea** · #5 09-24-09, 09:12 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggysu

Welcome to GPC! I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you! I certainly am so far.

**luvmycavies** · #6 09-24-09, 09:19 pm

Tess,
You must be going to the rescue my girls are from....I am so excited to see Skippy, Tahiri and Kimi go to a good home!! We were going to adopt one of the three but couldn't add a 4th at this time. We got my 2 older girls there...Cleo and Lizzie......it is an awesome rescue and we will possibly adopt from here again.

**Tessa Bea** · #7 09-24-09, 09:44 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvmycavies

Tess,
You must be going to the rescue my girls are from....I am so excited to see Skippy, Tahiri and Kimi go to a good home!! We were going to adopt one of the three but couldn't add a 4th at this time. We got my 2 older girls there...Cleo and Lizzie......it is an awesome rescue and we will possibly adopt from here again.

Originally we wanted Quark and Rom but someone got them first. I'm glad to know that Foggy Creek is a good rescue, it's good to have a reference. I couldn't stand to break up the three of them, I have no idea what Kimi looks like, but I think all pigs are cute so I doubt I'll be disappointed.

**luvmycavies** · #8 09-24-09, 11:02 pm

It is an AWESOME rescue! I recomend her to anyone looking for piggies. She and her family are awesome and they were so good to my kids. It was a bit of a drive for us but she is so good it didn't matter. My boys adored Tahiri....they want one that colored but we need to focus on the 3 we have....I think a 4th would put a strain on the budget more than I want. Better to take excellent care of three than so-so care of 4!

You should tell her I say Hi.....Angella that adopted Lizzie and Cleo (Stella)

**Tessa Bea** · #9 09-24-09, 11:22 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvmycavies

It is an AWESOME rescue! I recomend her to anyone looking for piggies. She and her family are awesome and they were so good to my kids. It was a bit of a drive for us but she is so good it didn't matter. My boys adored Tahiri....they want one that colored but we need to focus on the 3 we have....I think a 4th would put a strain on the budget more than I want. Better to take excellent care of three than so-so care of 4!

You should tell her I say Hi.....Angella that adopted Lizzie and Cleo (Stella)

I certainly will tell her you say "Hi".

Tahiri is the same color as my late Cupcake, but she was an Abyssinian.

I feel you on wanting to adopt more than you can care for, every time I see someone posting on Craigslist that they have to "give up" or "get rid of" a pet because their housing or circumstances have changed, my heartstrings are pulled. There's been one guinea pig in Seattle and a couple bunnies in Auburn that I've seen lately.

But, I do my part to educate people who post looking for pets or trying to sell them.

**Tessa Bea** · #10 09-26-09, 09:42 pm

After practically asphixiating ourselves on carefresh, James and I have definitely decided to make the fleece switch. Also! We finished our itty bitty second story- I've got the fleece set up in there to see how it goes this week.

and... introducing... GUINEA HERO!!!

In case you were wondering, still no food in there because we're picking up the pigs tomorrow morning. I'm so excited!

**akstrohm** · #11 09-26-09, 11:34 pm

Welcome! Your cage is off to a great start, and I'm glad you're adopting. My only suggestions on your cage are:

1. Pigs don't like to share hideys, so make sure you have at least three and preferably four hideys (it's hard to tell exactly what you have in the final pictures, but I think I only see one hidey). Hideys with multiple entrances/exits are best.

2. The recommended 2x5 size is for one open, non-divided area for running. So if I were you, I would move the kitchen to the second level (leave the cage the same, just switch where the kitchen stuff is and take out the dividing part on the main level. You'll soon find that hay gets everywhere, so it's nice to have the kitchen on an upper level anyway so the hay stays somewhat contained. And then they'll have a full 2x5 area to run around in. If they seem to be blocking each other from food, you might have to expand the kitchen or feed veggies on the main level.

I hope that helps. Have fun with your new pigs!

**Tessa Bea** · #12 09-27-09, 12:09 am

Thanks for the tips! My original idea was to have the folded cardboard that's at the end of a ramp as a shelter, and build a tent in a corner. James and I weren't originally planning on building the second level right way, but I'm glad we did... I just have to improvise. I have a couple more boxes, and I should be able to make another one.

Where would be the best place to put them? Under the ramp?

My only worry with putting the food on the second level is that Tahiri was born blind in one eye, so though the rescue I'm adopting them from said she should be okay with a second level, I'm unsure about putting vital things up there... I'll ask about it tomorrow.

**akstrohm** · #13 09-27-09, 01:56 pm

The folded cardboard and the towel tent are great--I would just add another one or two things. I would put them somewhere in the middle of the cage so the pigs have the outer edges for running. Under the ramp is fine. What is your ramp lined with? Make sure it's something with a good grip since it's somewhat steep.

Since Tahiri is only blind in one eye, I think you could still use the upper level as a kitchen. But I agree that asking the rescue is the best idea. Until your pigs get used to the ramp, make sure there is also food on the main level. I have no hideys on the upper level, so I never pick my pigs up from there. They know that it is a safe zone.

If Tahiri can't handle the ramp, you could always expand to a 2x6 and section off the kitchen like you have it in the picture. Then they would still have a 2x5 area for running.

**Tessa Bea** · #14 09-27-09, 06:47 pm

The rescue lady gave me a giant cardboard tube and a bag of orchard grass. Once I put the pigs in their new home, the first place they ran for cover was under the ramp- so I'm guessing that would be a good place to put the hideys. Kimi was lucky enough to snag the pigloo, which I had placed where the kitchen was... I moved the kitchen to the right for the moment, until I see if Tahiri ventures upstairs. I totally spaced and forgot to ask about the second level today! I asked about their diet and history and all sorts of things, but not the second level. Duh.

Kimi looks pretty similar to Skippy, but she has Teddy hair like Tahiri does. They're all pretty big pigs, in my opinion... They've tried peapods and grapes so far, I'm wondering if there is an eating order because no one would touch the food until Tahiri finished nibbling and chuckled at everyone. I'll get pictures sometime soon.

Oh, and James has renamed Skippy "Leonitus". At first it was going to be "Master Ninja", but he changed his mind. They're all having floor time now, Fleece, cotton and hideys for all.

Currently my ramp is lined with an old army towel. Is there something that would be better for grip?

**Tessa Bea** · #15 09-27-09, 07:41 pm

First family pigture!!! I gathered everyone up during floortime to grab a shot.

from left to right, Kimi, Leonitus, Tahiri.

Their colors are much more vibrant than my crappy webcam can show.

**angiekay** · #16 09-27-09, 08:14 pm

Oh my gosh your pigs are adorable! Are they girls or boys? Maybe I missed that info, hope all goes well. Your cage looks great by the way!!

**pinkflamingos77** · #17 09-27-09, 08:20 pm

Wow! what a small world we live in. I am originally from Olympia WA. It is my home town. Now we are in VA beach. Your cage is AWESOME! Your piggers are super cute. I am new to this board too. Very good board with TONS of info.

Welcome and good luck with your piggers!

**Tessa Bea** · #18 09-27-09, 08:36 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by angiekay

Oh my gosh your pigs are adorable! Are they girls or boys? Maybe I missed that info, hope all goes well. Your cage looks great by the way!!

Kimi and Tahiri are females, Leonidas (my husband just informed me that I've been spelling it wrong) is a neutered male.

Kimi is about a year old, Tahiri is 4 or 5, and Leonidas will be 4 in January.

They're very friendly pigs, They've warmed up to us pretty well.

**akstrohm** · #19 09-28-09, 08:57 am

Very cute! The towel should work fine as long as they don't seem to have trouble going up and down. It will get dirty quickly though, so you might have to wash it frequently.

**Tessa Bea** · #20 09-28-09, 11:36 am

They haven't had any trouble going up and down, just a thorough lack of interest. I'm thinking about removing the upper section entirely and using the grids as a play fence...

How long should I wait to see if they like the upper part? I think they just aren't used to it, they'd been in the same cage for a while...