Me and My Pig(s) Hello. :) - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Ottobby** · #1 10-03-09, 11:23 pm

Hello!

I'm Taylor. I've wanted a guinea pig for years, but I had to wait until I turned 18 and moved out of my parent's house, haha. Well, I finally made it and I just got my first piggie yesterday! He's a calico and the cutest baby ever. I decided to go with the name Otto. I haven't gotten any pictures yet. He's waaaaaay too shy/skittish around me. I've been trying to leave him alone so that he can adjust, but I wasn't successful today. My aunt messed up his waterbottle so I had to get him out, but that terrorized him.

After his first check-up at the vet and he gets more settled in(and doesn't totally hate me), I'm gonna get him a friend.

I got a cage from Petsmart, but I want to make my own cage so that he'll have more room to run around. His current cage is on the small side so he doesn't have as much room as I'd like for him to. Any tips on what materials I could use?

**CavyMama** · #2 10-03-09, 11:43 pm

Congrats on your new piggy. I'm glad you are letting him have some alone time, to adjust and I'm glad you are planning to make a C&C cage and get him a friend eventually. Where did you get your little friend?

**Ottobby** · #3 10-03-09, 11:56 pm

I got him from a little pet store from across town. He looked miserable and he was alone so I went ahead and got him. I hadn't originally planned on getting any pets when I went to get dog food, but I couldn't just leave him there. I didn't realize that getting guinea pigs from pet stores wasn't a good idea until after I'd already got him home though. I don't regret getting him, but I'm going to the shelter for the next GP. He seems fine at the moment, but are there any signs I should be looking out for?

**Ottobby** · #4 10-04-09, 12:11 am

I got him from a little pet store across town.(Not Petsmart. It was a place called Superpets I think.) He was miserable and alone so I decided to go ahead and get him. I wasn't originally planning on getting any sort of pet when I went out, but I couldn't just leave him there. I didn't realize that buying GPs from pet stores was a bad idea until we were home already. I don't regret getting him or anything, but I'm deffinitely going to the shelter to get my next piggy. He seems fine right now, but is there anything I should watch out for?

**akstrohm** · #5 10-04-09, 07:46 am

Welcome!

You can use cubes and coroplast for a cage. Click on the "home" link on the upper left of this page.

Did you get your pig from Petsmart too?

**RosiesMama** · #6 10-04-09, 09:34 am

Congrats on your new little buddy! I had to wait until I was on my own before I could have pets, too. I think you'll have fun building a bigger cage for your piggy. People here will have lots of good advice for you, but I predict that if you give him love and treats every day, he'll get less skittish and he'll start loving you too.

**vicky2** · #7 10-04-09, 09:39 am

Welcome!

He sounds like a cutie but please remember to adopt him a friend instead of buying one.

**SushiBonzai** · #8 10-04-09, 10:42 am

Ah, and again, welcome! Get photos on quick, I'd love to see him! It could take months for your new pigster to warm up completely to you. I've had my pig for about a month and a half and they still run away, of course. But they don't hide at the first sign of me, so that's good!

Like they said, the "home" page is a great place to start for ideas. You can usually find stuff you need by browsing through the forum, so I would suggest doing that before starting any thread with questions. Feel free to talk to anyone here, we are all very friendly, if I might say so myself. And I do.

**Buddy4** · #9 10-04-09, 10:57 am

You have come to the right place! I am new too, but don't feel so clueless anymore since finding this site. We had a pet store cage for a couple of months until we found the C&C design. Now that Buddy has been in his new space, he is a different animal. So much more outgoing and happy. It was night and day in his behavior. Now we have adopted a friend for him, and it is working beautifully. He comes to us now and lays down so we can stroke his head. He actually "screams" at me to come in to the room ... very demanding guy and wants attention... and of course food. Good luck and have fun!

**Tessa Bea** · #10 10-04-09, 04:45 pm

I'm glad you'll be adopting your next pig, get him a friend soon- guineas are very social creatures! Good luck building a cage too, there are all sorts of resources on here.

**Ilovemypiggies1** · #11 10-04-09, 04:53 pm

Congrats on your new piggie! Building a C&C cage is the way to go for healthy and happy pigs. C&C stands for Cubes and Coroplast. You can get the cubes at stores like Walmart, Target, or Bed, bath and beyond and you can get the coroplast from any local sign store. Before going to a sign shop, make sure you call around because some places will charge $40 and others may only charge $20 for the coroplast.

He will be skittish at first but if you be gentle and kind he will eventually become used to you and won't be as skittish and afraid. Getting him friend is a good idea and it's great that you're getting one from a shelter!

Some signs of a pig that is sick or ill is:
Sneezing, runny nose, or gunk in eyes
Not active
Not pooping much/at all, not drinking and/or eating

If anything looks abnormal and your guinea pigs don't look like their regular selves, take them to a vet. If you see missing patches of fur or itching more than normal, that's a sign of mites.

**akstrohm** · #12 10-04-09, 07:39 pm

I'm glad you plan on adopting your next pig.

Be sure you weigh your pig at least weekly. Weight loss is often the first (and sometimes the only) sign of illness. If you notice weight loss or another other symptoms, get your pig to the vet ASAP. Guinea pigs go downhill very quickly.

Pet store pigs often have mites or lice. If you notice a lot of scratching or hair loss, definitely start treatment right away. It won't hurt the pig if it doesn't have mites. You can do this without a prescription if need be. A vet visit never hurts though.

Also be sure that he is a boy, regardless of what the store told you. They are often wrong. The vet can do this for you if you're not sure how.

Have fun building your new cage!

**Ottobby** · #13 10-04-09, 07:40 pm

Whoops. I didn't realize that I'd posted twice. I'm not used to this forum yet.

Thanks for all the advice and tips! I'll definitely check out the home page to get some ideas for his C&C cage. And thank you Ilovemypiggies1 for telling me what to look out for. He seems nice and healthy. I still need to take him for a checkup just incase.
I'll get some pics up as soon as I can!

Thank you~