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Keeping Warm Guinea pig in my backyard. will he make it? and advice on catching

piggypuppylove

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I hope you can catch the little guy soon! They are fast little creatures when they want to be.
 

Hitosorai

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I think, and this is just a tatic I used to lure my skiddis pig out, if you have a nice box, set it up as warmly as you can and place if facing where the pig is hiding, put treats in it and the like, make it look like somewhere safe and then go inspect it after a while, by gentlly tipping it so the the guinea will slide to the bottom slow if he is in it and won't be able to make it up the ramp fast enough to get away. Thats the best trick I know. I trslly hope you get the little feller.
 

Cogni

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Good advice from many people here. Hitosorai suggests the best way, I so hope it works!! I can hardly stand to think how cold it must be in Idaho at this time of year, especially for a poor homeless piggie. Please keep us posted, we are hoping and praying that piggie makes it and you get him or her inside.
 

bpatters

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Cut the dang bush down! I'll pitch in a little money for a replacement! Maybe other people will too.
 

mommazilla

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I had 2 boxes outside for him, one a very long box with treats at the end for possibly catching him and the other a much smaller box with tons of wood shavings inside and a heating pad. He visited the long box but we botched it by pulling it up too early. He never visited the box with with shavings and heating pad that I could tell since the shavings were never disturbed. Last night had to be the worst night for him to be out. After a full day of snowing a good 8 inches it started to rain and it's still drizzling. I haven't seen him but I'm hoping since he's proved me wrong every morning so far, he will do it again. Cross your fingers, eyes and toes!
 

pinky

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Aren't any other people in the complex that could help you out? Did you call the landlord? With 8" of snow, the odds are not looking good for that little guy. If enough people help out, you might be able to force him out where someone can toss something over him.
 

mommazilla

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The landlord said no. And added that if we caught him it would be an extra $100 deposit. sounds harsh but if you saw the damage that he's paying to fix from the people before us, you'd understand his plight. (but I've wrote him off as a jerk, I'd never tell the people who rent our house that for rescuing a helpless animal) My husband and I only got him out of the bush once, it's that dense. But we're still trying.
 

Inle_Rabbit

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Wow, what a jerk. A 100 dollar deposit just for catching him and turning him over to a rescue? That's BS.

Can you put a tarp over the bush to keep the rain off of the guinea pig? Try calling your local shelter again, they should help there is a domesticated animal running around your back yard.
 

pinky

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The landlord said no. And added that if we caught him it would be an extra $100 deposit. sounds harsh but if you saw the damage that he's paying to fix from the people before us, you'd understand his plight. (but I've wrote him off as a jerk, I'd never tell the people who rent our house that for rescuing a helpless animal) My husband and I only got him out of the bush once, it's that dense. But we're still trying.

He can't charge you $100 for catching him. He can charge you for damage. Can you upload some photos of the area where the guinea pig is so we might be able to offer some suggestions? Can you put that box right under the bush so he can can get in there for the time being?
 

mommazilla

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He was wanting the deposit for bringing him into the house b/c then he would be a pet. The pictures I uploaded on page 1 or 2 of this thread are the bush he's in. I can't describe how dense this bush is. With thick branches shooting off in every direction. It's slightly prickly and has some kind of thorns lower on the branches. To make it even better, it has sap that gets into the scratches it causes and makes for a pretty sharp burning and itching sensation. If that weren't enough, it's planted on a hill which makes it slightly more challenging. After the suggestion, I have a tarp for him. Ok, off to settle the kid in with cartoons, slice a banana and put on my boots and see if the little trooper is still there.
 

pinky

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The shrub is a juniper which is an evergreen. The branches are very pliable and can be moved without damaging them. I have some of those in my yard. You can get some people on the other side of the fences with sticks they can put under the fence to force him out in the open. Someone could crawl under those branches or just move them to the side to get around the shrub. Someone can even climb up on the berm to get behind that bush. It's not poisonous although it can be sappy. You can use a shovel or board to prop up the branches. When the leaves fall, I lift the branches around mine to rake under them. With the berm next to it, he might have dug a space for himself under there. If I was there, I'd just crawl under the shrub and force him out.
 

mommazilla

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He's alive and seems well!! He's a little wet and not as clean as he was but he seems fine and just squeaks and squeaks at me. I left him a few bites of celery and came in to get a dry box (we have several, we just moved here less than a month ago) and put the heating pad back in there with a fleece since some of ya'll have said that and I've seen them in all these awesome cages this site promotes and put some food in there. I'm gonna take away his heater so the box will be his only source of heat and food and put the box as close to his only opening (that I see) out of the bush. The rest of the edges are pretty collapsed with snow. He still has plenty of room to crawl around in there though, so this bush has provided a great canopy for him. Hopefully heat and food will draw him into a box. I've tried this method before and he didn't go for it but hopefully he's desperate. At this point, alone with a 23 month old, I don't see any other ways for me to go at him. When my husband gets home, we'll tag team again.

any suggestions for the ultimate guinea pig treat/junk food? the kind that you don't feed them often but is a no fail?

Pinky, if chicago wasn't so far away, I'd invite you over! I couldn't crawl under that bush though. Not at all!
 

bpatters

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Can you find someone who isn't allergic to the bush to wiggle under it and maybe chase him out the other side? Surely with all that snow, he couldn't move very fast, and someone would be able to nab him.
 

pinky

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He's alive and seems well!! He's a little wet and not as clean as he was but he seems fine and just squeaks and squeaks at me. I left him a few bites of celery and came in to get a dry box (we have several, we just moved here less than a month ago) and put the heating pad back in there with a fleece since some of ya'll have said that and I've seen them in all these awesome cages this site promotes and put some food in there. I'm gonna take away his heater so the box will be his only source of heat and food and put the box as close to his only opening (that I see) out of the bush. The rest of the edges are pretty collapsed with snow. He still has plenty of room to crawl around in there though, so this bush has provided a great canopy for him. Hopefully heat and food will draw him into a box. I've tried this method before and he didn't go for it but hopefully he's desperate. At this point, alone with a 23 month old, I don't see any other ways for me to go at him. When my husband gets home, we'll tag team again.

any suggestions for the ultimate guinea pig treat/junk food? the kind that you don't feed them often but is a no fail?

Pinky, if chicago wasn't so far away, I'd invite you over! I couldn't crawl under that bush though. Not at all!

You'd crack up if you ever saw me working in my yard. Years ago, I was digging out a juniper larger than yours in my front yard. An old man pulled up in a car and grabbed the shovel from me to help me. I think he thought I was helpless.. I'm small, only about 95 lbs. so I look more helpless than I am. I've been know to be out in the rain and cold, planting trees or digging them up. ..... I think between you and your husband you can catch him.
 

kittymalone

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I agree. Someone has got to get UNDER the bush on all sides and get him. He'll be terrifed with all these people coming at him but it's been 3 days now. Time to show him who's boss!

It reminds me of the time my mom had 5 baby bunnies born in her garden. We found the momma dead so I knew they weren't being fed anymore. It took me, my husband, my mom, and my son to catch them all so I could hand feed them...Good luck!
 

mommazilla

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I wish I could. We haven't meet anyone here yet. And I can't imagine asking such a favor would be the best way. If this box doesn't work, I'm calling some pest control places as it was suggested. Or call the humane society and lie my tail end off about what I may or may not be catching since their cat traps are for cats only.

oh, and couldn't find a humane trap here in town that I thought would actually trap the little feller.
 

kittymalone

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Have you tried calling the non-emergency police and telling them it's YOUR guinea pig that was accidental got out of the house and you can't catch it. Maybe they could send over a few officers or direct you to an organization. In my town, if there's a domestic animal in our yard, the county animal shelter comes out to get it. If you call your county animal control, they might help.
 

Wildcavy

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There is a permitted wildlife rehabber in Caldwell, which looks like it's about 80 miles from you, WD Ranch. Looks like she works with small animals. I wonder if you could call her and she might be able to give you an idea about how to catch a wily small critter? I work as a transport/capture person in wildlife rehab (with permitted folks) and daily find that the experienced people have good tricks.

Also, and I'm sorry if it's here and I missed it, but I wonder if there is a way for you to trim part of a branch from a non-visible area and put it in conjunction with @Hitosorai 's suggestions about the box setup. Maybe the piggy has seen that the juniper gives very reliable protection and will associate it with safety and go into the box if it covers it?

My piggies can't resist fruits and parsley. Maybe you could put strawberries, blueberries, and parsely in there and crush them a little so that the scent is more apparent?

The rehabber is online but I can also forward her data if you are interested in contacting her.

Thank you for trying so hard to help the piggy!!

(p.s., we rent too, and I think your landlord is way off on saying that the piggy is your pet if you bring it inside. You may be liable for any damages, but I'd argue that "pet" is about ownership and an assumption of care for the animal, while you are just performing a rescue.)
 
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Nicolene

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Hi, this is almost how we procured our first pig. We found him in a state park, under a blackberry bush (thorns!) but the ranger caught him with a humane trap within an hour and we went back to pick him up. My suggestion would be CARROTS!! They find them irresistable! I just skimmed through the post, but have you considered scaring him out of the bush, like to a emptier corner of the yard? Like sticking a broomstick in there and poking him until he takes off. I know it seems harsh, but these guys are more resilient than I ever realized and it may be time to show him who's boss.

Your landlord is a tool btw. If he asks say you found it dead in the snow, since you couldn't afford another $100 for a deposit. He never has to know you got him and took him to a rescue.

Good luck!
 

mommazilla

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I found someone on line, caged critter coalition. Didn't see that ranch. I will look and contact them since they are about 2 hrs closer than the other place. His warm box with food is out there, though I may go back to add parsley! And my landlord won't know that he was inside for any length of time. I know he's gotta protect himself but really, does that involve being a prick?
 
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