Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Thompson pig crew

PurplePaws121

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Posts
93
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
93
Hello all!


My name is Melinda, I currently have 7 lovely pigs.


I started out with two males at the beginning of last year, Beast and Turbo. I purchased Beast from PetSmart and rescued Turbo from a shelter. I was going to settle with just my two males, but got a call last August about a guinea pig in need. A friend knew of someone who had taken her in but they no longer wanted her. When I got her, she was severely matted (she's a long hair) and her cage had no bedding, she was just in a inch or so of poo and pee. We named her Farrah (after Farrah Fawcett, because of the hair!)....Farrah was very underweight and a bit scared of people.


I couldn't, of course, let Farrah be alone so I went on a search for a girl to pair her with. I rescued Annie from craigslist, she was a birthday gift for a child and a year later, the child no longer wanted her. Annie was in great health but a bit afraid of people also. Annie and Farrah are housed together. I hoped her and Farrah would come out of their shells soon.


So, at that point I was at four guinea pigs. I vowed to stop there.


In December I walked into PetSmart for some items and saw a pig I couldn't pass up - he was ABSOLUTELY adorable. I, of course, couldn't get just one pig, I couldn't let him live alone! So, I bought two so as to have another pair. Izzy and Slash are their names. They are both (best estimate) around 4-6 months old now and still are LITTLE BRATS!! I'm having a hard time with them, they're the most scared out of all the pigs at this point. But, we're working at it.


That brings us to six pigs. I really vowed to stop there. Really.


Sometime in January, I realized the unfortunate. Annie was pregnant. I did NOT at all mean for that to happen, but I had let all the piggies have floor time together for short periods of time, although I tried my best to supervise...I guess someone got to her somehow. I was very upset to not know who the father was.


Annie had a litter of two on 2-6-12. They are adorable, healthy little critters. I just successfully (hopefully) sexed them today and one is a girl, one is a boy. I have placed the female back with mom in hopes they can be cage mates. The male is alone for now but I would love to find a home for him.


That brings us to my first guinea pig crisis. Guess what - Farrah isn't a girl. Yep, Farrah's a boy pig!! I feel like such a doofus but the long hair I guess made it difficult to tell, and his testicles just aren't quite as prominent as all the other boys.


So, I had to separate Annie and Farrah (new boy-ish name coming soon) and it was heartbreaking. They've been a pair for months!


My second guinea pig crisis came a little over a week ago when sweet Turbo got sick. We took him to the vet when I noticed labored breathing and weight loss. He was given antibiotics but sadly he was older than we thought, and he wouldn't eat. Poor Turbo didn't make it and passed away. RIP Turbo.


With Turbo being gone, that left Beast alone. I gave him a few days
for the grieving process and while he grieved in his own way, he so far hasn't appeared depressed. Because Beast and Farrah were alone, I could now decide to make new pairs of boars.


Izzy and Slash haven't been getting along much since I brought them home. They constantly chase and Izzy was usually in the corner. So, I decided to pair the boars up each older boar with a teenage boar.


As of now, Beast and Izzy are paired and Farrah and Slash are paired. We're on day two and so far there's been a lot of rumbling, mounting, chasing, etc. Beast and Izzy seem to be doing a bit better than Farrah and Slash, as Farrah got a pretty good gash on his nose :(


i'm hoping they'll work everything out and make two good pairs!
 

PurplePaws121

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Posts
93
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
93
PICTURES!


Here's my sweet late Turbo.





the great Beast





Beast and Turbo





Beast, Turbo, Farrah





Slash and Izzy







These below are all from today...


Annie





Slash





Farrah





Izzy





Beast hiding in the pigloo
 

pocketmonster

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Posts
487
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
487
They are adorable! But you will get suggestions from everyone regarding your cage size.
Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home
That link will help you figure out what dimensions are acceptable for how many piggies you have in each cage. The supplies can be purchased around town for cheaper than the biggest pet store cage.
Also, please consider adoption for your next piggies. Purchasing piggies from a pet store only encourages the cycle of breeding mills and encourages pet stores to sell sick piggies. There are so many piggies out there that need a home and pet store piggies can wait.

Your pigs are adorable! I would suggest never having co-ed floor time. You can always separate your cage in half and let the boys and girls interact through a grid. "Not watching close enough" isn't an excuse because you really can't watch them close enough.

All that being said, your piggies are adorable! Welcome to Guinea Pig Cages!
 

Sl and S

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Posts
272
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
272
welcome to the forum!!!! Farrah is so unbelievably cute!
 

PurplePaws121

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Posts
93
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
93
thanks for the replies! from all things I have read previously, my cages are enough square footage for the amount of guinea pigs in each one (two in each cage). I have the Midwest Guinea Pig Habitats and according to what I had read, it was enough space for two pigs (8 sq ft). If that's incorrect, i'd like to hear more information. My cages are all on custom built wooden stands, because I have a dog who would love nothing more than to hurt my pigs. The stands have storage underneath as well.

I have been contemplating making C&C cages but there are a few problems with that...first, my cages have to be on stands at least three to four feet off the ground to keep the dog from bothering the pigs. Secondly, i'm terrible at creativity and wouldn't know where to start at building a cage...i'd rather someone put it together for me!

I did find this, which looks nice -

* NEW * LARGE 56" x 28" Guinea Pig cage with 2nd level | eBay

I would still have to put it together after shipment, but at least all the pieces would be there already, and then i'd have to have a stand built for it. I also have to keep a top (lid) on my cages, as I have a cat.

i'm totally into any advice I can get!
 

pocketmonster

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Posts
487
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
487
I have been contemplating making C&C cages but there are a few problems with that...first, my cages have to be on stands at least three to four feet off the ground to keep the dog from bothering the pigs. Secondly, i'm terrible at creativity and wouldn't know where to start at building a cage...i'd rather someone put it together for me!

That eBay cage is PERFECT! A 2x4 cage fits perfectly on a folding table which would put them out of the way of doggies (I have the same problem). Also, you can purchase a cage with a lid for added protection.
:)
 

PurplePaws121

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Posts
93
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
93
That eBay cage is PERFECT! A 2x4 cage fits perfectly on a folding table which would put them out of the way of doggies (I have the same problem). Also, you can purchase a cage with a lid for added protection.
:)

If I were to purchase that cage, what could I use for a lid? just wondering, are there any other ways I could make my current cages better? Is there an easy way to add a second level to what I have?
 

Sl and S

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Posts
272
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
272
i m pretty sure the midwest guinea pig cages are just a marketed c&c cage and are expandable.
 

pocketmonster

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Posts
487
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
487
If I were to purchase that cage, what could I use for a lid? just wondering, are there any other ways I could make my current cages better? Is there an easy way to add a second level to what I have?

In order for us to help you with this, please post pictures of their full current cage. There may be a way to help.
Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Shelters, Veterinarians - Guinea Pig Zone
That website has a lot of lids you can purchase, they also sell full cages with lids, a second level and the appropriate coroplast.
:)
 

pocketmonster

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Posts
487
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
487
I just now investigated the cage you have, and let me just say that I am REALLY excited they are starting to make commercially available cages for piggies! I'm glad that a pet habitat company has researched what a piggy really needs, as opposed to SuperPet.
 

kananaka

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 18, 2012
Posts
902
Joined
Feb 18, 2012
Messages
902
Hi and welcome. 8 sq feet is the min for 2 per cage 10.5 is better and many people here will tell you boars should have a lot of room (check out the home page for cage size recommendations). The C&C Cages for Guinea Pigs Store here is the store connected with this site that has kits for C&C cages. I actually just ordered one from them yesterday, I just can not find the coroplast near me and am worried if I make my first one I will really mess it up and spend extra $; so I got the XL C&C Cage Kit and will check it out to see how its made, and hopefully one day make my own based on this. I know its expensive specially when ordering multipule cages but maybe ordering 1 kit will inspire you lol. Your piggies are super cute! Welcome to the forums.

I also have the midwest cage
https://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Home...0DPY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330883411&sr=8-2 and it is a great cage. But mine is to small for 2. I just realized they have diff sizes which is awesome. I never knew! But seeing as this cage is perfect for one piggie will will gift it to my daughters class pig once our C&C one comes.
 
Last edited:

Petlovr

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Posts
1,139
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
1,139
Welcome!
Use the white wire shelving, available anywhere, really, for lids. The Ebay cage is gorgeous, and a really good price, too.
I think all your piggies are adorable. Check out this site https://www.guinealynx.info/ for how to sex piggies. If you press on either side of the opening, a penis will appear, and that's better than feeling for testes. Although, many have mis-sexed piggies, even vets.
BTW, congrats on giving all your piggies great size cages, and taking proper care of them. Enjoy the forum!
 

boofp

Cavy Star, Photo Contest Winner
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 13, 2012
Posts
1,536
Joined
Feb 13, 2012
Messages
1,536
welcome lovely piggies
 

PurplePaws121

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Posts
93
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
93
I just now investigated the cage you have, and let me just say that I am REALLY excited they are starting to make commercially available cages for piggies! I'm glad that a pet habitat company has researched what a piggy really needs, as opposed to SuperPet.

When I was researching cages, the ones I have (Midwest Expandable Guinea Pig Habitat Plus) were the biggest, nicest cages I could find aside from building a C&C cage. I was happy to see them too. Although now looking more and more into the C&C cages...i'm really wanting to change over and may do that in the near future.

Here is the female cage -
IMG_0224.jpg

and the males - the cages are in an L type shape (it looks like one cage is small, but it's just hidden behind part of the other in the picture), the boys are separated into pairs (two in each cage), the ramps aren't down which would make it all one cage. they can just see each other through the bars.IMG_0225.jpg
 

betty

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 7, 2011
Posts
179
Joined
Nov 7, 2011
Messages
179
Welcome to the forum and thanks for the pictures, your pigs are very cute.

Your cage stands are amazing, I would love to have on of those for my C&C cage.
 

stacy97006

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Posts
219
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
219
Ditto that I thought the same thing when I saw the cages the first time I viewed this post. Awesome job!!
 

pocketmonster

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Posts
487
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
487
When I was researching cages, the ones I have (Midwest Expandable Guinea Pig Habitat Plus) were the biggest, nicest cages I could find aside from building a C&C cage. I was happy to see them too. Although now looking more and more into the C&C cages...i'm really wanting to change over and may do that in the near future.

Here is the female cage -
View attachment 21804

and the males - the cages are in an L type shape (it looks like one cage is small, but it's just hidden behind part of the other in the picture), the boys are separated into pairs (two in each cage), the ramps aren't down which would make it all one cage. they can just see each other through the bars.View attachment 21807

Oh I do feel so bad for doubting you now, as I am bringing home a boar tonight who comes with a cage just like this. Radley will live in this cage for almost a month while Harper and Scout finish their mite treatment.
Do the piggies have a problem with the ramp? It looks slick.
Thanks!
 

PurplePaws121

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Posts
93
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
93
Oh I do feel so bad for doubting you now, as I am bringing home a boar tonight who comes with a cage just like this. Radley will live in this cage for almost a month while Harper and Scout finish their mite treatment.
Do the piggies have a problem with the ramp? It looks slick.
Thanks!

Congrats on your new addition! Mine don't seem to mind the ramp although they do slide on it from time to time...but it doesn't seem to bother them or give them a problem. It does get dirty though, and the material isn't the easiest to clean....I'm still experimenting with different beddings and ways to clean it.
 

Petlovr

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Posts
1,139
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
1,139
Can't you cover the ramp with something?

O, BTW, when can you build my stand? I WANT ONE!!!!!! (or two...lol)
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Top