New Here & New To Cavies!

Hi everyone!


My family had cavies when I was really little, so I remember how sweet and fun they are, but not much else.


My husband and I made the decision (kind of on a whim, it's bad, I know!) to get a couple cavies for our 3 year old son to enjoy, as well as us. We weren't educated and hadn't looked into too much and we bought a pet store starter kit/cage and one girl, intending to get the second girl a few weeks later. My 3 year old insisted on naming them Elsa and Anna from Frozen and my head was filled with visions of Frozen themed fleece in a giant C&C cage. Anna is a short hair- white with a black head and big black spots, and one brown right ear.


I am obsessive with research, though, and after getting Anna I went crazy looking everything up. It was then that I realized something didn't seem quite right and verified a few things- Anna was a boy. *facepalm*


Luckily, I discovered this before we got the second girl, and we narrowly avoided a prego piggy. The new owners of the 2 girls in the same cage in the pet store will be in for an adorable surprise, though... Thanks Petco!


After attempting and failing to change his name to something manlier (3 year olds are very persistent) he remains Anna. Now we had a dilemma, though- get him neutered and get a girl companion or attempt to introduce him to a boar? The solution came when I was gathering supplies for a C&C cage and bought grids from a lady in town who was selling all her stuff and giving away her 3 neutered boars because her landlord changed his mind about allowing pets. No way my hubby would go for 4 piggies, I had barely talked him into 2! My sister in law had fallen in love with Anna and was dying to have piggies of her own. She adopted 2 of the trio, and we adopted sweet, adorable, cuddly, laid back Potato. He is super fluffy and brown with lighter tan patches and a single cowlick on his head (can't remember the name for this). We now knew better than buying from a pet store or small cages!


After initially being separated and quarantined, I realized I wasn't sure how to introduce them and the instructions on caviespirit weren't clear. I found clarity and advice in the forums here and we introduced them last night. Other than Anna rumble strutting, pestering, and humping Potato, and Potato acting board with the entire situation and munching on his curly parsley, everything went well. I moved them into the freshly cleaned C&C cage and they seemed ok. I woke up this morning nervous, only to find them cuddling! (Sorry about the red eyes, it's the best picture I could get without disturbing them!) It's funny Anna, the little one, is dominant but Potato just has no interest in it.


Thank goodness I found you all and your help/information! I am now a very educated cavy owner/lover.


Sorry it's so long! I just had to share our story!




Note on the cages- the left is our new 2.5x4 C&C cage with a 2.5x1 loft, the right the biggest cage at the pet store. Sooo glad I learned about C&C cages! The other is tiny!!! Also, I intended the C&C to be 2.5x5 but I measured wrong when I cut the coroplast... *double facepalm* I'm hoping to expand eventually, though, to a 2.5x5 with a loft on each end. When I can convince my hubby they need more space- he thought the little cage was fine and that I was crazy, but agrees now they look comfy in the big cage.


That is also my 11 month old daughter- she adores the piggies, says Anna, and sits there smiling and babbling to them all the time. She loves them almost as much as my 3 year old who runs around going on and on about them and always wanting to give them veggies and get them out for floor time.