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New human to piggy.

Leyavm

New Member
Cavy Gazer
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
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Joined
Sep 3, 2016
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Hi I'm Leya I'm a new human to a piggy who my daughter named Snowflake. I have a concern though if recently noticed he has a skin tag on his nose between his nostrils. Should this be a concern? Also he ended up being way way bigger then we thought and he's about the size of large bunny so I'm in the process of saving up for a bigger cage for him. But in the mean time a vet told me that he is big enough to buy a small dog harness to walk him or let him play in the yard without concern of him escaping into the neighbors yard. Has anyone else heard of this and is it safe for him? Also I was recommended a giant excersize ball to put him in to run around the house in but before we even used it I was told they are really bad for Piggy's spine so we automatically took it back and scolded the sales person. Was this the correct thing to do? And everytime we hold him he pees on us and he pees very large amounts. Is there a way to get him to stop this?
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
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Joined
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Messages
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Good for you for taking the ball back and chewing out the sales person. You're absolutely right that balls should never be used with guinea pigs. Their backs don't bend in that position, and they can get hurt using them. \

Same thing goes for a harness for them, and the fact that your vet recommended it tells me you need a different vet. Guinea pigs need exotic vets. Small animal (dog and cat) vets get little to no education and training in the care of exotics, and the reputable ones will refuse to see them. Some of the others are downright dangerous.

It sounds as though you may have a cuy, which are larger than "normal" guinea pigs and are principally bred for food in other countries. How much does he weigh?

I doubt the skin tag on his nose is anything to worry about, but could you post a close-up picture?

Since you're new to guinea pigs, here's some recommended reading:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs!
 

jaycriae

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Posts
943
Joined
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Messages
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Since he's new, it'll likely be awhile before he learns to stop peeing on you, but it will happen eventually. I trained my pigs not to pee on me by putting them back in the cage every time they tugged on my clothes, so they eventually learned to do that when they need to go.

I'd like to see pictures too, he sounds like he may be a cuy or half-cuy. If he's your only pig, I recommend getting another, calmer (maybe older) pig to be his friend, all pigs are social creatures and if he is a cuy, they're especially skittish so he could benefit from having a piggy around who was more easygoing. You might want to wait until you have a bigger cage, though.

The reason going outside with him isn't a good idea isn't just because harnesses aren't made for the way pigs move, but also because he'd eat the grass and unless you can confirm that the yard is pesticide-free and hasn't been used as a bathroom by local wildlife, it's not something safe to eat. For now, I'd stick to floor time.

When you are ready to buy a bigger cage, this website has a lot of great info. Good luck and welcome!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Meganii

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 25, 2016
Posts
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Joined
Aug 25, 2016
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As far as peeing on you goes, I've been through the same thing when I got my most recent boar (who i had to give back, long story) he peed almost a small can of fizzy drink worth of pee on me about four times on the first day we got him, but he very quickly settles in and stopped peeing on me, he also pooped a lot when I first got him (and I mean a LOT) and he settled in and grew out of that too, I think it might be a nervous thing
Good Luck!
 
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