QueenKurly
New Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2018
- Messages
- 2
Hello,
I am new here and new to owning a cavy. Currently, I only have one who's name is Noelle. My mother got her for me and my younger sister as a Christmas gift. She unfortunately fell into the trap of listening to a worker at PetSmart. She came home with a cage that was too small and a sweet, lone guinea pig with an unknown past. I got too attached too soon and couldn't possibly give her back. I immediately spent hours researching about guinea pigs from the day I got her and continue to do so. I've learned a lot and came here to learn more. This site has come up many times in my search and I have finally decided to join and share my situation so I can get stronger advice.
I have checked her and am almost positive she is indeed a female. I called PetSmart to ask about her age and I got anywhere between 1 - 4 months. I asked where they came from and I could get a name and state, but nothing more than that. Barney's in California. Every employee said it with an unsure tone and could give me no further information. I am sure it is a mill. I tried to research "Barney's in California" and only came across an article of a 10 year old boy dying because a rat that had a rare disease that was purchased from Petco that was shipped in by a Barney's in Chino, California. Not a promising find and very saddening, my heart goes out to the family.
I hope to give her the best life I possibly can. She has a vet appointment on Monday with an exotic pets vet, seems to be one of the best in the city that I could find here in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am trying to give her vegetables, but she doesn't seem to be interested. It looks like she only nibbles and licks the vegetables. I've tried mustard green, carrots and bell peppers so far. She eats part of the bell pepper sometimes, but that's all I can tell she's eating. I'm not giving up and will continue to try more vegetables. However, she does eat plenty of her pellets, hay, and drinks water without concern. She seemed to have difficulty with drinking from a water bottle, so I filled a small glass bowl of water and she alternates between the bowl and bottle. The bowl seems to be primarily used.
I have a (broken link removed). It's 8 square feet, 14" tall, and I wasn't sure if the bar spacing was a problem. I measured the bars to exactly 1 inch apart. Noelle is about 6-7 inches long, I never thought the bars looked too far apart so that her head could get stuck. I don't have a problem baby-proofing the cage, but I was unsure if she was still in baby stage and if the bars are not good for her. I have pictures of her and her cage. There is no bedding on the floor in the picture because I am trying to litter box train her and was trying to figure out where she was going to the bathroom. At first she ignored the litter box and pooped and peed on the floor, but I threw her poop in the litter box and what really won her over was when I wiped up her pee with a napkin and buried a couple small pieces of pee soaked napkin under the bedding in the litter box and she's used it since!
I am going to college online currently, so I have a lot of time to spend with her. I also have a rabbit and dog. I know well not to let them directly interact with each other and my dog, a Chihuahua, is very chill with small animals so doesn't rush up to the cage and spook her, the times she did walk by, Noelle only showed signs of curiosity rather than fear. Noelle has also warmed up to my family pretty well and can be picked up without protest at times and it is really great. She seems more dominant so I think I'd need to find her a more submissive friend. She hates to be pet on the head and usually tolerates being pet on her back, but seems to still be getting use to contact.
Sorry for my long post. I am excited to meet members of this site and to learn more things to ensure a bright future for Noelle and her future female friend. About her friend, I've been looking and a local animal shelter who doesn't get many piggy visitors. I've seen an adult female there. Should I get her a friend around her age or would an older one be okay? Does it matter? I've also look at ads on Craigslist for people looking to re-home their guinea pigs. I have contacted one owner about a 10 month old female that her daughter lost interest in. We texted for a short while, but I fear I may have scared her off with my many questions. Hopefully she just got busy and will contact me later.
P.S. I plan on expanding the cage within the next month with 9x9 grids and coroplast! I'll expand the floor level by another foot or two and possibly add a loft, Noelle seems to like climbing. Eventually I'll probably switch to a full C&C cage.
I am new here and new to owning a cavy. Currently, I only have one who's name is Noelle. My mother got her for me and my younger sister as a Christmas gift. She unfortunately fell into the trap of listening to a worker at PetSmart. She came home with a cage that was too small and a sweet, lone guinea pig with an unknown past. I got too attached too soon and couldn't possibly give her back. I immediately spent hours researching about guinea pigs from the day I got her and continue to do so. I've learned a lot and came here to learn more. This site has come up many times in my search and I have finally decided to join and share my situation so I can get stronger advice.
I have checked her and am almost positive she is indeed a female. I called PetSmart to ask about her age and I got anywhere between 1 - 4 months. I asked where they came from and I could get a name and state, but nothing more than that. Barney's in California. Every employee said it with an unsure tone and could give me no further information. I am sure it is a mill. I tried to research "Barney's in California" and only came across an article of a 10 year old boy dying because a rat that had a rare disease that was purchased from Petco that was shipped in by a Barney's in Chino, California. Not a promising find and very saddening, my heart goes out to the family.
I hope to give her the best life I possibly can. She has a vet appointment on Monday with an exotic pets vet, seems to be one of the best in the city that I could find here in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am trying to give her vegetables, but she doesn't seem to be interested. It looks like she only nibbles and licks the vegetables. I've tried mustard green, carrots and bell peppers so far. She eats part of the bell pepper sometimes, but that's all I can tell she's eating. I'm not giving up and will continue to try more vegetables. However, she does eat plenty of her pellets, hay, and drinks water without concern. She seemed to have difficulty with drinking from a water bottle, so I filled a small glass bowl of water and she alternates between the bowl and bottle. The bowl seems to be primarily used.
I have a (broken link removed). It's 8 square feet, 14" tall, and I wasn't sure if the bar spacing was a problem. I measured the bars to exactly 1 inch apart. Noelle is about 6-7 inches long, I never thought the bars looked too far apart so that her head could get stuck. I don't have a problem baby-proofing the cage, but I was unsure if she was still in baby stage and if the bars are not good for her. I have pictures of her and her cage. There is no bedding on the floor in the picture because I am trying to litter box train her and was trying to figure out where she was going to the bathroom. At first she ignored the litter box and pooped and peed on the floor, but I threw her poop in the litter box and what really won her over was when I wiped up her pee with a napkin and buried a couple small pieces of pee soaked napkin under the bedding in the litter box and she's used it since!
I am going to college online currently, so I have a lot of time to spend with her. I also have a rabbit and dog. I know well not to let them directly interact with each other and my dog, a Chihuahua, is very chill with small animals so doesn't rush up to the cage and spook her, the times she did walk by, Noelle only showed signs of curiosity rather than fear. Noelle has also warmed up to my family pretty well and can be picked up without protest at times and it is really great. She seems more dominant so I think I'd need to find her a more submissive friend. She hates to be pet on the head and usually tolerates being pet on her back, but seems to still be getting use to contact.
Sorry for my long post. I am excited to meet members of this site and to learn more things to ensure a bright future for Noelle and her future female friend. About her friend, I've been looking and a local animal shelter who doesn't get many piggy visitors. I've seen an adult female there. Should I get her a friend around her age or would an older one be okay? Does it matter? I've also look at ads on Craigslist for people looking to re-home their guinea pigs. I have contacted one owner about a 10 month old female that her daughter lost interest in. We texted for a short while, but I fear I may have scared her off with my many questions. Hopefully she just got busy and will contact me later.
P.S. I plan on expanding the cage within the next month with 9x9 grids and coroplast! I'll expand the floor level by another foot or two and possibly add a loft, Noelle seems to like climbing. Eventually I'll probably switch to a full C&C cage.
