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Hello from NC

BonnieDoone

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Cavy Gazer
Joined
May 5, 2019
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May 5, 2019
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Hello :)
I don’t have any wee pigs yet. Sad for me!
I am currently constructing a 575sq ft habitat for a near future sorority of guinea pigs though.
My current thought trend is to initially get the habitat completed this summer/fall. And collect my pigs at the beginning of next spring (ish).
Its rough right now.
Plans for building pig houses, burrows, shade houses, toys, bridges etc. are well underway. For the most part i am using the trees that get cut down to create a scaled down primitive village setting with whatever features I dream up along the way. And planting grasses
The site I chose is behind the cabin. And was clustered with too many oak and pine trees just like every other inch of this place. I’ve cut down the trees, cleared the area, fenced the perimeter and started creating things.
A long ways to go and a lot of fun getting there so far :) I’m learning a lot.
For the pigs, I think I only want short hairs. They’re the cutest ever.
I have kind of set my heart on the number 8 as a good grouping for me to enjoy and the pigs to to feel like a herd.

Well, there you have it. My plan, which is constantly being tweaked every time I learn something unexpected. And I have a career too, so the habitat is coming along pretty fast for as slow as I am on elective projects and how very little I knew about guinea pigs lol
Thank you so, so much for all the shared information on this site!
 

bpatters

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Welcome!

We don't recommend outdoor habitats for guinea pigs. They can die of heat stroke at anything above 85 degrees, and it certainly gets that hot in North Carolina. It's impossible to protect them from snakes and biting/stinging insects, and nearly impossible to protect them from everything else. Any possibility of you doing this inside?
 

BonnieDoone

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They’ll be on the back porch with a wood stove in the winter and shutters/ 3 ceiling fans and screening wire in the summer. It’s shady or warm and shady. I want to train them to sleep there every night possible until they’re potty trained. Then sometimes they can be indoors when I am. The problem is outdoor time. I have resisent hawks, night jars, fox squirrels, rat snakes and coons everywhere out here.
And I like all of them too :)
The habitat is so they can actually leave the cabin! I wouldn’t dare around here without a dedicated wee pig pen :)
If it gets too hot or cold I’ll certainly keep them in :)
sorry, I wasn’t very clear, was I ?
I’m just getting all my pigs in a row before they arrive, so to speak
 

bpatters

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Well, do a little more reading about pigs before you get them. You've got some very optimistic, likely unachievable goals there.

Training them to sleep somewhere is an exercise in futility -- they'll sleep wherever they want, and that may not be where you have in mind. And you can't potty train them. If you're lucky and have cooperative pigs, they'll pick the places where they want the potty and you catch a fair amount of the output, but not nearly all. And if you change beddings, they may alter their potty habits entirely.

How are you going to keep the snakes and the biting/stinging insects out?
 

ItsaZoo

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Guinea pigs don’t sleep at night or at any normal hours. They graze and nap all the time throughout the day and night. They are more active early and late in the day, but they don’t just go to sleep for the night.

They also don’t like large open spaces. They move from one hiding place to another since they are prey. They are skittish and think everything is after them.

As bpatters said, they can’t be potty trained, or really trained too much at all.

You will need an indoor cage large enough for the number of guinea pigs you plan to get, and it needs to be in a climate-controlled room between 65 and 85 degrees. They are sensitive to heat, cold and drafts.

Here is a link to good information from people who have decades of information on guinea pig care.

https://www.guinealynx.info/housing.html
 

diazsjonathan8

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May 14, 2019
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May 14, 2019
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Hi,

I am Diaz.
I was born and brought up in USA. Love to use internet surffing and always ready to help peoples.
I am from Gibsonia, PA 15044.
Thanks:)
 
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