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SemiCharmedShoe

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Hi,
I'm new as the title states. I just got a male abyssinian(sp?) He's so cute, but he's extremely shy. He makes this noise with his teeth. He hasn't bit me or anything but I'm wondering when he'll stop making that noise. My boyfriend and I gave him some time to himself for the first day and a half and then we started handling him just a little, letting him inspect the room and inspect us. He even pooped on my boyfriend. :) I'm just wondering what we can do to make him more comfortable around us. We've already started giving him veggies and plenty of timothy hay. I've read some places that you are supposed to feed 1/4 cup/day food to guinea pigs and other places a 1/2 cup. I'm so confused. What is the right amount? He is still a little guinea pig yet, should I be giving him unlimited timothy hay? I've already visited quite a few websites, so I'd just like to get some straight answers. Any tidbits would help.
 

dextersmycutegp

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He needs umlimited timothy hay and if he's under 6 months you can also give him a little alfalfa hay too. 1/4 cup of pellets a day is the recomended thing, I think. I personally feed my piggies about 1/16th cup of pellets, each, every day, because it all gets eaten, and they won't eat any more pellets than that even if I gave them more. lol My rule of thumb that I use for my piggies (I have four full grown piggies so I don't know if this would not be a good idea for a growing piggy) is if they can eat all their pellets in a day and by the next morning there aren't any pellets in their dish, they're getting the right amount.
Here is a site that has recordings of guinea pig noises. It also tells the meanings of those noises.

Above all, welcome to the forum! A lot of the people on here are very knowledgeable about guinea pigs, and will be happy to answer any and all questions you may have regarding your new friend.
Have you considered adopting a friend for him? Guinea pigs are very happy in groups of two or more, and having a friend might help him feel a bit more comfortable.
 

Ly&Pigs

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I've read some places that you are supposed to feed 1/4 cup/day food to guinea pigs and other places a 1/2 cup.
If he is under 6 months he needs unlimited pellets. If he is at or over 6 months then 1/8-1/4 cup of pellets per day. He will also need at least one cup of fresh veggies per day. Check out the diet and nutrition forum here for threads regarding diet such as the nutrition charts thread. You can also visit (broken link removed) for more great info.
 

crazywiggy

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Hi, welcome to the forum. Hope you find all the information you need!
 

cusunfireguy

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It will take some time for him to get comfortable with you. When holding him you can bribe him with a treat. Also, you may want to consider getting him a companion as Guinea pigs tend to live in small herds. Welcome to the forum.

Steven
 

Trega

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Guinea pigs often "chatter" their teeth when they are nervous or scared. If you guinea pig is new he will do it more often since he isn't quite used to you yet. Sometimes they will also do it if they have to go to the bathroom and you are holding them. My pigs usually nibble on my shirt when they need to go back into their cage. Just hold him a little bit every day and hopefully he will get more used to you. Are you considering getting a buddy for your pig? Guinea pigs are herd animals and usually are much happier with a friend.
 

SemiCharmedShoe

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Yeah I'm considering getting him a friend, but first I have to figure out where we're living next year and I want to make sure I have the space for a cage with two guinea pigs in it. I am graduating from college this year and I was supposed to move home, but my mother is allergic to dogs and cats and will not allow any furry creature except a poodle in her house. :ashamed: So we are going to need to find another place to live first. I think I would really like to get a female if I do get another and I definitely do not want babies. A lot of sites suggest that I have him neutered, what is the proper age to do that?
 

Jenah

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Welcome :)

Pigs are not particular where they poop. They poop everywhere. On everything. It isn't an act of nervousness or retaliation - they are just poop machines! :) However, they do not WANT to pee on you when being held so you do definitely want to watch for signs that they are ready to go back into their cage.

The recommendations for limited amounts of pellets are for older piggies. Do some digging on some good plain pellets and stay away from mixed pellets with seeds, etc. Unlimited timothy or other hay is forever. 1 cup of veggies per day [or more] every day. As Ly&Pigs said - there are special requirements for piggies under 6 months, so definitely read that link.

As far as any companion that you may want to get for your boy, another boy would work as well. There are many people here on this forum that have boy herds. There are special space requirements so that each boar has their own room. Or you could of course, neuter him and get a female.
 

freddy's mom

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I absolutely LOVE the piggy sounds website - very helpful. Thank you so much for sharing that on this forum!
 

seagirl96

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Thanks for piggy sounds website. My piggies were alarmed though. I played only the happy sounds but they all headed for pigloos and figuratively slammed the doors. Too funny!
 

WICharlie

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Keep in mind that any surgery comes with risk and expense. It would be better to find another boy pig to be a friend for the pig you have now. Be sure to get a bigger cage first though. It is the one thing anyone can do to improve the quality of life for a guinea pig. Regular petstore cages are not big enough for one pig.
 
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