Hello, my name is Rick and I am new here. I recently got two guinea pigs from a lady and her son for free as they were dropping them off at a pet store. I figured my children would love them and I admit it was a decision I made a bit too quickly, however, if I did not make it, the guinea pigs would end up in a pet shop which I happened to be looking in for hamsters for my middle daughter.
Unfortunately, most of my guinea pig "knowledge" came from this lady and her son. Apparently, her guinea pigs have been bred excessively and every few months they drop off guinea pigs at this store. They were kept in aquariums and, now that I have the cavies, I can see that that is just inhumane.
I got setup with a standard petshop cage for them and all the stuff they need. However, I have a problem... I got the mother that had been bred and the other "female" turned out to not be a female at all. They were mating last night (all night) and now they aren't... I'm no expert but I suspect she's pregnant.
I have a few questions about the care of my guinea pigs which we were answered incorrectly by the previous owner.
Unfortunately, most of my guinea pig "knowledge" came from this lady and her son. Apparently, her guinea pigs have been bred excessively and every few months they drop off guinea pigs at this store. They were kept in aquariums and, now that I have the cavies, I can see that that is just inhumane.
I got setup with a standard petshop cage for them and all the stuff they need. However, I have a problem... I got the mother that had been bred and the other "female" turned out to not be a female at all. They were mating last night (all night) and now they aren't... I'm no expert but I suspect she's pregnant.
I have a few questions about the care of my guinea pigs which we were answered incorrectly by the previous owner.
- I read that they need hay grass which the previous owner and the pet store said nothing about. How important is it? I assume very important, so should I make sure they never, ever run out?
- I'm afraid of Big Mama's pregnancy because her mate was one of her litter from a few months ago. Her size, thankfully, is ok, but I'm a little scared of the complications of in-breeding. How likely is it that there will be birth defects from this unintentional in-breeding?
- How deep should the wood chips in their be? How often should I change their cage? Should I change ALL the shavings or just some of them?
- Should Big Mama and her mate, Piglet, be separated while she is pregnant? What about after birth?
- How often should I feed the guinea pigs fresh veggies? I've been giving them lettuce daily and they always completely devour it. Can they overeat? Is there a rule of thumb on how to distribute it? I keep there bowl filled with pellets always.
- I read that guinea pigs need a certain amount of vitamin C. What veggies have this? Should I crush supplements in their food? Or will they be fine with lettuce?
- Can I feed them fruits? I've given them grapes and they love it, but I'm no sure how healthy it is for them.
- Once birth is given, should I separate the cavies? How to prevent unintended pregnancy? Getting rid of Big Mama or her mate Piglet is not an option because my kids love them both very much.