New to guinea pigs & this great site!

MissKayli · Apr 29, 2009

My name is Kayli. I've never owned a guinea pig before, but my friend has one and said they're great, so for my 20th birthday, I got a guinea pig

From Petco... I know, I know... He might have a disease, might actually be a SHE, and have other problems, but I didn't realize they had them at shelters and I have him now so please don't bash me.

I named him King Timon, because his colors kind of remind me of Timon from The Lion King, and I'm a Disney fan!

I started with a store bought cage... I could tell it was too small for him, then I found this website while looking up ways to take better care of him.
Since then, I've built a cage out of the 9 block grids (Bed Bath & Beyond), grey fleece I bought in the fabric dept at Walmart, and PVC foamboard! It's not the best looking cage, I'm not good at stuff like that, but it works and he LOVES IT! I just got him 3 days ago and before, he would hide in his house and never come out... He still does that, of course, but if I sit in here long enough, he'll come out and do laps and squeak!

I also threw out the pet store food and am now giving him fresh veggies every day!

https://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w106/girlysoundx/king1.jpg

New cage!

MissKayli · Apr 30, 2009

Also, should I play music for him while I'm gone to work during the day?
How long, usually, does it take for them to come out when he knows I'm in the room?

dra&pigs · Apr 30, 2009

You can play music..I know some members do, but it really depends on your situation. Its not necessary, but just for their entertainment. I even think one of us crazed cavy folks has a TV on while she's gone! Anyway, my pigs are in my room, and being the music freak I am, I *always* listen to music while I'm in there (which is quite a bit =D), they always have music. While its not exactly classical and relaxing, they seem to enjoy it nevertheless. In fact, one of my girls likes to popcorn when my music plays. Sometimes I'll turn on some classical while I'm gone, but it usually ends up getting turned off by someone or another eventually.

TheCraftyFaerie · Apr 30, 2009

His cage looks nice! I'm collecting the materials to make mine. Any pictures of him?>

akstrohm · Apr 30, 2009

Guinea pigs are skittish by nature... it may take several weeks or even months before he comes out while you are around.

Have you considered getting him a friend? Guinea pigs are much, much happier in groups or pairs: Guinea Pigs Social Life

Welcome to the site!

Deb's4Pigs · Apr 30, 2009

Welcome, and your cage looks better than mine. Mine is put together with cable ties.

erikahand83 · Apr 30, 2009

He is such a pretty boy. You will find tons of useful information on this site. Welcome King Timon and MissKayli.

ferndalezoo · May 1, 2009

He's adorable, and your cage looks great! You won't find anyone "bashing" anyone here for having bought a pet store pig before they knew better. Be sure to get King Timon into a good cavy-savy vet to be sure he's healthy as soon as you can. Since he came from a pet-store, it's especially important.

When you say you "threw out the pet store food" and are giving him veggies--- he IS still getting a pellet food also, right? Along with hay (that looks like a bag of hay in the foreground)?

MissKayli · May 1, 2009

Thanks!

Yes, I got him the pellets. Not sure what brand... It was expensive and said 'natural' on it, so I figured it would be okay. They didn't have Oxbow.

rabbitsncavyluv · May 1, 2009

Just because it was expensive doesn't mean it is good.

hilary · May 1, 2009

You can find Oxbow at Petsmart. I'd reccomend getting (broken link removed) brand hay and pellets. Buy in bulk (you can online get KM online) and you'll save a lot of money in the long run. If you order more then it'll last really long and you won't have to pay for shipping so often. Plus the piggies love it and it's a great brand.

akstrohm · May 1, 2009

The "natural" designation doesn't mean anything, and price really isn't a factor in quality. Unless it is Sweet Meadow or Mazuri 5664, you'll need to get Oxbow or KM. You can use Oxbow's store locator to find a store in your area. Otherwise Oxbow and KM can both be ordered online. The other pellets often contain carcinogens and can be harmful to pigs.

tehdoc809 · May 2, 2009

I too recommend either KM or Oxbow pellets, although I find their hays to be incredably over priced. You can get hay at a feed store that's just slightly less quality than KM/Oxbow at about a 75% difference in price.

I mean.. I can order it online for ~25 and wait a week or I can go to my feedstore and get it that day for ~7, for the same amount of hay.

hilary · May 2, 2009

tehdoc809 said:
I too recommend either KM or Oxbow pellets, although I find their hays to be incredably over priced. You can get hay at a feed store that's just slightly less quality than KM/Oxbow at about a 75% difference in price.

I mean.. I can order it online for ~25 and wait a week or I can go to my feedstore and get it that day for ~7, for the same amount of hay.

Hmm, I haven't even looked into if there are any feed stores near me but that'd be nice to save money. Maybe order KM and mix it with hay from a feed store that's pretty good quality?

seredman · May 2, 2009

Congratulations on your new piggie! Your cage looks great! Best of luck to you!

Peggysu · May 2, 2009

Congrats on the new piggy. Welcome to GPC, you'll learn a ton. Check out the nutrition stickies in the nutrition section if you haven't already. As many people have said you'll probably want to get your guinea pig a buddy eventually because they are very social and much happier with a friend especially when you aren't around.

KM hay is great. I order the pellets and hay from KM in bulk and it saves me a lot of money. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

pigsmakemesmile · May 2, 2009

hello, welcome to the site, you did a great job with the pen. This site is loaded with information. I hope you send pictures of your new frind,

MissKayli · May 3, 2009

The pellets were expensive, so I'm not going to go right out and buy more for some time, that's what I meant. And I checked the label, it didn't have any of the bad stuff you mentioned.

I built him a "kitchen" out of my old pet store cage... It looks great.
But I was wondering... When should I try to hold him or play with him?
I've had him for a week and the only time I've held him was when I switched cages.

akstrohm · May 4, 2009

You can start holding him any time.

Why don't you post an ingredients list for the pellets here? Then we can let you know if those pellets will be okay.

I highly recommend getting him a friend. Guinea pigs do much better in pairs or groups.

MissKayli · May 4, 2009

akstrohm said:
You can start holding him any time.

Why don't you post an ingredients list for the pellets here? Then we can let you know if those pellets will be okay.

I highly recommend getting him a friend. Guinea pigs do much better in pairs or groups.

I tried holding him last night because he started coming out when he could see that I was in the room, but even when my hand came near him, he ran to the other side of the cage :sorry: Whoops... So I left him alone.

I went to Petsmart today and saw the Oxbow pellets, so I'll probably get them soon. The one I'm using now is Zumzee or something? I know it starts with a 'Z'.

I am currently looking for a shelter that takes guinea pigs in my area, but no luck so far. Kind of a small place, but I'm looking. I'd really like to get him a friend!

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New to guinea pigs & this great site!

MissKayli

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