Me and estascy :D

Please read over this site Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home A rat cage is not appropriate and most are even too small for rats.

Look over www.guinealynx.info for care info too. And yes, adopt (don't buy) him a friend Pet adoption: Want a dog or cat? Adopt a pet on Petfinder

Pet store pigs are from backyard breeders/ breeding mills. They are usually sick and missexed.

Braedan said:

Hey all, i'm a brand new guinea piggie owner.

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Hello and welcome!

Braedan said:

Me and my fiance bought him just the other week, hes 9 weeks old.

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Please remember to adopt and not buy the next time you are looking for a new pet. There's so many resources out there to help you adopt, we can help too. Many of us made the mistake of buying a petstore pig at first, but after spending some time on this wonderful site we learn about adoption.

Braedan said:

He still seems very timid, and shy, but hopefully that will come out over time, and getting to know me?

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Guinea pigs are prey animals and are naturally very skittish, especially when kept alone in an improper cage. Adopting him a friend and building him a new cage will help, but it will still take time for him to get used to the way you smell and sound. After three years, my older pig still runs when I make a sudden movement or noise she's not expecting.

He's a very beautiful pig!

I currently have a few questions:

Braedan said:

1. He makes little squeaking sounds when I pat him, does that mean he enjoys it?

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He's probably not used to being pet and handled yet and a little nervous. Be gentle and offer him veggie treats during laptime. He'll warm up to it eventually.

Braedan said:

2. Whenever I walk near his cage, for some reason he runs to the side of his cage and corners.. I don't understand why?, he must be scared of me, but surely he can't be ?.

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Does he have hidey houses? Guinea pigs need them to feel secure. It's very stressful for them to not have a place to hide. He is scared of you, but that is because, as I said, he's a prey animal and you're still new to him. Plus, he is lonely without a guinea pig friend.

Braedan said:

3. I do have a cage, but it was designed for rats/mouses, I'm looking at something a lot bigger that can be kept inside, and sometimes taken out, and easy to clean. Obiviously building my own is a good idea, but where to start? It has to be secure from a small doggie also (even though my dog is harmless, you just never know.)

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Read The Home Page, (broken link removed), how to make, and cage safety concerning your dog. You'll want to make a lid (many people use closet shelving) and reinforce the cage with heavy duty zip ties.

Braedan said:

4. Is he more comfortable being by himself, or should I get a friend?

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Guinea pigs are herd animals and must be kept in at least pairs. However, get your pig set up in a new properly sized cage with proper equipment and hidey houses first. Also, make sure you're comfortable with their dietary needs, ect. Then make sure your pig is sexed properly, as they are often misexed in pet stores (information on sexing). Then start to look for a pig to adopt.

Welcome to the site. There's a lot to learn, but it's all worth it! A good place to start studying is the newbie sticky. All the other stickies in all the subforums should be read as well.

Welcome to GPC! I second what everyone else has already said, adopt a buddy and check out the links previously provided about building your own cage. The bigger the cage the better in my oppinion as you can watch them play and run around and be piggies. Don't get to overwhelmed with all the information. Hope you enjoy the forum as much as the rest of us do.

I was gonna respond to your questions but "PiggieMom" said everything I was gonna say.

So, welcome!
Your pig is absolutely adorable!

I think your questions have been very well answered, but I have two things to add:

If you take him outside, make sure the grass has not been treated with pesticides or harsh fertilizers. Also I strongly recommend keeping him in an enclosure out there even if you are watching. You don't want him to escape or get in trouble.

Definitely read over the stickies in the nutrition forum (veggie charts and sample menus). Make sure you are feeding an appropriate pellet (lots out there are bad), quality hay, at at least 1 cup of veggies per day (mostly leafy greens, but pigs need a lot of variety). The stickies will help you get started.

And welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the site. Make sure you read above this post and listen to what everyone else has to say. The people on this site are very knowlegable and have youre piggy's best interest in mind.

That being said. I LOVE your piggy's name. Maybe if you get him a friend you could call him Acid. Ha.