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Hello to all!

JB's Dad

JB's Dad

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 4, 2010
Messages
50
I am JB's dad. JB is my 10 year old daughter. Her real name is Julia, but I have called her June Bug (JB for short) for her entire life.

We are exploring the possibility of getting two Guinea Pigs. JB had a hamster (Syrian Black Bear) named Squeekers who died suddenly a few nights ago. The vet believes it to have been from a genetic heart defect. Squeekers was one of the family and received excellent care. Her loss has been hard for all of us to take.

We are going to get a new pet, or pets. We, as a family, have decided not to get another hamster. We all agree that it would be too much like trying to replace Squeekers, who is irreplaceable. So, we are looking into Guinea Pigs.

We are doing our research first to make sure we can provide the perfect home for our new family member/s. So, here we are! We have some questions that I am going to post in the proper forums. We appreciate any help or info we can get.
 
Welcome, JB's Dad (and JB)! I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of Squeekers and hope that getting your new pigs will help you through your sad time. Guinea pigs really are adorable little creatures, although probably quite a bit higher-maintenance than hamsters.

Please do look around - there are many "sticky" posts in the different sections with valuable diet, housing and bedding information - and feel free to post all your questions! Also, please do adopt your pigs from a rescue or from someone who no longer wants theirs, rather than purchasing from a pet store. There are many, many homeless and neglected guineas out there who really do need a second chance, and pet stores, unfortunately, only contribute to that problem.
 
Adding a "hello and welcome". You seem like the kind of family that will do a ton of research before getting a pet and that is great ! Guinea pigs are super pets, but do require a lot of care and specific things like lots of fresh vegetables, quality pellets and hay. Do let this group know if you do not have lots of guinea pigs available in your area's rescues. People here are very helpful in that. Petfinder is a good place to start. Don't buy from a petstore, as the above poster stated.
 
Thank you for the welcomes! We are difinately doing our research. And the decision has been made. Cage construction started today! I will post some pics of the progress tomorrow if time allows. We have a lot to do including making room for the cage, buying an air conditioner, and getting all of the necessary supplies together.

For the mean time, I can tell you this, the cage is 3' wide by 5' long and 16" high. It is constructed of close mesh wire shelving with a luan floor covered in 4 mil coroplast (light blue). I am going to strengthen the floor with 1x4 pine rabbited into the bottom wall overlaps. It doesn't make sense now, but it will after I post pics ;) It will have a top since we do have a grand daughter (2) living with us as well as our 4 legged daughter (Sadie Jane).

Our house is not air conditioned, so we are getting a window unit for the living room before we bring the pigs home. I'm originaly from south Texas, so I don't mind the heat, but I learned the pigs don't do well above 75° or so. Since that's the case, air conditioning it is. They will enjoy an environment of about 72° year-round (perhaps a little warmer in the winter time, but not much).

As far as adopting, we never considered it until I came here. I went to petfinder and found these three cuties :

Adoptable Guinea Pig: Lucy, Lilly and Lo: Petfinder

I will call tomorrow to see if they are still available. Is our cage big enough? JB loves the pics of those three so we went from getting 2 pigs to three in a milisecond. I just hope they are still available. Is it hard to adopt them? Well, I guess I should ask that in a different forum.

Anyway, the excitement is building. We'll post some pics tomorrow, in the appropriate forum of course.
 
JB's Dad said:
As far as adopting, we never considered it until I came here. I went to petfinder and found these three cuties :

Adoptable Guinea Pig: Lucy, Lilly and Lo: Petfinder

I will call tomorrow to see if they are still available. Is our cage big enough? JB loves the pics of those three so we went from getting 2 pigs to three in a milisecond. I just hope they are still available. Is it hard to adopt them? Well, I guess I should ask that in a different forum.

Anyway, the excitement is building. We'll post some pics tomorrow, in the appropriate forum of course.
Click to expand...
Congrats on your new additions. I wont' comment on cage size because I don't know for sure. Your is a little wider than a 2 x4 C&C cage. It's dimensions are around 28 x 56. Since you have the extra width, it may be big enough for three, but I will leave that to the cage experts. :) Just wanted to say welcome, and congrats on your new pets, I mean JBs. LOL My daughter is 12. She got two guinea pigs right after Christmas. The kids say I love them more than I love the kids. ;) But I am the one who does most of the care. She does help, she's very responsible, but the cage is very hard for a child to change by herself. She does the feedings, the lovings, the lullabies (I am not kidding) and the other important mommy stuff. I buy the fleece, hay, pellets, vet bills, and all the other important grandmommy stuff.
Our cat died in July after 15 years, and the dog in November after ten. It was a rough year, so I know how you feel about Squeekers. Didn't want another cat or dog. Guinea pigs are the perfect pet for my daughter because she loves to sit and read for hours and they love to sit on her lap and be read to. It's so precious to watch her read Pride and Prejudice to a Guinea Pig. He just lays there and naps on her shoulder and occasionally he'll wake up and give her kisses. I hope your three are as snuggly as ours are. We really got lucky, we got lap piggies. And they are spoiled rotten.
 
I LOVE that you are getting air conditioning for your piggies!! That just made me smile. Of course it will be good for them, but just the fact that you are willing to make that adjustment in your life and your home is just heartwarming.
 
A 3' x5' cage is 15 square feet which is definitely big enough for 3 girls. Since you are adopting in PA, I assume you live there? I am in NY and don't have an air conditioner. My house has gotten quite warm this summer and the pigs seemed to manage just as well as the humans did. We had fans circulating the air and frozen water bottles and such. I think it's awesome you are buying an air conditioner, but I wouldn't consider it a necessity. Anyway, good luck with your new piggies and I can't wait to see this cage you are building. I might have to have you come build me a few. :)
 
JB's Dad said:
Thank you for the welcomes! We are difinately doing our research. And the decision has been made. Cage construction started today! I will post some pics of the progress tomorrow if time allows. We have a lot to do including making room for the cage, buying an air conditioner, and getting all of the necessary supplies together.

For the mean time, I can tell you this, the cage is 3' wide by 5' long and 16" high. It is constructed of close mesh wire shelving with a luan floor covered in 4 mil coroplast (light blue). I am going to strengthen the floor with 1x4 pine rabbited into the bottom wall overlaps. It doesn't make sense now, but it will after I post pics ;) It will have a top since we do have a grand daughter (2) living with us as well as our 4 legged daughter (Sadie Jane).

Our house is not air conditioned, so we are getting a window unit for the living room before we bring the pigs home. I'm originaly from south Texas, so I don't mind the heat, but I learned the pigs don't do well above 75° or so. Since that's the case, air conditioning it is. They will enjoy an environment of about 72° year-round (perhaps a little warmer in the winter time, but not much).

As far as adopting, we never considered it until I came here. I went to petfinder and found these three cuties :

Adoptable Guinea Pig: Lucy, Lilly and Lo: Petfinder

I will call tomorrow to see if they are still available. Is our cage big enough? JB loves the pics of those three so we went from getting 2 pigs to three in a milisecond. I just hope they are still available. Is it hard to adopt them? Well, I guess I should ask that in a different forum.

Anyway, the excitement is building. We'll post some pics tomorrow, in the appropriate forum of course.
Click to expand...

I believe your cage is about the measurements for a 2x4. If that's the case, you could fit three sows in there - two is preferred, but three could definitely fit in there.
 
brindyzoeycandy said:
I believe your cage is about the measurements for a 2x4. If that's the case, you could fit three sows in there - two is preferred, but three could definitely fit in there.
Click to expand...

There seems to be some confusion. His cage is 3 feet wide by 5 feet long. He is not using grids so the measurements are different than C&C measurements. He will have 15 square feet. A 2x4 C&C cage is 27 inches by 56 inches which is roughly 10.5 sq feet as stated on the home page. A 2x6 cage is roughly 13 sq feet and is big enough for 4 and his cage is 15 sq feet so it definitely big enough for 3. A general rule I use when using feet instead of grids is 8 sq feet for the first pig and add 3 sq foot per pig after that. Even that very generous estimate comes to 14 sq feet for 3. I hope this helps to clarify.
 
Ahh, I see. If that's the case, I believe you could have up to five sows, I'm assuming?
 
MogwaisMom said:
I LOVE that you are getting air conditioning for your piggies!! That just made me smile. Of course it will be good for them, but just the fact that you are willing to make that adjustment in your life and your home is just heartwarming.
Click to expand...

Oh yes. We bought it today. Sears was happy to sell me one ;) 12000 btu's of cooling power. It kept the living room at a nice 72° all afternoon today. I must admit though, the pigs are not the only ones who will benefit from it :p I'm from south Texas so the heat doesn't really bother me. We are normally outdoors people in the summertime anyway, so A/C was never an issue. But it is kind of nice coming into a cool room to relax. I noticed the pool didn't get any use today!
 
cfoster1966 said:
A 3' x5' cage is 15 square feet which is definitely big enough for 3 girls. Since you are adopting in PA, I assume you live there? I am in NY and don't have an air conditioner. My house has gotten quite warm this summer and the pigs seemed to manage just as well as the humans did. We had fans circulating the air and frozen water bottles and such. I think it's awesome you are buying an air conditioner, but I wouldn't consider it a necessity. Anyway, good luck with your new piggies and I can't wait to see this cage you are building. I might have to have you come build me a few. :)
Click to expand...

Actually, I live in West Virginia. There are no rescues near me, so we are driving to Pa to adopt. I wasn't going to take the chance on hoping the pigs would survive the heat, the A/C was a no brainer. Adopting these pigs and then letting them die of heat stroke would break not only JB's heart, but my own as well. I saw the pain in her little face when Squeekers died. I don't want to see that again any time soon. These pigs will live like queens. I even moved my drafting computer that I use for work to make room for the cage. I took the desk apart and put it in the barn, moved the coffee table into the corner to put the cage on, and may move my plotter to where the cage is to give better access to the pigs. Call it a labor of love, for both my daughter, and the small animals that will rely on us for survival.
 
cfoster1966 said:
There seems to be some confusion. His cage is 3 feet wide by 5 feet long. He is not using grids so the measurements are different than C&C measurements. He will have 15 square feet. A 2x4 C&C cage is 27 inches by 56 inches which is roughly 10.5 sq feet as stated on the home page. A 2x6 cage is roughly 13 sq feet and is big enough for 4 and his cage is 15 sq feet so it definitely big enough for 3. A general rule I use when using feet instead of grids is 8 sq feet for the first pig and add 3 sq foot per pig after that. Even that very generous estimate comes to 14 sq feet for 3. I hope this helps to clarify.
Click to expand...


Exactly. It is 15 square feet and looks gigantic in the living room. We'll see how big it looks with Lucy, Lilly and Lo in it tomorrow night! I think I'm getting as excited as Julia is :silly:
 
Can't wait to see pics of them. Good luck!
 
Welcome to the forum. Looks like you are doing a great job preparing for the girls. I know you will enjoy them! I have 3 boys and currently 8 guinea pigs (some are foster pigs). They are a part of our family and live in the play room where they get lots of attention. This forum is a great resource and extremely helpful with all questions and ideas, so it is good you are joining before you get the girls. Have fun and keep up updated!
 
Welcome to GPC!!

I would love some pics of your girls in their new cage. :D!!
 
I second Frankie!! You are getting us all excited about your piggies too!
 
They're home!!! We posted a few pics that we took when we picked them up. Look in the adoptables discussion.
 
Congratulations on your new girls. They are beautiful.
 
Welcome, I can tell you are going to get addicted to piggies just like I did. I am so sorry about your loss of Squeekers. Most people don't understand how these little ones can grow so close to our hearts. I adopted my first piggie for Mothers day and fell in love. I have a 2 grid by 5 grid C&C cage that dominates half of my room but I love it. My husband even built me a shelf to keep it on. This is one of the best sites to research and learn about piggies. Almost every night I pick a topic and read all the advise....diet and fresh fruit and veggies, fleece, piggie elevator, cage ideas....so much great info, advise and ideas...enjoy your new family members and have fun.
 
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