Adopting a pig tomorrow. Little nervous.

Welcome! Keyword : patience
Read the stickies on top of threads to start with. Be sure to read about the nutrition and space they need. I'm sure everything will go well. And we will be here to answer you for sure.
Post pic when you have one !

Congratulations and make sure you get a scale and weigh the new piggie often. Their weight can be the first sign things are not going well and the nutrition guide here is great. A hidee hut, unlimited timothy hay and water, no open grids on the bottom of their cage or ramps is a great way to start.

I've been looking at the different pictures of cages around the site and my inner creative person is jumping at building something for the little one (its going into a big tank for probably about a week until I've made it something custom). I go to pick him/her up this evening *nail bites*.
For proper diet I am very familiar with animals that have specific needs, that shouldn't be a problem and I also keep a varitey of scales (I suppose weighing is important for all animals).

I'll definitely post some pictures once little piggy comes home.

Welcome.

Where are you adopting the guinea pig from? They really do best in pairs if they have another pig you can adopt.

Him/her? You don't know the gender yet? If not, here is a sexing guide
Sexing Guinea Pigs: How to Sex a Guinea Pig
https://www.guinealynx.info/sexing.html

If you do get a pair, you can make sure they are the same gender using those pics.

If you need help finding grids or coro, let us know.

Thank you ^_^ I've been looking into the grids and such, I saw that the 5x5 and the 8x8 redesigns were a big no no because of the dangers like getting their heads stuck.As for where I'm getting the piggy, its being adopted from another home (the current owners are unsure of the gender, I have read over the sexing page and will check it out once I go to pick it up), and they only have the one. I will see about getting it a friend (or twenty, they're so darn cute <3) once I have finish building the big enclosure.

I have an exotic vet on hand most days of the week at my shelter so the little one will get a check up first thing. I'm excited and nervous at the same time, this will be a whole new adventure for myself and my partner as the piggy will be staying with us at the house rather than most of our other rescues at the shelter (we were worried about some of the larger snakes and monitors getting ideas).

Welcome! You'll find this is a great place to learn about pigs and their needs.

Jackal said:

the piggy will be staying with us at the house rather than most of our other rescues at the shelter (we were worried about some of the larger snakes and monitors getting ideas).

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Very good idea. ;-)

Taking care of pigs will be a much more relaxing process (once you get over the initial nervousness) than taking care of the reptiles. They are definitely a lot easier and even a little cuter in their furry little ways.

Make sure to read the stickies at the top of each section and when you have time peruse the older posts. They are chock full of info.

Thanks to everyone for being so welcoming. The little one is here with us now, a little handful of white boar. My partner has chrisitened him "Frankie" after a character in a book that she loves.
He's quite the attention grabber and he's got a personality three times his size.
We've already done a semi-litter change thanks to this little trouble maker. He's got two water bottles, one large and one med/small (for back up in the event that his large one runs out or malfunctions somehow). Well the way that the large bottle was mounted allowed Frankie to lift it and let it fall back against the side of his enclosure...needless to say he found this extremely amusing and continued to do it until the contents of the bottle were all over himself and the surrounding area...(we've fastened the bottle so that he can no longer swing it about).

Also I'm curious, they make so many different sounds, what does the deep thrumming churrr sound mean? Earlier he snatched a pair of panties out of the laundry pile on the bed, laid down on them, and began to churrrr-urrrrr-rrrr. He's such a little man...

Will post pictures once I track down the elusive creature knows as the Camera Chord.

He sounds so cute already and they do grab your heart for sure. If you search google there are some very creative people that have taped the sounds of their pigs and you may be able to recognize some of them. They popcorn too which I am sure you have heard when they are happy. They jump up and twitch and run around doing circles and it is really funny to watch. I have long haired piggies and when they popcorn its like their hair is their parachute and I laugh every single time as they come back down to earth. Anyway keep us posted and enjoy your new addition. PS I am glad he is enjoying his new shower

Aww...he sounds cute! I bet he'll keep you entertained for a while. Pics? We love to see pics. hint hint

I say you came to a great place since we are all pig lovers here!lol

first, thank-you for adopting instead of buying. I know i'm a bit of a hipocrite here because I buy all mine, but the closest shelter pig is 2 hrs away and pet sotre piggies need help too.

you should really get another piggy of the same sex, unless this one is spayed/neutered, because guinea pigs get really depressed from being alone. they also need alot of space 7.5 sp ft for one minimum. they need pellet food, hay, and fresh produce everyday but remember that some things can be toxic! If you have a vet emergency or suspect illness get to a vet ASAP guinea pigs rarely show they are sick until it is too late. don't wait and see. piggies are also very vocal so you'll have to deal with that, i personally love when all 5 of mine are squeaking at once!lol

they also chew so provide chew toys and tunnles because they like to hide. research is a good idea. read all reliable sources you can! buy a guinea pig book at a local pet or feed store! Don't be so nervous, you should do fine. Congrats on the new piggy!

HappyPiggy said:

I say you came to a great place since we are all pig lovers here!lol

first, thank-you for adopting instead of buying. I know i'm a bit of a hipocrite here because I buy all mine, but the closest shelter pig is 2 hrs away and pet sotre piggies need help too.

you should really get another piggy of the same sex, unless this one is spayed/neutered, because guinea pigs get really depressed from being alone. they also need alot of space 7.5 sp ft for one minimum. they need pellet food, hay, and fresh produce everyday but remember that some things can be toxic! If you have a vet emergency or suspect illness get to a vet ASAP guinea pigs rarely show they are sick until it is too late. don't wait and see. piggies are also very vocal so you'll have to deal with that, i personally love when all 5 of mine are squeaking at once!lol

they also chew so provide chew toys and tunnles because they like to hide. research is a good idea. read all reliable sources you can! buy a guinea pig book at a local pet or feed store! Don't be so nervous, you should do fine. Congrats on the new piggy!

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Ha ha thanks for the info, I can't tell you how many posts like this I've written on reptile forums...^_^; We have an exotic vet on hand 4 days a week at my shelter so Frankie has already had a check up and Dr.P says that he's looking good, his previous owners were taking good care of him (they had to adopt him out due to having to move). Right now he's in a 125 gallon tank while my partner and I work on a "piggy castle" for him and his future bros. I don't think that I've actually bought an animal in years, everything that we own is rescued or adopted, we're going to try and find another boy or two to be pals with Frankie once we get the big home ready.

He's got all the timmothy hay he wants, pellets, natural chew toys (I didn't like the looks of the ones that were dyed.) Two water-bottles, two bowls (one for fresh veggies and one for pellets), a tunnel/sleeping bag sort of thing (he spends a lot of time running back and forth through it), and a tent bed made of fleece.

He's a ham for the camera (ha ha...ham), so I'll have some pics to post once I locate my camera chord.

Jackal said:

Ha ha thanks for the info, I can't tell you how many posts like this I've written on reptile forums...^_^; We have an exotic vet on hand 4 days a week at my shelter so Frankie has already had a check up and Dr.P says that he's looking good, his previous owners were taking good care of him (they had to adopt him out due to having to move). Right now he's in a 125 gallon tank while my partner and I work on a "piggy castle" for him and his future bros. I don't think that I've actually bought an animal in years, everything that we own is rescued or adopted, we're going to try and find another boy or two to be pals with Frankie once we get the big home ready.

He's got all the timmothy hay he wants, pellets, natural chew toys (I didn't like the looks of the ones that were dyed.) Two water-bottles, two bowls (one for fresh veggies and one for pellets), a tunnel/sleeping bag sort of thing (he spends a lot of time running back and forth through it), and a tent bed made of fleece.

He's a ham for the camera (ha ha...ham), so I'll have some pics to post once I locate my camera chord.

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he sounds like he's lucky to have you! congrats on the new piggy and i'm sure he'll be treated like a king in his piggy castle! Great job and keep it up! the piggies will thank you for it!