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aleece

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Hello. My name is Natasha. I am a new member here and I am new to the Guinea Pig world as well.

I have been wanting a pig for a very long time and finally convinced my husband in letting me get one. (I told him it was for our daughter.. really for me. ha-ha!)

When we were first looking at cages, I was looking at the ones that the pet store sells and the cheapest one was a $32 1''x 2''. NOT enough space.. I felt bad knowing that so many people buy those thinking that's all that's out there. Anyway, we have a 3'x4' two story C&C cage. It's amazing. We have one pig and he LOVES it. Compared to where he was in the store, this is a castle. I hope to post pictures soon. Our boy is black, tan and white. Beautiful.

Thank you for reading, Just thought I would introduce myself.

-Natasha
 

CavySpirit

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Welcome to the forum and the guinea pig world, Natasha. Glad to meet you!

Well, now that you know great these little buggers are, you should think about adopting a friend for your guy. You've certainly got a big enough cage to add a buddy!

He sounds cute. Looking forward to pix.

Cheers!
 

suzilovespiggie

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Welcome Natasha! You certainly have come to the right place for all things piggie. We are piggie fanatics here. Nothing better than to talk and show pictures of our great little creatures.
You have a great start with your C&C cage. Ly&pigs has a great list in the diet/nutrition thread for all foods. Read and enjoy. Looking forward to pictures and your postings.
 
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cavycache

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Sounds like all you need to get now is a friend for your little guy! Please post pics soon!
 

aleece

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316837_1910004710638_1257451563_31618315_329758_n.jpgThis is Oliver.. He is SO much fun. He didn't make a lot of noise the first couple of days we had him.. but now! Ha-ha! I love his little squeal.

-Natasha
 

aleece

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308176_1910004510633_1257451563_31618314_7858180_n.jpgOliver hiding in covers.
 

Texaschic81

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Very cute! You should totally get him a friend! He'll such a happier pig!
 

pinky

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Welcome, Natasha, when my kids were young, I used to use them as an excuse to adopt one or buy something for the guinea pigs when it was really for me.... ha ha .... so I can relate. Now, my husband never even questions it anymore. He knows I'm hooked on these little ones. I actually had my then 4 year old daughter with me when we got our first guinea pig.
 

aleece

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My daughter is three.. She seems older, my goodness. My husband is learning.. Ha-ha! I really, REALLY want to get him a little friend, I'm working on convincing him I need to. :) I think I'm almost there. My daughter LOVES Oliver. She is never alone with him, and only pets him now. We let Oliver sit on her lap one day, it was fine.. little kids and animals always make me a little nervous though. Thank you all for the comments.
-Natasha
 

ellisa

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Welcome! Your piggie is so cute! :D
 

SweetiePig

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Welcome! Glad to see you went with your instincts on the cage and didnt buy those horrible small pet store cages! But your C&C cage sounds awesome! I would love to see a pic of it!
Your piggy is very cute too by the way, love his name! Do you plan to get him a friend?
If you have any questions, feel free to ask, there are many loving and caring members on here who would love to help you out! :cheerful: This is a wonderful forum! Glad you joined!
 

CavyMama

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Oh...now look at that little face! What a charmer he is! :) Looks like he still has baby nails so I imagine he's a young one still.
 

aleece

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Thank you! Yes I do plan on getting Oliver a friend. Would it be wise to get another male, or would it be okay to get a female? I will post pictures of the cage soon.. When I was first looking to get a piggy, I was looking at Craig's list. All I saw were people selling their pigs with lots toys and teeny-tiny cages. I kept thinking, where in the world do you put all of that stuff.. Anyway, Oliver seems happy, although I really think he would be even happier with a little friend.
 

aleece

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CavyMama, I am unsure of how old Oliver is. I asked the pet store and they told me he was 5 weeks old. (now he would be about 12 weeks) I was wondering though, is Oliver going to get bigger?
 

CavyMama

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Is Oliver neutered? If not, stick with a male friend (or alternately, a spayed female). If he's neutered, either one would work.

Please don't buy his friend though. Look for those up for adoption at your local shelters. Look on petfinder or Craigslist, etc.
 

aleece

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I don't believe he is neutered. I asked the pet store if they had females, they said they only keep males. :/ I know that pigs are very docile, but would me introducing another male be a problem, or are they generally accepting?
 

aleece

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I will do that! Defiantly. Thank you.
 

CavyMama

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I would make 100% sure that he is, indeed male. I've heard horror stories about one location of a petstore only kept males and the other location only kept females and the person brought home what she thought was a male but (woops!) the pig was indeed female and pregnant.

Males living with males shouldn't be a problem. I have 5 males paired off in cages (plus one single whose cagemate recently passed). I've never had a problem with males getting along. As long as they have enough room and after the 21 day quarantine (different room and behind closed doors) are introduced on neutral territory.
 

aleece

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I will be taking Oliver to the vet here soon. He has been sneezing the day I brought him home.. Not a lot though. It just recently increased. He is still eating normal and drinking his water normal, along with pee and poo. (Normal) I will make sure then. I have looked it up, on how to identify male and female, and I very sure he is a 'HE'.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I am sure it was very hard. If you don't mind me asking, how did your other pigs take the loss. Was it hard on them?

I will also make sure I get a male from either petfinder or craigslist.
 

CavyMama

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I'm glad you are getting him to the vet so quickly. Unfortunately, it happens all too often that pet stores will sell sick pigs that either need immediate medical attention or that don't make it past a few days before passing on.

Yes, losing Trio was very hard. His roomie Louie and he were a pretty bonded pair. When Louie came to live with us (early Aug) Trio was already my "little old man" pig. Louie (who is older than Trio was) took Trio under his wing. He slept next to him in the hay (nose to nose), next to the cuddle cup that Trio was in. If meals were served and Trio was in the hay, Louie would walk over, hop into the hay and nudge Trio in the right direction to make sure he got something to eat. Trio was blind in one eye, had knee problems and more recently had severe dental problems. He passed this past Sunday morning.

So far, I haven't seen much from Louie that says he knows Trio is gone for good. They weren't cage mates long (only 2 mths) but you would think they were best buds from way back.

I'm so glad you are going to get Oliver a friend. The Humane Society of North Texas has two males up for adoption:

(broken link removed) Oh, here's an adorable white crested boy, Gizmo

(broken link removed) And here's a lovely tan & white abyssinian boy, Rusty

Also, if you are anywhere near Lewisville, there are several males at the Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue.
 
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