New guinea pig owner here!

animalove · Mar 11, 2014

My family just got a new guinea pig on Saturday. I have been thinking of getting one for nearly a year now, and Saturday my husband and i decided to get one. My kids love her, and my daughter can pick her up and hold her without much struggling. I had a guinea pig when i was a kid myself, and i always remember her as a very sweet little thing. I'm new to the forum too and i am eager to learn more about these little fur balls! So far our guinea pig (her name is Ariel) is still kind of shy and quiet, she is fine to be picked up and likes to be petted. I feel like maybe she needs a friend, though. Does anyone think they do better in pairs, or more, from your own experience? I want her to be happy and comfortable, so i may have to get her a buddy- another female as i know babies will be made otherwise

. Thanks for reading and i hope i can learn some more info on here! Any advice, or anything is welcome too.

GPnooby · Mar 11, 2014

HI! Welcome

Yes they are social animals, she will be much happier with a cage mate

As of now, I only have one myself (also got her on Sat.) When I have room to make a bigger cage, I will be getting her a cage mate as well.

Aside from that, I am a newbie when it comes to the more detailed info, but there is a lot of wonderful people with some very helpful information here

Princess_Piggie · Mar 11, 2014

Guinea pigs absolutely need to be kept in pairs (or more), lone guinea pigs tend to be less outgoing, less happy, and just generally less-guinea piggy. Ariel's such a lovely name!

What size cage do you have? Two girls require at least a 2x4, or in measurements, 8-9 sq ft.

I hope to see pigtures soon, and if you haven't already, consider adopting her cage mate

animalove · Mar 11, 2014

Thanks for the advice.. guess i will look into getting her a friend! I'm still learning more about guinea pigs too

animalove · Mar 11, 2014

Right now i have Ariel in a 2x4 cage but i think i will get a larger cage anyway if i get her a friend!

Princess_Piggie · Mar 11, 2014

That's great! The larger space, the less chance of fighting/dominance issues, as well as less frequent cleaning is required, always a plus

What bedding are you using at the moment? The deeper you get in to the forum, the more you'll see we're pretty much all huge fans of fleece as opposed to most disposable beddings.

Rywen · Mar 11, 2014

Welcome to the forum! Ariel sounds really adorable.

animalove · Mar 12, 2014

I'm interested in learning more about the fleece bedding. Right now I'm using the bedding I got with her but it's only a small bag so if I like the fleece idea I may buy that instead. Is it like actual fleece? Like a blanket? How is it cleaned? Lol I have never heard of it before, but sounds like something i may want to do.

Princess_Piggie · Mar 12, 2014

It needs to 100% polyester, so pretty much any fleece works. It gets cleaned in the washing machine, but you need to scoop all the hay/debris/droppings etc off first. You can do this by hoovering, a dustpan, or even rubber gloves and hands. Whatever works for you. Poop also needs to be cleaned out daily/every other day depending on cage size.

It needs an absorbent layer under it, either UHAUL recycled denim pads, towels, or puppy/incontinence pads are the top 3 choices. The fleece needs washing 3-4 times with detergent only before use to start the wicking process. This means the urine drains through the fleece to your absorbent layer, meaning the pigs are always on dry, fresh fleece. Washing with fabric softener/using dryer sheets stops it from wicking. You can go 4-8 days without a full change out depending on cage size.

animalove · Mar 12, 2014

Cool, thanks! I'm def interested in using the fleece instead. Thanks for the info!

Starthecavy123 · Mar 12, 2014

Yes guinea pigs are social creatures and do much better in pairs. When you get her a friend you will deffinetly see her come out of her shell more.

Starthecavy123 · Mar 12, 2014

animalove said:
Cool, thanks! I'm def interested in using the fleece instead. Thanks for the info!

There are many threads on her about how to use fleece.

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