General In need of help!

What is her living situation like? Does she have lots of room? Does she have an actual place she can hide? What do you mean by a "slide"? If you can post some photos of her living quarters it may help us determine a way to help you get her more comfortable.

I highly doubt the dogs had anything to do with it, other than perhaps scare her.

I can't take a photo right now, but I bought a 70 dollar guinea pig cage with a step way (slide) to get to the top platform (which she hasn't gone up), it came with a water bottle, a food bowl and a hay rack, she always hides under the stepway (slide) and never goes anywhere else, I'll find a photo of the exact model cage

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This is the exact cage

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First off, I hate to be the one to give you bad news but, the cage you bought is nowhere near large enough for one guinea pig. If you were to TRIPLE the size of that cage you'd be in the ballpark.

Guinea pigs are prey animals, which means that they think EVERYTHING wants to eat them so their first natural instinct is to hide. Under the ramp in that cage is the only place she has cover over her head, so that's why she stays there. For the $70 you spend on that cage, you could have gotten something from this site thats far more appropriate for her.

Please don't feel like I'm bashing you because I'm not. Here, however we put the piggies needs first, and she needs a bigger home.

This link contains some very good reading for new piggie owners, as I'm pretty sure you must be.

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners

For the time being, try covering one end of that cage with a blanket or towel, but make sure it's still well ventilated and make sure her food and water is under the covered portion. You may find her become a little more adventurous.

And I absolutely implore you to find her a bigger cage.

Ok thanks

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I won't have the money for awhile because I spent all my savings on that cage lmao, and I'm 16 babysitting for the summer, Witch is about to end

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Edit: and I don't have a card, so I can't go online shopping lmao, best bet was the store, didn't know it was to small as it said "for guinea pigs"

You can purchase a card and use it for online shopping.

And since you're new to guinea pigs, here's some recommended reading: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners

Ok we have mostly carrots and lettuce, but I'll try to get other, any tips on the water? I read online that they can get water from the veggies, also as I said I can't online shop (I know in the EU you can get a credit card when your like 13 I think, down here it's 18)

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So I did as the other member said and placed a sweatshirt on the side she likes to hang out

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Kelsie said:

I wouldn't be overly concerned about her water consumption. She is getting some water from her vegetables. It's possible that she has never had a gravity water bottle but was instead given a water dish. If you can coax her to the bottle just put your finger on the spout and make the water drip out, that way she will realize that she can drink from it. I don't think it will take her long to learn to drink from the bottle. She is just scared and feels very insecure. Just be patient and gentle with her and once she feels more comfortable with you I believe she will come out of her shell.

I know you didn't ask but if I were you I wouldn't take her to your friend's house during this time. She needs a quiet and peaceful environment until she feels safe. Being around the dogs probably frightened her quite a bit.

Click to expand...

Ok so I actually read that online, the water thing, and I've been doing that, and yeah I probably won't bring her next door anymore

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Welcome to the forum @RiotRuth! She's a beautiful little piggy!

1. I completely agree with @Kelsie ; I wouldn't be too worried about the water! I would get her lettuce nice and wet before you give it to her; that way she'll get some extra water (on top of the water content lettuce naturally has)

2. Covering the one side of the cage will definitely make her feel safer. Under the slide is still quite open, so she still feels pretty vulnerable, and that's why she's not moving. I would get her a hidey house, or make one out of a cardboard box. To make one, you can flip the box upside down and cut a hole in the side---just make sure there isn't tape on it. She'll probably enjoy chewing on it, too

3. Hay, pellets, and lettuce are great. Carrots they should only have a small piece of every day, like half a baby carrot. Bell peppers and lettuce are perfect daily veggies! Piggies LOVE bell peppers, and they're very important for vitamin C. 80% if their diet is hay, and the other 20% a mix of veggies and pellets.

It's completely normal for her to still be hiding and very shy! I would only hold her once a day at the most, and not take her anywhere for the first 2 or 3 weeks. Talk softly and handfeed her lots of veggies, and she'll start bonding with you!

I hope you can get her a bigger cage, though I completely understand you don't have the money right now. C&C cages can be made very easily and cheaply out of the c&c grids for building storage cubes. Stores like Walmart almost always have them! The reason everyone commented on your cage (besides small size) is piggies need one big large level, unlike hamsters,etc. They can't see depth, so they will walk right off a table or ledge. Because of this they don't like to climb, so she might never use the slide/second level. 7.5 square feet is the minimum cage size for piggies. She looks she's still a baby right now----she'll grow to be almost 12 inches long!

And here's a site that helped me SO much as a new piggy owner: www.guineapigmanual.com It's very readable, often very funny, and also packed with info on food/veggies, behavior, guinea pig sounds and meanings, etc!

Sorry to ramble, and I hope this helps!

to everyone who helped!

hey! I posted yesterday about my new guinea pig I got on Saturday (today is Friday) and we'll I took all of your suggestions! first one (and the most important one) is people were saying to get a bigger cage, my problem was I couldn't afford any because A. I saved up all of my money to get the small one I have and B. I can't buy online because I don't have a credit card... but..
I twisted it! just look at the attached photo! I took my closet and turned it into a huge cage, I gated it and I put the old cage in there to incase she wants to go in there (plus when I'm gone she has to be in there, I got a dog and a cat also).
if you look in the corner I also made a homemade shelter for her pinning a wash cloth and putting a shirt over it (SHE LOVES IT), also in that post I said my guinea pig never drank out of her water bottle in the 4 days I had her, well today was the first day I saw her drink! I think it was because of the new cage home.
but yeahhhhh
thanks guys


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Re: to everyone who helped!

Do you have hidies on the outside of the cage?and also you should put a blanket on the bottom so that pee absorbed in there and not the wood and do you have the option to turn your cage so that there would be more space like on the drawing. Why guinea pigs need more space is for running and popcorning and there’s not much space for that


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Re: to everyone who helped!

K4tr1n4 said:

Do you have hidies on the outside of the cage?and also you should put a blanket on the bottom so that pee absorbed in there and not the wood and do you have the option to turn your cage so that there would be more space like on the drawing. Why guinea pigs need more space is for running and popcorning and there’s not much space for that

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Click to expand...

I have pee pads under the bedding, and this is the best I can do, I can't expand it any more then that, I feel bad now cause this isn't enough space apparently

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Re: to everyone who helped!

How large is the closet floor? If it's not large enough to arrange like the diagram in the other posts, maybe there is enough room to set the cage in the middle. Then she could run around the outside of the cage.

Also, you can save money using fleece rather than wood shavings. Put a sheet of fleece over the puppy pads. I change mine out every 2-3 days. Fleece washes well and dries quickly. If you can get washable incontinence pads instead of puppy pads, that would save money in the long run as well.

Welcome to the forum! There are so many experienced guinea pig people out here, you'll get lots of information. I am assuming the lettuce you're buying is leaf lettuce. Iceberg or head lettuce is not nutritious at all and can cause digestive issues.

Re: to everyone who helped!

Please do not start new threads on the same topic. You can just add the update to the original thread. I am merging the two threads to maintain continuity but next time please keep all relevant info together.