Welcome to the forum and I hope you find this as informative as I do! I would love to see a photo of him/her? I'm assuming him?
I don't want to pressure you too much, as you just arrived to the forum, so it may be easier to answer questions instead.
Hi
Some pointers are; you need to get another guinea pig of the same gender or Dexter will become very lonely as they are herd animals. But when you get your second guinea pig you will need to put it in quarantine for I think 3 weeks (correct me if I'm wrong). And since you will have two (males?) you will need at least a 5 by 2 C&C cage. How big is your cage? Also search up C&C cages on the internet, they are a super cheap, adjustable and your guinea pigs will love them! Please take this advise into consideration. Thank you and once again welcome to the forum
that's him this morning eating his breakfast lol
He is only 3 mouths old...and thanks this is still a learning experience for me I can use all the help I can get [emoji3]Ahh he's a little cutie, that's for sure! How old is he, do you know? His eyes and ears are so big I can't imagine he's fully grown.
It's really good that you're giving him a variety of veggies, just make sure he only gets one baby carrot a day (it looks like you just cut it up, and that's fine). This chart ( https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List ) is fantastic for showing good daily vegetables and which ones should be given less frequently. It's good to read it over and see where the veggies you give him fall on the list. Also make sure he gets 1/8 cup of high quality timothy hay-based pellets (Oxbow's good and easy to find in pet stores, but KMS Hayloft is prefered by some). If he is under 6 months, alfalfa based pellets are prefered so he gets a source of calcium to help him grow. And if you do not already, make sure he also needs UNLIMITED grass hay*, and that's it's green and fragrant.
It certainly looks like he needs a bigger cage, as well...If he is still young, this cage will do for a bit, but the sooner you can get a bigger cage, the better. Think of his cage like his house. Sure, he can come out when you want him to for floor time, but he lives and sleeps and poops and pees and plays in there. As such, it needs to be big enough for him to exercise when HE wants (they run laps around cages or rooms for exercise, and popcorn when they are happy), while also giving him enough space that he doesn't have to sit and sleep in his own urine. And believe me, mine was in a cage like your's too, and some days his bottom was wet with urine even though I did a weekly cage clean. Now that he's in a 2x3 (I hope to expand and get him a friend asap) and his change in attitude and health is crazy...he popcorns all the time now and has a couple big cozies/hides to lay on/sleep in and he doesn't have to sleep in his waste any more.
So saying this, don't feel too bad that he's in a small cage. I mean, don't brush it off because he DOES need a bigger one, but most people here started out the same way! Ask around, tons of people made lots of first-time mistakes...small cages, inadequate food, mis-sexed pigs...the whole deal. But just like you they all, including myself, love their guinea pigs and research and learn how to give them the fantastic lives they deserve.
*Good grass hay: timothy, orchard grass, blue grass, etc.. Do not give alfalfa (which is a legume, not a grass) to adult guinea pigs as it has too much calcium and can cause bladder stones/sludge. It's good for babies though, although they should only have one source of calcium and maybe some higher-in-calcium veggies. Meaning, give alfalfa hay + timothy pellets, or grass hay + alfalfa pellets.
Oh wow that explains a lot! Because he's so young, as I said, make sure he has a good source of calcium so his bones develop big and strong. Also make sure he has a hide for in his cage--a tissue box or a shoe box are cheap options, just cut a hole so he can get in and out. He might hide for a while if you just got him, but it's important to give him a place to get away when he needs to. If he's still a bit skiddish, try not to stress him unless you have to, but feeding him by hand and getting him used to your presense is important so he learns that people aren't scary. With time and patience, I'm sure he'll be a lovely piggy!
And do you have any specific questions? I'm very glad that you're open to learning good guinea pig care, I and others can help you with any questions or concerns you may have so you can give this guy the good life he deserves.
I got him this one..is that one ok??
You can see on the chart that @wombats posted how much of which vegetables, herbs, and fruit you can feed them (if you scroll down to the second post below the chart, it gives some further information):
Thanks so much I just printed the list and put it on my fridge lol [emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji3] I been trying different things and see what he likes..but now thanks to you guys I know what to feed him...you guys been a life saverVegetable shark... I love it
Welcome to the forums! Dexter is adorable
https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List
Couple of other recommended 'must read' guides:
https://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/medical_guide.html
