New Guinea Pig Owner

[alanaafaye]

Hi, everyone! I got my first guinea pig yesterday. I got her the largest cage at the pet store, because I don't have room for even the smallest C&C cage. So I guess my biggest question is how can I keep Trixie as happy as possible without such a large cage or companion piggy? Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

 

[Flowering]

I think the two best things you can give a piggy is
1. A friend of the same sex or neutered partner
2. Space to run and play
Without these things piggys are just stuck in a glorified litter box. Imagine not being able to run when you wanted or talk to another human ever again.
Please if you can adopt your piggy a friend and let them both have lots of floor time every day

 

[Starthecavy123]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

You may have to move some furniture around like my cage is in our dinning room. Guinea pigs realy need large cages larger than a pet store cage. You could also try a Midwest habitat their about the only large enough cage on the market. Guinea pigs realy do need a friend to add to @Flowering its like being abducted by aliens analogy. Imagine being taken by aliens with no one to talk to that's pretty much how a lone piggie would feel. Please adopt don't shop.

 

[alanaafaye]

I literally cannot fit a larger cage. I live with my parents and the cage has to be in my room. I understand what you all are saying, and trust me if there was any way I could make it happen I would. But I can't. And I feel awful about it. I was really hoping for some tips on how to make it as good as possible under the circumstances.

 

[bpatters]

Look through the photo galleries. There are tons of cages in there, some in very small places. You could possibly put a larger cage on a table or on your dresser. Think outside the box, and you can probably come up with something. Your pig needs more room AND a friend. How would you like to live out your life in a room the size of a large closet with no one of your own kind to talk to?

 

[labgirl5]

My room is absolutely tiny, and with a twin-sized bed, a large dresser/night table, I barely have enough room to walk, let alone room for a large cage; but I sacrificed my space for my piggies; 10.5 sq. feet of it, to be exact. Just try to move your furniture around, or get rid of stuff that you don't need. You might be able to return the pet store cage if you buy a Midwest/make a new cage soon enough!

 

[Starthecavy123]

Guinea pigs need a large place to live so they can run and get exercise. Sometimes you just need to think outside the box. Maybe explain to your parents that they need a bigger cage. Maybe if you talk to them they may let you put the cage some other place besides your room. Guinea pigs don't need wheels so you don't have to worry about them waking you up. My mom wasn't quite fond of my boys cage in the dinning room but seeing them so happy changed her mind. Plus they like to feel part of the family. Guinea pigs love being where the action is. I would think of putting my boys in a room by themselves. I like being able to watch them its more rewarding that way. You could show them this forum or do some kind of presentation. Maybe if they see the advantages they'd come around. Or a Midwest habitat might work better. They meet the minimum requirements but smaller than a c&c. You could try one of those. Besides them a c&c is the most recommended.

 

[Flowering]

I literally cannot fit a larger cage. I live with my parents and the cage has to be in my room. I understand what you all are saying, and trust me if there was any way I could make it happen I would. But I can't. And I feel awful about it. I was really hoping for some tips on how to make it as good as possible under the circumstances.

I don't think you'll get any tips because unless the BASIC needs are met then everything else is wasted.

A c&c cage is not that big if you consider adding a second level or doing an L shape cage. If your piggy is still young please get him a cage mate because bonding older piggys is quite hard.

 

[alanaafaye]

Quick update: I did get Trixie a companion. Definitely saw an immediate perk in her behavior. I'm currently working on finding someone to adopt my 18 hermit crabs (they're in a 40 gallon aquarium) so that I will have room to put a C&C cage. For now I'm making sure they get at least an hour of floor time everyday, which while I know that doesn't make up for the small cage, it's all I can do until the crabs get adopted. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[MrsGuineaPig]

How was introduction? Did you get buy another one or adopt? Did you make sure they are the same sex? Any fighting?

 

[alanaafaye]

I tried to adopt, but couldn't find anything. My SPCA didn't have any guinea pigs, there were no Craigslist ads, and the guinea pig rescue near me only had males. So I just went ahead and bought a second one from Petco, they had been housed in the same cage their so they bonded quickly. It's really adorable to watch them cuddle and groom one another. I really wish I had been able to adopt, but I didn't want to wait indefinitely for Trixie to have a friend.

 

[HollyH8]

Is it a possibility that you can get a loft bed? You know the one where it's a twin on top and either a desk or another bed on the bottom? You can convert the bottom into a great sized cage without taking up anymore room. Just an idea! Guinea pigs are very social and will never be completely happy without a friend and especially if they aren't being provided adequate space. Hope I helped

 

[HollyH8]

Oops! Just saw your last post. Congrats on getting trixie a friend and trying to make more space for a bigger cage Can we see pictures of your piggies?

 

[alanaafaye]

Here's Trixie and Annabelle digging into some hay:



And here is an up close of Trixie:



I need to get a good picture of Annabelle alone. They're both approximately 2.5 months old.

 

[pigger123]

They're both adorable! Did you double-check to make sure they were both actually females? Pet stores are notorious for mis-sexing pigs.

 

[alanaafaye]

I did make sure. The lady at Petco even told me they had a mix up a few weeks ago. But mine are both females, for sure.

 

[Christin Barnes]

I am a New Guinea pig owner too! Mine is a male rescue that someone int the neighborhood foolishly "let go" because they didn't want to care for it anymore. I don't know how old it is or anything but he is very well tempered. Right now we keep him in our dining room because it's in the middle if the house where there is a lot of traffic. I want to get more pigs in the future but I would need to make a bigger cage and I'm trying to get the hang of caring for the one I have first. I have a playpen I bought on amazon that I put him in to run around more and let everyone get used to him. His cage isn't terribly small but I put definitely want to make something bigger in the future like a 2x4 c&c possibly. I have to do more research first because I have cats and I need to make sure anything I build they can't stick their little paws through and hurt my pig.