Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Behavior [ADVICES NEEDED] First-timer owner with 5-month old piggy

Nicole Ang

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
4
Joined
May 12, 2016
Messages
4
I'm a first timer and I just brought home a 5-month-old boar on Monday. Currently both him and I are still adapting and adjusting for each other, so I hope I can get some advices if I'm doing it correctly or not.

From the pet shop he has been living (for 2 months) with paper bedding, so until today I'm still using the paper bedding before slowly changing to fleece + towel bedding. Every morning and evening I will pick up the peed paper bedding from the cage for new bedding (coz there's a bit of the smell from the pee), and putting his poops and peed bedding into his food tray where his hay and pellets bowl are (slowly starting the potty training). I'm not sure if this is a good idea for always putting my hand into the cage to change the bedding but I talk to him and doing with small + slow gesture from startling him. But he's still jumpy and ran into his hidey hut I build for him with every little sound from the surrounding (eg: whenever there's anyone walks past or door closes outside my room).

Behaviour:
Starting the 3rd day with me I noticed that he does the popcorn-ing whenever I refill and change his food. I hope it's a good sign? And I noticed that he starts to come out and eat even though I'm sitting near at his food area. Last night for the first time I tried hand feeding with his favourite Vit C pellet outside the cage, he did come and eat but he dashed off when he bite my nail. >.< Things felt bad for me when I tried to put my hand inside the cage with the hay, he started the teeth chattering and followed by the cynical yawn. What should I do? Seeing this, this morning I only added in more food into his food area and didn't go pick up his peed bedding afraid I might piss him off again. But he did come and eat while I was sitting there.

Food and diet:
He eats and drinks well (and poops well) ever since he's with me. But he has never fed with fresh vege, only hay and his pellets. Can I start trying with fresh veges?

Bonding with me:
I only brought him out once and put him on my lap for a little dry bath with a little bit of combing. It was a good lap time for me but he didn't show any interest but keep looking at his cage. What else should I do to enhance the bonding?
 

Kenna18155

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Posts
589
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
589
I'm a first timer and I just brought home a 5-month-old boar on Monday. Currently both him and I are still adapting and adjusting for each other, so I hope I can get some advices if I'm doing it correctly or not.

From the pet shop he has been living (for 2 months) with paper bedding, so until today I'm still using the paper bedding before slowly changing to fleece + towel bedding. Every morning and evening I will pick up the peed paper bedding from the cage for new bedding (coz there's a bit of the smell from the pee), and putting his poops and peed bedding into his food tray where his hay and pellets bowl are (slowly starting the potty training). I'm not sure if this is a good idea for always putting my hand into the cage to change the bedding but I talk to him and doing with small + slow gesture from startling him. But he's still jumpy and ran into his hidey hut I build for him with every little sound from the surrounding (eg: whenever there's anyone walks past or door closes outside my room).

Behaviour:
Starting the 3rd day with me I noticed that he does the popcorn-ing whenever I refill and change his food. I hope it's a good sign? And I noticed that he starts to come out and eat even though I'm sitting near at his food area. Last night for the first time I tried hand feeding with his favourite Vit C pellet outside the cage, he did come and eat but he dashed off when he bite my nail. >.< Things felt bad for me when I tried to put my hand inside the cage with the hay, he started the teeth chattering and followed by the cynical yawn. What should I do? Seeing this, this morning I only added in more food into his food area and didn't go pick up his peed bedding afraid I might piss him off again. But he did come and eat while I was sitting there.

Food and diet:
He eats and drinks well (and poops well) ever since he's with me. But he has never fed with fresh vege, only hay and his pellets. Can I start trying with fresh veges?

Bonding with me:
I only brought him out once and put him on my lap for a little dry bath with a little bit of combing. It was a good lap time for me but he didn't show any interest but keep looking at his cage. What else should I do to enhance the bonding?

I assume that he's currently living in a pet store cage. You should look into C&C cages, as pet store cages are way too small. Aim for 10.5 square feet or more. You should also consider getting him a friend -- no amount of human attention equates a buddy of the same species.

Behavior: Popcorning is great. That's a piggy jump for joy. He's probably happy to be getting new food.

Diet: Yes, start him on veggies. Start by introducing him to bell pepper, then green leaf lettuce, then cilantro/carrots/etc. Also, make sure that his pellet is just a plain Timothy pellet (no seeds, nuts, or colored bits). He should only need 1/8 cup of those a day once he's getting veggies. Unlimited hay.

Bonding: give him time. He's probably still scared. You might want to hand feed veggies to him during lap time -- equating human with food is always a good idea. I think you'll also find that he gets more happy and nice when he has a piggy friend living with him.

Also, regarding the piggy friend: if/when you get him a cage mate in the future, don't buy from a pet store. Adopt or rescue, please, and give a homeless pig a place to live instead of supporting unethical breeding mills.
 
Last edited:

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
Welcome to the forum.

Don't waste your time trying to potty train him -- it can't be done. If you're lucky, he'll mostly pee and poop in the same places (usually where he eats and sleeps) and you can catch a lot of the output. If you're not lucky, he'll go wherever, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Be patient with him. Guinea pigs are very skittish animals. Spend a lot of time at the cage with you hands in it, rearranging things, or just gently moving them around. Keep offering him veggie treats, and he'll eventually come around.

Ditto about the cage. Pet store cages are nowhere near large enough for a guinea pig. I'd take it back and make arrangements for a larger cage, particularly because he does need another guinea pig. A male, not a female. But please don't buy another one -- pet store guinea pigs are bred and raised in horrible conditions, and often come with parasites, missexed, and baby sows are pregnant. Google for a guinea pig rescue or shelter near you and see if you can find one that way.
 

Nicole Ang

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
4
Joined
May 12, 2016
Messages
4
I assume that he's currently living in a pet store cage. You should look into C&C cages, as pet store cages are way too small. Aim for 10.5 square feet or more. You should also consider getting him a friend -- no amount of human attention equates a buddy of the same species.

Behavior: Popcorning is great. That's a piggy jump for joy. He's probably happy to be getting new food.

Diet: Yes, start him on veggies. Start by introducing him to bell pepper, then green leaf lettuce, then cilantro/carrots/etc. Also, make sure that his pellet is just a plain Timothy pellet (no seeds, nuts, or colored bits). He should only need 1/8 cup of those a day once he's getting veggies. Unlimited hay.

Bonding: give him time. He's probably still scared. You might want to hand feed veggies to him during lap time -- equating human with food is always a good idea. I think you'll also find that he gets more happy and nice when he has a piggy friend living with him.

Also, regarding the piggy friend: if/when you get him a cage mate in the future, don't buy from a pet store. Adopt or rescue, please, and give a homeless pig a place to live instead of supporting unethical breeding mills.

Hi Kenna18155, thanks for your feedback!

Actually my boy Charlie isn't staying in a pet store cage, I've built him a cage of 1ft X 3ft, which I understand it's still small. But I'm extending the cage stage by stage.

Behaviour:
I've been observing everyday, he isn't scared to come near me now whenever I'm sitting by his cage during or not his food top-up or bedding changing time. He doesn't even mind my hand inside the cage changing the paper bedding. Even so, he would come and smell my fingers these few days. But he bite my fingers after some smelling, probably because I just top-up his hay and pellets... And he's really very timid, he would give the rumbling sound even just with the bird chirping sound outside my room...

Diet:
I'm gonna start with baby carrots as I'm still trying to get the other green leaf vege for him, just trying not to get the wrong ones.

Bonding:
It has been 6 days now, it feels like difficult to pat him still. He's still pretty jumpy. He would come and smell my hand but I just stay there from startling him, and just don't wanna break the trusting bond. And the lap time few days ago was the only time I did it with him. Just now I did try to pick him up with him inside his fleece blanket, but he ran when I tried to pick up, and gave me the teeth chattering. Should I just continue to pick him up with my hands for daily lap time? Or should I just leave him for another few days?

As for getting a friend for him, yes I'm considering of adopting a friend for him when he finally settles down. I believe official pet store in Singapore has licensed breeder, but am considering of adopting from the rescue in the future.
 

Nicole Ang

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
4
Joined
May 12, 2016
Messages
4
Welcome to the forum.

Don't waste your time trying to potty train him -- it can't be done. If you're lucky, he'll mostly pee and poop in the same places (usually where he eats and sleeps) and you can catch a lot of the output. If you're not lucky, he'll go wherever, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Be patient with him. Guinea pigs are very skittish animals. Spend a lot of time at the cage with you hands in it, rearranging things, or just gently moving them around. Keep offering him veggie treats, and he'll eventually come around.

Ditto about the cage. Pet store cages are nowhere near large enough for a guinea pig. I'd take it back and make arrangements for a larger cage, particularly because he does need another guinea pig. A male, not a female. But please don't buy another one -- pet store guinea pigs are bred and raised in horrible conditions, and often come with parasites, missexed, and baby sows are pregnant. Google for a guinea pig rescue or shelter near you and see if you can find one that way.

Hi bpatters, thanks!

For potty train, I supposed it makes no difference even when I change to the fleece bedding in the future. But it's alright :)

Yup, I'm still putting my hand inside the cage every morning and evening for my boy Charlie's bedding changing and for topping up his food. He does come and smell my hand now, I suppose my fingers have the smell of his food, but he bite my finger, get startled by himself, and ran. And I didn't even pull off. Silly boy haha.

As for the cage, it's not a pet store cage, I've built him a 1ft X 3ft cage, but I'm extending stage by stage. And yes I'm considering of adopting a cage mate for him in the future.
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
OK, but expand that cage quickly. What you've got is less than half of the recommended cage size. That makes it hard to keep clean, and increases the chances of him developing bumblefoot.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

Top