Intro and Questions!

[brittttaaannyyy]

Hello everyone!
My name is Brittany. My hamster just passed away yesterday and my brother's girlfriend said she was looking to rehome her guinea pig, so I took her the same day!
She dropped her off with bedding and food pellets, along with a cage. Her name is Luna! I haven't taken a picture of her yet. I've owned cats, dogs and hamsters but never guinea pigs.

My questions are:
Should I invest in some Vitamin C Tabs? I know not to use the water drops.
Does she like mealworms? My hamster did and I have some left, but I understand they are herbivores.
How many fruit and vegetables should be in her diet, and how often?
How much do you feed daily? She is believed to be under a year but I work for a vet who sees these guys so I will get her checked out for sure once she is used to me.
Do they need wood or something to chew on? I understand the daily Timothy Hay will help with that.
Any tips on how to get her introduced to me better? I pet her and feed her carrots by hand but she runs away if I try ro pick her up.
Anyone have luck with litter training these guys? She already goes in a corner and actually flips her house over and pottys in there, so I think she will be a good candidate for that!
And please, any extra tips are appreciated!
I have checked out a few posts on here with self-help links regarding new guineas, they have helped a lot!

Thanks for your time in advance!

 

[bpatters]

Welcome!

If she eats vegetables, particularly bell pepper, she doesn't need vitamin C supplements.

No mealworms. They're strictly herbivores.

Some will chew on things, others don't. The hay will keep their teeth ground down, and they should never need trimming unless something goes wrong with the molars.

You can't litter train them. If you're lucky, they'll pick a place in the cage, usually a dark corner, where they prefer to pee and poop, and you can put a litter pan there and catch a lot of it. If you're not lucky, they'll go wherever.

Here's some recommended reading, which has links to diet and feeding:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs!
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners

 

[brittttaaannyyy]

Welcome!

If she eats vegetables, particularly bell pepper, she doesn't need vitamin C supplements.

No mealworms. They're strictly herbivores.

Some will chew on things, others don't. The hay will keep their teeth ground down, and they should never need trimming unless something goes wrong with the molars.

You can't litter train them. If you're lucky, they'll pick a place in the cage, usually a dark corner, where they prefer to pee and poop, and you can put a litter pan there and catch a lot of it. If you're not lucky, they'll go wherever.

Here's some recommended reading, which has links to diet and feeding:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs!
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners

I will try bell pepper again, although the previous owner said she didn't like them. Do you have any recommendations for Vit C tabs? I couldn't find any at the petstore.

 

[bpatters]

Oxbow tabs are fine, or Vita Drops liquid vitamin C. It can be syringed to the pig, or sprinkled on vegetables.

See https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/105287-How-to-teach-a-guinea-pig-to-eat-vegetables.

 

[brittttaaannyyy]

Oxbow tabs are fine, or Vita Drops liquid vitamin C. It can be syringed to the pig, or sprinkled on vegetables.

See https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/105287-How-to-teach-a-guinea-pig-to-eat-vegetables.

Thanks so much for your help! Any tips on easing into picking her up? And I have sunflower, pumpkin, squash, cantaloupe, and watermelon seeds - are any of those okay for Luna?

 

[bpatters]

Don't feed the seeds at all. Hard ones can choke them to death, and the softer ones slide around and are difficult to chew.

I gave you some links to read. Please do so. They'll tell you that guinea pigs can't have nuts and seeds.