Hello! First time owner

[Kimicub]

Thanks! April thanks you too! Lol

I was able to get the Oxbow pellets and I picked up a bag of the Oxbow western Timothy hay. April is doing great! Today she even ate some radicchio and red leaf lettuce while I had her out and on my lap. I think she?s starting to trust me.

I do have one question, if I?m standing up with her and I?m supporting her bottom and she?s tucked close to me, she seems to tremble when I pet her. Is this just nerves? She doesn?t make a sound it?s just a ?vibration? I feel. She doesn?t seem to do it when I?m sitting with her. Afraid of heights maybe?


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Mine tend to do that too. I think it's just the fear of being so far away from level ground. If you imagine us being picked up by a giant you might feel a bit shaky too. Just ensure you have a firm but gentle hold and probably wait till you've sat down to pet her.

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[AprilsMom]

She really is adorable
But I recognize that cage and ramp, and I know they were too small (which I know you've previously said you will upsize, and trust me I went through the week of regret not knowing better myself)
I know nothing about the health affects of that little hidy hole , but I was suggested when I purchased that cage that the ramp itself would give them the the special protection they need. The hidey hole decreases a lot of the actual floor space that they definitely needed all that floor space they could get. Their baby legs to had issues crawling up the ramp at first so I'd drape a little wash cloth or something towel over to give them extra coverage to hide behind as well as a more stable way to walk up.

Yeah, I needed something to put her in but I ordered her the Midwest cage and it should be here next week. For now I took that shelve out. She didn?t even look at it and it did get in her way of popcorning. Lol. Now she popcorns all around and runs thru that hidey at 90 mph doing circles! I bought her a new hidey to put in her new cage because I know now that that hidey isn?t good for her. She also popcorns high enough sometimes that she jumps on top of it! Which she couldn?t do with that shelve in there. She?s so fun to watch! I just love her!!


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[AprilsMom]

Mine tend to do that too. I think it's just the fear of being so far away from level ground. If you imagine us being picked up by a giant you might feel a bit shaky too. Just ensure you have a firm but gentle hold and probably wait till you've sat down to pet her.

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Lol, I was thinking of the movie King Kong and being picked up like that so funny you should mention us being picked up. Lol


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[Kimicub]

Lol, I was thinking of the movie King Kong and being picked up like that so funny you should mention us being picked up. Lol


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Lool

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[AprilsMom]

Once I get her new cage, I?m switching from bedding to fleece. I picked up a couple fleece throws 50x60 from Walmart yesterday and I have some old towels to use under it. I?m so excited for her to get this bigger cage and I can?t wait to see how she?ll react with the new things I got to put in it! I?ll take a pic of it once it?s set up next week.

I did get her a cardboard barn that you can fill with hay and it has doors on both sides that she can go into to get the hay once she?s eaten her way in. Does anyone else have one of these or seen one of these? I?m wondering now if it?s safe. It says the cardboard has vegetable based inks so that should be ok. It looks neat!


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[thecuteness]

And as I am sure you've heard before, you should get her a companion. Very minimal extra effort in regards to feeding and cleaning, as well as more entertainment for her.

Sorry if these are things you've been hearing since you got her I just wanted to make sure
I'm sure shes in a loving home

 

[AprilsMom]

And as I am sure you've heard before, you should get her a companion. Very minimal extra effort in regards to feeding and cleaning, as well as more entertainment for her.

Sorry if these are things you've been hearing since you got her I just wanted to make sure
I'm sure shes in a loving home

I?ve been thinking about it but my only problem is lack of room. I got her the Midwest cage because the small c&c cage would be too tight in the area I have her. We have a small living room and I don?t want to put her in a bedroom because we spend most of our time in the living room and it wouldn?t be fair to her or a cagemate to not be part of the family. And I don?t think the Midwest cage is big enough for two. [emoji22]


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[wheekermommy]

I?ve been thinking about it but my only problem is lack of room. I got her the Midwest cage because the small c&c cage would be too tight in the area I have her. We have a small living room and I don?t want to put her in a bedroom because we spend most of our time in the living room and it wouldn?t be fair to her or a cagemate to not be part of the family. And I don?t think the Midwest cage is big enough for two. [emoji22]

You are right, April would prefer to be with you in the living room. Would you be able to do a L shape on two midwest cages? Sometimes it takes some furniture moving/getting rid of but I promise it is worth it to see how happy she will be with a friend. Also, watching guinea pigs interact with one another is soo cute! You really get to see their personalities shine.


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[AprilsMom]

I wish I could. If you can picture it...the tv and her cage take up one wall with the opening to the kitchen and hallway, on the next wall is a loveseat (can?t fit a couch) and an end table, next wall is two recliners and an end table in front of the window then a little opening where the front door and front closet are, on the last wall is my turtles 40 G tank a small end table and a cube shaped 29 G fish tank. We?re full. Honesty if we?d known the living room was doing to be this small we probably wouldn?t have bought the house. Everything looks bigger when it?s empty. Oh well.


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[wheekermommy]

That is a pretty packed room. Are any of the end tables big enough to fit a cage on perhaps?

Totally random but what kind of fishies do you have in the 29 gallon? I used to have a 55 gallon 20 gallon and two 10s.

 

[AprilsMom]

That is a pretty packed room. Are any of the end tables big enough to fit a cage on perhaps?

Totally random but what kind of fishies do you have in the 29 gallon? I used to have a 55 gallon 20 gallon and two 10s.

The end tables are octagon shaped and not very big.

My husband has a saltwater tank. It called a BioCube. It was suppose to be a reef tank but the corals all died so now it?s just some fish, snails, crabs and a couple shrimp.


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[AprilsMom]

I might have a chance to get April?s sister. Same litter. They?ve only been separated for a week. Do I need to quarantine the other and go through the introduction ?dating game??


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[bpatters]

It depends on where you're getting her from and your tolerance for a possible infection. If she's coming from a reputable rescue or a private home where she's been well cared for, you could probably safely skip quarantine. If not, you'd just have to be prepared for double vet bills if she contaminates your existing pigs with something contagious or with parasites.

And yes, you'll have to do full reintroductions for them. It may go easily and well, but better to be prepared if it doesn't.

 

[AprilsMom]

It depends on where you're getting her from and your tolerance for a possible infection. If she's coming from a reputable rescue or a private home where she's been well cared for, you could probably safely skip quarantine. If not, you'd just have to be prepared for double vet bills if she contaminates your existing pigs with something contagious or with parasites.

And yes, you'll have to do full reintroductions for them. It may go easily and well, but better to be prepared if it doesn't.[/


When I adopted April her sister was there at Petco in the back up for adoption too but I was told she was spoken for. But a friend thinks she?s still there. I haven?t called to find out yet. They both were in the same cage.




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[bpatters]

It won't matter if they were together before, either from a quarantine sense or an introduction one. You just have to treat them as pigs who don't know each other and have never met.

 

[AprilsMom]

April is suddenly being weird. I gave her her dinner of mixed lettuce and we?re trying green bean, small piece of celery, a little parsley and cilantro. She?s not eating any of it. I?m wondering if because it?s finally nice outside and I have the back door open where the bird feeder is if that scaring her? She?s not anywhere near the door but you can hear the blackbirds and a couple blue jays quite loudly. Could it be the birds or too much new food? Or maybe both?


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[Janani.R.S]

April is suddenly being weird. I gave her her dinner of mixed lettuce and we?re trying green bean, small piece of celery, a little parsley and cilantro. She?s not eating any of it. I?m wondering if because it?s finally nice outside and I have the back door open where the bird feeder is if that scaring her? She?s not anywhere near the door but you can hear the blackbirds and a couple blue jays quite loudly. Could it be the birds or too much new food? Or maybe both?


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It could be that you are giving her too much food, she might see that she has a lot of food so she will know that she will have a lot to eat later so she isn't eating it, that's a problem with my piggy, Pebbles, if he sees a bowl full of food he wants to save for later and do something else but if it isn't too much he will gobble everything down. It might be the same with April. But, it also could be the birds because guinea pigs don't like loud sounds and they are scared of unfamiliar sounds too. I know a few guinea pigs that have tried to hide from the loud calls of the birds, though, Pebbles is not afraid of birds at all! Pebbles is curious and he starts looking at the ceilings and look at his surroundings to find out where the sound is coming from, then he wheeks with excitement running around his cage. LOL! Anyway, I hope you soon find out the cause!

 

[AprilsMom]

It could be that you are giving her too much food, she might see that she has a lot of food so she will know that she will have a lot to eat later so she isn't eating it, that's a problem with my piggy, Pebbles, if he sees a bowl full of food he wants to save for later and do something else but if it isn't too much he will gobble everything down. It might be the same with April. But, it also could be the birds because guinea pigs don't like loud sounds and they are scared of unfamiliar sounds too. I know a few guinea pigs that have tried to hide from the loud calls of the birds, though, Pebbles is not afraid of birds at all! Pebbles is curious and he starts looking at the ceilings and look at his surroundings to find out where the sound is coming from, then he wheeks with excitement running around his cage. LOL! Anyway, I hope you soon find out the cause!

I think it was the new food. After I moved the cilantro and the parsley, she happily ate most of her lettuce until a green bean popped up then it was ?no?. Once I moved that, she finished her lettuce. I did put some of what I took out back and left the room hoping she would eat it, but no. I will try again every now and then. I did give her some pepper because I didn?t want her to just have lettuce. She?s turning out to be quite a picky eater!


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[bpatters]

Have you seen this? https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/105287-How-to-teach-a-guinea-pig-to-eat-vegetables

 

[AprilsMom]

Have you seen this? https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/105287-How-to-teach-a-guinea-pig-to-eat-vegetables

I have now. Thank you!


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