Hey all,
I have 3 bonded guinea pigs (1 adult and 2 babies) currently in a 3x4 C&C, so space isn't an issue for them.
In order to feed the babies alfalfa pellets and make sure the adult doesn't eat them, I'm planning to split the space into two 2x3's to separate the adult and the babies.
To prevent the adult from feeling lonely by itself, the dividing panels between the two cages won't be lined with coroplast. This is done to make sure that the adult can still smell/sniff the scent of the babies and vice versa, so they won't lose their bonded relationship.
Each 2x3 cage will have its own timothy hay, hideouts, fresh vegetables, water bottles, enrichment, etc.
Lastly, I've read online (and tried myself) to simply feed the babies the alfalfa pellets when they are out for floor time instead of separating the babies and adult permanently, but they are simply not eating enough alfalfa pellets and I'm worried they aren't getting the calcium they need.
I've also thought about giving the babies high-calcium vegetables like parsley instead of the alfalfa pellets during floor time to encourage calcium intake, but I still have a giant bag of alfalfa pellets left and it'd feel like such a waste of food to not use them and throw them away.
I've also thought about separating the cages only during feeding time. However, this method wouldn't work since the babies need unlimited pellets while the adult needs a fixed amount of pellets, and having them separated temporarily would be too much of a hassle as it would need to be done multiple times in a day to ensure that the babies have constant/unhindered access to their alfalfa pellets while the adult doesn't.
Any and all advice on my separated cage idea would be appreciated. Thanks!
I have 3 bonded guinea pigs (1 adult and 2 babies) currently in a 3x4 C&C, so space isn't an issue for them.
In order to feed the babies alfalfa pellets and make sure the adult doesn't eat them, I'm planning to split the space into two 2x3's to separate the adult and the babies.
To prevent the adult from feeling lonely by itself, the dividing panels between the two cages won't be lined with coroplast. This is done to make sure that the adult can still smell/sniff the scent of the babies and vice versa, so they won't lose their bonded relationship.
Each 2x3 cage will have its own timothy hay, hideouts, fresh vegetables, water bottles, enrichment, etc.
Lastly, I've read online (and tried myself) to simply feed the babies the alfalfa pellets when they are out for floor time instead of separating the babies and adult permanently, but they are simply not eating enough alfalfa pellets and I'm worried they aren't getting the calcium they need.
I've also thought about giving the babies high-calcium vegetables like parsley instead of the alfalfa pellets during floor time to encourage calcium intake, but I still have a giant bag of alfalfa pellets left and it'd feel like such a waste of food to not use them and throw them away.
I've also thought about separating the cages only during feeding time. However, this method wouldn't work since the babies need unlimited pellets while the adult needs a fixed amount of pellets, and having them separated temporarily would be too much of a hassle as it would need to be done multiple times in a day to ensure that the babies have constant/unhindered access to their alfalfa pellets while the adult doesn't.
Any and all advice on my separated cage idea would be appreciated. Thanks!