Eek! Just acquired a Guinea Pig!

[spoonyspork]

A friend of mine got three 'female' guineas from a petstore, and.. low and behold, one of them ended up being a male. They didn't want to take him back to the pet store and would have kept him had any of the babies been male (they've since learned how to sex a guinea), but when they all ended up being female, they decided it was a sign that they just needed to give him up. Soooo... here he is will me, hanging out in the old 'pet store' cage to make sure he's not carrying anything while I decide how to introduce him to Hee.

He was well taken care of, considering they didn't know what they were getting into (and he's also been in one of those tiny cages for quite a while... the others have a wooden & wire mesh cage roughly the size of a 2 x 4), and he's VERY sweet and gentle.. almost TOO calm, I think. I'm a little worried his vitamin C might be low because of the slight lethargy, and the fact that he was fed only pellets where he came from (they've made a promise to add fresh fruits and veggies to their daily diet). I've given him some veggies and hay, but he's just barely nibbling at the carrots and doesn't seem interested in much else. His last owners tell me he's always been that way, so it might just be his personality.. but I'm still a bit worried. Is there anything good I can give him to get a good quick boost of vitamin C, or should I just slowly introduce him to healthier things like he seems content to do anyway?

Also, just how long should I keep him separate from my other guy before I try introductions? He has been separated from the females since several weeks before they gave birth, and the babies are a few months old now... everyone also looked pretty healthy, and I heard no coughing nor saw bare patches of skin (other than this guy.. he has bare spots behind his ears, but I don't see anything IN his ears to indicate mites, and I've heard they sometimes just have bare spots behind their ears anyway?). They're both over a year old, so that means they've already gone through puberty, right?

Last but not least... anyone have any good name suggestions? He was called Hairy before, and that's just boring! He's the kind with the 'cowlicks' all over (can't remember what that's called at the moment), VERY sweet as I mentioned, and mouse-brown and yellow in color.

Thanks!

 

[dagwellismypigy]

He needs to be seperated for at least 2 weeks. Bald spots behind the ears are normal. Yeah they have both been throught puberty. Do you feed the same pellets as your friends? If you don't you may want to get some of his old pellets and ween him off of them. Just leave some veggies in his cage, he 's just getting used to being in a new home.

Sorrry I cant think of any names, but you could always search the forum, I believe there was a topic a while back only on names.

Congratulations on the new piggy!

 

[joab97]

It is suggested that you keep the piggies apart for 3 weeks, then introduce them. As far as the veggies and items like that go to (broken link removed) They have all the answers for your veggie questions and such. Maybe his teeth are overgrown or something that he dont eat...or perhaps, like the previous owners said that is just they way he is.

My cavy, Charlie also has cowlicks galore,,it's so cute...and I dont know what they are called,,cause I havent quite seen a cavy on here that looks like him. Good luck with your new piggie!! Sorry if I wasnt much help.

 

[RubyPiggie2]

It's www.guinealynx.com

I would suggest to actually keep them apart LONGER, so he has more time to get used to YOU. I would also suggest a 2x4 or greater for two males, since there are usually more dominance problems between them. Sometimes not.
Just SLOWLY introduce veggies into his diet, and slowly wean him off the pellets.

 

[spoonyspork]

Just a slight update:

This is the single most people-oriented cavy I've ever met! Since he's in the teeny cage (only about the size of a 1 x 1.5 c&c), I let him run around the living room for a while. He pitter-pattered around non-chalauntly like he owned the place, came running over to me any time I held my hand out, and wove in and out of my legs like a cat as I walked. That's just bizzare to me! I've handled Hee every day for almost a year and he STILL runs when I try to get him out of the cage. This guy actually runs over to the door every time I walk by.

The one thing that makes me nervous now: the boys caught each others' scent, and the new guy started acing really aggressive.. like, chattering his teeth like mad and trying to climb the base grids of the cage to get to him. His hair was standing on end and he actually had his head arched like a stallion... which really looked more scary than cute, even with the tufts of hair sticking out all over the place. That's when I put him back up. He kept whistling and chattering his teeth for about 10 minutes afterward. Could the fact that he has bred have made him more likely to be aggressive to another boar?

 

[RubyPiggie2]

No, breeding does not change a male's personality. Trust me, I know. XD
Whenever you pair them together, do NOT seperate them unless they actually FIGHT. Meaning, a big furball fight. A lot of newer cavy owners think that it's bad if they chatter, it's not really. Just don't give in when you introduce them.
What's also good is a buddy bath before you pair them together. Together in a tub is great.

 

[dagwellismypigy]

if they draw blood too seperate them.

 

[sofiemuffins]

Hmm, what's your other pig's name? And how did you come about that name? This might help people figure out a name for your new guy.

 

[The Dumpling]

I'm curious - how do the buddy baths work for 2 males? My guinea pigs hated baths - do baths for two fighting males at the same time help them bond?

 

[spoonyspork]

Thanks for the replies!

I have the cage near Hee's now, but still separate enough I'm pretty sure they can't pass each other something. New guy still flips out every time he catches Hee's scent though, and keeps marking his territory all over the place. I've already had to completely clean his cage twice (I use the stuff that's supposed to be comparable to Care Fresh - Critter Care)... this reminds me of one very good reason to have a C&C cage - less mess! I don't have room for a 2 x 4, as the 2 x 3 already takes up the very last bits of spare floor space I have while still able to move around, but it's also three stories high.. so once they're together they'll be able to get away from each other if need be.

My one's name is Hee, in case you hadn't figured that out yet. His brother's name was Haw... so they were 'Hee Haw'. There isn't much of a story behind it, other than any time my best friend and I are talking on AIM, when either of us say Hee the other says Haw, and we went together to buy them, and one of them went 'Wheek' and the other 'Whawk' and it just seemed to fit.

And this new guy is really... weird! I opened the cage door and he just hopped right out, climbed into my lap, sniffed around for any snacks and, finding none, hopped back into the cage. I then gave him a carrot, and he picked it up and proceeded to run laps while holding it in his mouth before setting down to practically inhale it. Whatever name he gets, it's going to need to match that odd personality. I'm starting to think he believes himself to be either a dog or cat.