Hello all

[joab97]

I am a new member and a new cavy owner. We got Charlie about a month ago. It seems I have alot to learn about him. I plan on getting him a bigger home in the future..right now he lives in a 20 gal aquarium. I also have 2 cats and 2 dogs. The cats dont mind him,,but my lab just stares at him and whines. Charlie likes to tease him. I got him chew toys and I feed him guinea pig diet food,,and he loves carrots. Does anyone have any of those balls they can go in and roam around,,if so..what is your take on them? I am considering getting one so he can get exercise and that my other pets cant harm him. Thanks!!

 

[My Baby Mu]

Do NOT get him the balls or wheels they are bad for their backs and can cause severe injury. Let you pig have floor time with the dogs and cats out of the room. www.guineapigcages.com/floortime.htm and you should look at the toys page for good ideas. Same with the photo gallarys. Get him out of the aquarium soon.

 

[tashagurl]

I completly second everything Mu said.

 

[dagwellismypigy]

only give him one or two carrots a day and check out (broken link removed) for the best food around. If your pig is under 8 months you should be giving him alfalfa.

 

[My Baby Mu]

Give him one baby carrot a day because of the vitamin A content.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

The aquarium is not adequate housing.

 

[Piglet]

Welcome

Yes, it does seem like you have a lot to learn! Please in future, research before buying/adopting. Its good to know that you will be making him a larger cage. Check out the photo gallery to get some cage ideas. Also, he needs a cage mate. What other vegetables do you feed him? What sort of pellets are you giving him?

 

[mncavylover]

I am a new member and a new cavy owner.

Welcome to the forums!

I plan on getting him a bigger home in the future..right now he lives in a 20 gal aquarium.

Please do, andas soon as you possibly can. c & c cages are cheap and easy to make.

I got him chew toys and I feed him guinea pig diet food,,and he loves carrots.

What chew toys? Some can be unsafe.

What type of food? Oxbow is the only safe brand out there--see (broken link removed).

Does anyone have any of those balls they can go in and roam around,,if so..what is your take on them? I am considering getting one so he can get exercise and that my other pets cant harm him. Thanks!!

Absolutely not--they damage the spinal cord because cavies cannot bend that way. Hamsters are more flexible, so it does not hurt them, but cavies are very delicate creatures.

Thanks for asking!

 

[joab97]

Thanks for all the advice. Right now the main food I feed him is Forti-diet garden blend. I also give a piece of apples every now and then,,carrots and lettuce all as treats. He has toys to chew on,which are ones I bought at a pet store just for guinea pigs..they are wood. My hubby is going to build him a new cage. As a child we had 2 cavies. Bertha and Bumper..but I was too young to really remember them. I have been researching the web site for information. Thanks again..and by the way..I will not be getting one of those balls..thanks! I have been letting run around on the floor, supervised of course.

 

[mncavylover]

Ok, thanks!

Forti-diet has lots of icky stuff, including ethyoxyquin, a toxic preservative. If at all possible, please find some Oxbow.

If you need information, look at (broken link removed). =)

 

[amfeider]

what about nutriphase

 

[o0Ms Jenny0o]

Charlie (cute name by the way) needs a cup of a variety of vegetables a day. Not just as treats, it's very important for his diet. And please look into getting him a same sex cage mate, or get him neutered and adopt a female buddy for him. One of (if not the most) the most important things in a guinea pig's diet is hay. He should have an unlimited supply of hay all the time. Orchard grass, timothy hay or alfalfa if he is under 6 months. This is very important, it will keep his teeth trim and will supply him with adequate fiber, and it will be his favorite thing in the cage! Check out www.guinealynx.com and look at the fruits and veggie chart. It does seem that your knowledge on guinea pigs is limited, but I respect you for putting the effort into learning more.
Jenny

 

[Ly&Pigs]

About all I can add is oxbow hay is not the only or the best hay out there. There is (broken link removed) too and it has superb hay. Also no iceburg lettuce for the piggies, but pretty much every other kind of lettuce is fine.

Welcome to the forums and we look forward to hearing about you and charlie!

 

[joab97]

I got Charlie a new cage. It's 4ft long and 2 1/2 ft wide. It's also high enough to have 2 levels in,,which my hubby says he'll build. It also has a top on it to keep my cats out.
Thank you guys for the great advice.

 

[RubyPiggie2]

Welcome to the forums!!

What kind of cage is Charlies new cage? How did you manage to buy that big of a cage?? Where did you get it? I think it's great that you are trying to learn more about guinea pigs. I hope all goes well with Charlie, is he getting used to the bigger home? Good Luck!

 

[RubyPiggie2]

what about nutriphase

Nutriphase is bad also- it has a toxin, Eothoxquin*however you spell it!!* Which in the long run will kill your pig.

 

[Poohbear]

hi, You have a lot to learn. When I got on this website early in December I had my cavy in a small store bought cage. Now I have a big 2 by 4 cage with a 2 by 2 second floor and I got my cavy a roomate also.

 

[Katie]

I too am also curious to know where you purchased your cage. You must of spent a fortune on one that big, and it's probably not even the size of a 2x4 C&C cage, which would have been probably 1/2 the cost. What brand is it? Can you take it back and build a very spacious, cheap, cat/dog proof C&C cage?

 

[joab97]

I already had the cage..it's a dog kennel. The sides are close enough together that Charlie wont beable to squeeze himself through.

 

[Katie]

Ahh! The joys of buying dog cages lol. They do come in handy for all sorts of things, rabbits, kids, ferrets, cats, kids, guinea pigs, storage, and of course dogs lol. I have used dogs cages before for my boars. You may want to buy some coroplast to make a base for it though, as the bedding will fly right out, unless of course you use fleece.