General Help me!!!

[cavieluver]

Im in the prep stage of accepting two little girl piggies into my home (though I have no idea where I will be obtaining them just yet...) and I have read this site a billion times but am still unsure about some things. OH! and if I put this in the wrong spot im sooo sorry.

Which bedding is better?
So I keep hearing about fleece and weewee pads.... is this a smart way to go? My mom says it would be easy to make "just cut the fleece and add elastic so it can snap right onto the cage floor" but im more concerned with their health. Wont the fleece get wet or stinky from them peeing on it (Im going to litter train but there is no knowing if they will still go tinkle on my pretty fleece). And then there is plain old bedding. I have heard some of it can cause respiratory infection !

The more floors the better?
I have also heard a few people say that the like to go big and high, and upon thinking about it... a multi level cage sounds fun. But is it "fun" for the pigs or just visually appealing to me? I want my piggies to feel safe and sound... not horrified on their long journey to their food, hay, toys, etc.

Just use PVC
I want to make dark tunnels to spark their instincts and i've heard to use large PVC but can they chew it? Also if they chew it will it hurt their tummies? I would hate to have a sick piggy because I wasn't informed :sorry:

Pet Store Are Waaaay Bad!
This pops up EVERYWHERE! They say that pet stores sell to just anybody, the pigs can be sick, pet stores don't treat the animals right. But I was thinking.... if somebody good dose not rescue the pet store piggies they might wind up living sad all their lives (or not even really live a life if somebody with a snake gets them). So under these situation, would it be a bad thing to get a pet store pig? I feel terrible for those little guys because they don't have anybody to love :guilty:.

Work the buddy system
Every where I go people say piggies need a good buddy and I understand. But is there things I should look out for when getting a pair or girl pigs?

Thanks for your help guys and im really sorry if this doesn't belong here.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Generally, it would have been better had you posted each question in it's proper forum, but since you are a newbie to our site, we will let you get by with a single post this time.

Bedding is often a personal choice. Fleece does have a lot of benefits. You cannot use it alone, it must be used in combination with something underneath because how it works is that it wicks or pulls the moisture from the fleece down to what you have under it keeping your pigs dry. Fleece is high maintenance and requires poos to be cleaned up daily. As far as shavings, cedar is toxic and regular pine (the non-kiln dried version) aren't good to use. Regular pine can be used but needs to be aired out about 2 weeks before use. Kiln-dried pine is ok as as aspen. There are also several recycled paper product bedding that can be used also such as Yesterday's News, Carefresh, Critter Care, etc.

More floors are not better. Guinea pigs are not climbers by nature. A one story cage with or without a loft is most often the best way to go.

PVC is pretty safe for pigs. It can be used for tunnels and ramps. Some pigs may get curious and nibble, but that's about the extent. If you were to have a pig that would constantly nibble or chew on it, then you'd remove it.

You don't rescue pigs in petstores, you buy or purchase them. The reason we don't condone buying pigs in petstores is due in part to where they come from. They come from piggie mills and backyard breeders where diseases and parasites often run rampant. They are also often missexed so you end up with a pregnant female or a male and a female that the store told you were both the same sex. Sows are backbred over and over which causes a lot of stress on their little bodies (often causing many to die in the process), all for the sake of producing petstore pigs. They are also transported to the stores in hot trucks in shoe box sized containers with many animals in a container. By purchasing a petstore pig, you aren't only condoning these actions and supporting breeding mills but you are enabling the furthering of the mills to produce even more animals in an already overpopulated world. When you buy a pig, 2 or more usually replace it. Yes, it's hard to not want to help them but you cut down on the number of animals bred and save the lives of many at the same time. There is no situation in which it is ever ok to buy petstore pigs.

 

[ccaggiano4]

I am using shavings now and I hate them. They end up everywhere. Plus, I am not sure how happy I am that the piggies are living in their own poops and peeps and my kids are constantly picking them up and playing with them. It's actually kind of gross.

I would much rather brush up the little poops once a day that deal with shavings.

 

[CavyLuver516]

As far as fleece goes, here's how it works; piggies pee on fleece, fleece wicks the pee through leaving the surface feeling dry, then the underbedding (towels, puppy pads, ect.) soaks up all the pee, somehow not leaving it smelly or sticky. In conclusion, fleece is amazing!

As long as the bottom level meets the size minimum for cages, levels are fine and provide more 'exploration' for pigs. Understand though that not all pigs like them . . .

Onto petstore pigs. If at all possible, adopt pigs, don't buy from petstores! Not only because most petstore pigs are unhealthy, buying from petstores means supporting breeders with even more money to take terrible, cruel care of their animals. This is the reason to NEVER buy from animal-selling petstores; the vicious cycle continues . . .

Guinea pigs always need friends. For girl pairs, there isn't much to worry about as far as fighting goes, but boys can become a tad territorial. It all depends on the pigs personality though.

Hope this helps you out!

 

[cavieluver]

Thank you so much for all the help. And sorry I posted wrong :boggled: I really try to keep every thing as close to the rules as I can but sometimes I get confused. Ill be more careful from now on.

Oh! I fully understand the pet store thing now! It makes total since really, don't support the things you dislike and they go away. Its like a nation wide piggy mill protest lol. Well count me in! I'll be sure to check all my local shelters for some snuggly rescue piggies! I want to help save piggies not hurt them.

So a single level is good? Ok I see, but is it ok to add a little loft to store hay so it does not clutter up their running room? Im really sorry for any question that may already be answered but im not very computer friendly lol. I also really want to do what is best for my future piggies.

 

[GizzyandMe]

Wont the fleece get wet or stinky from them peeing on it (Im going to litter train but there is no knowing if they will still go tinkle on my pretty fleece)

Fleece is the best but please note Guinea Pigs are not like dogs and cats that can be easily trained to use a litter box. You will find quite a few posts on here of people asking for help with it. My girl is 90% litter trained for pee and only about 25% litter trained for poops!