Hi I'm new and I have a ? or 2

[wilburNjitters]

Hi I am a new guinea pig mom and have had Wilbur and Jitters for a week and a half now ... they are both approx. 4 months (not sure of the correct age since they were purchased at a pet store but the vet said that they are def. babies) I have learned my lesson about getting critters at the pet store since Wilbur is sick with an upper resp. he has less than a week left on his medicine and he seems to be improving ! but after researching more about guinea pigs online I will def. adopt one next time! They are currently living in a pet store bought cage but I do plan on making or purchasing a C and C cage within the next week or two. Wilbur is really sweet and doesn't mind too much about being picked up ... Jitters on the other hand scares me a bit because he is all over the place and hates to be picked up (hence the name Jitters) ... my questions are what is the best way to go about bonding with them? and Do guinea pigs bite often and how hard do they bite? I'm scared to put my fingers close to their mouths... I have been bit by an african grey parrot are their bites anything like that? I'm asking too b/c I have a toddler and a baby on the way (of course I would never let my kids near them without strict supervision but I want to know just in case) I can't think of any more questions right now but sure enough I will have more later I think there is a pic of them as my avatar (Wilbur is the brown with wht stripe and Jitters is the one with the longer white brown and tan fur)

Thanks for reading

 

[akstrohm]

Guinea pigs very rarely bite unless they have mites and are therefore in extreme discomfort. I would not worry about them biting. They do somtimes nibble on you, but that won't hurt.

Guinea pigs generally do not like to be picked up. You can let them run into a box and then pick the box up if that is easier. It will probably take several weeks or months to get them used to you, and they may never like to be picked up. It will help to handle them very frequently (several times a day) but for very short periods each time (5-10 minutes).

I'm glad you got them to a vet and are building them a suitable cage. What are you feeding them?

 

[wilburNjitters]

Thanks for the info and advice! They eat timothy hay and Kaytee brand pellets (always in there for them) ... I also give them Kale (for vitamin C), parsley, canteloupe, Orange(I know they are acidic so they will get once a week), romain lettuce, tomato and other fruits and veggies that I've read are okay to feed them they get about a cup a day ... and they also always have fresh water!

 

[Seonta]

I was bit buy a guinea pig while I was growing up but that was due to helping my mother make home made apple sauce. He smelled it and screamed so I ran to check on him and he bit me (my fingers smelled like food afterall). It didn't hurt much more than a hamster/gerbil bite but it did bleed. They rarely bite and he only bit me that once out of a misunderstanding. We gave him a piece of apple pealing, no hard feelings and all.
African gray parrot beaks are very very strong. They can do real damage... guinea pigs really can't.

 

[fieryone]

Welcome

Piggies don't generally bite. My pigs will nibble and one will nibble a little too hard sometimes, but she isn't biting. We just know to keep an eye on Lucy when she starts licking. That's what turns into the nibbling and then she can get a little carried away.

My other nibbler, you barely even feel it. One nibbles very lightly when she needs to go to the bathroom. It's a nice little warning, actually.

 

[ferndalezoo]

Hi, and welcome!! If you haven't already, be sure to go to each of the forums and read the posts at the top (called "stickies"). Most of the information you need can be found there. I'm with you on the skittish pig thing. I have 4. Greyson (silkie, about a year and a half old) is very outgoing and vocal. When I walk into the room, he runs for the front of the cage and talks to me. He'll run when I go to pick him up, but settles down quickly, and enjoys lap time tremendously. He's also our dominant pig and rules the roost.

Oswald and Doug (both skinny pigs, brothers about a year old) are both more reserved, but after I've been in the room for a minute or three they come out to explore. Both will bolt when I go to pick them up, but both settle fairly quickly. Oswald LOVES to be held and have his ears rubbed, and Doug tolerates it most of the time. When he's done, he lets you know "kung-fu piggy style".

Wyatt (peruvian, about 9 months old) is another story entirely. He's a paranoid mess. He hates to be picked up, screams his head off. He takes a long time to settle down, and even then, he clearly doesn't enjoy it much. He's fine with the other piggies, but really doesn't care much for human interaction. Wyatt is our least dominant pig (definitely bottom of the pecking order).

I've come to the conclusion that while there is some mellowing that comes with maturity, to a certain extent, some of it is just their personalities. Try not to take it personally.

Also I found that every time I've expanded their cage, they have ALL mellowed out some, so you may find when you get the C&C that your pigs act differently.

 

[akstrohm]

The Kaytee pellets are harmful. Please get them either Kleenmama, Oxbow, Sweet Meadow, or Mazuri 5664. Kaytee pellets have a carcinogen in them.

Keep feeding unlimited timothy hay. I would recommend checking out the nutrition charts and sample menus listed in the stickies section. Your diet sounds pretty high in calcium, and I would recommend feeding about 1/8 bell pepper per pig per day for the vit C. The charts and sample menus will help you a lot.

 

[wilburNjitters]

Thanks for telling me your Nibbling and biting stories! I feel a lot better about handling them more now! I will definitely try to read a lot of the stickies thanks for the suggestion!

ferndalezoo- your piggies sound like lots of fun! and Greyson sounds like a total sweetie! I can't wait to get Wilbur and Jitters a bigger cage and see their reactions!

akstrohm- Thank you so much for telling me about the Kaytee brand being harmful for them I will try to get them a new brand that's not harmful as soon as possible ... the brands that you mentioned, are they online only or can you find them at pet or dept stores? I will try to give them the bell peppers as well!