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Hi...New Piggie Person Here

Wandalea

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I had piggies many years ago & now have had Dink & Doink for almost a week (no pun intended!) There have been no piggies listed on Craigslist or at the Humane Society because there has been no place to get them here. I live on a tiny island that had no pet store & just got a Petco so I got them there with the biggest cage they had. Now I see I will need to have a bigger one. Dink is a very outgoing & precocious calico Abyssinian & Doink is a brown, orange, & white American who is more shy. Dink is popcorning everyday. They both eat veggies from our hands. Now I'm thinking about how I can make a larger home using the store bought cage. It is 40" x 17.5" x 21"--not quite big enough.
 

HollyLeaf

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Welcome to the forum. :)

You could always build a nice big C&C, then turn the store cage into a loft or a kitchen area where their hay and pellets and such is. Since you have boars (am I correct?), you will definitely need a bigger cage, or they WILL fight when they reach puberty. A 2x5 C&C is preferred for most boar pairs. Check out the gallery for ideas on cages.

Since you got them at petco, I highly recommend double checking their gender. They're probably boars, but who knows with those pet stores. If you end up having a female and a male, separate immediately, though the female would most likely be pregnant already.
 

Saylavi

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Welcome!
I agree on making a bigger cage, C&C or otherwise. If you can't find cube grid storage you can use wire shelving from a hardware store or make one out of untreated wood and seal it with a glossy exterior paint.
 

bpatters

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Welcome to the forum.

But that cage isn't large enough for one pig, much less two. Click on the main tab at the top of the page for recommended cage sizes. Those are minimums -- bigger is always better.

Ditto [MENTION=36827]HollyLeaf[/MENTION]. Pet stores are notorious for selling missexed pigs. Turn them both over and see if they look alike. If not, separate them immediately. Pregnancy is very hard on guinea pig sows and pups, and the death rate is high.
 

Wandalea

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Thanks everyone! I'll check out the wire shelving or grids here--we do have a Kmart, a Walmart, & a Home Depot. My partner might be interested in building a wooden/wire home. If I put a log arched bridge over the the tray side & into the new larger area, keeping the cage as a kitchen, does the cage area then count in the total? The sides are about 5" above the bedding material. Does each male (hopefully) piggie need their own pigloo? I've been reading here about cages & will finish that.
 

bpatters

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Each pig needs his own hidey, but all hideys should have two doors. That way, no pig can trap another and get his nose sliced for his efforts.
 

Wandalea

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Each pig needs his own hidey, but all hideys should have two doors. That way, no pig can trap another and get his nose sliced for his efforts.

They have a half-log hidey & a sea-grass one on the way, each with 2 doors. We will sex them tonight, each holding one piggie for comparison. I don't know how old they are--one is about 7" & one about 8". So far only one very fast little confrontation on the first day. Now they seem to get along great. Doink also was popcorning this morning. I am checking out all kinds of home enlargement ideas.
 

magicpiggie

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If it's snack shack type, I really wouldnt recommend it because there's way too much sugar in it then there should be.

But welcome to the forum! We'd love to see pictures of your pigs!
 

Wandalea

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No, one is just a plain half-log with the bark on it & hollowed in the center & the other is woven sea grass--no flavors or colors. I do have some piggie close up photos, but thought I shouldn't post them in a too small, store-bought cage, according to the forum guidelines. Can't really tell about the cage though because they are close ups. Of course, ha ha, they are extremely cute! Thanks.
If it's snack shack type, I really wouldnt recommend it because there's way too much sugar in it then there should be.

But welcome to the forum! We'd love to see pictures of your pigs!
 

Saylavi

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Why not take them out for lap time and take some pics then? (Seriously we love pictures)
 

Wandalea

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I will get some new photos soon.
Why not take them out for lap time and take some pics then? (Seriously we love pictures)
 

Wandalea

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We checked their sex tonight & first thought that Doink was a girl. Then decided to do it again because we weren't positive. The site given for sexing on this forum was excellent & has more than one way to tell. So Doink had the circular dot, no vertical slit, & had the giant testicle bulge underneath it all. Phew! I'm glad we checked again before I went storming into Petco. Today was the first time we've picked them up & the last time they didn't mind as much. So we'll start holding them for a bit everyday now. Dink is very active & spunky & Doink is more shy & very sweet. I adore them both! Now I'm going to go to the stores here & hope that I find the right grids & closet parts & can figure out a good way to add on, & make it all fit in the living room. Or I might get another cage like this one & connect them in an L-shape. I calculated that would be 7.75 sq.ft. inside the bottoms of the trays & it's 7.5 minimum? I'll read about that again. Has to have a top & be sturdy because one of our cats would like to get them. I'm not letting the cat in all the time, but for supervised periods. Even though he can't get them, he will poke his paws in the cage & stress them out so I have to sit right there to prevent that. Maybe, as I've read, when they get bigger he will lose interest. Thanks everyone for your help--I'm learning so much here.
 

bpatters

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If they're males, you'll need more than 7.5 square feet. They need room to move around without getting in each others' faces.
 

Wandalea

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This is going to take some figuring, so first step is looking at all the covered cage ideas, then look at the actual components in the stores to get a hands-on idea of what I'm doing. I can order the stuff from Amazon Prime if necessary because shipping to Hawaii is very expensive otherwise. There is one place where this large a piggie home could fit & still be part of our daily hanging out area. My partner seemed to melt over Doink last night when he picked him up--Doink was so little & vulnerable. Having the piggies has created a whole new energy in our household.
If they're males, you'll need more than 7.5 square feet. They need room to move around without getting in each others' faces.
 

Wandalea

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I'm looking at C&C cages & I think I could fit a 2' x 4' with this first cage attached as a kitchen into the space. Now I'll start posting in the other appropriate discussions.
 

Wandalea

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Doink 2.jpgHere's Doink. Dink wouldn't hold still although he was fascinated by my phone & kept poking his face up to it. They are in a cardboard enclosure on the floor.
 

Wandalea

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Cage update: the C&C 2x4 grid covered cage is ordered & on it's way--10.5 sq.ft. plus this original cage of 3.5 sq.ft. will be the kitchen. Fleece is ordered & I found a feed store with wood pellets. It's happening!
 

Saylavi

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Yay! I'm so happy for you and your piggies
 

HollyLeaf

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Congrats! You won't be disappointed with the C&C, they really are a fantastic option. I love my cage, it was fun to build and expand and pick out fleece and things for it. And the pigs love love love all the space. :)
 
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