General New cage, travel, and introduction.

[PureElla]

At the moment, I have one guinea pig. I give him a lot of attention and everything, so he is very happy. He lives in a 22 by 40 cage. I heard this is enough for one guinea pig. I am planning on rebuilding the cage. The base will be at the least 30 by 55. There will also be a second level. That level will around 20 by 13, or something around there. That will be te area to eat, drink, or snack on hay. The bottom will have their homes and some hay balls, and so much more.

My family goes on vacation every year. We usually go down to the shore, and the ride tends to be 1h, 45min to around 2h, 30 min. My guinea pig had a carrier and he had lots of veggies. He was okay with the stay, because we used his 22 by 40 cage. If I plan on getting another guinea pig, how will I travel with him? I am planning on getting another carrier for the other piggy, if I need to. The new cage I want to build, is going to be made out of wood and other safe materials. (A DIY cage) What should I do, because I might not be allowed to spent more money on another cage.

LAST QUESTION: I don't know the gender of my guinea pig. The store said he was male, and I named him Bobby. The receipt said female, but the paper work said male. I lifted him up once, and say two dots, which looked like nipples. My friend who has a guinea pig said that it is a female. Is there anyway to make sure of the gender? How do I introduce another female/male (whichever my guinea pig is) into the cage? I don't want them to fight.

Thank you!!

 

[ChinandLacey]

If you're trying to save money, a C&C cage might be a better option than a wooden cage. Coroplast is pretty cheap and can be found at sign stores while grids can be found on Craigslist and at used stores such as Goodwill. If you already have the wood to expand your cage, it should be covered by some sort of waterproof material to prevent it from soaking up urine.

Here are some links that might answer some of your other questions:
https://guinea-pigs.livejournal.com/3002707.html
https://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm
https://www.guinealynx.info/sexing.html

 

[PureElla]

My dad is a builder, so he has a lot of wood laying around. We plan on covering the bottoms with a pond liner, then add bedding or fleece on top! Do you any recommendations for travel cages? I have one for my first piggy, but the second one will not have enough space in there. I know C&C Cages are good and easy to pack. What do you think I should do for travel?

 

[CavyOwner]

Here's a website for checking gender https://www.wikihow.com/Determine-the-Sex-of-a-Guinea-Pig

As for introducing them, that depends a little on the gender. For both genders, I would keep the new guinea pig in a separate cage, in a separate room if possible, for around two weeks to make sure they don't pass any disease onto the old guinea pig. the cage doesn't have to be massive, since that can get expensive fast and they only live there for a little while. After the quarantine is done, there a few different ways. You can put the cages side by side for a little while so they can smell each other and stuff or just jump right in.

When you introduce them to each other, do it in a neutral area, not the cage as guinea pigs can become territorial. Find a safe area such as a play area or a safe room and put them on the floor. Having hay and treats for both of them can help because it gives them something to distract them while they get used the the other pig. Don't interfere unless you have to, such as if they are wrestling or starting to draw blood. Small nips, rumble strutting (purring and swinging hind quarters around) some chasing, and other mild problems are normal and if you separate them it can make the entire process harder and more stressful. Only separate if they are drawing blood or wrestling.

Leave them in the neutral area until they are fine with each other and aren't displaying signs of dominance anymore. Males may take longer, and some guinea pigs never end up getting along. Use this time to clean the entire cage so the old guinea pigs scent isn't there anymore as this will make the transition easier for both of them. When you put them in the cage they may start to show signs of dominance again, but it shouldn't be bad. Watch them until they are settled in in case they do start to fight again (This whole process could take only an hour or so or half the day depending on the pigs). make sure you have more hidies then guinea pigs so they each have their own spaces to hide and if you have males separate food dishes, water bottles, and hay racls may be a good idea. They may have some mild problems for a little while, and so keep an eye on them until that stops. You may have to separate them if they start fighting again, but hopefully they will be fine.

As for the traveling part I have the old cage I used to quarantine my new pig a few months ago that I use when I bring one of my piggies to school or anywhere else. other carriers work too for just moving them, but if you want something you can keep them in the entire trip I would recommend getting two cages from a pet store. The cages are too small for the guinea pigs to live in full time, but for a week or so they would be fine if their large cage isn't portable. Just make sure to give them plenty of floor space if they have a small cage during the trip so they still get good exercise.

Hope this helps! Enjoy your piggies. Once you have two piggies living happily together, you won't want to watching them. It's very cute to watch them play, and I strongly recommend getting a second guinea pigs because they are social and prefer to live in herds.

 

[SSLee]

I take my piggies to get their nails clipped every 3 months and the first time I went, the groomer double-checked the piggies genitals to make sure they were both females. Because I use public transit, the amount of time each way is about 2 hours, close to your vacation travel time. In the past, I would put both of my piggies into a dog carrier with veggies and treats and they were fine. However, the original alpha passed and now there is a new alpha, who is not tolerant with sharing such a small space for that length of time. So, now each piggy gets her own carrier. You might want to check on Craig's List or Next Door to see if you can get one cheap or free. I've gotten an almost new hard sided dog carrier which I donated to a dog rescue. My current almost new dog carrier came from Craig's List for $25. This is more affordable than a small pet carrier from the pet store.

If after reading the links on sexing your piggy still doesn't help, you might want to take clear close up shots of your piggy's genital area and post them here for the experienced forum members to help identify.

 

[PureElla]

Alright, so my piggy seems to look a lot like a girl, with the "Y" shape genital area. Now I am stuck with a female named Bobby, haha!! I found a cage on craigslist that is 22.5 by 46.5. Would this be okay to put two guinea pigs in here for a week?

 

[SSLee]

How about changing the spelling from Bobby to Bobbi? I believe that is the female version of the name.

As to the cage size of 22.5 by 46.5, I boarded my piggies at a rabbit rescue for one week last year when I went on vacation and I'm pretty sure the cage they used was about that size. The girls were fine in that size cage for the week and they didn't want to leave when I went to pick them up.

 

[PureElla]

Perfect!! Thank you.