New Cavy owner..... Lots of questions....

[Jansica]

Hello everyone. I am a new Cavy owner. I did a lot of research before we went and got our two boys Bogie, and Romie. My 5 year old grandson named them.

I did not get them from a pet store, I got them from a family that bought a pregnant female unknowingly. I work for a vet that can work on the boys. She checked them and they are both males and they are 4 weeks old.


First question it is Tuesday night. I have had them them Sunday evening. They spend a lot of time in their hut, except when they come out to eat veggies, pellets or drink water. We take them out and pet them and let them get supervised exercise. They just seem so scared when they are out they will come to myself and Lucas ( my grandson). Than they turn and run, they really want to huddle together. When I pet Bogie on his back he purrs, so very cute.
How long will it take for them to come out more often and feel more comfortable?

Also I am feeding them a variety of veggies Kale, Green peppers, yellow peppers, parsley, spinach, a little bit of carrots, celry, I gave them a little bite of apple when they were out so they would come to us. How often should I feed veggies I have been giving them veggies twice a day. Is that too much? My friend only gives her pigs veggies every other day.

I am using fleece, and I have a litter pan with litter in a corner of the cage that they like to sit in.

sorry so long, I do not want to do anything wrong. I bought alfalfa for them because of thier age, is that correct?


Thank You for any help you have.


Bogie and Romie's Mom

 

[NormaS]

Welcome to the forum. We will love to see pigtures of your babies. Guinea pigs need fresh vegetables every day, about one cup per pig. Green an red leaf lettuce, green bell peppers, with occasional red or yellow, cilantro and parsley a couple of times a week. Fruits should be a treat and fed twice a week. There is a nutritional chart that is really useful for us new owners. Here is the link: https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...y-nutrition-charts-poisonous-plants-list.html. Also, your pigs will take time to become less skittish and tame. Be patient with them, pet them as they allow it and bribe them with some pepper!

 

[Jansica]

Thank You. I peeled all the strings off the celery. I didnt know about the calcium in the urine I will look that up. I am not giving them supplements of vitamin c, do I need to?

LOL I do take the hut out before I pick them up I didnt want them to feel unsafe in the hut. I also leave the hut out for a little bit in the evening when we feed and are going to get them out to snuggle and exercise.

 

[NormaS]

If you give them vegetables rich in Vitamin C, like green peppers, you don't need to supplement. Also, make sure the pellets you're feeding have Vitamin C, in a stabilized form.

 

[MochaAndMoo]

Welcome to the forum Jansica,
It might be a good idea to just let both the pigs settle for a few days and get use to their new environment before handling them.

I am not giving them supplements of vitamin c, do I need to?

If you are feeding them the correct diet, they shouldn't need any supplements of any sort. Green bell pepper is a great source of vitamin C without the extra added sugar. We have an excellent diet and nutrition chart: https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...y-nutrition-charts-poisonous-plants-list.html

How often should I feed veggies I have been giving them veggies twice a day. Is that too much? My friend only gives her pigs veggies every other day.

Each pig should get a min of one cup of veggies a day. As pigs are grazers, it's a good idea to give them smaller meals throughout the day then just one big meal.

They just seem so scared when they are out they will come to myself and Lucas ( my grandson). Than they turn and run

Guinea pigs are naturally prey animals, they are very skittish and it can take a very long time to gain their trust. It can take years before a pig finally trusts you. Usually, as they get older they will become a little less skittish.

I bought alfalfa for them because of thier age, is that correct?

Alfalfa is a great source of calcium for younger pigs. Alfalfa is not a long grass strand hay though, it is a legume like peas. You will need to get them a good quality long strand grass hay like timothy hay, oaten, bluegrass, orchard ect. Long strand grass hay is a very important part of a pigs diet, the high fibre from the hay aids in digestion and the hay wears down their constantly growing teeth, without hay pigs can suffer from painful dental problems like malocclusion (Overgrown molars).

I would love to see a picture of your boys.

 

[Jansica]

Let me see if I can send a picture

 

[Melissa123]

Welcome! Piggies are awesome. It can take a while for piggies to get settled. Two of my boys were settled very fast, within a week. The other one it took much longer. I think it varies depending on the pig, as each one is individual. Veggie wise I feed: Everyday- bell pepper, green or red leaf lettuce, and cucumber... Every other day- Grape tomatoes 2 each. Twice a week: Cilantro (2 stems each), baby carrot (1 each), seedless grape cut into 3 chunks (one total for 3 pigs). I break mine up into 3 small meals; so morning time is peppers, lunch is lettuce, and dinner is cucumber. I would not give them kale or spinach as it's VERY high in calcium and that may cause issues when they get older but for now they should be fine since they are growing piggies. Parsley is also high in calcium, so that might be a good trade off instead of the kale or spinach. Have you looked at the veggie chart? It has helped me out very much! Alfalfa can be given up until 6 months, but really, if you're feeding extra veggies that are high in calcium (Parsley) than I would just switch to timothy. That way you don't have to buy both alfalfa and timothy.

 

[Jansica]

I just noticed tonight one of my boys has a hardlump below his ear near his jawline. He is 4 weeks old. It seems to hurt him if I touch it he sqeaks a little. What could this be??????? :sad:

 

[madelineelaine]

It could be an absess and it should be looked at by a vet, especially if it's causing him pain. The sooner the better.

You should feed them veggies twice a day, half a cup per pig each time. Leaf lettuce, green pepper (1/8 each) tomato and carrot are staples for my pigs. Others love cilantro.

You need to give them a long strand grass hay (orchard, meadow, timothy, brome etc) constantly. Alfalfa isn't really necessary if they have an alfalfa based pellet and some parsley or other calcium right veggie. You can add alfalfa occasionally as a treat, but it's considered a legume, not a grass hay. It's also high in calcium and protein so older piggies shouldn't really have it often, if at all.

Pigs are wonderful, welcome to the site

 

[Jansica]

What could cause an abcess in this young of a pig? Also I work at the vets, should I just carry the whole cage to workwith me?