New guinipig questions

[Grapevine]

Hi everyone lol I just got a guini pig last week, I don't know much about them apart from basic care how to feed them and clean their cage etc...

It is very shy and hides in its house in its cage, unless it is hungy and sees me with food then it quickly grabs frood and eats, it is very hard for me to get him out of his cage he gets scared and i hate scaring him but if i want to hoover the room i need to lift him out so that the hoover doesnt scare him.


Also I want to know how many times a week should I change his cage? is it ok to put cat litter in the cage? why does he poo all over his cage? is there anyway to make him just do it in one corner? how can I make him less shy?is it tru that washing guini pigs makes them stink? I feel I am getting some allergies if i wash him will it reduce the allergies?

Thank u everyone for reading my post I hope it will help me care for him

 

[SurfingPigs]

Hello and welcome,

You should probably change the bedding out once a week. What type of bedding is your pig housed on?

No, cat litter is not appropriate for guinea pigs. Refer to this link for what types of bedding can and cannot be used: Bedding

He poops everywhere because he is a guinea pig... most of them are like that. You will have a difficult time trying to get him to use a particular place, and it is not likely to be a successful venture.

You can make him less shy by providing lots of calm and consistent lap time. Give him some of his daily veggies while giving lap time, and he will get used to it. Reaching in to the cage to rearrange things and clean up will also make him more comfortable with you.

Washing them will not make them stink, but it will also not do a thing for your allergies. If you are allergic, it is likely due to the hay or due to the dander of the guinea pig.

Good luck and spend some time browsing the forums here and on guinealynx.com. You will learn a lot!

ETA: One thing to make him feel safer with you would be to get a cozy for him. It keeps him warm and in an enclosed area where he will be comfortable. You can find them many places, including here: (broken link removed)

 

[pinky]

You can use unscented Yesterday's News for cats which is is made from recycled paper. It's cheaper than the Yesterday's News for small animals but is virtually the same thing. Other options are kiln dried pine or aspen, unscented Eco Bedding, Soft Sorbent, Total Comfort, Carefresh, Sun Seed bedding, wood stove pellets or fleece.

 

[bpatters]

Ditto Pinky and Surfing Pigs. To catch your pig without scaring him to death, cut holes in the ends of a shoe box. Put the box in the cage, shoo the pig in the box, cover the holes with your hands, and lift the box out of the cage.

I doubt seriously that you're allergic to the pig -- almost no one is. It's much more likely it's the hay. I don't know what you're feeding him, but you can choose between timothy, orchard grass, blue grass or brome (although that last one is hard to find). Of those three, timothy is the most common and the one most likely to cause allergies.

 

[SurfingPigs]

BP: have you ever tried placing a treat inside of the "piggie lift"? I'm lucky to not need this for my pigs, but I wonder if the pigs learning there is a treat hidden in the box would make the process even easier over time?

...my pigs never fell for the box trick, and I always wondered if they would have been more willing participants if veggies were involved.

 

[Grapevine]

Thanks for the postlol I will try some of ur advice!

 

[Grapevine]

hmm I'm not too sure, u mean while trying to lift him out of the cage? when I feed him I put food in his bowl and also theres a little thing he hides under sometimes I put food on that or just feed him through the cage

 

[SurfingPigs]

Yes, we were referring to taking him out of the cage. Sometimes, especially with new pigs, they are very skittish, and being carried in a box provides them with a sense of comfort.

 

[bpatters]

Grapevine, your original post said, "it is very hard for me to get him out of his cage he gets scared and i hate scaring him but if i want to hoover the room i need to lift him out." "Lift him out" means "lift him out" of the cage.

Surfing pigs, the treat thing does work with the box. Some pigs don't need the treat to teach them to use it, but others do.