beccapooka
Active Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2004
- Messages
- 37
Hi, All. I'm new to Guinea Pigs, and new to this site. I had been researching GPs, specifically their behavior and personality, and I convinced my husband that we should look into getting two GPs. (I hadn't researched how to acquire them. Oops.) Anyway, we looked at a few pet stores and weren't very excited, but then we went to a third and we FELL IN LOVE with 2 sisters, the last of their litter, who were 3 weeks old. We hadn't planned on buying GPs that day, but these two were just so fabulous.
We named them Princess and Buttercup. They are obviously mutts because Princess looks like a crested abby and Buttercup has short, smooth hair.
We bought the biggest cage the pet store had (36" by 18") and all of the necessary supplies. My husband is such a softy, and even though he wasn't at all excited by the idea when I first mentioned it, he is now at least as attentive to them as I am. (For the first few days he refused to admit that he liked them, but the next minute he was cooing at them and referring to them as "The Girls."
They LOVE floor time, which they get for about an hour a day, give or take. We also hold them and pet them each day, and they have calmed down so much in the last 8 days. We had them to the vet where we verified that they are girls, and she didn't suspect any health problems. She was recommended to me as a vet who sees a lot of the smaller animals, and she also mentioned that she has had many GPs as pets herself. The other vets in this area were surprised that I even wanted to make a well-visit appt for my GPs. The downside? It's a 45 minute drive. Ouch. But I feel better knowing that they've been checked out, particularly considering the condition of the store they came from.
I am happy to say that a C&C cage is in the works and should be finished in 3 or 4 days. We had to order Coroplast, so we're waiting for that to come in. I am amazed at how cheap this LUXURIOUS cage will be to build. I bought cubes at sam's club (3 boxes as I needed to build a based and it will be a covered cage because we have 3 kids, 10, 8, and 2.5) and cable ties at Lowe's. The final cost, including coroplast, will be less than $50 for a 2x4 cube cage with an upper level that is 1x3. I guess I'll keep the pet store cage for... I dunno! Do you think I could return it. LOL I still have the box!
I do have a few questions, too First, how long until they will eat fruits and veggies? They are 4 weeks old now, and we have offered them something every day, although they have yet to bother with it much. Buttercup nibbled on a carrot while I was holding her one day. Princess doesn't like anything, including fresh veggies placed near her face. She does, however, seem to enjoy it when I pet her under her chin, as long as I get there from behind. She's a little more skittish, and doesn't like to be pet/held for too long. You should see her popcorn as soon as I put her in the floor time area. She's going to love her new home next week. Right now I am not giving them 1 cup of fresh food per day because it would just be wasted. I give them pellets and hay, which they pig out on, and I put a couple pieces of food in as well, which is generally untouched. I'll give them more as I see that they are eating it... I'm just wondering when that might be.
My other question is about Princess and her sensitivity. She doesn't ever relax! Buttercup was far more skittish in the store, but she has really calmed down. When I pet her or brush her she is completely relaxed and happy to just sit on my lap. She loves having her hed brushed and her cheeks rubbed (like a cat!) Princess doesn't have the attention span for it. I have to try several areas before I find a place where I can pet her, but after a few minutes she doesn't seem to like that as much and I have to find somewhere else! She chirps and sings, sometimes in a very calm way, and seems to be enjoying it. Sometimes she even purrs, again seemingly enjoying it, and her whole body vibrates. Then, for seemingly no reason she gets aggitated, has to reposition herself, or tries to wander off. And she gets very upset if anything (hand/food) is put near her face. All of this that I am describing happens in a 5 to 10 minute period of time, and she shifts from content to not content every minute or so. I'm just wondering how normal this is, and if she will outgrow it. The vet didn't think that this sounded like mites, and she was on her very best behavior at the vets, not wheeking loudly once!
We're still learning, obviously, but the vet was impressed with our commitment, and I think we have a pretty good handle on things. I can't wait for their new home to be ready. LOL We already built the base and the lower level cage bottom part. I have blisters from those darn cable connectors to prove it! For bedding we are using newspaper (no color inks) with a thickish layer of Carefresh bedding in half and somewhat less bedding in the other half. (In 8 days we have tried 4 different combos and this one works well.) They poop mostly in their food bowls (silly piggies!) and pee mostly in cormers. I may try to put bedding in the corners of their new cage since they like to pee in corners and maybe towels in the middle? I have no idea. Trial and error, I guess.
Well, that's a long enough message! Sorry for the length. I'm just so in love with my GPs and I am so glad that we got them, and I am so grateful for all of the fabulous info on this site and a few others online. I decided on GPs because my husband has allergies so we had to get something that would live in a cage for the most part, but I still wanted an interactive pet. They seem to be perfect on both counts, and so far my husband doesn't seem to be allergic to them at all!
Thanks.
Rebecca
We named them Princess and Buttercup. They are obviously mutts because Princess looks like a crested abby and Buttercup has short, smooth hair.
We bought the biggest cage the pet store had (36" by 18") and all of the necessary supplies. My husband is such a softy, and even though he wasn't at all excited by the idea when I first mentioned it, he is now at least as attentive to them as I am. (For the first few days he refused to admit that he liked them, but the next minute he was cooing at them and referring to them as "The Girls."
They LOVE floor time, which they get for about an hour a day, give or take. We also hold them and pet them each day, and they have calmed down so much in the last 8 days. We had them to the vet where we verified that they are girls, and she didn't suspect any health problems. She was recommended to me as a vet who sees a lot of the smaller animals, and she also mentioned that she has had many GPs as pets herself. The other vets in this area were surprised that I even wanted to make a well-visit appt for my GPs. The downside? It's a 45 minute drive. Ouch. But I feel better knowing that they've been checked out, particularly considering the condition of the store they came from.
I am happy to say that a C&C cage is in the works and should be finished in 3 or 4 days. We had to order Coroplast, so we're waiting for that to come in. I am amazed at how cheap this LUXURIOUS cage will be to build. I bought cubes at sam's club (3 boxes as I needed to build a based and it will be a covered cage because we have 3 kids, 10, 8, and 2.5) and cable ties at Lowe's. The final cost, including coroplast, will be less than $50 for a 2x4 cube cage with an upper level that is 1x3. I guess I'll keep the pet store cage for... I dunno! Do you think I could return it. LOL I still have the box!
I do have a few questions, too First, how long until they will eat fruits and veggies? They are 4 weeks old now, and we have offered them something every day, although they have yet to bother with it much. Buttercup nibbled on a carrot while I was holding her one day. Princess doesn't like anything, including fresh veggies placed near her face. She does, however, seem to enjoy it when I pet her under her chin, as long as I get there from behind. She's a little more skittish, and doesn't like to be pet/held for too long. You should see her popcorn as soon as I put her in the floor time area. She's going to love her new home next week. Right now I am not giving them 1 cup of fresh food per day because it would just be wasted. I give them pellets and hay, which they pig out on, and I put a couple pieces of food in as well, which is generally untouched. I'll give them more as I see that they are eating it... I'm just wondering when that might be.
My other question is about Princess and her sensitivity. She doesn't ever relax! Buttercup was far more skittish in the store, but she has really calmed down. When I pet her or brush her she is completely relaxed and happy to just sit on my lap. She loves having her hed brushed and her cheeks rubbed (like a cat!) Princess doesn't have the attention span for it. I have to try several areas before I find a place where I can pet her, but after a few minutes she doesn't seem to like that as much and I have to find somewhere else! She chirps and sings, sometimes in a very calm way, and seems to be enjoying it. Sometimes she even purrs, again seemingly enjoying it, and her whole body vibrates. Then, for seemingly no reason she gets aggitated, has to reposition herself, or tries to wander off. And she gets very upset if anything (hand/food) is put near her face. All of this that I am describing happens in a 5 to 10 minute period of time, and she shifts from content to not content every minute or so. I'm just wondering how normal this is, and if she will outgrow it. The vet didn't think that this sounded like mites, and she was on her very best behavior at the vets, not wheeking loudly once!
We're still learning, obviously, but the vet was impressed with our commitment, and I think we have a pretty good handle on things. I can't wait for their new home to be ready. LOL We already built the base and the lower level cage bottom part. I have blisters from those darn cable connectors to prove it! For bedding we are using newspaper (no color inks) with a thickish layer of Carefresh bedding in half and somewhat less bedding in the other half. (In 8 days we have tried 4 different combos and this one works well.) They poop mostly in their food bowls (silly piggies!) and pee mostly in cormers. I may try to put bedding in the corners of their new cage since they like to pee in corners and maybe towels in the middle? I have no idea. Trial and error, I guess.
Well, that's a long enough message! Sorry for the length. I'm just so in love with my GPs and I am so glad that we got them, and I am so grateful for all of the fabulous info on this site and a few others online. I decided on GPs because my husband has allergies so we had to get something that would live in a cage for the most part, but I still wanted an interactive pet. They seem to be perfect on both counts, and so far my husband doesn't seem to be allergic to them at all!
Thanks.
Rebecca
