I adopted Ginger and Cocoa, two short-haired males, from Petco three weeks ago. They had been brought in by two different owners who no longer wanted them. At Petco, they had been caged together without fighting. I wanted two anyway, so I brought them home.
DH and I have had pet birds for nearly 20 years. We have (or had) cockatiels, budgies, conures, a European starling and a chuckar partridge. Lucky the chuckar (a rescue), who was my "lap bird," died on July 4; she had a partially formed egg inside that the vet couldn't remove. It was going to break and become septic, so I decided to have her put to sleep. She died in my arms at the vet's.
Lucky's house was a large rabbit cage. After Lucky died, I told DH not to throw the cage away. I missed Lucky terribly -- she would sit on my lap for long stretches and let me ruffle her soft feathers.
I wanted a cuddly animal to fill the hole left by Lucky. I did lots of research. I considered hamsters (too small) and bunnies (too bouncy and destructive). Finally, I decided on guinea pigs.
Ginger, the alpha pig, is very gregarious. He's an explorer and an inventor of games. His best game involves climbing up my shirt and hanging out on my neck and shoulders, then running down my arm back to the safety of the couch. Cocoa is quiet and timid. He is content to crawl into my lap or nuzzle under my chin for long snuggles.
In these three brief weeks I have experimented with three different beddings: Carefresh, aspen shavings and fleece. I really wanted fleece to work. I loved how I could see the poops without searching for them and just scoop them up. Unfortunately, we don't have a washer and dryer in our apartment. I learned really quickly that washing fleece by hand is difficult and time consuming and not very efficient.
Aspen shavings are light weight and efficient, but end up all over my apartment.
I think that I'm going to settle on Carefresh, even though it's pretty pricey.
The boys get a fresh rack of hay every day, which I replenish when I get home from work. They get Zupreem pellets. And they get plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, with an emphasis on those which are rich in vitamin C.
I bring the piggies out for couch time in the evenings (more if I'm working from home and on the weekends). They sit with me on the couch, which is covered because of the birds, for at least an hour.
I would like to make a C&C playpen for them so they can play on the floor safely.
I love my boys. I really didn't expect them to be so interactive or affectionate.
Oh, I am a member of a British guinea pig forum. They have been very nice and welcoming. Since I'm in the U.S., I was pleased to stumble upon this forum. I want to learn as much as I can about good piggy care.
DH and I have had pet birds for nearly 20 years. We have (or had) cockatiels, budgies, conures, a European starling and a chuckar partridge. Lucky the chuckar (a rescue), who was my "lap bird," died on July 4; she had a partially formed egg inside that the vet couldn't remove. It was going to break and become septic, so I decided to have her put to sleep. She died in my arms at the vet's.
Lucky's house was a large rabbit cage. After Lucky died, I told DH not to throw the cage away. I missed Lucky terribly -- she would sit on my lap for long stretches and let me ruffle her soft feathers.
I wanted a cuddly animal to fill the hole left by Lucky. I did lots of research. I considered hamsters (too small) and bunnies (too bouncy and destructive). Finally, I decided on guinea pigs.
Ginger, the alpha pig, is very gregarious. He's an explorer and an inventor of games. His best game involves climbing up my shirt and hanging out on my neck and shoulders, then running down my arm back to the safety of the couch. Cocoa is quiet and timid. He is content to crawl into my lap or nuzzle under my chin for long snuggles.
In these three brief weeks I have experimented with three different beddings: Carefresh, aspen shavings and fleece. I really wanted fleece to work. I loved how I could see the poops without searching for them and just scoop them up. Unfortunately, we don't have a washer and dryer in our apartment. I learned really quickly that washing fleece by hand is difficult and time consuming and not very efficient.
Aspen shavings are light weight and efficient, but end up all over my apartment.
I think that I'm going to settle on Carefresh, even though it's pretty pricey.
The boys get a fresh rack of hay every day, which I replenish when I get home from work. They get Zupreem pellets. And they get plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, with an emphasis on those which are rich in vitamin C.
I bring the piggies out for couch time in the evenings (more if I'm working from home and on the weekends). They sit with me on the couch, which is covered because of the birds, for at least an hour.
I would like to make a C&C playpen for them so they can play on the floor safely.
I love my boys. I really didn't expect them to be so interactive or affectionate.
Oh, I am a member of a British guinea pig forum. They have been very nice and welcoming. Since I'm in the U.S., I was pleased to stumble upon this forum. I want to learn as much as I can about good piggy care.