Newbie Post & Questions

[Heather_GP]

Hey guys,

My names Heather and I'm a new guinea pig owner after rescuing the handsome man from a care home. I have a few questions, firstly we was told he was female, after looking at a number of different sites, I finally worked out that 'she' was a 'he'.

We was also told he had been neutered, but considering they couldn't decide whether he was male or female, I question that, is there any way to tell?

He's also on his own, in a L95 x W57 x H46cm cage, I've read that guinea pigs get lonely and depressed so I spend as much time with him as I can. However, I wondered if it would be better to get him a companion to keep him company when no-one is around?

If getting a companion is a best option, assuming he is an adult now, would he be okay with a young boar? As i'm not sure me, or the other two owners involved of him could afford getting him neutered?

Hope that you guys can help!

and Hello, from me and Milo-Frank!

 

[squigglesisMINE]

Hi and congratulations on your new friend! He is super cute! I don't think there's any way to tell if he's neutered or not though. Also, yes they do better with friends. My two are alone though because they don't like other piggies too much. He should do fine with another young boar as a lot of the time, the older ones that have already gone through puberty will be tolerant of the younger ones. If you get another, you will see them dominance humping each other and they might nip a little bit because they must figure out who is in charge. This is normal. If it turns to war(bleeding, etc.) separate them before it turns really bad.

Introduce them on neutral ground. Try giving them a bath together, called a buddy bath. It will help bond them in the experience. Clean out your guinea pig's cage and everything in it before introducing the new guy so most of the smells are gone, that way neither one will feel AS entitled to the whole place.

Hope that helped! And just ask if you have any more questions!

 

[PiggieWigglies]

Welcome! Cute pig! Guinea pigs need long grass hay such as timothy, orchard, and a few others 24/7 along with water. They can get 1/8 of a cup of pellets per day, per pig. And 1 cup of veggies a day per pig. Guinea pigs cant make their own vitamin c,you give him 1/8 of a green bell pepper a day and he will be fine. Guinea pigs nails get sharp, and there are tutorials on how to clip them or have someone do it for you. Good veggies to give your pig are: green/red leaf lettuce, cherry tomato, green bell pepper, fresh green beans, and carrots and apples in tiny portions.
Getting him a young boar friend would be the best option. You will need a bigger cage and introduce them where neither pig has been before. Put a big pile of hay and veggies in the area and put 1 pig at each end. Dont do piggie playdates before they meet because it stresses them out because they have to figure out who is the boss, over and over again. Good luck with your pig(s)!

 

[Heather_GP]

Thank you both for the advice, very valuable! Definitely with the vegetables and ways to introduce!

Is there a two week inclusion period if we do get another one? I've read somewhere you should keep them separate for two weeks? Only issue is, they would have to be in the same room?

He was with a male in the home for a short while, apparently they didn't get on, however, the other seemed more dominant. They were also inexperienced and just got them for the sake of having them, the poor little man had never been cleaned or anything. So, I just wonder if it was just the general dominant stuff, rather than a fight because neither seemed to get injured with blood and stuff as you mentioned.

We've clipped his back nails, he's lost one of his front nails, we've soaked it in salt water and it doesn't seem infected, he did this a couple of weeks ago, we wasn't sure whether you clip the front nails as the pink line seemed to be all down the nail? Again, doubt he had even been clipped until we did it, unless previous owners did.

Again, thank you so much for the advice!

 

[bpatters]

Welcome to the forum!

Adult male testicles are usually pretty hard to miss. See www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm for examples.

A very young boar would probably be easier to introduce than one his own age. A spayed sow would be better yet, but they're hard to find.

 

[lunarminx]

non neutered boars have big balls, no ifs, ands or buts about it. I was totally amazed at how big my young guys were. If your new piggy is older it should be about the same as in the pictures.
https://www.cavyspirit.com/neutering.htm

 

[Heather_GP]

His balls, aren't really all that huge, they don't stick out obviously either?

 

[lunarminx]

Try the sexing link bpatters gave you and see if you can have someone take a picture while doing it. Remember to press to get the penis to extend.

 

[Heather_GP]

I'll try that later, just wouldn't want to get a sow and end up with some babies!

 

[PiggieWigglies]

Thank you both for the advice, very valuable! Definitely with the vegetables and ways to introduce!

Is there a two week inclusion period if we do get another one? I've read somewhere you should keep them separate for two weeks? Only issue is, they would have to be in the in the same room?

Yes there generally is a quarentine for the new pig, unless you get the pig from a shelter and they have done a quarentine already. The new other pig should be in the other room incase he is sick, you dont want it spreading to your pig. Not only does it give time to show if the new pig is sick, but it also gives them time to settle in and be away from other pig smells and noises that might freak them out when they first arrive.

 

[RandomCavy]

Yes, the new pig would need to be quarantined for at least two weeks (preferably 3-4) in another room to make sure it isn't sick. The second pig needs to be in another room during quarantine. On the main page there are minimum size requirements for different numbers of Guinea pigs (keep in mind males usually need more room than females, so if you have two male pigs you would need a 2x5 C&C or the equivalent amount of space) You do clip the front nails, but if they were never clipped you will have to go slowly by clipping a very small amount (avoiding the quick, of course) once a week or whenever the quick recedes until they are a good length.

Also there are lots of guinea pigs in rescues that need a home! Pet stores usually have their pigs cramped into a tiny space, without separating males and females, with pigs coming home missexed, pregnant, or sick, and most of the time the pet store employees do not know any better

 

[bpatters]

@lunarminx, not all unneutered males have large balls. The vast majority do, of course, but it is possible for a male to have small testicles that aren't well defined. You should still be able to extrude a penis, though.

 

[CavyMama]

Before you consider getting a friend for your pig, you would need to get a larger cage. The minimum size for ONE pig is 28in X 42in (2 grid X 3 grid) cage. What you have is a 22in X 37in cage. It's too small for ONE pig much less for TWO. Males need more space than females do. Not enough space can cause fights.

 

[Heather_GP]

Genuinely, this was the biggest cage in the pet store for a 'rabbit/guinea pig' and they state that two guinea pigs can live happily in their, go figure? Pet stores are rubbish, let alone, seeing the rabbits in their the other day, there is no way they would fit.
Also the cage he was in previously, was a small birdcage, he had no room what so ever, so this was definitely an upgrade for him!!

I found that they do sell the CC cages in the UK, but considering the cage we have has just been brought recently (not by myself, by the person who brought him home) I don't think that would go down too well? £65, $109.... There's also two cats and a dog in the house, I keep them away of course, but do they do CC cages with lids?

 

[Princess_Piggie]

(broken link removed) here is where you can purchase C&C's with lids in the UK, not too expensive either. You'd be looking at a 2x5 minimum really for two boars.

 

[Heather_GP]

(broken link removed) here is where you can purchase C&C's with lids in the UK, not too expensive either. You'd be looking at a 2x5 minimum really for two boars.

Thank you, if I got a sow and he was neutered, whats the smallest size then?

 

[Princess_Piggie]

2x4, any smaller and you're pushing it a little really IMO.

 

[Heather_GP]

Ok thank you, see what I can do! Just surely they Shouldn't sell cages that are unsuitable!

 

[bpatters]

Click on the Main tab at the top of the page. The recommended cage sizes for the number of pigs you have is there, but remember that more space is always better.

 

[Princess_Piggie]

Any type of business that is created purely with the intention of making a profit, will sell things regardless of how suitable they are. Pets at Home sells a cage called 'ferplast cavie 80' - it literally has cavie in the title. It's marketed as a specific guinea pig habitat. It's miles too small, it's a pet prison. They tried to sell me it and I told them I wasn't interested in something so small. As much as I'm all for being positive and seeing the good in people, the majority of businesses do not care about the consumer, only how deep the consumers pockets go unfortunately.

@bpatters am I remembering wrong or did someone mention a while back that the main tabs sizing needs updating? It says that for two pigs, 7 sq ft is enough (minimum) but I've only ever seen people say 8 sq ft + (minimum) for two pigs in thread discussions?