newcavymom said:
Hello all!
I've been trying to find out as much as I can about guinea pig ownership...please orient me as to the following:
- Do I need to create a separate "potty area"?
- Can you train the pigs to "go" in that area?
- What is the fastest bedding change/set-up option? (my pig will be in the classroom during the school year-4th grade students will be cleaning cage)
- Most economical feed/treats?
- Why do they need hay? (this might be a stupid question, but remember I'm very new at this)
Thanks to all who respond
Hi Newcavymom!
I'll try to answer some of your questions as best I can.
1. Whether or not you create a potty area depends on what bedding you use. If you use carefresh (a paper-based litter product), aspen or kiln-dried pine bedding (PLEASE do not under any circumstances use regular pine or cedar, as the oils from the wood can give them fatal Upper Respiratory Infections as well as the possibility of liver failure.) then it won't matter if you "designate" an area-they will go potty indiscriminately. If you decide to use fleece or towel bedding, then you can find out if there is a corner they prefer to use to potty and fill a corner litter pan with carefresh or aspen and place it in that corner. They can be taught to pee there, but will still leave poops EVERYWHERE! (carefresh is easier to keep off the fleece than aspen.). -BUT- since this will be a class pet, I would reccomend a disposable bedding above fleece or towels. If you are interested, there are tons of threads in both Cavy Chat and Cage Chat/Bedding.
2. Kind of covered this already. Yes, you can teach them, to a certain extent. Many will be able to learn to pee in that pan, but will still leave poops everywhere. They can't help it. Just remember, if you are using carefresh, aspen, or kiln-dried pine, then it is really pointless to make a seperate litter pan. They will just use the bedding anywhere they feel like it. Just remember to spot clean the wet spots every day and do a full clean as often as possible (every 5 days-ish).
3. Probably the
fastest would be a fleece pad bedding (usually a combination of newspaper under crib pads/incontinence (sp?) pads/puppy pads/towels/ under polar fleece. However, you would have to change this every 2-4 days, and would have to carry stinky fleece home and have several changes prepared. The
best option in your situation would probably be aspen, as it is less costly than carefresh. Kiln dried pine is more absorbant and a tad less messy than aspen, but can be expensive and difficult to find. Regular Pine
can be used
if you place it in a large open container to air out for a few days until there is no "piney" smell, PRIOR to using it in the cage. Less convenient, but also less expensive than aspen.
4. "Economical" is not as important as nutritional when it comes to feed. Make sure they are getting "the best of the best" to ensure proper nutrition and prevent illness- cavies hide illness very well, and all too often, once an illness is noticed, it is too late. You will need a plain timothy-hay based pellet to feed your pig daily. An excellent choice is the one made by oxbow, found at (broken link removed) . Any sort of seed-pellet mixes shoud NOT be given to cavies as they are too fatty and actually risk choking the pigs. Also, you will need to feed your pig 1 cup of veggies per day. Pigs cannot manufacture their own vitamin C, and require a daily supplement of 10-30 miligrams per day. Good choices are any lettuce except iceberg, cilantro, bell peppers (non-spicy), cucumber, celery (cut up into small pieces) and celery leaves, dandilion greens, etc. Feed foods like carrots and apples sparingly (one baby carrot 2-3 times a week) as they can cause mouth sores. Also, fruits are high in sugar content and should be fed as a treat, and not as a staple, as it is difficult for the pigs to digest sugars. Veggies high in calcium (like spinnach, parsley, etc) as they can cause bladder stones. Foods like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower can cause gas. Here is a link to a veggie chart (scroll down) and info on what and why to feed:
https://www.guinealynx.com/nutrition.html#lists .
Store-bought treats are a big no-no, as they are fatty, lack nutrition, and unneccessary to your pigs diet. Let veggies and fruits act as these treats! Don't forget fresh unlimited WATER!
Also, your pig will need UNLIMITED amounts of a grass hay, such as timothy hay or bluegrass hay (also readily available from oxbow), or if they are under 4 months old, alfalfa hay. Which leads us into our next question...
5. Pigs need hay (unlimited amounts
-to keep fibre in their diet and prevent loose stools
-to help grind down their molars (pigs teeth are constantly growing and must be worn down in order to preven mallocusion, or overgrown teeth, preventing them from eating, and requiring immediate veteranary care to trim the teeth, or else they will become "anorexic" and can easily die.
Make sure you have a wooden house in the cage as well for the pig to chew on so they can keep their teeth properly trimmed. Also, you may want to seriously consider constructing a C&C cage of at least 2x3, properly 'kidproofed' (i.e. with a lid that can be secured shut to keep the kids from handling the pigs unsupervised and improperly.) They are VERY inexpensive (about $30) and will make your pig enourmously happy! If at all avoidable, do NOT buy a pet store cage as they are too small and will make your pig nervous, especially considering he/she will be around so many people ALL the time. They need their own space and plenty of places to hide if threatened.
Also, you may want to consider two pigs, either a same sex pair, or a neutered male with a female as pigs are herd animals and do better in pairs or herds (never have more than one male with 2+females as they will fight over them). If you do decide to do this, please read CavySpirit's page on introductions; you cannot just "plop" a new pig into an existing pig's cage...believe me it's not pretty T_T...
https://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm (scroll down about half way for introductions, but I would read the whole thing :O)
Have a good EXOTICS vet lined up, as illness can come at any time. Be prepared to have this precious pig for at least 5-7 years, and do your best to adopt rather than buy.
Hope that's everything, good luck and welcome to the forum!!!
