marsmcel
New Member
Cavy Gazer
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2018
- Posts
- 1
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2018
- Messages
- 1
I got my guinea pig Squash around 5 months ago. I will state, I got him from a pet store, which I am now aware is not wise. I wouldn't support them now, but I can't change where I got him. I'm unsure of how old he was when I got him, but his size and external genitalia has increased significantly in the past several months so I would assume he was quite young. He did not look like an adult guinea pig.
We're just having a lot of problems, and I'm not sure how many of them are normal or if they're cause for concern/fixable.
First, he really just does not seem to like being with me. When I first got him, he was very calm and snuggly. I give him an hour or more of floor/play time a day where he's able to free-roam around my pig-proof living room. Used to, when I would give him lap time (most of the sources i've read recommend atleast 30 minutes? that's what i've been aiming for, not sure if it's right.) he would climb up on my shoulder or sit on my lap, chill, purr when I pet him, etc. Now, he scrambles around, is constantly squirming on me and biting on me, and I can't let him up onto my shoulder because he will chew my hair off (he chewed off 3 inches of my hair this morning when I stopped paying attention for 10 seconds which prompted me to make this post!!)
He also gnaws at his cage and squeaks constantly. I grew up in a house with guinea pigs; I don't mind the squeaking usually! I think it's cute and I know it can convey a whole host of meanings for them, but it's unending! He has unlimited water and hay constantly in his cage. I give him roughly a cup of romaine lettuce in the morning, and a small amount of pellets in the evening. He has two hideaways, multiple chew toys, and a little "cloth forest" hanging thing in his cage so I've done my best to make sure he has enough. He isn't in a c&c cage; his cage is about 30x18 which I know is quite small. I'm hoping to build a bigger c&c cage in the coming weeks when I get more money. I imagine the small size of his cage may be why he gnaws at it, though I do try to alleviate some of that issue by providing him a lot of playtime and chewable toys. That said, he gnaws constantly. During the day, in the middle of the night, etc. He also squeaks constantly. The other night I had to move his cage into the hallway because he woke me up squeaking at 3am and would NOT stop.
He does not have a friend, though I know they thrive better when they have a friend, but largely the reason I haven't gotten him a friend is because I just don't know if I could handle two that are this wily!
Are these normal issues to be having? Can they be fixed? Would he benefit from a friend/would it alleviate some of the issues or would it learn from his behavior?
Additional, slightly unrelated question: the only way I can get him a bigger cage is if I build a c&c on the floor. I do live in a college students apartment, so there would be some noise/bumping coming from below, especially on weekends. I read that this may disturb them. Do you guys think that it would be better to keep him in his smaller cage on a table or a bigger cage exposed to the noise?
Is it possible this is just an unsuitable environment to him and it would be better for him to be given to different owners? I got him with the full-intention of keeping him his full life-span and spent lots of time researching the responsibility they come with. I don't mind working on these issues. I'm just becoming concerned I may be doing him a disservice by keeping him myself.
We're just having a lot of problems, and I'm not sure how many of them are normal or if they're cause for concern/fixable.
First, he really just does not seem to like being with me. When I first got him, he was very calm and snuggly. I give him an hour or more of floor/play time a day where he's able to free-roam around my pig-proof living room. Used to, when I would give him lap time (most of the sources i've read recommend atleast 30 minutes? that's what i've been aiming for, not sure if it's right.) he would climb up on my shoulder or sit on my lap, chill, purr when I pet him, etc. Now, he scrambles around, is constantly squirming on me and biting on me, and I can't let him up onto my shoulder because he will chew my hair off (he chewed off 3 inches of my hair this morning when I stopped paying attention for 10 seconds which prompted me to make this post!!)
He also gnaws at his cage and squeaks constantly. I grew up in a house with guinea pigs; I don't mind the squeaking usually! I think it's cute and I know it can convey a whole host of meanings for them, but it's unending! He has unlimited water and hay constantly in his cage. I give him roughly a cup of romaine lettuce in the morning, and a small amount of pellets in the evening. He has two hideaways, multiple chew toys, and a little "cloth forest" hanging thing in his cage so I've done my best to make sure he has enough. He isn't in a c&c cage; his cage is about 30x18 which I know is quite small. I'm hoping to build a bigger c&c cage in the coming weeks when I get more money. I imagine the small size of his cage may be why he gnaws at it, though I do try to alleviate some of that issue by providing him a lot of playtime and chewable toys. That said, he gnaws constantly. During the day, in the middle of the night, etc. He also squeaks constantly. The other night I had to move his cage into the hallway because he woke me up squeaking at 3am and would NOT stop.
He does not have a friend, though I know they thrive better when they have a friend, but largely the reason I haven't gotten him a friend is because I just don't know if I could handle two that are this wily!
Are these normal issues to be having? Can they be fixed? Would he benefit from a friend/would it alleviate some of the issues or would it learn from his behavior?
Additional, slightly unrelated question: the only way I can get him a bigger cage is if I build a c&c on the floor. I do live in a college students apartment, so there would be some noise/bumping coming from below, especially on weekends. I read that this may disturb them. Do you guys think that it would be better to keep him in his smaller cage on a table or a bigger cage exposed to the noise?
Is it possible this is just an unsuitable environment to him and it would be better for him to be given to different owners? I got him with the full-intention of keeping him his full life-span and spent lots of time researching the responsibility they come with. I don't mind working on these issues. I'm just becoming concerned I may be doing him a disservice by keeping him myself.
