Good afternoon everyone!
Between this and the introduction forum, I decided to make a thread here to ask a few questions regarding our newest family members. Almost 2 month ago we picked up our first guinea pigs (for me and the little one, and first in decades for my girlfriend). It was planned and talked about for ages, but in December she started buying stuff, kicking things off
. So on January 14th we picked up two brothers out of a 4 piggie litter (2 girls 2 boys) that was not planned. So no breeder or anything involved, just two naughty piggies and apparently misinformation on the owners side. Anyway, the two girls were spoken for within an hour of the ad being up, but the boys were ours! We had looked at other piggies before but couldn't decide (and be we I mean she 
), but when I found the ad for those guys,we both saw Toms grey face and it was a done deal 
.
Before I get to the questions, here are the pics from the ad. They were born December 9th, so the photos are from some time between that and January 12th (when the ad went online). If you have to ask which one is Tom and which one is Jerry, ....
So, the questions that came up so far after almost 2 month are two primary "concerns" / topics.
#1 drinking / color of their pee
Drinking is our number one problem it feels like. We have tried a bowl in the cage for a few weeks, we have a bottle (ball tip thingy) in there since day 1, but drinking doesn't seem to be something they do. The water bowl just gets dirty within hours because they ignore it and run arond and across it, and only twice has either one of us seen Tom and Jerry stick their nose in, possibly drink a tiny bit, right in the beginning. They seemingly completely ignored it from there on. Water was replaced daily. The water bottle has the same effect. Tom was seen using it twice, but not in weeks, Jerry has nibbled on the tip but seemed more annoyed by the sudden drop of water on his nose than anything else. We never saw him actually drink from it. We've tried two different bottles, they confirmed work (slight touch with the finger results in water). The water level never changes over night. We try to keep it fresh too. It doesn't seem to make a difference. So, we're assuming that they get enough water from the salad and stuff we feed them, since I wash all of it beforehand, and given their tendency to not drink anything, I am not super concerned with getting it dry. Sometimes they wee on some of the bright surfaces in their cage where it becomes visible that their pee seems to be of a pink-ish red-ish color... is that normal? In terms of food that could facilitate that, I can only think of carrot. So, am I with the salad basically creating the problem myself, since salads and cucumbers have a high water content, or is something possibly wrong?
#2 taming / touching them
This might be a completely pointless issue and just a matter of patience, but that word doesn't really exist in our house
. We know that they need some time to get used to us and they're in general not "cuddle pets", but I have yet to find any decent information on a timeline when they at least don't mind being touched. While they ran away hiding into the house when we got them as soon as we got too close to the cage, we can at least these days stick our hand in their and they'll have sniff to check if you got food. Because obviously we're trying to trick them with treats. As of maybe 4 weeks ago they will eat things our of an open hand, and at least in my case if I keep my hand just a bit too high to reach standing, they will put their little feet on my hand to get up and get it. But that is as far as it goes for me, any touching from my end is not desired and they will avoid it at all cost, even if its just a finger while they eat said treats. My girlfriend occasionally manages to very lightly give mostly Jerry a little stroke when she gives him a treat, but like hardly touching him and brushing a finger along his cheek. On a good day. Twice we got to the point where the normal cleaning routine wasn't enough and we cleaned the whole cage properly, which meant relocating them into a different box with a towel they used before. Obviously they avoid being picked up at all cost, running, flailing limbs and trying to escape in any way possible. Just normal cage cleaning they usually run around and just observe what you're doing, usually even getting nosey and upclose, nibbling on a brush or a bag or whatever you're handling at the time. So, everything seems perfectly fine, they will get close to you and touch you for food and curiosity, but any attempt to touch them has them step back or run off.
#3 because I just thought of it, them two "fighting/arguing"
I guess the fact that they "purr" at each other whenever they get in each others way or one has a spot the other one wants now, is pretty normal? It is also rather funny to look at when they move their bum left and right while doing so.. It is also quite common that the other piggie completely ignores that sign of superiority
Here's pics from when they got a new bed and DIY platform/roof thingy 2 weeks ago, and I just snapped a quick shot of both after luring them out with a treat.. Tom used to be the brave one but has become a bit more skittish it feels like, while Jerry is more brave these days after panicking at every noise or movement in the early days.
Anyway, enough for now. I appreciate any feedback on the questions, and I hope to learn a thing or two on this forum..
Cheers from Germany
Thomas & Kelly
Between this and the introduction forum, I decided to make a thread here to ask a few questions regarding our newest family members. Almost 2 month ago we picked up our first guinea pigs (for me and the little one, and first in decades for my girlfriend). It was planned and talked about for ages, but in December she started buying stuff, kicking things off
. So on January 14th we picked up two brothers out of a 4 piggie litter (2 girls 2 boys) that was not planned. So no breeder or anything involved, just two naughty piggies and apparently misinformation on the owners side. Anyway, the two girls were spoken for within an hour of the ad being up, but the boys were ours! We had looked at other piggies before but couldn't decide (and be we I mean she ), but when I found the ad for those guys,we both saw Toms grey face and it was a done deal .Before I get to the questions, here are the pics from the ad. They were born December 9th, so the photos are from some time between that and January 12th (when the ad went online). If you have to ask which one is Tom and which one is Jerry, ...
. So, the questions that came up so far after almost 2 month are two primary "concerns" / topics.
#1 drinking / color of their pee
Drinking is our number one problem it feels like. We have tried a bowl in the cage for a few weeks, we have a bottle (ball tip thingy) in there since day 1, but drinking doesn't seem to be something they do. The water bowl just gets dirty within hours because they ignore it and run arond and across it, and only twice has either one of us seen Tom and Jerry stick their nose in, possibly drink a tiny bit, right in the beginning. They seemingly completely ignored it from there on. Water was replaced daily. The water bottle has the same effect. Tom was seen using it twice, but not in weeks, Jerry has nibbled on the tip but seemed more annoyed by the sudden drop of water on his nose than anything else. We never saw him actually drink from it. We've tried two different bottles, they confirmed work (slight touch with the finger results in water). The water level never changes over night. We try to keep it fresh too. It doesn't seem to make a difference. So, we're assuming that they get enough water from the salad and stuff we feed them, since I wash all of it beforehand, and given their tendency to not drink anything, I am not super concerned with getting it dry. Sometimes they wee on some of the bright surfaces in their cage where it becomes visible that their pee seems to be of a pink-ish red-ish color... is that normal? In terms of food that could facilitate that, I can only think of carrot. So, am I with the salad basically creating the problem myself, since salads and cucumbers have a high water content, or is something possibly wrong?
#2 taming / touching them
This might be a completely pointless issue and just a matter of patience, but that word doesn't really exist in our house
. We know that they need some time to get used to us and they're in general not "cuddle pets", but I have yet to find any decent information on a timeline when they at least don't mind being touched. While they ran away hiding into the house when we got them as soon as we got too close to the cage, we can at least these days stick our hand in their and they'll have sniff to check if you got food. Because obviously we're trying to trick them with treats. As of maybe 4 weeks ago they will eat things our of an open hand, and at least in my case if I keep my hand just a bit too high to reach standing, they will put their little feet on my hand to get up and get it. But that is as far as it goes for me, any touching from my end is not desired and they will avoid it at all cost, even if its just a finger while they eat said treats. My girlfriend occasionally manages to very lightly give mostly Jerry a little stroke when she gives him a treat, but like hardly touching him and brushing a finger along his cheek. On a good day. Twice we got to the point where the normal cleaning routine wasn't enough and we cleaned the whole cage properly, which meant relocating them into a different box with a towel they used before. Obviously they avoid being picked up at all cost, running, flailing limbs and trying to escape in any way possible. Just normal cage cleaning they usually run around and just observe what you're doing, usually even getting nosey and upclose, nibbling on a brush or a bag or whatever you're handling at the time. So, everything seems perfectly fine, they will get close to you and touch you for food and curiosity, but any attempt to touch them has them step back or run off.#3 because I just thought of it, them two "fighting/arguing"
I guess the fact that they "purr" at each other whenever they get in each others way or one has a spot the other one wants now, is pretty normal? It is also rather funny to look at when they move their bum left and right while doing so..
It is also quite common that the other piggie completely ignores that sign of superiority Here's pics from when they got a new bed and DIY platform/roof thingy 2 weeks ago, and I just snapped a quick shot of both after luring them out with a treat.. Tom used to be the brave one but has become a bit more skittish it feels like, while Jerry is more brave these days after panicking at every noise or movement in the early days.
Anyway, enough for now. I appreciate any feedback on the questions, and I hope to learn a thing or two on this forum..
Cheers from Germany
Thomas & Kelly
I’ve only had piggies since August. One is braver than the other. I use this pigloo to catch them as you don’t have to chase them around the cage. It’s less stressful for them. I weigh them in it too. Only let one piggy in each time. There’s not enough room for two. Lol. Also mine never drink from a bottle but they pee a lot so that’s ok. When they were younger their pee dried a darker colour. But as they get older it’s not so dark. Also I let them run around my bathroom for playtime. I sit on the floor with them. One of them has started jumping onto my lap to eat his grass and veg 
