NatalieGee
Junior Guinea Pig
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2017
- Messages
- 160
- Reaction score
- 300
- Points
- 345
- Location
- Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Hi, everyone! I recently adopted my first guinea pigs, a pair of 4 or 5-month-old boars. I want to share a description of their setup and the care routine I've been doing to make sure that if I'm making any mistakes or if you have any suggestions on how to make their lives even better, I can make adjustments to be a better pig mom.
I first ordered the Midwest Guinea Habitat Plus, and was instantly unhappy with the size. They lived in that cage for all of 3 days and then I ordered them the "jumbo" sized C&C habitat from guineapigcagesstore.com (2x6 grids and 16 square feet). The boys love it! They've been in their new cage for about a month and it seems like the popcorning never ends!
In their cage, they have a fleece forest hanging in one corner and that seems to be their favorite hide. They also have an alfalfa tunnel, a big wooden hidey house, several toys (dangly pinecone/wood thing, sisal ring with wood blocks, a willow ball stuffed with hay, a set of bendable "lounging logs" they can go under or on top of, etc.) and I kind of switch out which hides they have and what goes where every couple days so they can play with all their stuff in a week without taking away too much of their running space.
I use Carefresh paper bedding in most of the cage, except their "kitchen area" which is timothy hay with a hay rack, a bowl of Oxbow Young Guinea Pig pellets, and a bowl where they get their veggies. I've been giving them either romaine, red&green butter lettuce, or Swiss chard every day along with a small amount of a supplemental veggie like capsicum, parsley, etc. I also give them each half of an Oxbow Natural Science Vitamin C tab every day. Because my boys are still so young, should I be giving them alfalfa hay along with the Timothy? Their pelleted food is made of alfalfa and they both eat plenty every day. Also, how much veggies would you recommend for pigs their age? I've read it's about a cup a day for adult pigs so I've been giving them about a cup and a half total a day to share. I let them sort of forage for the greens and I hand feed them the peppers and other snacks and it has really helped us bond. They get all squeaky and excited when they see me now and the braver of the two runs up and puts his little hands on the bars to greet me!
I bought a big plastic kiddie pool and filled it with bedding and toys and that is where I put them to have "floor time" with me and time away from their usual cage. They are starting to outgrow it though and I suspect they will be able to hop the sides any day now, lol!
In all, do you guys think I'm making good choices for my pigs? I've done a lot of research but just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to make them happy and healthy and fulfilled. Pointers, please? Thank you!
I first ordered the Midwest Guinea Habitat Plus, and was instantly unhappy with the size. They lived in that cage for all of 3 days and then I ordered them the "jumbo" sized C&C habitat from guineapigcagesstore.com (2x6 grids and 16 square feet). The boys love it! They've been in their new cage for about a month and it seems like the popcorning never ends!
In their cage, they have a fleece forest hanging in one corner and that seems to be their favorite hide. They also have an alfalfa tunnel, a big wooden hidey house, several toys (dangly pinecone/wood thing, sisal ring with wood blocks, a willow ball stuffed with hay, a set of bendable "lounging logs" they can go under or on top of, etc.) and I kind of switch out which hides they have and what goes where every couple days so they can play with all their stuff in a week without taking away too much of their running space.
I use Carefresh paper bedding in most of the cage, except their "kitchen area" which is timothy hay with a hay rack, a bowl of Oxbow Young Guinea Pig pellets, and a bowl where they get their veggies. I've been giving them either romaine, red&green butter lettuce, or Swiss chard every day along with a small amount of a supplemental veggie like capsicum, parsley, etc. I also give them each half of an Oxbow Natural Science Vitamin C tab every day. Because my boys are still so young, should I be giving them alfalfa hay along with the Timothy? Their pelleted food is made of alfalfa and they both eat plenty every day. Also, how much veggies would you recommend for pigs their age? I've read it's about a cup a day for adult pigs so I've been giving them about a cup and a half total a day to share. I let them sort of forage for the greens and I hand feed them the peppers and other snacks and it has really helped us bond. They get all squeaky and excited when they see me now and the braver of the two runs up and puts his little hands on the bars to greet me!
I bought a big plastic kiddie pool and filled it with bedding and toys and that is where I put them to have "floor time" with me and time away from their usual cage. They are starting to outgrow it though and I suspect they will be able to hop the sides any day now, lol!
In all, do you guys think I'm making good choices for my pigs? I've done a lot of research but just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to make them happy and healthy and fulfilled. Pointers, please? Thank you!
