Concerned About Spot Cleaning New, Frightened Guinea Pigs

[WoolCat]

Hi all,

I'm a new guinea pig owner and have this week brought home two lovely baby girls, Coffee Bean and Cocoa Bean, 7 weeks old.

We've been trying to generally leave them alone to get used to their new cage, with big cage cleans twice daily, one in the morning when we give them fresh hay and their pellets, as well as change their water, and one in the evening when we give them more hay before bed. I also give them their veggies at 6pm each day. I know we're supposed to spot clean the cage in between times, especially if we notice areas where there is a lot of mess, so I've been trying to do that without disturbing and frightening them too much.

My concern at the moment is that they seem to really like going to the toilet in their favourite hideaway, and I notice a lot of poops in there, which I really want to clean, but the girls absolutely hate being removed from it! Coffee often makes little squeaks if we try to gently coax her out, which just breaks my heart. I don't want them to associate us with fear and exposure, but I'm worried that if we leave them in their hideaway with their poop, they'll get sick. I know they're exploring the cage and running all over it, as we have a camera overlooking the cage that we can watch from elsewhere in the house, so I can see them going to the hay piles, the pellet dish, and the water, and sometimes just running around, but if one of us approaches, at least one of the girls goes straight into this hideaway, which makes it impossible to clean it out of poop.

Are they going to get sick if we leave them alone? Should we be trying to force them out of hiding more often so we can remove the poop, or are we okay to leave them to their own devices so long as we do the big cleans twice a day and they always have hay and water available to them? I really don't want to scare them or force them out of a space they feel safe in, but I also don't want to neglect them and let them get sick! Since we've only had them for 5 days, we're still very new to this and definitely have a lot to learn!

Any advice from more experienced piggy parents would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

[Roselina]

Hello and welcome to the forum
The girls will still be settling in so we usually find it’s better to have minimal disruption for a couple of weeks.
Maybe put a blanket over their cage to help them settle ?
When you mention a big cage clean ….are you cleaning everything ? It is better to clean half of the cage one day and then the other half the next as each time you clean you are removing their scent which can upset them.
I don’t think you need to worry too much about the spot cleaning just now just let Cocobean and Coffee bean settle into their new home.
This is just my personal view and I know one of our piggy experts will offer you advice soon
Try not to worry but enjoy your piggies

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all,

I'm a new guinea pig owner and have this week brought home two lovely baby girls, Coffee Bean and Cocoa Bean, 7 weeks old.

We've been trying to generally leave them alone to get used to their new cage, with big cage cleans twice daily, one in the morning when we give them fresh hay and their pellets, as well as change their water, and one in the evening when we give them more hay before bed. I also give them their veggies at 6pm each day. I know we're supposed to spot clean the cage in between times, especially if we notice areas where there is a lot of mess, so I've been trying to do that without disturbing and frightening them too much.

My concern at the moment is that they seem to really like going to the toilet in their favourite hideaway, and I notice a lot of poops in there, which I really want to clean, but the girls absolutely hate being removed from it! Coffee often makes little squeaks if we try to gently coax her out, which just breaks my heart. I don't want them to associate us with fear and exposure, but I'm worried that if we leave them in their hideaway with their poop, they'll get sick. I know they're exploring the cage and running all over it, as we have a camera overlooking the cage that we can watch from elsewhere in the house, so I can see them going to the hay piles, the pellet dish, and the water, and sometimes just running around, but if one of us approaches, at least one of the girls goes straight into this hideaway, which makes it impossible to clean it out of poop.

Are they going to get sick if we leave them alone? Should we be trying to force them out of hiding more often so we can remove the poop, or are we okay to leave them to their own devices so long as we do the big cleans twice a day and they always have hay and water available to them? I really don't want to scare them or force them out of a space they feel safe in, but I also don't want to neglect them and let them get sick! Since we've only had them for 5 days, we're still very new to this and definitely have a lot to learn!

Any advice from more experienced piggy parents would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Hi and welcome

I am sorry that you are finding yourself in this situation because you are obviously trying your best to be a caring and understanding owner but sooner rather than later you need to start to provide a regular routine, which includes cleaning. The trick is to announce your various daily actions with a kind of audible 'jingle' so your piggies can learn to understand the routine and can slowly start to trust you in a world that is currently just very random and frightening and where they are feeling very lost.

Please put them in their carrier during the cage clean and peg a sheet or large towel over the top of the top of the cage when you have put them back so they feel safer and are more enticed to explore even when people are in the room. Sprinkle veg and pellets around the cage and put some hay close to where they are currently denning to entice them out.

Be patient and persistent. Establish a firm daily routine. Talk to them in a calm gentle voice when you come into the room and when you come close to the case since predators who make noises are not hunting. Structure their life by inventing a different call with a different melody for each action that affects them - food, water, hay, spot clean (mine is 'tidy tidy tidy'), cage clean, pick up, return to the cage, plenty of praise etc. It's the melody and the emotion in your voice they react to.

What can also help is perhaps playing some happy piggy noises for reassurance that they haven't got quite as lost.

Here is some more helpful practical information with all the little how-to tips and information:
New Guinea Pigs: How to Best Manage Arrival and Settling In - This is a very helpful step by step guide.

If they are lurking in just one corner (do they have more than one hut?) consider getting some cheap vetbed for dogs, cut into suitable squares, so you just have to lift the hut and exchange the square once a day.

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs

Here is our very helpful information resource into which tens of thousands of questions and our practical collective experience have gone into in 20 years of forum existence. You may want to bookmark the link. The guides format allows us to update and add at need and when we have some spare time. Since we are all doing this for free in our own spare time, we cannot type out the advice in full detail in every post, so our guides is where all the detailed tips and in-depth information is. We link them into our posts as needed for further help and understanding.
New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

 

[WoolCat]

Hello and welcome to the forum
The girls will still be settling in so we usually find it’s better to have minimal disruption for a couple of weeks.
Maybe put a blanket over their cage to help them settle ?
When you mention a big cage clean ….are you cleaning everything ? It is better to clean half of the cage one day and then the other half the next as each time you clean you are removing their scent which can upset them.
I don’t think you need to worry too much about the spot cleaning just now just let Cocobean and Coffee bean settle into their new home.
This is just my personal view and I know one of our piggy experts will offer you advice soon
Try not to worry but enjoy your piggies

Hi, thank you!

I'm just cleaning visible mess in the "big cage clean", as in getting rid of the poop I can see and any soiled hay. I was just worried that them sitting inside their hidey house in their own poop might make them get sick, and I really want to do the best I can for them!

Thanks for your advice though, I think I can relax a little knowing folks on here don't think I'm neglecting them!

 

[WoolCat]

Hi and welcome

I am sorry that you are finding yourself in this situation because you are obviously trying your best to be a caring and understanding owner but sooner rather than later you need to start to provide a regular routine, which includes cleaning. The trick is to announce your various daily actions with a kind of audible 'jingle' so your piggies can learn to understand the routine and can slowly start to trust you in a world that is currently just very random and frightening and where they are feeling very lost.

Please put them in their carrier during the cage clean and peg a sheet or large towel over the top of the top of the cage when you have put them back so they feel safer and are more enticed to explore even when people are in the room. Sprinkle veg and pellets around the cage and put some hay close to where they are currently denning to entice them out.

Be patient and persistent. Establish a firm daily routine. Talk to them in a calm gentle voice when you come into the room and when you come close to the case since predators who make noises are not hunting. Structure their life by inventing a different call with a different melody for each action that affects them - food, water, hay, spot clean (mine is 'tidy tidy tidy'), cage clean, pick up, return to the cage, plenty of praise etc. It's the melody and the emotion in your voice they react to.

What can also help is perhaps playing some happy piggy noises for reassurance that they haven't got quite as lost.

Here is some more helpful practical information with all the little how-to tips and information:
New Guinea Pigs: How to Best Manage Arrival and Settling In - This is a very helpful step by step guide.

If they are lurking in just one corner (do they have more than one hut?) consider getting some cheap vetbed for dogs, cut into suitable squares, so you just have to lift the hut and exchange the square once a day.

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs

Here is our very helpful information resource into which tens of thousands of questions and our practical collective experience have gone into in 20 years of forum existence. You may want to bookmark the link. The guides format allows us to update and add at need and when we have some spare time. Since we are all doing this for free in our own spare time, we cannot type out the advice in full detail in every post, so our guides is where all the detailed tips and in-depth information is. We link them into our posts as needed for further help and understanding.
New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me!

I think I'll try announcing that I'm coming over to do a little clean like you suggested, I already do a little series of taps on the veggie plate with my nails when I'm bringing it over so they get used to that sound meaning veggie time. I always talk once I start moving near the cage and when I'm going past it so they know I'm there, but I'll try and use some more specific sounds now to help them.

They do have multiple huts, I wanted them to have some variety and choice, but perhaps I should have gotten two of the same one since they both like it so much! I'm also wondering if, as they're sisters who haven't been separated from each other before, they find it comforting to be together in the same hideaway? Thank you for the dog bed tip, I hadn't thought of that!

Thank you so much for all of the helpful links. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to provide some reassurance to this nervous new owner!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me!

I think I'll try announcing that I'm coming over to do a little clean like you suggested, I already do a little series of taps on the veggie plate with my nails when I'm bringing it over so they get used to that sound meaning veggie time. I always talk once I start moving near the cage and when I'm going past it so they know I'm there, but I'll try and use some more specific sounds now to help them.

They do have multiple huts, I wanted them to have some variety and choice, but perhaps I should have gotten two of the same one since they both like it so much! I'm also wondering if, as they're sisters who haven't been separated from each other before, they find it comforting to be together in the same hideaway? Thank you for the dog bed tip, I hadn't thought of that!

Thank you so much for all of the helpful links. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to provide some reassurance to this nervous new owner!

It's also just the cadence of your voice. Any food is always announced in an excited voice etc., like talking to a little baby where you also exaggerate what you are saying.

If they have the choice and are staying together, then they need the company. You will notice when they start settling in and there is some dominance as they establish their group in their new home.
Just peg something over the top to make them feel less exposed when being out and about and to encourage them to come out of the hut more.

They will do that. Also establish weekly health checks but follow them up with a treat and lots of praise and encouragement during the process.

Right now, it's still very early days.

 

[WoolCat]

It's also just the cadence of your voice. Any food is always announced in an excited voice etc., like talking to a little baby where you also exaggerate what you are saying.

If they have the choice and are staying together, then they need the company. You will notice when they start settling in and there is some dominance as they establish their group in their new home.
Just peg something over the top to make them feel less exposed when being out and about and to encourage them to come out of the hut more.

They will do that. Also establish weekly health checks but follow them up with a treat and lots of praise and encouragement during the process.

Right now, it's still very early days.

Haha, luckily I've had practice both working with kids and doing a similar thing when I puppy sit my brother's dogs - high pitched, excited praise when they go to the toilet outside! I'll tap into those skills for my new girls

I've got plenty of blankets I can use, although we have found that they don't mind coming out of their hut if we're talking to each other, so long as we're out of their sight they don't seem to mind the sound of our voices nearby. But hopefully a blanket over the top of the cage will help too! Do you have any advice on how to go about removing it without looking too much like a big scary predator looming above them?

Also, should I be worried if they don't take the treats I offer during their weekly health check? Or is it enough just to offer it to them when they're out (e.g. on the scales), and then place it near their hut if they don't want to take it from me directly?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

Offers treats but taking treats from you may or may not happen any time soon. It happens when they trust you and know they are safe.
I have had a range - some who take them from day 1 (the two boys I have left were very confident as youngsters), but I have had others which take weeks to months to be confident enough to take treats. The longest took 18 months before he felt safe enough - he was a lovely boy, just more nervous.

 

[Wiebke]

Haha, luckily I've had practice both working with kids and doing a similar thing when I puppy sit my brother's dogs - high pitched, excited praise when they go to the toilet outside! I'll tap into those skills for my new girls

I've got plenty of blankets I can use, although we have found that they don't mind coming out of their hut if we're talking to each other, so long as we're out of their sight they don't seem to mind the sound of our voices nearby. But hopefully a blanket over the top of the cage will help too! Do you have any advice on how to go about removing it without looking too much like a big scary predator looming above them?

Also, should I be worried if they don't take the treats I offer during their weekly health check? Or is it enough just to offer it to them when they're out (e.g. on the scales), and then place it near their hut if they don't want to take it from me directly?

Please take the time to read this link here: it contains very practical and simple tips on how you avoid coming across as a predator. We cannot repeat all the advice in detail in every post, so we have created our guide links with all the in depth details: Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

 

[WoolCat]

Welcome to the forum

Offers treats but taking treats from you may or may not happen any time soon. It happens when they trust you and know they are safe.
I have had a range - some who take them from day 1 (the two boys I have left were very confident as youngsters), but I have had others which take weeks to months to be confident enough to take treats. The longest took 18 months before he felt safe enough - he was a lovely boy, just more nervous.

Thank you for sharing your experience! I'll keep offering them treats from my hand and then leaving them nearby until they feel comfortable taking them from me, however long that might be

 

[WoolCat]

Please take the time to read this link here: it contains very practical and simple tips on how you avoid coming across as a predator. We cannot repeat all the advice in detail in every post, so we have created our guide links with all the in depth details: Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

Thank you very much, sorry to keep asking questions covered elsewhere, I'm still trying to learn how the forum works. Thank you for your patience!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you very much, sorry to keep asking questions covered elsewhere, I'm still trying to learn how the forum works. Thank you for your patience!

You'll get the hang of it.

We are working a bit different to social media places and are trying to rather personalise our advice to your individual situation and give moral support and assurance as well than just typing out the standard tips, which are complete in our guide links with all the little how-to tricks and details. Worth reading, nevertheless, because you get it all and in the proper full context there; but you won't get the encouragement or comfort that we rather take the time to give you as well.