Getting Settled

[Monkeymagic]

Hi, I'm all very new to having guinea pigs, we brought our two girls last Sunday and they seem to be doing very well. However, I have a couple of concerns, and I'm hoping experianced piggy keepers can put my mind at ease.
Our girls are very well handled, they seem to enjoy being handled and groomed, so ive been lucky enough to check that there is nothing physically wrong with them, however, they seem extremily quite, and 'down'.
Up until yesterday, I was putting their food in their bed area, it worried me that they were sleeping, eating and toileting all in the same area, so have since moved their food downstairs in the run area. They are eating their veg, but dont seem to be entertaining their dried food. Ive also noticed that they havent had a drink yet, which really concerns me also, they havent been out of their room and into their run yet either.
I brought some bordom treats and tubes yesterday and placed them all in the run to entice them out, but so far, nothing. I appreciate its cold, and they probably dont want to go out in thd cold, but if ive moved their food out, and their water bottle is also outside, it worries me that theywont eat or drink.
Please can anyone advise me. Thank you

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

How do you keep your guinea pigs? In a hutch or an indoor cage? If they are outdoors, how well insulated is it?

Please give your piggies time to settle. It depends on how sensitive the handling by their previous owners was. They sound rather afraid to me, so you have to spend some time making friends with them first.

Please move the food back to were it will stay dry and warm, and feed rather several small portions they can eat at once than one big one; do the same with the pellets. Most guinea pigs have peeing distinct peeing corners, except when they have have grown up in all-dirty places where it never made a difference and were unable to learn that from their mums.

Whether they drink or not depends amongst other factors on how much veg you are feeding, but it also differs enormously individually. The mainstay of their diet should be hay; it should make up to 80% of the daily food intake for long term gut and dental health. Veg and pellets are only extras. As long as your girls are eating plenty of hay, you need not worry.

You may find these information threads here helpful, but we have more at the top of our various Care sections:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...stincts-and-speak-piggy-body-language.117031/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/cold-weather-care-for-guinea-pigs.54309/

As we have members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state or (for the UK) your county or city to your details so we can always adapt our advice to what is available/possible for you straight away. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thanks!

 

[Monkeymagic]

Hi,
They are outside in a hutch that has a ramp to their run, the sleeping area is packed with hay and I have a hutch cover over it. Yes, I am in the UK
I got them from a breeder who had kept them in her shed, they are aged 1 and 2. I was worried about putting them outside, but she assured me they would be ok, I have to admit, I'm having 2nd thoughts and wondering if i should bring them in.
I will return their food back into their sleeping area, I was just hoping to entice them out.
I have a 3yr old son, and i dont worry about him as much as my piggies, haha.
Do you ghink i should consider bring them in? You are right, i do feel they are afraid xx

 

[Wiebke]

If you can, please bring them in, but get them used to warmer temperatures slowly over the course of a day! You will enjoy having much more interaction with your piggies and will develop a much closer bond with them the more you can interact.
Here is our boar and cage guide, as well as tips on how to make friends with new and skittish piggies. Unfortunately, breeder piggies are most often not known for being used to petting or kind handling.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...stincts-and-speak-piggy-body-language.117031/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/cage-size-guide.120795/