HELLO I'M NEW

  • Thread starter Thread starter tabby sam and amelia
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

tabby sam and amelia

Hi, I'm new to guinea pigs and this website is great. We took them on from a neighbout who no longer wants them. Got a few queries - any ideas why one guinea pig is not sleeping with the other two? We've had them for about a week, they are about a year old (all girls) and we keep them in an outside hutch with three levels. Top level has two closed-in doors with a mesh window in between - one side hay compartment, middle level has one big mesh door and bottom level half and half. One night I went out there late and one was on the top level but not in the hay compartment and one night one of them was in the bottom, I've put some hay in the bottom closed-in side but why don't they all sleep together? Also, the previous owners gave them their water in a bowl and I understand a bottle is better but how can I teach them to use it? I'm also thinking ahead to the winter - I'd like to put them in a shed or something so that we can spend time with them whatever the weather (can't have them in the house because my husband is allergic to them) but don't want to shut them away either. Any ideas anybody, does any of you keep your piggies in an outside home? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
Hi there and welcome to the forum :)
I know you'll get some great advice real soon, cause there's a few of the regulars with heaps of knowledge on line right now O0
Awwww your girls sound gorgeous, hope to see piccies real soon :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
First of all welcome. Many guineas even though they are bonded (attached to each other) don't sleep together. Why? There is no real answer, they just perfer their own space. As for the winter it would be better to keep them in a shed or in the house. Many guineas are kept outside during the winter (I don't recommend this), however, they do need extra protection against the elements. You can do this by keeping them in a suitable place, which is not in the way of any drafts and sheltered from the rain and by putting a hutch hugger, blanket, duvet etc over the hutch. Hope this helps. If you have any more questions or queries don't hesitate to ask. O0
 
Welcome to the forum. You will love it. Everyone is so nice. Especially lavenderjade, jane, baby-wilson and lucinda. I love kellyandpiggies aswell
 
Hi, welcome to this great forum.

Just for the record, my guineas don't sleep together either. last night when I peeped at them when they were all settled, Bella was on top of the little wooden house asleep, Truffle was inside it, Molly was up the sleeping end with her head on her paws, and Smudge and Rosie were upstairs but on opposite sides of the hutch! They seem to like their own space! During the day they all get on really well and there are no fights and they are obviously fond of each other.

I agree a water bottle is better than a bowl. I would just hold the bottle near their little mouth with a drip on the end of it and when they feel the water, I would have thought they would associate it with the bottle and go to it (I'm no expert, though, if there is a recommended way I'm sure someone will say) but I think that's what I'd do.
 
hi, mine don't all sleep together either, i put extra little igloos ( from pets at home) in at night for the ones not in the bed compartment.
My hutch has just come out of the shed for the summer months, it has been too cold at nights upto now. I cover them at night with tarpaulin.They don't like temperatures under 15 degrees (ideally), it's about 10 at night now they should be fine.They also don't like temperatures over 25 degrees, we have lots of ways to keep them cool, which we can tell you about,
a water bottle is a much better idea.
Are you aware of what foods a guinea pig needs? They need vit c from daily fruit and veg, and unlimited hay to eat to help their teeth. dried pellets are better than a dried museli mix, as they can't be picky and leave the bits they don't like. Mine love P@H nuggets.
We can give you loads of great advice, you'll get very addicted
Welcome to the forum
XpaulaX
 
gingerpig said:
I agree a water bottle is better than a bowl. I would just hold the bottle near their little mouth with a drip on the end of it and when they feel the water, I would have thought they would associate it with the bottle and go to it (I'm no expert, though, if there is a recommended way I'm sure someone will say) but I think that's what I'd do.
Click to expand...

This is a good idea, however, you normally find that they pick up how to use a bottle on their own quite quickly. I would give them a bottle and bowl and once you are sure they are all using the bottle take the bowl away. :)
 
Guinea-piggies-94 said:
Welcome to the forum. You will love it. Everyone is so nice. Especially lavenderjade, jane, baby-wilson and lucinda. I love kellyandpiggies aswell
Click to expand...

;D ;D ;D
 
lavenderjade said:
Guinea-piggies-94 said:
Welcome to the forum. You will love it. Everyone is so nice. Especially lavenderjade, jane, baby-wilson and lucinda. I love kellyandpiggies aswell
Click to expand...

;D ;D ;D
Click to expand...

Well you are nice Fiona
 
Thank you so much everybody, it's good to know it's normal for them not to sleep together, I just imagined they would all snuggle up nicely together and keep each other warm, as long as they're fine, that's okay. I've seen those plastic igloos in Pets At Home, do you need to a bit of hay inside or is it to use as it is? I've read a book about guinea pig care by Peter Gurney, he recommends feeding them fruit/veg in the morning and evening as well as topping up dry feed and hay daily, but my piggies don't seem to be eating much dry feed, how much should they be eating though? I sound like a right little worrier don't I, we are enjoying the little darlings though, they aren't very tame yet because they weren't handled very much by previous owners and they are about a year old so I guest it might take a while for them to get used to us. It takes a while to catch them to get them out each day but they do calm down and snuggle up on our lap once we've got them. One of them even seemed to be purring (do they actually purr?) Thanks again anyway guys, take care.
 
:) They eat different amounts of dry food. Their main intake should be of hay and grass and veggies. Keep fruits and roots as a treat/not too often. Give them good Meadow Hay to play in too. Mine like to have a good munch on it then fall asleep in the middle of the pile :)
Welcome to the forum by the way :)
 
i put a little newspaper in the igloo and some hay, you could use cut up fleece blanket( i use this too, easy to wash) I don't let them have their igloos on a hot day though, because they are plastic i worry about how hot they get (don't know if everyone agrees on this)i take them out of the hutch in the day & put them back in the evening, if it's hot i use cardboard boxes in the run, hubby usually donates his beer boxes, get plenty of them in our house, i also use little wooden huts in the run.
Any advice from Peter Guerney is great advice,mine have fresh fruit and veg morning and night, unlimited hay to eat which i also top up morning and night,( even if theres still hay in the hay rack they come running for the fresh stuff). Two of my piggies nearly always eat most of their dried feed, the other two never empty their bowl, I top up their bowls, but do a complete change after a couple of days. Don't worry too much if they don't eat alot of dried food, as long as they are eating some of it.Try and watch to see if they do eat some. If not then maybe they don't like it, which food are you using? Nuggets are better than museli as they can't be picky, they will get all the nutrition they need, or you can use nuggets and just add a handful of museli mixed in so they still get a tiny amount.
Keep handling them I promise they will get better, my girls have always been shyer than the boys, Toffee used to hide away from me all the time, she now comes to greet me everytime i say hello, Maisy is still shy but fine once she has cuddles. The boys are very cheeky and have been much braver from the start.
X PaulaX
 
just to say

[colorr][fontomic Sans MS][siz4]♥ WEME to th most wonrful piggi forum EVE![/siz][/font]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
tabby sam and amelia said:
Thank you so much everybody, it's good to know it's normal for them not to sleep together, I just imagined they would all snuggle up nicely together and keep each other warm, as long as they're fine, that's okay.
Click to expand...

They normally do if they feel cold, but it is perfectly normal for them to sleep opposite ends of the hutch. However, after reading your original post again I notice you have said that two sleep together and one sleeps on her own. This is nothing to worry about, but just keep an eye on them to make sure the other two are not bullying her. :)

tabby sam and amelia said:
I've seen those plastic igloos in Pets At Home, do you need to a bit of hay inside or is it to use as it is?
Click to expand...

It depends on the weather if I put anything in the igloos. The end of spring, during summer, being of autumn and any hot days that appear other then these times I don't put anything in the igloos. At the end of autumn, during the winter, beginning of spring and any fairly cold days I either put hay of shredded paper in the igloos. Hope that makes sense. :)

tabby sam and amelia said:
I've read a book about guinea pig care by Peter Gurney, he recommends feeding them fruit/veg in the morning and evening as well as topping up dry feed and hay daily, but my piggies don't seem to be eating much dry feed, how much should they be eating though?
Click to expand...

Follow the above information. What I do is fill up my guineas bowls once a day and they very rarely empty them. I give them a couple handfuls of hay once a day and top it up when it is getting low, like people have said they should have unlimited hay. With the fruit and veg my guineas get small portions throughout the day. I also normally feed my guineas during the evening. :)

tabby sam and amelia said:
I sound like a right little worrier don't I, we are enjoying the little darlings though, they aren't very tame yet because they weren't handled very much by previous owners and they are about a year old so I guest it might take a while for them to get used to us. It takes a while to catch them to get them out each day but they do calm down and snuggle up on our lap once we've got them.
Click to expand...

It will take them time to get use to you. They may always give you the run about when you try and get them in the run or try and pick them up, however, you will get better at catching them. Like you have found out they are hard to catch but once you have got them they settle down in your lap quite happily. :)


tabby sam and amelia said:
One of them even seemed to be purring (do they actually purr?) Thanks again anyway guys, take care.
Click to expand...

They do make a purring sound, it means one wants some attention if you know what I mean. ::) :)
 
Thanks for the replies everybody especially Paula and Cavy Crazy - fantastic. What sort of veg do you feed your piggies mainly, I've looked at the long list under the feeding section, alot of it is unusual stuff and whats the deal with carrots, some say they are good and some say too much could cause vitamin A/kidney problems. I've given them quite alot of different things already and pretty much everything has got eaten, how often do you given them fruit? My son had his first proper cuddle with one of the piggies today - tabby - she sat on his lap for ages being stroked - he's so happy, he can't wait to go to school and tell his friends tomorrow - sweetie.
 
tabby sam and amelia said:
Thanks for the replies everybody especially Paula and Cavy Crazy - fantastic. What sort of veg do you feed your piggies mainly, I've looked at the long list under the feeding section, alot of it is unusual stuff and whats the deal with carrots, some say they are good and some say too much could cause vitamin A/kidney problems. I've given them quite alot of different things already and pretty much everything has got eaten, how often do you given them fruit? My son had his first proper cuddle with one of the piggies today - tabby - she sat on his lap for ages being stroked - he's so happy, he can't wait to go to school and tell his friends tomorrow - sweetie.
Click to expand...

To much of a certain vitamin is just as bad as not enough. Carrot is high in in few vitamins, therefore should be feed in moderation. I normally feed mine carrot two to four times a week. My guineas mainly eat (among other fruits and veggies) carrot, cucumber, cabbage, fresh greens and broccoli. Reason being fruits have to be feed in moderation, so there diet should consist of little fruit and more veg. The other reason is because mine animals love the above. My guineas get fruit about three times a week. :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top