Hello, Rehomed Guineas taming help please .

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I am sure eveyone does things differently, I for one when we get a piggie in that hasnt been handled try and handle them for a few minutes each day. Recently took in a piggie that was literally stuck in a shed in a hutch 24/7, he was an up the wall piggie but within 2 days of me handling him twice a day, holding him close to me and talking to him with other piggies around him squeaking he is getting better. I let the piggie sniff the side of my finger and then stroke up the nose and over the head. Be fairly firm, confident with your movements and you will get there.
 
Thank you x ,

Can I ask
They are in a ferplas indoor rabbit cage, when I first saw it, I thought it was pretty big, but I dont think its big enough , and I feel they really need to have a big stretch without getting on eachothers nerves , I was going to let them have a run around my kitchen, but should I let them run together , or one at a time . My kitchen isnt particularly big, but its massive compared to what they are both in at the moment

I have been looking at outdoor runs and hutches for spring time, and was looking at chicken coops because they seem to have really big runs , and seem to be better value .... what is the feeling on this please ? ( I dont mind any negative feedback, I really am looking for the best advice for them )
 
piggyfan said:
It is up to you but I use fleece as I find that is the nicest bedding for my piggies. You have to prepare fleece before you can use it by washing and drying it three times without fabric conditioner. I put a layer of towels and then two layers of fleece down.
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Thank you, so they dont actually need anything over their heads as in hay to bury themselves in, they are quite happy to lie on top of fleece and thats all , do they chew the fleece and does it harm them ?

As mentioned I cut up a fleece jumper and have used this to handle them to make them feel snug , and also so that they dont scramble and get dropped by my son if my son gets a bit scared with them trying to escape ( we have sat on the floor handling them ) .... so if I used the sleeves that I have left for them to sleep on , this would be ok, should I put hay in it with them .

I have taken the plastic igloo out, and have a large bendy twig willow chew thing to hide under , and they dont seem to be as bad with every single move I'm making today , last night they seemed to revert back to day one ...... so this willow bendy arch, its ok for them to sleep in if they have fleece inside it, and should I have two of them , or will they really prefer to cuddle up together ?
 
They do chew the fleece as they chew everything but it does not do them any harm. Guinea pigs do not need to burrow into anything like mice and hamsters so you can just have a nice fleece bedding for them. Cutting up the fleece jumper is nice. Do not bother to put hay in as they have hay to eat already in their cage and do not need to be in the hay.

Why take away the pigloo? You can leave that so they have two things to play with. You need two of everything with piggies but they do not have to be the same. You can have the pigloo and a wooden cabin for instance.

You are right in thinking the cage is small. I do not think any cages are big enough and it is much better to make a c and c one as only then can you be sure they have enough space.

Guinea pigs need exercise and floor time so piggy proofing your kitchen and allowing them to play there is a nice idea. Put them both there so they can play together.

Well done for being such a caring and thoughtful piggy mum. :)
 
Hello again x

One of our guinea pigs is far less skittish than the other, whereas the other one, if I hold him( when I have eventually managed to catch him ) will still try and wriggle , and really doesnt seem to like to be held at all .... so should I persevere with twice a day, for a few minutes or do some piggies just not like to be held full stop ... I dont want to unsettle him as he seems to be a bit more skittish when I'm trying to get hold of him than he was in the first place .

Piggy number 2 ... Elvis ..... he is easier to get hold of, and now we are managing to pick him up without the aid of the fleece , we hold him, and he seems pretty chilled out, and stays completely still ...... but is he rigid with fear ? or will it be because he doesnt mind ? I dont want to outstay our welcome with holding him and stroking him, should I also be just holding him for a couple of minutes, twice a day, or should I hold him for as long as he seems ok with .

Also, his body , seems to be purring but without the noise ( if that makes sense ) is this a warning he is scared , or is it because he likes it ?
 
This is a great site which helps to explain guinea pig noises:
http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/guineapigsounds.html

Your piggies have to get used to you holding them and twice a day for five or ten minutes is a good way to do it. You can try offering them a tasty treat while they are on your lap so they will think of being with you as something nice.
 
Thank you, these piggies have only been with me since Sunday, and initially they were for my son to care for with my help, but I love them, and I'm determined to make life as easy and care for them the best way I possibly can, and it seems funny, but I never in a million years thought I would feel that way ... I have had hamsters etc, and they were my sons .... but these some how feel different ( does that sound daft ? )

I have had different advice from different people, and I'm gratefull for it all ... but my visit to the pet shop to be told they only need cleaning once a week ( they knew I had rehomed ) to me seems insane, I do the poo clean in the morning, and my son does it in the evening and that is the way it is staying unless someone tells me who has good experience tells me its wrong ....... and Ive had brilliant advice from here from everyone who has replied to my posts, I'm really gratefull .

I'm going to piggy proof my hall over the next few days, I felt this was safer than the kitchen , as there is no electrical equipment, and if they do manage to foil it, there is no fridge washing machine etc to escape behind , the only thing that is worrying me is that I have a laminate floor .......... should I put a large fleece blanket down for them, and put their toys etc on there ?
 
Also, can I ask, when I give them veggies aat feeding time, if they dont eat them say within a couple of hours, should I remove them from the cage, or should I just leave them, ... I gave them peppers last night and they werent that fussed, a couple of hours later the peppers looked a bit sad .... I took them out .

I know these things probably sound Like I should use my common sense, but I'm really not sure, and I want them to have everthing they need and should have .... sorry if it sounds like I'm asking a million questions x x
 
Purple Mania said:
Thank you, these piggies have only been with me since Sunday, and initially they were for my son to care for with my help, but I love them, and I'm determined to make life as easy and care for them the best way I possibly can, and it seems funny, but I never in a million years thought I would feel that way ... I have had hamsters etc, and they were my sons .... but these some how feel different ( does that sound daft ? )

I have had different advice from different people, and I'm gratefull for it all ... but my visit to the pet shop to be told they only need cleaning once a week ( they knew I had rehomed ) to me seems insane, I do the poo clean in the morning, and my son does it in the evening and that is the way it is staying unless someone tells me who has good experience tells me its wrong ....... and Ive had brilliant advice from here from everyone who has replied to my posts, I'm really gratefull .

I'm going to piggy proof my hall over the next few days, I felt this was safer than the kitchen , as there is no electrical equipment, and if they do manage to foil it, there is no fridge washing machine etc to escape behind , the only thing that is worrying me is that I have a laminate floor .......... should I put a large fleece blanket down for them, and put their toys etc on there ?
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You can put down newspaper as their wee will make your floor white. Guinea pigs are so loveable and really get into your heart. It is no surprise that you have fallen in love with them. Sadly pet shops very often have little knowledge of such wonderful creatures.
 
Purple Mania said:
Also, can I ask, when I give them veggies aat feeding time, if they dont eat them say within a couple of hours, should I remove them from the cage, or should I just leave them, ... I gave them peppers last night and they werent that fussed, a couple of hours later the peppers looked a bit sad .... I took them out .

I know these things probably sound Like I should use my common sense, but I'm really not sure, and I want them to have everthing they need and should have .... sorry if it sounds like I'm asking a million questions x x
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If they are not eating the vegetables and they are going a bit off then maybe you are feeing them too much. Sometimes my girls will leave bits and go back to them as they are grazers.

Please do not think you cannot ask questions. Nothing is silly. You just want the best for your piggies.
 
I was wondering if I'm feeding them too much, I give them a full bowl of muesli plus a bowl the same size of mixed veg ? ... and then at evening I'm giving them the same amount of veg and half a bowl of mueslie ?

Thank you for the reassurance, it really is a case of that I want the best for my piggies ... I have even worried down to the case of renaming them in case it got them totaly confused !

I have been told by various people to try and get them to eat nuggets, and Ive bought a big bag of these today, and I thought the best way to introduce these is say one fifth nuggets and the rest their original food, and increase this over a couple of weeks untill that is their main dry food .... is this the right way to do it .

Can I ask you , when handling Elvis and Jackson, previously, I had held them one at a time, but tonight, my son handled Elvis, and I handled Jackson, both at the same time ... jackson is so much more skittish, but he seemed calmer with Elvis next to him on the settee, ...... I have decided that me and my son should alternate who we handle each day so they get used to us both handling them? is this the right thing to do ?
 
That is a good idea to change over and hold both boys. They will also like to be held both together at the same time as it would give them more confidence. You are doing the right thing with trying to get them from muesli to nuggets.:)
 
Regards the food question - they are piggies and they eat like piggies - the most important part of a Guinea Pigs diet is hay 80% to keep their digestive trac healthy and their forever growing teeth worn down.

Its nice to give them a hay box so they can forage like guinea pigs are wired to do and if you buy some of the more expensive hay, for variety such as the Oxbow brand that can be placed in a hay rack or hay ball over the hay box so it doesnt get wee & pooped on. A healthy option is to buy those little bags if dried herbs such as https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/Natural+Treats+%2526+Herbs.7/Country+Garden+Herbs.518.html
https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/Natural+Treats+%2526+Herbs.7/Dandelion.260.html
and sprinkle some in the fresh hay, they really love the foraging and clicks in their naural instincts :)
 


I'm trying to upload a picture, and having no joy :(
 
Have you tried putting the photo on photo bucket? That is the best way to put photos on here.
 
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