Hey everyone............

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tedsmama
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Tedsmama

I just wanted to apologize for using swear words on my other message board in the photo gallery. I was upset and typed them out of anger. I didn't mean to offend anyone or be immature, I was just angry at the moment. I really do want to stay here and be friends. I don't want enemies, and I want to share my pics of Ted with you, his cuteness, and look at pics of your pigs, and get to know you all, etc. And to daftscotclass, I think you were very rude to me and you didn't make nice offers to me about getting a bigger cage. I felt you were rude to me and didn't come across to me very nice at all. I understand you locking the thread, but if you delete my pictures of Ted I will be upset. You can dislike my situation with ted all you want and maybe this will make us not get along. But you know what? I really don't care because Ted is loved and well taken care of. Worry about your own self and situation with your guinea pig(s) please! Anyway, I just wanted to say that I am here to have fun and not worry about the negativity. If some of you don't like me that is fine, and if some of you do like me, that's cool, too. I'm here for Ted, mostly! Have a pleasant rest of the weekend and I look forward to posting this week! Thanks bunches!

Leslie :smitten:
 
p.s. to anyone who thought I was posting pics of ted to intentionally upset; this was not the case. I posted pics simply so you could enjoy them. I never wanted to cause such a bad reaction. Ted is my very first guinea pig and I never realized how big he was going to get. I always had hamsters as a child and so when I got Ted, I never realized he would get so much bigger. After 2 months of having him I finally realized that I needed to get him a bigger cage but they are kinda pricey so I need to save up for one. And to daftscotclass, I do have common sense! You essentinally called me dumb just for not buying a big enough cage for Ted in the beginiing. I really didn't know, so without knowing me, you have no right to judge me or my situation. I am trying to do the best for my Ted because I really do love him. Anyway, I'm here to have fun, not fight. I'm here to look at other piggies and comment and learn. I can't offer much advice, seeing as how I have only had Ted for 3 months and am still learning new things about him just about everyday. To daftscotclass, can we please make peace? I don't want to fight, I just want you to not judge me and to move on from those photos please. Can you do that? I sure hope so, because if not it will make it tough to get along. Thanks all, have a great rest of the weekend and I will talk to you this week!

Leslie O0 :smitten:
 
I understand how hard it can be when you feel everyone is criticizing you and saying you're wrong, but it's for your guinea pigs interests.
I'm sure you look after him well in every other sense, you have joined this forum I assume because you care about Ted and have his best interests :)

We don't 'not like you' - please! that is not the aim here, the aim is the animals welfare!

The cage he is in is not at all big enough. Sorry, but it isn't. But you know that now? We all know you can't afford it at the moment, but next time you choose to buy an animal, you must have all the financial measures in place to feed/house/care for that animal.

Ok, it's too late now though. What your best bet would be is to buy a playpen for small animals and house Ted in that. You will eventually need a playpen anyway as no matter what size his cage is he will need exercise.

A cheap option: Can you buy some grids from somewhere, ones like these? http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm

I think you're in the US and so they are easy-ish to get hold of over there, as it says, try cost co, target, walmart, kmart etc.
You can simply join these together with cable ties or using the connectors provided and make a simple pen for Ted. It would only need to be 2 grids wide by 3 grids long. $15-$20 is not a massive amount.

For the base, anything will do until you are able to pay out again, something waterproof like an old shower curtain, tiles, tarpaulin tucked under so Ted can't chew it. Obviously you then add the newspaper and bedding on top of that.
For longer term Coroplast is the best option, if you scroll down the page of the link I gave you, might cost you $30 but worth it for long term lasting.

I hope you do all you can to afford it. I work from 9-6 most days, or if not that then from 12-9, and all for my animals. I actually spent £110 on a brand new massive hutch for my rabbits this month, which means I am eating baked beans on toast out of a tin for the rest of the month, but I don't care, as the animals come before me.

I also put aside small amounts every month so as if a vet bill came up, I could afford it. This prevents me from having those extra luxuries - that skirt, or the more expensive food - but as I made the choice to have animals, no one else is going to pay for them, so I have to now get on with it and care for them. Put aside your luxuries, don't buy anything expensive, save, save, save, and you will get there.
 
Starla,

I understand it's for my guinea pig's sake. I want the best for him, too. I did join this forum mostly for Ted's interests, but also to make friends and get some good advice. Yeah well see when I decided to buy Ted, I thought I had plenty of money for all the things he would need, and boy was I wrong. Yeah I do need a good playpen so Ted can run around and get exercise because I know that is very important. Yeah I thought about buying some grids, possibly. They are cheaper and such. Thanks for the cage option, I might seriously consider doing that. :) Yeah I do'nt work full time, I only pull in about 30 hours a week if I'm lucky and so most of my paychecks are gone within a day or two because I have so many bills. Yeah and see I don't put my luxuries before Ted, but I have to pay my rent, pay for my car insurance, etc and I know Ted is a priority, like last week I had to buy him better hsavings and more food, instead of going out to eat but he should come first. However, my rent has to be paid too, if I don't pay that I get kicked out. I have been trying to save away an emergency fund, not only for Ted, but just in general. I'm also still in school so that makes it hard to get a second job. But thanks for the advice, I appreciate it! I have thought abotu getting grids so I think I will do that this week, thanks again!

Leslie
 
Hi Leslie,

The link Starla gave for the C&C Cages is what I mentioned to you on PM you can make them to your own size and are so cheap it's ridiculous. :D

As I said to you I started off with a cage like that, I actually use it as a litter tray in the garden for my rabbits now...lol I didn't realise how big Guinea Pigs grew! Sunshine lived in it for 2 weeks until his 5x2 hutch was available for collection. As Starla said people didn't reply because they don't like you it's just that Ted's cage is too small, but you know that so there is no point going over old ground.

It's obvious you love Ted, having pigs is a learning curve I knew nothing when I got Sunshine but have learnt so much. As Ted is on his own at the moment his cage needs to be 3x2 thats why I think Grids would be better as if the money situation improves then perhaps he could have a friend and you would only have to increase the cage by 2 grids but you get 16/18 grids in a pack so there are loads of different shapes you can make!


Good luck with it!

Louise
:)
 
Tedsmama said:
I just wanted to apologize for using swear words on my other message board in the photo gallery. I was upset and typed them out of anger. I didn't mean to offend anyone or be immature, I was just angry at the moment. I really do want to stay here and be friends. I don't want enemies, and I want to share my pics of Ted with you, his cuteness, and look at pics of your pigs, and get to know you all, etc. And to daftscotclass, I think you were very rude to me and you didn't make nice offers to me about getting a bigger cage. I felt you were rude to me and didn't come across to me very nice at all. I understand you locking the thread, but if you delete my pictures of Ted I will be upset. You can dislike my situation with ted all you want and maybe this will make us not get along. But you know what? I really don't care because Ted is loved and well taken care of. Worry about your own self and situation with your guinea pig(s) please! Anyway, I just wanted to say that I am here to have fun and not worry about the negativity. If some of you don't like me that is fine, and if some of you do like me, that's cool, too. I'm here for Ted, mostly! Have a pleasant rest of the weekend and I look forward to posting this week! Thanks bunches!

Leslie :smitten:
Click to expand...

Please understand that I'm not the only person who felt this way. I don't disguise my opinion with smilies, fluffs and cuddles, I tell it like it is. I wasn't rude, I was to the point and if you felt it hit a nerve then that is because you know his accommodation is not adequate. You have upset a lot of people by posting those pictures - this is a forum of guinea pig lovers. I'm not here to "get along" with you, I'm here to do something about the welfare of guinea pigs and sugar coating things is not what I do. I'm not sure how you missed the offer of me helping find you a cage as a temporary solution? Here:

daftscotslass said:
Are you in the US? I have offers from a couple of friends over there that if they live anywhere near you they can give you a pet store cage to keep him in. Even pet store cages for guinea pigs are far from ideal but it would be better than him living in that. No animal can possibly be "happy" living in accommodation that is only twice their own length.
Click to expand...

I'm a member of one of the largest guinea pig forums in the world that is US based. There are thousands of members across the world who can potentially help you but if you don't the help then there's nothing I can do. I can also post on GuineaLynx for you if you want as again there are thousands of members, the majority of them in the US. Heck, if you WEREN'T in the US then many of us (including me) would jump to get you some better accommodation for Ted.

Please, for the sake of your poor animal, take the advice given above. So you have to sacrifice going out at the weekend or a meal out but it was your choice to get this guinea pig and now it's your responsibility to look after him properly.
 
You may even pick up a cheap cage on free ads pages in America do they have anything like freecycle? Shame you aren't in the UK and local I've a mountain of them here.

:)
 
Hi Leslie,

I've just caught up with all the goings on and have to say I can see the points of both sides of the arguements. Although to be honest, I have to agree with the members here who have pointed out their feelings about Ted's small accommodation.

When I first got my two boys, the pet store (I know better now!) told me the cage they were selling me would be adequate for two pigs. Ignorance is bliss as they say and I didn't know any better. It was a Nero 2 which is 80cm x 50cm...eek! They were babies at the time so had space. The only other experience I had of piggies was from when I was a kid so all that was a distant memory.

As they got bigger, it was obvious to me that they needed more space so I needed to upgrade to a bigger cage. I'd dearly love to have C&C grids, but space doesn't allow, so I invested in a Nero 4 (118cm x 64cm). Only just adequate for two piggies, but they are much happier in their new space. Thing is, at the time I wasn't working so didn't have money to spare on the piggies, but I spent a week's money on their new cage and slummed it myself for a week. There's nothing better than seeing a popcorning piggy doing laps!

I had a bit of an issue with a third pig that I tried to introduce to my original two - all was well and then all of a sudden the dominance issues kicked in. So I needed to separate him. For a week or so he was in the Nero 2 on his own for a short time - it looked soooo small! He wasn't a happy bunny (or piggy!) so I set about trying to find a cheap alternative for an upgrade. Luckily there was a Nero 4 on ebay which was only about an hour's drive from me so I snapped it up. I've never seen anything funnier than when he was exploring it for the first time! :smitten: However, if that cage hadn't have come up, then I would've slummed it for another week and bought him one at pet shop prices or would've stuck it on the credit card! Garry, Minty and Benjamin and Dave are both happy pigs in their houses.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is I understand it's costly to have a piggy (something there really needs to be more thought about before getting animals - I'm guilty of that too...) but ultimately it's better for them to have more room - it's important for their well being. I understand you love Ted but he needs room to move, jump and run about like a maniac like piggies do. I've been wanting to get a run for ages but can't afford one right now, so my piggies get free run of the lounge so that they get their exercise and keep their muscle tone and joints moving etc. They may be getting a paddling pool soon, but that's a different story...

Have a look on ebay or similar, or could you not put an advert in your local store to see if anyone in your area has something suitable at a cheaper price? They're reasonable to keep once you've got the set up costs out of the way so if the thought of beans on toast for a week isn't too much, then go for it!
 
:)Welcome to the forum. :)
Your piggie is lovely very cute. Mistakes are made, people can advise you, you love your guinea pig and will do well by him. I must post photos of my piggies ive been a member for a couple of months now and still havent posted photos. Will do that soon. bye.
 
Hey, I think that it is really good of you to stand up and apologise for swearing but I can also see both sides of the argument so can understand why you were upset. I really do think that you really do love and take care of Ted and well done to you in the first place for offering him a home. I also think that you will appreciate the advise and suggestions given to you about bigger accommodation and really do believe that you will get him a bigger home as soon as you can afford it. I also think that you understand why some people are upset but again, it's not worth going round in circles. I think this idea has already been suggested in the previous thread but I can't remember who by so I'll suggest it again. If worse comes to the worse and Ted does grow any larger, why not put him in a very large box so he has more room to move around? Anyway, I truly believe that this argument will not be reconsealed so I hope that we can all be friends now. Please post more piccies of Ted, but may be not in his cage because then you can't offend anyone and they can't fire back of you. Take care and keep in touch :smitten:
 
Hi Leslie, maybe you could take daftscotslass's advice and see if she knows anyone willing to lend you a cage :) she is trying to help you out :)

It's good that you're making a serious descion to improve ted's home, let us know how it goes
 
I have 3 piggies and they are in a 4ft x2ft x2ft cage. I still cannot believe how big my piggies are and the cage is not big enough for them in my opinion... They can sleep, eat, chomp hay and mooch around but they cannot break into a run for a period of time and cannot really see what is going on so not what i want for them in the long run.. It has been great for the few weeks i have had them and i have been able to get them used to me because there isn't alot of room to run and hide and they have needed to come out of their shells but they are going into a bigger hutch and run outside at the end of the week and the cage is going back to the previous owner...

My piggies are nearly a foot in length when stretched fully out and one can take up a good deal of space (they are big piggies!)... To be honest i would want a 4ft x 2ft cage for 1 -2 guinea pigs at the most with another level in it as well and a run attached!

I think what people are saying is that you love Ted but you love him in human terms of love, not Teds terms of love which is companionship of his own kind, and free range to come and go and run around as he pleases...

I work for 8 hours a day and have 3 piggies and 2 rabbits... They all have company during the time i am away, and the rabbits have the freedom 24 hours a day of going in and out of a wendy house, sleeping how they want and where they want and running around... You say you worked a lot, please imagine you being in a small cage with nothing to do and no one to snuggle up with and no where to go for however long you keep him in there for...
I wouldn't get a dog unless i knew everything about taking care of a dog so why is it different for guinea pigs?

Please take the offers of help you have been given and get Ted sorted as soon as you can... You have ebay in america i assume and you can get great deals on there also, I have my hutch from Ebay in the uk for £20(about £40 ish US dollars) so bargains can be found! I hired a van and travelled an hour there and back to pick up the wendyhouse for my bunnies and went without a few things for the month to afford it so it can be done as i am always running out of money for my self but the animals still get theirs...

Oh and if you do get a girl or two for Ted...GET THEM NEUTERED BEFORE HAND! You dont want any baby piggies... So you will need to count in the fact that they will have to be neutered before putting them in with Ted which is an extra cost...
 
I have my piggies all in a nero for in pairs at the moment and a spare illness cage. However they spent most of there day in a really massive run set up in a L shape in my bedroom. I can't wait to move house so i can build them my C&C (i have everything waiting).

I wasn't having a go at you personally was just giving advice. I hate keeping my pigs in the cages I do but it sort term and they have room.
As for DSL, I wouldn't say she personally attacking you she was just given advice. When I first joined the forum she gave me advice in the same way and I took on board her advcie as well as everyone elses and got on with it.
 
Hello Tedsmama ... please don't be upset.
I have to admit that I haven't read everything in the threads on this issue but I reckon I have got the gist of it, but correct him if I am wrong!

Nobody is doubting that you love Ted very much. I think it was to do with the fact that Ted's accommodation might be a little small for him now. I also understand that buying hutches, cages etc. can be expensive. I don't think anyone wanted to hurt you, just wanted Ted to be as comfortable as possible. Do you have a local free-ads paper that might be advertising hutches cheaply secondhand or even free, or perhaps you could advertise yourself to say that you would be grateful for a hutch that no-one wanted.

Ted is a lovely piggy and as I said above you obviously care for him greatly. :smitten:
 
hi guys,

well after having read what everyone posted, I really appreciate the offers for cheaper cage options and the support on this forum. I never meant to hurt or offend anyone with the picutres I posted and sorry if I did. I am also a guinea pig lover, which is why I joined this place. To daftscotclass, yes you were to the point but I felt you came across a bit harsh and you made me sound like i really don't care about my Ted when I in fact do. But anyway I want ot drop all this and move on. I agree with Claire W, I want to be friends and enjoy this forum. I just want to be friends with everyone and not fight over things. I guess as a new member and not knowing a whole lot about guinea pigs, I felt as if I was being attacked by all your comments, especially one person in particular. And to be honest, I don't buy myself things as much anymore like I used to. I don't make very much money at all, I work a ta fastfood place and well minimum wage is not much here in the US. Not sure how it is in the UK but over here it sucks! I undertsand that daftscotclass was trying to help me out but she came across it in a not-so-nice way, is all I'm saying. I do appreciate her help as I do many others. I am taking your advice and I will use it. Ted is not a poor animal either, he is happy and fine. I do give him floor time and cuddle time, no worries there. By this weekend I hope to have a bigger cage! Thanks again everyone! When Ted does get a bigger cage I will post pics, I might even be getting him a friend next month. But if I pair him up with another piggy, I am gettign a male. Can't really afford to neuter a piggy, plus I want two males anyway. Have a greta rest of the week!

Leslie :)
 
What state are you in? Perhaps someone nearby will loan you a cage until you can get your own. Check out craigslist and freecycle, a lot of times there are tons of cages being given away cheap. The sooner you get him out of the cage, the better. I would suggest letting him have free roam of a bathroom until you can get him a new cage, at least he will have more space.
 
Wickedrodent, I live in Colorado. My mom also said she would help me find a cage for Ted, look in the classifieds and see if anyone might be selling one. Yeah I let him roam on the floor with much supervision lol. He does get floor time and exercise time. Anyway, thanks again everyone for the advice!

Leslie :)
 
I want to make clear that I don't think ANY of these cages would be good for long term housing. However, in the meantime, I would suggest trying to grab one of these..

Colorado Springs:

http://cosprings.craigslist.org/for/729963841.html
http://cosprings.craigslist.org/for/729967938.html
http://cosprings.craigslist.org/for/722112711.html
http://cosprings.craigslist.org/for/717666852.html
http://cosprings.craigslist.org/for/682159473.html
http://cosprings.craigslist.org/pet/728798388.html
http://cosprings.craigslist.org/pet/724706055.html

Denver:

http://denver.craigslist.org/for/730321205.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/spo/730097546.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/for/727497550.html
******** http://denver.craigslist.org/for/727500458.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/for/713339128.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/for/712782810.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/grd/710103722.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/for/704901605.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/fur/698363931.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/bab/678364342.html

Some of those will need some sort of solid surface added on top of the metal bottom.



I DO, however, recommend just going to Target. All you need to do is grab one box of these:
http://www.target.com/Whitmor-Set-S...e=UTF8&node=294136011&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1

$20. Thats it.

Just get them, connect them, throw down an old blanket or towel and let put him and his food, hay, and water in. This WOULD be appropriate for long term housing. 2x4 grids would be GREAT. I'm sure he would love it.
 
am so glad things are sorted :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: when i first joined i felt daftscotlass was picking on me too, but i realised she was passionate about piggies and was worried about their care and welfare O0 hoping you get ted a new cage, i have a 4ft cage for zoe and jessie but after surgery, illness and being bullied zoe now has piggy panic attacks so the 4ft cage has been halved for 3 months now, but have finally got a new cage from ebay which is a bit less thatn 3ft so jessie will have the new cage zoe the old one and wire at one end so they can see and smell eachother. luckily the new cage has wire at one end. so i know what you mean when funds are low as we are on pensions and have spent over $3,000.00AUD in vet bills, which is why a cage had to wait. fingers crossed zoe is on the mend but missy the cat her days are precious with us as we have no idea how many more we have :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: here is the link for the cage i got for jessie all i need is a screwdriver to put it together. hoping the timber is safe for piggies so if anyone can answer that i would appreciate it O0 [\b] so good luck in finding ted a home and a friend, like i said maybe get him a teddy to snuggle up too until you get him a friend. O0 hugs to you and ted :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Mabe you could have a look on the Wanted/Selling part of this forum sometimes people give away hutches and cages on here they are very good like that. O0
 
sqeeker said:
Mabe you could have a look on the Wanted/Selling part of this forum sometimes people give away hutches and cages on here they are very good like that. O0
Click to expand...

Unfortunately most of the for sales etc are located in the UK, this person is in the US. Wickedrodent's advice is great for US options.
 
Hi!

I live in downtown Denver and have 8 female rescue guinea pigs. I belong to a bunch of other forums that seem to have a similar tone as this one, but I'm not in the UK so I haven't been here. :)

Daftscotslass let me know of your situation. I have a 47"X27" cage I would let go for free if you could come get it. It's pretty much the largest pet store cage on the market in the US. I still use one for quaratine and it's a decent temporary size for one piggy.

I have also made C&C cages as others described here for as little as $25. Target sells the grids and sign stores that will sell the coro are literally everywhere.I got enough Coro plus some extra from Midwest Sign supply on Peoria for $8. I am utterly mentally deficient at building things, and I put the cage together by myself without issue! Targets in this area even have a ton of color choices on the grid. You can make it match your decor, heh.

Let me know if you are interested in the cage!
 
Hey guys,

thanks again for more advice. Wicked rodent, I would love to go to a target or somehwere like that but here where I live in Colorado all we have is a Walmart, so I will probably get Ted's stuff there. And right ow due to high gas prices, I really can't afford to go anywhere out of town, plus I need new tires so the ones I have on my car now might not get me to Springs or Denver.

To Kay-
I really appreciate your offer muchly. The only problem right now is I do'nt have money for gas and the tires on my car aren't the greatest and I might not make it all the way to Denver. I am looking into going to Walmart to get some grids to build Ted a cage. I live in Alamosa, not sure if you know where that is. But thanks for the offer!

Leslie
 
Alamosa is far! Hah. I've gone down there to pick up a piggy in need before to deliver to a rescue. There were 3 of us in the car and we had a good time, but yeah the gas is horrid.

I am glad you are going to get grids! I know you care about your pig, but please do the most caring thing for him. The only caring thing to do is get a bigger cage ASAP...beg, borrow, steal if you must! =P
 
Yeah I know Alamosa is about 4 hours from Denver. Yeah gas is a killer right now lol. Don't worrry Ted is in the process of getting a bigger cage! I had naother option for you but wasn't sure if you would go for it. I was thinking you could mail me the cage and I could pay you back for the shipping, or maybe grids would be easier............... ?

Leslie
 
Grids are going to be easier, and likely cheaper than shipping since it's an oversized package.

As a side note about grids, I use zip ties that are also available at walmart (although you may have to ask a sales person where the heck they are!) to connect them rather than the thingies that come in the package. Zip ties are swellness.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top