Hope I'm posting in the right place...

Status
Not open for further replies.
W

weebesom

Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Oxford
apologies if not.
Anyway, wonder if any of you can help. I've had DOogle since hte beginning of October and he is now 5 months old. We got him from P@H who advised us badly with size of cage etc, so have recently upgraded him to a much bigger cage. He is a LOT happier. We changed his bedding from sawdust to lots of hay, and now he is barely going in house but tunnelling in the hay. The change in him has been enormous. I'm a little concerned about the fact he no longer seems interested in his house... is this normal?
 
Thanks. He's all of a sudden come out of his shell, so to speak, and in less than a week had gone from a grumpy, bored piggy to an excited and happy piggy.
I've totally and utterly fallen in love!
Just wanted to make sure it was normal. He still isn't particularly vocal, but one step at a time!
 
again, some are vocal some arent.

my first (lone) pig was vocal
my second pair one was vocal (very) the other never sqeaked in his life,
the pair i have now one has never sqeaked the other omg hes soooo vocal and really really loud, specially when something is rustling that he thinks is food!

If you think hes come out of his shell now, wait til he gets a cage mate!!
 
My girls were never very vocal, but my housemates had and Abyssinian which was extremely loud :)) Archie has always been quite vocal too :)) not so much any more though. Think the girls have calmed him down a bit.
 
Shellza said:
My girls were never very vocal, but my housemates had and Abyssinian which was extremely loud :)) Archie has always been quite vocal too :)) not so much any more though. Think the girls have calmed him down a bit.
Click to expand...

thats cos we control our boys! :))
 
Guinea pigs love tunneling, so I wouldn't be surprised that he finds the hay more interesting than his house. Do you have anything under the hay to absorb urine? I'm not sure hay on its own would absorb it all.
 
He has a new thing to play with! Piggies are very much like little children! :)) Tunnelling in hay is a favourite piggy pastime, and the hay also gives him the snuggle factor that he is missing, obviously not having a companion.

It would be great if you would consider finding a friend for Doogle eventually; ideally by "boar dating" in a reputable guinea pig rescue to make sure that there is mutual liking for better success. You sound a like very caring owner and I am sure that your boy is very happy with you and what you are doing for him! Companionship of males is sadly yet another area where p@h fall pitifully short!

Here are a couple of very thoughtful and insightful threads about companionship that also explain how guinea pig society works:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=37654
http://www.guinealynx.info/companionship.html
 
Thankyou for your posts
Doogle is going "dating" on saturday to find a boy to have a bromance with :)

As for the question about hay/urine absorption - I use newspapers, covered in short bedding hay, then some extra bedding hay for tunnelling, plus meadow hay on top for foraging. HE also has a hay rack, and I clean out the main areas where he wees every day, changing hay and newspaper, plus the big clean out twice a week. I chose to stop using sawdust after reading a lot of negative things about sawdust affecting piggies respiratory systems and the volatile oils affecting their skin etc. I also found that some Rescues won't rehome piggies to homes that use it. I am aware their is alot of discussion about this - but i think each to their own, already I have come across some very strong willed members of the Guinea Pig Mafia ..... but then I have come across people who have used sawdust for years, with no obvious problems. Personally I have found Doogle likes the hay for bedding alot more and is far more active running about in it.

I am hoping it will not be too difficult to find Doogle a friend - and would REALLY appreciate advice from those who have introduced two boars.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top