Is There Wrong With My Guinea Pig?

HerePigTherePig

HerePigTherePig

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I don't know how any of this works and I just got on here today, but I need a kind of specific answer.
For Christmas last year, my sister and I thought it would be fun to buy some guinea pigs. We went to a small local pet store to get them. (and we didn't go to a shelter because the nearest exotic animal shelter was about fifty or so miles way.) In the cage labeled "male", there were two guinea pigs. One was a big black and white guinea pig that was entirely fine with being taken out of his cage and being put into a cardboard box. The other was a small white guinea pig that was very skittish and followed the other guinea pig around. It sprinted away at the woman trying to get it out, and sqirmed in her hand when she put it in the box.
The first few months were fine with them, but the white guinea pig (Kirby) was still very reserved and only opened up to the black and white guinea pig (Panda). In February, we found out why; Kirby, meant to be male, was a female. And she was pregnant. We had to seperate her from Panda, and In March she gave birth to two boys. Keeping her with them was an absolute nightmare. She never slept, she was never alone, and they constantly tried to jump her. In the same month after they were weaned, we gave them away to a woman and her husband who had guinea pigs of their own, and that was supposed to be the end of Kirby's unrest and misery. Supposed to be.
Having those babies reset any progress we made with her, and it just made her more distrusting of us. She's opened up a little bit, but when ever someone so much as walks up to her cage, she sprints into her cave and stays there until you leave. I've contemplated getting rid of her, but I know that won't fix anything and she's only become more miserable. We've scheduled a vet appointment for Panda to be fixed, but putting them together again will only make her reliant on him again. I try to pet her and play with her and take her outside, but now she's gotten into a small habit of biting. I'm at a loss of what to do, and I just need some pointers.
 
Sorry that you're going through this :( . I'm not an expert on this kind of thing to be honest, but it sounds to me like she might be lonely. Once you get Panda done and recovered maybe try some floor time with her and see how things go..
Try not to get rid of her if you can as she'll just end up in the same situation. You haven't done anything wrong and she doesn't hate you!
 
We do sometimes let them see each other if they're both in an emotional slump, and it seems to make them happy. We just need a consistent schedule for Panda's surgery, some recovery time, and I'm hoping then things might settle down a little.
 
Piggies are always reliant on other piggies, that's just how they're wired. In the same way we're reliant on our friends and family.

Don't forget, it has been a traumatic few months for her and she is only young. It takes time for prey animals to trust us predator animals. They're so little and we're so big and scary. It will help her to have Panda back again (after the neuter and 6 week waiting period of course) and having them in side by side cages will help them in the meantime, but no physical contact.

There are some great threads about how to bond with your piggies and gain their trust, it's a very rewarding experience to earn their love and although it takes time, it will blossom every day. Even if you don't always feel like it does at the time. Baby steps :)
 
Just to give you a little guinea pig 'psychology,' guinea pigs are prey animals (and hence always on guard for danger.) They are social animals and wired to live in groups. In a group, there is a strict hierarchy, with a dominant pig and then a pecking order on down to the bottom. The subordinate pigs look to the more dominant pigs and follow their lead (and sometimes follow them around literally!) There's nothing wrong with the underpiggies being reliant on the boss- it's how they are wired to behave. Not every pig has a dominant personality and not every pig will want to be the boss... some pigs are extremely meek and will not even want to be their OWN boss, which I suspect may be the case with your girl. Pigs who do not have dominant personalities are likely to be very, very nervous on their own. They have no one to look to for leadership/safety. It sounds as though you are concerned that putting her back with her original partner may set back your efforts to make friends, but honestly I think the opposite is likely to be true. You will likely see her more confident in a situation where she is with another pig. For a herd animal, being alone feels very threatening... there is safety in numbers. This is a hardwired instinct and not something that she can 'unlearn.' So I think your best bet is to keep them side by side but no contact until 6 weeks post-neuter, and then reintroduce them. I am betting you will see more progress once she is no longer alone and has a leader to follow. Please don't give her away because you want a cuddlier pet... not every guinea pig is a lap pet, but if you meet her social needs I am betting you will end up appreciating her unique personality once it has a chance to blossom.
 
You will be well rewarded once she goes in with the boar. Is Panda a girl. Keep them side to side then once you've got Him done they should go together easily. But don't quote me on it. Really you should have had him done straight away, by now he would have been ready to go in with the female. He will now have to wait the 6 weeks. Until he's safe.
 
I can't really help with the vet appointments or their dates. Many vets around my area aren't used to fixing small animals, and some of them don't even seem qualified. We asked of our current veterinarian could fix small animals, but he said he's only worked with larger animals. Another vet close to us said they covered rodents, but it was only because they had someone come over once every year to help. And since they were only open to rodents one time every year, they were almost completely booked every time. I couldn't say how many we looked at, but we finally just settled on the second choice. They said that they could possibly be open in July, and that they'll keep us in mind, but until then we have no idea when we can schedule an appointment (if we can), and two very lonely guinea pigs. I know I should've looked for vets that could handle guinea pigs, and if I had, I probably wouldn't be in such a big mess. Still, there are more options that are fifty or so miles away with vet bills that would give anyone a heart attack, so I should be thankful I have this opportunity right now.
 
how will you do in the future when you piggies will need a vet? I think before adopting a special pet like a guinea pig it would be better to be sure there is a pigs-savvy vet available and to know that his bills will give us a heart attack. Anyway, now the piggies are at home and you have to find a good solution. Of course it is necessary that you study carefully for being a piggie-savvy owner, more than the local vet.
Of course this will help only as a prevention, you cannot neuter a boar...:))
In the meanwhile, before the surgery, you have to study also piggies' psychology, for finding out a proper solution...
It is like for problematic children: it is always a family affair and the "experts" can do very little...
 
We asked around and we found an exotic pet store. The owner recommended a vet, and I'm confident that it's a right fit. It's a little far away, but the bills aren't enough to crush any bank accounts. Actually, it only costs £62. I thought about this and I thought it was a little funny; Panda's 'life' only cost £27, but to fix him is more than his life is worth! It might be a little crude, but we love him all the same.
 
you are right in a sense... here a pig costs 10€ at the pet shop and 30€ if it comes home with a perfect pedigree. Then you go to the vet and if he has a great heart asks you for 100-150€ only! The rescue where I adopted my sows can have a special price: only 80€.
Anyway, this is how things work with these pets.
Then there is another problem: as you know, piggies are delicate and a surgery sometimes is a great risk. When necessary we should go to a surgeon with a great experience... otherwise you risk to pay a bill for bringing home a dead pig or a pig who will die at home...
An advice: do your best for preventing the usual diseases of piggies and don't waste money in silly things (my piggies cost almost zero until they are healthy); set up a vet fund for yourself. The money you would have spent every year in special food and vaccines if you had bought a dog will be spent for your piggie.
 
Best of luck to Panda at the vet. Hope they both get some comfortmfrom being next to each other until Panda is safely passed his six week wait.
 
@HerePigTherePig If you update your profile with your location we may be able to suggest a better vet. Or you could try the vet locator at the top of the page.

It would be worth stating a vet fund, and saving up for vet visits as you're never going to have a visit that costs less than your pig. I recently spent £130 for 2 checkups and 3 sets of meds. It's not cheap having pigs.
 
So she just ate some jello...Is she okay? I mean, it was hilarious, but still...
 
Didn't think it was safe @Jaycey that is why my piggies have never had any. They only have pellets (Harringtons), loads of hay and veggies/fruit.
 
I think she's okay, but I also think she's taken a liking jello? The more you know, I guess
 
She probably liked it because it's full to the brim with sugar. Best to make sure piggies only get piggy approved foodstuffs!
 
@HerePigTherePig It's definitely best to avoid foods like jello, as it's far too sugary. Just because it doesn't instantly kill a pig doesn't mean it's not harming them.

Pigs are quite delicate and can get a life threatening condition called bloat. That's caused by a digestive upset and an overload of sugar can do that.

If you want to give your pig a treat try a small piece of fruit or a strand or two of herbs. I don't have a lawn so I have a few trays of grass growing which I use as a treat for them.
 
Usually I just give her treats of kale, lettuce, maybe some carrots occasionally, bits of apple, peeled celery (which is a pain to give, because I have to use my hands to take all the stings out so I don't give celery very often), parsley, cilantro, dandelions, and that's just some off the top of my head. I didn't purposely give her jello, but while I was looking over her cage, (which is in the kitchen) a piece of jello fell off my spoon while I was laughing at a joke (yo mama so fat when she got on the scale it said "I need your weight not your phone number" .-.) and before I could notice, she ate it. I didn't even know it was jello at first. I actually thought it was blood, so I panicked, but then she started to lick it, which was weird, so I picked it up and it was small and solid. It was jello...smh ~_~
 
Jaycey said:
@HerePigTherePig It's definitely best to avoid foods like jello, as it's far too sugary. Just because it doesn't instantly kill a pig doesn't mean it's not harming them.

Pigs are quite delicate and can get a life threatening condition called bloat. That's caused by a digestive upset and an overload of sugar can do that.

If you want to give your pig a treat try a small piece of fruit or a strand or two of herbs. I don't have a lawn so I have a few trays of grass growing which I use as a treat for them.
Click to expand...

It’s fine, i’m never doing it again. ’~’)
 
Jaycey said:
@HerePigTherePig It's definitely best to avoid foods like jello, as it's far too sugary. Just because it doesn't instantly kill a pig doesn't mean it's not harming them.

Pigs are quite delicate and can get a life threatening condition called bloat. That's caused by a digestive upset and an overload of sugar can do that.

If you want to give your pig a treat try a small piece of fruit or a strand or two of herbs. I don't have a lawn so I have a few trays of grass growing which I use as a treat for them.
Click to expand...
It’s fine, I learned my lesson...And i’m never doing it again. ’~’)
 
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