My husband got me a guinea pig

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leighas_life

New Born Pup
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Hello,

Long story short, my cousin passed away and I was supposed to get her GP but another family member decided to keep it. I had already started research about them and was thinking of ways to make this elderly GP's last year or so better. I even put in an order for some supplies. I'm usually the one to do research about new pets as they are mostly considered mine because I care for them the most (as I'm home all the time and my husband works full time.)

My husband saw that I was sad that I couldn't get the GP and went ahead and got me one without looking up their care needs. He assumed I knew already and didn't think of them being herd animals. I already had supplies needed, too. Please don't think bad of him. This last week has been so horrible. The habitat he got was not big enough.

So here is my current situation. I have an aprox 8 week old female guinea pig (20cm long) in a 4 square foot habitat. (One level) No playmate. I told my husband we must upgrade the habitat and be on the lookout for a playmate from a shelter or a rescue. He agreed but we have to wait a couple weeks to get space figured out, buy the new cage/more supplies...etc.

She does seem happy as is right now; she can run around in the habitat, and she popcorns. She eats great, a cup of veggies, a cup of pellets, hay...etc. I hold/play with her throughout the day. She talks to me, but it is little quiet squeak sounds. Not sure if those are content sounds or nervous sounds.

I hope that she will be okay for the next couple weeks with her current set up.


Gaia
 
I’m sorry for your loss. It’s a tough time to be dealing with that.

Did you double check the sex of your piggy yourself? It’s important you do so before getting her a friend you don’t want to accidentally pair her with the opposite sex and end up with a pregnant sow. She is very young so it’s urgent that you get her a friend as soon as possible. Piggies under four months really need company. Their social needs are much more of a priority and come before anything else. I will link to rescues in the US below. Do ring round tomorrow and see if you’re able to pair her off. But as I’ve said, it’s imperative she gets a friend sooner than soon.

Pellets should be kept to 2 tablespoons a day. Once she’s four months old this should be dropped to one tablespoon a day. A cup is too much even for a piggy that young. Once they’re completely weaned at 3 weeks old, they don’t need that much. If you’re feeding her young piggy pellets then you can give her one tablespoon a day.

The minimum space for a single piggy is 120x60cm (8sq feet) so do please get the correct size cage as soon as possible.

Please also register and book her in with the vet for a check in the next week. Vet care is very important for them especially when they can go downhill very quickly. If you don’t have a vet fund you need to start bulking that out as soon as possible.

Illustrated Sexing Guide
Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations
Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List
New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information
 
Yes, we are already booking her a vet appointment to make sure everything is okay with her and to verify she is actually a female.

Thank you for the the info on the food. She doesn't actually eat the whole cup! I'll put less in there. I guess I was worried she'd be hungry if she ran out. I did read in a couple places to give her one cup.

She is on younger piggie food. She does eat her full cup of veggies. That is what I was told to give her. Is a cup too much for veggies as well? Kale and green peppers, with small amount of cucumber as I read she can't have as much cucumber as the other stuff.

As I mentioned, I am doing the upgrade and getting a cagemate asap. Thanks for your help and concern! <3
 
Kale is high in calcium and shouldn’t be fed daily. A cup of veg is fine. You can give a slice of cucumber, pepper and a lettuce leaf (all except iceberg) a day. Coriander is also a good source of vitamin c so she can have a sprig a day. The biggest part of their diet is made up of hay. That should be there 24/7 and freshened/wet hay removed and topped up.
 
If you have access to fresh grass (that hasn't been peed on by dogs!) you could try her with this too. I don't know what your weather is at the moment - we are cold and damp so it's tricky to find any grass but it is seriously the highlight of the day for my piggies. Your little one probably has not had it before so if you introduce it just do a little at a time so she doesn't get a tummy upset. It's mentioned in one of the guides linked above (but I can't remember which one!)
She's a sweetie x
 
What a beautiful girl.
It’s also very kind of your husband to respond to your sadness this way even if it’s left you in a bit of a pickle.
It sounds as if you are doing everything right and once you have the cage sorted and a companion you will have very happy and lucky piggies.
Hope you find the forum fun as well as helpful and supportive
 
Sorry for your loss and all you have been through. Hopefully this will be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for you. Piggies are such lovely pets.
 
Aw, what a gorgeous girl! I think your husband was feeling your sadness x
Don’t panic, you are on a learning curve but you will sort everything out. Have a good read through the guides in the green bar, they are so helpful. Most people start off with mistakes and things you could have done better, but that’s why we all strive to improve their lot x My OH bought a double decker cage which was totally unsuitable for my two baby boys, but he thought he was being kind and it was a total surprise 😂
 
I just want to say firstly,sorry for your loss but also how lovely of your husband. You both sound very caring, your guinea pig will train you well and the fact you care so much is wonderful. send us more pics when you have found her a friend...and be warned,they are seriously addictive, this is just the start..you will have 6 by the end of the year 😂😂😂
 
Awww... she's precious. It's great that you are giving her a good home. She will be thrilled to have a friend when the time comes... as others have said, just be sure of the sex first! They really are great little pets. I wish my husband would give me another guinea pig... he keeps telling me we have 'too many animals!'
 
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