New guinea pig owner simple questions.

[Aussay]

Hi there everyone! I've posted a handful of times on here already but figured I should just make a post here too as I had a couple of smaller less trivial questions to ask about related to guinea pigs.
I received my two girls from someone who very quickly backed out of ownership, they got them for their child and the child lost interest very quickly. Go figures. They're quite young although I can't seem to pinpoint HOW young (Vet says they seem to be under 8 months old however.)
I never took care of rodents before, My parents had rats when I was very little and apparently had guinea pigs at some point when I was very young as well.
Anyway, the point is I'm not too clued in about guinea pigs and when I have spare time I try to research as much as I can. Right now I'm getting their diet on track after asking my cavy savvy vet what her ideal diet would look like as well as looking at guides on here and youtube, etc. I haven't had them very long, about a week or so? I was told they were very shy so I've been trying my best to interact with them as much as possible.
My main question was, how much interaction is too much? I don't wanna make them uncomfortable or stress them out. I know not to keep them out on my lap for very long due to their small bladders, but generally, outside of that; how much interaction is too much? Sometimes I'll just talk to them or sit next to their cage and they seem to get happy when I do that. They run laps, jump on their hidey's etc..
Also, another thing. I've found that they tend to be much more active at night then day, is that also normal? They seem to be much more comfortable at night or when covered then not.
I partially cover their cage with a light blanket towards the later parts of the day and they seem to be more comfortable when I do that.
Any advice is welcome btw! Thanks!

 

[Bill & Ted]

Guinea pigs are prey animals so instinctively feel happier partly covered as in nature amongst undergrowth. Sounds like you are doing a great job researching, If you look in our guides you will find loads if really useful info

As far as socialising they sound like they are doing well, give them time to adjust. Sitting by the cage and talking to them is great. You could offer small bits of veggies or single pellets by hand too, food is a great way of settling any animal and building trust. Most piggies will let you know when they have had enough, they will gently pull your clothes or nibble your hand to be put back, but start with a few minutes and see how it goes
Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners

 

[Aussay]

Awesome, thanks so much I'll try and offer them some veggies by hand at some point soon, I've got to create a floor area so I can let them run around outside their cage. Currently waiting on a C&C kit I ordered to arrive so I can give them a bigger cage since the one I got was far too small in my opinion even before I checked guides.. Good to know that covering them partially makes them happier too.
I'll have a read of the getting started guide you posted. Definitely going to need to check out nail cutting guide as I have a guinea pig with darker nails that I'm not sure how to go about.
Are guinea pigs dramatic about having their nails clipped? I had to clip the nails of one of mine when I got them and made sure to avoid the blood vessel's but she was still very vocal about it..

 

[Wiebke]

Awesome, thanks so much I'll try and offer them some veggies by hand at some point soon, I've got to create a floor area so I can let them run around outside their cage. Currently waiting on a C&C kit I ordered to arrive so I can give them a bigger cage since the one I got was far too small in my opinion even before I checked guides.. Good to know that covering them partially makes them happier too.
I'll have a read of the getting started guide you posted. Definitely going to need to check out nail cutting guide as I have a guinea pig with darker nails that I'm not sure how to go about.
Are guinea pigs dramatic about having their nails clipped? I had to clip the nails of one of mine when I got them and made sure to avoid the blood vessel's but she was still very vocal about it..

Hi and welcome

Our New Owners guide collection contains a full chapter with practical tips on various aspects of settling in your piggies and making friends with them. You will hopefully find the very practical guides collection helpful and may want to bookmark the link so you can look up aspects, especially as you are in a very different time zone to the UK and may not be able to wait for an answer at times.

As to nail cutting: start with gendly fondling the paws on your lap sessions, so your piggies get used to being manipulated. Assert your authority by ear fondling but also provide plenty of praise. Some piggies are drama queens and others are fighters. Be aware that guinea pigs pick up quickly on your own nervousness. It takes time for you to get the practice and confidence, so don't overtax yourself by expecting to cut all nails in one go.
Baby nails will take some time to grow out anyway, unless you adopt adults from a good rescue (if you have one within reach); in which case the rescue can show you how to go about and do it for you on adoption day. Adopting has some other advantages, too.

 

[Aussay]

Awesome, thanks so much for all the help everyone I'll make sure to start getting all of this in action then! I did just bookmark the link too, thank you for recommending it

 

[Aussay]

So, I've had a bit of a read of the guide and my last question for now would be, what hay would you guys recommend to use as a kind of bedding? I'll soon be switching to fleece but right now I've been using hay bedding for my girls. I was thinking of switching to orchard hay but it may be a bit hard to get in australia because I can only get it delivered through websites. Which If need be I can do.
But most sites I'm looking at only give the option of oaten, which obviously shouldn't be used as bedding, lucerne which is in the same boat. "Straw" and "pet hay" as well as pasture hay. Any idea's what would be best for bedding?

 

[Piggies&buns]

So, I've had a bit of a read of the guide and my last question for now would be, what hay would you guys recommend to use as a kind of bedding? I'll soon be switching to fleece but right now I've been using hay bedding for my girls. I was thinking of switching to orchard hay but it may be a bit hard to get in australia because I can only get it delivered through websites. Which If need be I can do.
But most sites I'm looking at only give the option of oaten, which obviously shouldn't be used as bedding, lucerne which is in the same boat. "Straw" and "pet hay" as well as pasture hay. Any idea's what would be best for bedding?

A soft meadow hay (as we call it here - it’s just a mixture of soft grasses) is used for bedding, so I guess orchard is the closest thing with its softness. My piggies are all fully bedded on meadow hay
Lucerne is alfalfa and should never be given to piggies.
Straw is not suitable.

A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)

 

[Aussay]

Alright, no problem. I had no idea lucerne was alfafa..
I'll have to order orchard for delivery then. No issues. How do you personally store your piggies hay?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Alright, no problem. I had no idea lucerne was alfafa..
I'll have to order orchard for delivery then. No issues. How do you personally store your piggies hay?

I believe it’s called Lucerne in Australia but elsewhere called alfalfa - same thing though
My piggies live out in my shed so all the hay is stored in their shed.
I get bales of meadow hay from a local farm and 10kg of timothy hay from an online supplier which arrives in cardboard boxes. It is stored as it is - ie the timothy left in the boxes and the bale is stood in the shed

 

[Aussay]

Alright, so I've done some research and it turns out I can order oxbow timothy and orchard hay from a website in bulk's of 4kg each. It's a bit pricey but I can get free shipping from the supplier and once I get my C&C I'll have a lot less hay I'm using anyway. I'll see if I can find better regardless but I expected it to be pricey. Although I do see some suppliers stocking meadow hay but the hay guide says it could contain harmful materials? I see that you usually buy meadow hay, how would you even look out for such a thing?

 

[Hannah_xx]

Alright, so I've done some research and it turns out I can order oxbow timothy and orchard hay from a website in bulk's of 4kg each. It's a bit pricey but I can get free shipping from the supplier and once I get my C&C I'll have a lot less hay I'm using anyway. I'll see if I can find better regardless but I expected it to be pricey. Although I do see some suppliers stocking meadow hay but the hay guide says it could contain harmful materials? I see that you usually buy meadow hay, how would you even look out for such a thing?

Hi. I’m from Aus too, I buy good quality grass bales from local farm shops. I’m picky about which bale to choose, what the grasses look like, how soft or how hard it is, make sure it’s not too dusty or too seedy.
I have 6 pigs and a bale can last me around 4-6 weeks. I do also buy Oaten hay bags from petstock, which they absolutely love.

 

[Aussay]

I give my girls oaten hay right now too.
I'll have to see if there are any places near me where I can get bales in that case. I'm from Victoria as well so here's hoping it's not going to be too difficult.
I've only got two piggies so I don't exactly need much hay right now anyway. I had no clue petstock sold oaten hay though.
As for the quality of hay I definitely agree. Currently I have a problem with my girl sneezing because of the hay being dusty. (She went to the vet today and it was confirmed)
How do you spot dusty hay anyway? I can't imagine it's easy to see by the eye. I've gotten hay before from the same place when I had to babysit a friends rabbit a while back and to be honest the hay is noticeably lower quality then it used to be despite being the same brand, packaging etc.. I presume that's just because of the time of year but who knows.
Just to add as well, didn't realize when I posted this but I just got an email notification to say my C&C kit is on it's way and will be here in 5 days tops.

 

[Wiebke]

My piggies have never come to any harm over meadow hay in all the years I have had them or had a shorter life span because of it; and that is going back decades, long before other pet hays came on the market.
I have also made the experience that not dust extracted hay is perfectly fine to feed. In around 80 piggies in the last 15 years I only had one with a sensitivity to the hay dust when I switched from pet shop hay to locally sourced farm hay. I had to keep her and her other cataract/blind group mates on a table cage above the other cages continuing to feed her on her pet shop hay for the rest of her life.
The others may have a little sneeze now and then (a few were a touch bunged up for the first couple of days when I had to switch suppliers but it did settle down quickly); but I have never had any respiratory issues or infections in all that time with any of my piggies while on not dust extracted hay. However, my piggies have all been rescue adoptees and have not come directly out of the comparatively sterile conditions that commercially mass-bred chain shop piggies come from. Some piggies can be very sensitive indeed; but it could also be caused by a low load of respiratory bacteria, which are sadly extremely common in American pet shop piggies. It is no surprise that we get the most concerns about respiratory issues re. hay from there.

Offering different hays is enrichment; it is like having potatoes, pasta, rice and breads as our own human main source of carbs in our diet. Nothing wrong with buying in bulk as long as you can keep the hay dry and out of the sun. If needed, buy some suitable lidded containers for storage if you take longer to work your way through an opened bag/bale.