New Guinea Pig Owner

[Rolo&HarrysMum]

Hi All

I am new here and new to being a guinea pig owner too. I’ve had hamsters, rabbits (indoor and out), a cat and a dog before but never little piggies so I am still learning and researching.

I bought a Kavee 5x2 cage with loft and lid. I have a dog and although he’s never bothered by my furries I don’t like to take chance if I’m not around and at work.

I set the cage up and then got my two male piggies on Sunday (*whispers* from p@h).

I called them Rolo & Harry. They seem to be settling in well and have quickly adapted to squealing when I say morning piggies or hello piggies when I get in from work #verycute

A couple of questions I have;

• They are drinking but I wouldn’t say it seems excessive. I have been giving them tap water too. I read it should be filtered because of the calcium in the water. Can I give them bottled water?
• In the morning I give them fresh hay and two tablespoons of pellets (science selective) on their snuffle mat. In the evening I give them their vegetables, with some more hay. I was filling up too cups(I have for tea) for them but I think it was too much, when I read it should be about 100g . Is too much veg bad? The veg I have given is romaine lettuce, bell peppers and cucumber. I have then a grape each too as a treat but no more fruit this week.
• I also like to put some naturals autumn harvest in their hay so they forage for it. I literally do a pinch in the morning and then in the evening. Is that too much?

I have been spot cleaning them daily and that seems to be going well. They are getting better with my hands going in and stroking them and I’ve managed to get a few cuddles but I don’t hold them for long as I don’t want them to get grumpy as they are still settling in.

Any other tips welcome, thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

The water. Water should be filtered. Bottled is ok but some bottled waters are worse than tap water so you have to be very careful. I believe the one most recommended is Tesco ashbeck bottled water but we can’t say whether it is the right thing for you to choose.

Veg quantity is one cup.
You can’t use weight because of the differing densities of veg.
You need to introduce new veg slowly and carefully. Only giving one new type of veg every few days. Slowly increasing the amount over the coming week or two.

I will tell you that I don’t feed pellets to mine so instead they do get a bit more than one cup of veg along with fresh grass.
So while overdoing veg can be an issue for digestion if they are not used to it, a wet diet can help bladder health.
However I would advise you as a new owner to stick to the recommended guides of one cup of veg and one tablespoon of pellets.

Dried forage counts towards the pellet portion of the diet. A tiny pinch isn’t going to make much different but if you ever find you are giving more than a pinch if forage, I would personally cut the pellet amount down accordingly.

With handling, follow their lead. Generally we say don’t touch them in the first week. Put a blanket over the cage and do nothing other than feed and spot clean. This is so they can settle in.
However from the second week you can try to get the used to your hands etc.
You do need to weigh them every week as part of routine care. Weight checks are the only way to ensure they are eating enough hay so they are very important. You switch to daily weight checks if there are ever any health concerns as it enables you to step in with emergency care much more quickly.

Do bear in mind also, that they will go into a two week period of establishing their bond. This happens in any new environment so you will start to see dominance behaviours increase for that but also as they go into their teens things will also intensify. We can help with any questions you may have when the time comes

In the meantime I have added some guides below which will help you further

New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/weight-monitoring-and-management.171577/

To add, as they pet shop piggies we would e courage you to double check their sexes yourself. Unfortunately we do see missexing accidents occur

Illustrated Sexing Guide

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I have two boys called Pebble and Patrick.

Feel free to post some pictures of Rolo and Harry if you’d like to share.

 

[Truffolo]

Aw, you are a wonderful owner and quite experienced with small animals. I think filtered water is best as bottled water may be higher in calcium. If you live in a hard water area filtered water is a good idea. And of course you can always pinch some if you drink tea Your meals sound fine, some nice fresh low calcium high vitamin C veggies and lots of hay and a little bit of a good pellet brand. If you clean, I learned not to change all the bedding in one go. Unfortunately my boys fell out and live side by side now rather than in one cage as they start fighting when together. Leave some soiled wood shavings or fleece bedding to maintain their hierarchy. Their scent is like a uniform and if it goes, they have to set up the hierarchy over again, which can stress their bond. If one needs to go off to the vet, it's better to take them both. Congratulations on having a lovely piggy pair Welcome to the forum

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
Hope all the information on the forum is helpful.

We look forward to getting to know you and your piggies.
Photos welcome

 

[Rolo&HarrysMum]

Thanks for the warm welcome and advice.

I will look into perhaps getting a filtered water jug.

Fab tip about the dominance and the bedding. They do gurgle and circle each other but they seem to be okay…at the moment. Let’s hope it continues.
It’s funny you mentioned about the vets thing. When I have cuddles outside of the cage on the sofa with one of them, they start chatting to each other. And…harry must seem to be happy with cuddles as he peed on me and laid down on my lap

Harry (white and ginger) is generally more sociable and inquisitive whereas Rolo (brown with caramel through his fur) is more scared and shy.

 

[Roselina]

Hello and welcome to you and your family and to Rolo and Harry
You’ve had great advice
I’d get a water filter jug ….they are often on offer as are the filters - I have a Brita one
Sounds like the boys are settling in well
always have 2 of everything - scatter the veg as it’s more fun to find etc
I also use the science selective pellets (the grain free one)
Poops and used hay make great garden compost

We love lots of photos

 

[CTWC]

Hi and welcome love the photos of your boys

 

[wheek!guinea]

Hi All

I am new here and new to being a guinea pig owner too. I’ve had hamsters, rabbits (indoor and out), a cat and a dog before but never little piggies so I am still learning and researching.

I bought a Kavee 5x2 cage with loft and lid. I have a dog and although he’s never bothered by my furries I don’t like to take chance if I’m not around and at work.

I set the cage up and then got my two male piggies on Sunday (*whispers* from p@h).

I called them Rolo & Harry. They seem to be settling in well and have quickly adapted to squealing when I say morning piggies or hello piggies when I get in from work #verycute

A couple of questions I have;

• They are drinking but I wouldn’t say it seems excessive. I have been giving them tap water too. I read it should be filtered because of the calcium in the water. Can I give them bottled water?
• In the morning I give them fresh hay and two tablespoons of pellets (science selective) on their snuffle mat. In the evening I give them their vegetables, with some more hay. I was filling up too cups(I have for tea) for them but I think it was too much, when I read it should be about 100g . Is too much veg bad? The veg I have given is romaine lettuce, bell peppers and cucumber. I have then a grape each too as a treat but no more fruit this week.
• I also like to put some naturals autumn harvest in their hay so they forage for it. I literally do a pinch in the morning and then in the evening. Is that too much?

I have been spot cleaning them daily and that seems to be going well. They are getting better with my hands going in and stroking them and I’ve managed to get a few cuddles but I don’t hold them for long as I don’t want them to get grumpy as they are still settling in.

Any other tips welcome, thanks

As long as they're drinking it should be fine, excessive thirst is definitely a red flag if you notice it. I use water bottle for my piggies or from the water filter. You should be giving 1 cup of fresh vegetables per guinea pig each day. I stay away from fruits and only give them as an occasional snack because of the amount of sugar. Too many vegetables can be bad, so I'd always stick to the 1 cup rule. Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts can cause bloating so if you give it, only do so on occasion; basically avoid vegetables that are high in sugar, and containing things like oxalic acid to avoid bloat and stones. I'd also say a pinch of forage is fine but maybe once every other day; this may be a preference thing, I'd see what others here recommend. If they're picky hay eaters definitely keep adding it to encourage more hay intake. Welcome to the guinea pig world ! there's a wealth of knowledge here and so many helpful folks!