New Owner could use some advice.

superka

superka

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey guys I recently FOUND a guinea pig in a local park. I'm in canada so it was basically a death sentence come winter (assuming something didn't get it before then.) so I captured it in a net and took it home. My gf already owns two rabbits so had food for it. been doing some research on line to find difference between the two care wise. So far seems they very similar but guinea pigs need more vitamine C. been feeding her pieces of melon i had at the time. Its super friendly and trusting. has NEVER tried to bite me even when i have to pick her up when she doesn't want to be to clean her cage. I've had it for about 4 days now. Any advice you guys can have would be Greatly appreciated :D

Btw her name is caramilk :P DP is her in the bush before being captured.
 
:wel:

Well done for taking the piggy in, but do get piggy seen by a vet For a thorough health check and sexing.

Their diet needs to consist of unlimited amounts of hay, they can have one cup of veg per day but they need specific guinea pig pellets (not rabbit pellets). Pellets should be kept limited to one tablespoon per day.
Fruit should not be given regularly - it’s fine for a very occasional treat but it is too high in sugar to be given any more than one small amount and no more than once per week

Ensure piggy is kept well away from, and ideally kept in a separate room to, the rabbits. Rabbits can carry illnesses harmlessly to them but those same illnesses can be fatal to guinea pigs. They ideally should not share air space and you need to ensure all equipment is kept entirely separately so no cross contamination can occur. Ensure hands are washed etc between handling each species.

The guides below will help guide you in how to care for her.
Do you have the ability to get her a friend? Like rabbits, piggies are highly social and need to be kept with another piggy.

New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information
 
Welcome to the forum and well done for rescuing this little girl.
I can’t link them for you ( no tech skills!) but have a look through the information threads for new owners.
There’s a wealth of information on all things piggy - food, housing, bedding, companionship .
Please ask questions as well.
There’s a lot of expertise here.
 
Thanks I have been doing it but the internet can be very split in thought. rarely do people take the moderate road of "you can" its all black and white of you have too and should never... for instance read some places say you should provide a salt lick. others say it can be dangerous if they have too much salt.

Also because the guinea pig was found and i've never owned a guinea pig before I'm totally lost on a lot of key details like age, breed ect. anything you think you could tell me about it I would appreciate.
 
superka said:
Thanks I have been doing it but the internet can be very split in thought. rarely do people take the moderate road of "you can" its all black and white of you have too and should never... for instance read some places say you should provide a salt lick. others say it can be dangerous if they have too much salt.

Also because the guinea pig was found and i've never owned a guinea pig before I'm totally lost on a lot of key details like age, breed ect. anything you think you could tell me about it I would appreciate.
Click to expand...

Dont worry, we can help you! Ask questions and make a starting reading through the guides I linked in at my first reply. There is a lot and you certainly aren’t going to get through them quickly!

First, ensure she is fed a good hay based diet, and see a vet. All diet guides can be found in the food section of this forum But are are also in the link I put in above
Companionship and having the correct cage size etc can come next once you are sure she is definitely a she and that she is healthy

They definitely don’t need salt licks

We can’t tell you age - a vet might be able to determine a rough idea with a physical check - things like how the nails look etc.

Piggies should be weighed every week as part of routine care, but you switch to daily weight checks when there are health concerns. I would recommend you weigh her daily starting now so you can keep a close eye on her to ensure she is eating enough hay properly.

Do get her seen by a vet though
 
If you look across the top bar of the forum page you will see a tab for Guinea Pig Guides.
There is a list of all the information threads we have.
These will be helpful for you.
If you post a picture of Caramilk we can help with breed. Plus we do like to drool over pictures of piggies.
The internet is very variable and confusing.
This forum is the best one I found for sensible advice.
 
Thanks just saw the link you posted been going through it. already have some questions :P like i get my pellets from a farm that just labels them as "rabbit and guinea pig pellets" i know posting links is against forum policy so i'll just post the ingredients if you guy see something i should worry about. weighing her is a GREAT idea tho would of never thought of that. have a kitchen scale and she was in the bush for AT LEAST a week. probably a lot more and she seemed quite thin when i got her. been feeding her unlimited hay. Current weight 815G.


Main Ingredients: Amino acids, Oats, Corn, Oat husk, Fine corn gluten, Soy hull, Large corn gluten, Red gru, Distillery dregs, Beet pulp, Malted sprouts, Dehydrated alfalfa, Barley, Bran, Soy and its derivatives, Canola and its derivatives. Vitamins: Pantotenic acid, Folicin, Choline chloride, Methionine, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Riboflavin, Thiamine, Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D-3, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B complex. Minérals: Magnesium oxide, Dicalcium phosphorus, Limestone, Salt. Traced minerals: Ethylenediamine dihidro-iodide, Sodium selenite, Organic selenium. Other: Antioxidants, Molasses, Lingosulfonate, Iron sulphate, Magnanese sulfate, Zinc sulphate, Copper sulfate, Cobalt sulphate (Contains no corn grains)
 
superka said:
Thanks just saw the link you posted been going through it. already have some questions :P like i get my pellets from a farm that just labels them as "rabbit and guinea pig pellets" i know posting links is against forum policy so i'll just post the ingredients if you guy see something i should worry about. weighing her is a GREAT idea tho would of never thought of that. have a kitchen scale and she was in the bush for AT LEAST a week. probably a lot more and she seemed quite thin when i got her. been feeding her unlimited hay. Current weight 815G.


Main Ingredients: Amino acids, Oats, Corn, Oat husk, Fine corn gluten, Soy hull, Large corn gluten, Red gru, Distillery dregs, Beet pulp, Malted sprouts, Dehydrated alfalfa, Barley, Bran, Soy and its derivatives, Canola and its derivatives. Vitamins: Pantotenic acid, Folicin, Choline chloride, Methionine, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Riboflavin, Thiamine, Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D-3, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B complex. Minérals: Magnesium oxide, Dicalcium phosphorus, Limestone, Salt. Traced minerals: Ethylenediamine dihidro-iodide, Sodium selenite, Organic selenium. Other: Antioxidants, Molasses, Lingosulfonate, Iron sulphate, Magnanese sulfate, Zinc sulphate, Copper sulfate, Cobalt sulphate (Contains no corn grains)
Click to expand...

I personally wouldn’t feed those pellets to piggies or rabbits. Anything that says it can be fed to both species I would avoid - their dietary needs are slightly different.

The pellets are grain/cereal based which isn’t ideal for either rabbits or piggies. They should have grass or timothy hay based pellets and ideally without containing any grains. They also contain alfalfa which is too high in calcium and best avoided. Too much calcium in a diet can lead to bladder problems.

Nugget Comparison Chart
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Shes a good weight considering she was abandoned. Keep an eye on it daily so you can monitor what is going on.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
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I would say no to those pellets. You need to give her grass based pellet, preferably without alfalfa. The latter is high in calcium so not good to feed once they’ve weaned. The list below is U.K. based but maybe you can use it when looking for more suitable pellets.

Nugget Comparison Chart
 
Also thanks for the info on the pellets. i'll use up the bag but i'll probably buy better pellets and slowly mix them with proper pellets till they're all gone and not replace them. the timothy hay they provide is great i'll keep buying that. Also i think its an aby.. I thought her hair was messy cause being out side being rained on and stuff... but yeah thats just the style it seems... she's very well groomed. second i brought her in side first thing she did once settled was start cleaning her self.
 
I wouldn’t continue with those pellets at all. Mainly because if the alfalfa but also because of the cereals. They form a very small part of their diet. Feed coriander (cilantro) and bell pepper daily along with lots of unlimited hay. Those three contain vitamin c.
 
Welcome to the forum.
Caramilk is a gorgeous aby. Well done for managing to catch her and for taking her in.
Those pellets contain a lot of bad ingrediants, another one I would worry about rabbits and guinea pigs is molasses.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.
Well done on rescuing the piggy! (S)he is gorgeous. When you’re certain that she is in fact a girl, please do get her a same sex friend :nod:
Everyone has given great advice regards to feeding. I’ll just add by repeating.. hay, hay and more hay!
What sort of cage are you keeping her in?
 
It is a female for sure i did sex it. it was one of the few consistent pieces of info i found all over the internet. Y shape with a skin flap and no dick came out when pressed. i might be hardpressed to get a second guinea pig as my city has a 5 pet limit and i own two cats my gf owned two rabbits. if i can find a really good suitable home for her I'll probably pass her to them but i wont be giving it away as some little kids pets. heard too many horror stories... One question i want to ask is while keeping them in the same cage is obviously a bad idea what about having the piggies cage next to the rabbits? i was thinking of putting a piece of glass or something between the two cages to stop the stray poo from flying into the others cage. it might help with the company department. As for the cage its a 1ftX2ftX1ft cage. I borrowed it from my brother who used to own rats. it has a small second level and hiding hole. i think its a little small but its temporary till i can find a better cage for her.
 
superka said:
It is a female for sure i did sex it. it was one of the few consistent pieces of info i found all over the internet. Y shape with a skin flap and no dick came out when pressed. i might be hardpressed to get a second guinea pig as my city has a 5 pet limit and i own two cats my gf owned two rabbits. if i can find a really good suitable home for her I'll probably pass her to them but i wont be giving it away as some little kids pets. heard too many horror stories... One question i want to ask is while keeping them in the same cage is obviously a bad idea what about having the piggies cage next to the rabbits? i was thinking of putting a piece of glass or something between the two cages to stop the stray poo from flying into the others cage. it might help with the company department. As for the cage its a 1ftX2ftX1ft cage. I borrowed it from my brother who used to own rats. it has a small second level and hiding hole. i think its a little small but its temporary till i can find a better cage for her.
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She is gorgeous!

The guinea pig should ideally be kept in a different room to the rabbits - its best that piggies and bunnies dont share airspace at all. However if they must be in the same room, then I would not have the cage next to the rabbits - put piggy as far away from the rabbits as possible. As I said, the illnesses rabbits can carry harmlessly to them can make piggies very ill and at worst be fatal for them.
Being next to the rabbits won't help with companionship at all. The methods of communication each species uses are entirely different - they simply dont understand each other.

Guinea Pigs And Rabbits - Why Not

The cage is definitely far too small. The absolute smallest cage she must be in is 4ft x 2ft (120x60cm)
Upper levels dont count towards the cage size and Guinea Pigs, as ground roaming creatures, need a very large single level cage.
I know the cage you have at the moment is temporary but it must only be very temporary as it doesn't meet minimum welfare requirements. Can you get her a new cage today?

These guides details the sort of spaces and the size piggies need. There is also the temporary solutions guide below which may help you cheaply make her an alternative cage which is big enough, particularly if you can’t keep her due to not being able to get her a friend.

Cage Size Guide
Member Gallery: C&C cages/homemade cages
Member Gallery: Commercial Cages
Temporary Housing Solutions?

It's so lovely you have taken her in, but for her long term happiness, she really does need another guinea pig friend and if you aren't allowed to get another one, then finding her a new home where she can have piggy companionship would be best. Do you have any rescue centres (even if it is a bit of a drive away) that you could surrender her to? They would ensure she is bonded and rehomed.
 
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Hello and welcome to the forum. Well done for saving her. She’s beautiful. 😍. I think the best thing would be to surrender her to a rescue. They would pair her with a friend and she’d have a wonderful life. Well done again for saving her life.
 
Hi and :wel: as above, please consider passing her to a rescue where she will be paired and rehomed. I would actually consider doing that sooner rather than later. She really needs companionship. Below is a link to rescues in Canada. Please do call around and see if they’re able to take her in.
Guinea Lynx :: Canadian Rescue Organizations
 
ive really thought about giving her to a rescue it was one of my first thoughts but the closest one is over 2 hours drive away (montreal one Closed... :C), 5 hours away. (I'm near ottawa).... if i find a good person to give her away to i definitely will but i want to make sure it will be a good home. i made the choice to do something i feel responsible making sure to see it through where ever she ends up is a good home for her. as is she's in my room next to my computer desk where i am most to keep an eye on her(rabbits are next room over). i could bring her down stairs where she would be the furthest away from the rabbits. i was also contemplating building an enclosure for her. as is way i see it she was on death row had 6 months AT BEST... life might not be the most optimum but she's safe, warm, dry and well fed (and given lots of pets ;) ). since i made this post yesterday i've gotten so much posts thank you guys :D! tomorrow morning i am gonna do some shopping. btw any advice for "toys"? gonna get some jute rope maybe some wood blocks that are safe for both rabbits and guinea pigs. buy some materials to make a snuffle mat. any natural materials i should stay away from like fleece or cotton that i should know about?
 
superka said:
ive really thought about giving her to a rescue it was one of my first thoughts but the closest one is over 2 hours drive away (montreal one Closed... :C), 5 hours away. (I'm near ottawa).... if i find a good person to give her away to i definitely will but i want to make sure it will be a good home. i made the choice to do something i feel responsible making sure to see it through where ever she ends up is a good home for her. as is she's in my room next to my computer desk where i am most to keep an eye on her(rabbits are next room over). i could bring her down stairs where she would be the furthest away from the rabbits. i was also contemplating building an enclosure for her. as is way i see it she was on death row had 6 months AT BEST... life might not be the most optimum but she's safe, warm, dry and well fed (and given lots of pets ;) ). since i made this post yesterday i've gotten so much posts thank you guys :D! tomorrow morning i am gonna do some shopping. btw any advice for "toys"? gonna get some jute rope maybe some wood blocks that are safe for both rabbits and guinea pigs. buy some materials to make a snuffle mat. any natural materials i should stay away from like fleece or cotton that i should know about?
Click to expand...

You are right - she is safe and that is obviously important. Companionship is one of the five rights of highly social animals such as piggies so her emotional well-being is just as important going forward. You sound as if you are going to do a wonderful job looking after her.
If you find her a home with another sow or neutered boar then you need to ensure the two are compatible to be able to live together. Even if they weren’t and the new home has the space to have two separate side by side cages, them she can live beside another piggy as a neighbour so they can have interaction through the bars - that will prevent loneliness.

As long as she is in a different room to the rabbits and that you wash your hands between touching each species, then that is fine.

To be honest, you’re better off to not bother wasting money on commercial toys. Piggies generally don’t play with them. They are happiest with huge piles of hay and big cardboard boxes with holes cut in, empty toilet roll tubes with hay stuffed in, hides, log bridges and cardboard tunnels. Hiding her daily veg and pellet portions amongst piles of hay so she can forage.

Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
 
Perfect. cheap works for me :D. but i use the rope for other stuff. i just give it to the rabbits as a chew toy to help manage their teeth.

also i donno if it helps her at all... but i have played videos of guinea pigs for her. she seems excited her doing her yips and wheeks. she can see the monitor from her cage. ive had her for a week and ive had to work a lot. A lot of her set up right now is proverbial duct tape patch work on the fly. I'm gonna take your guys suggestions when i get her things in the morning. I'll see what I can work out as pay isn't for a week and i just paid my rent.

I didn't choose the guinea pig life, The guinea pig life chose me lol.gp meme.webp
 
It sounds like you’ve fallen for her 😍😍. Guinea pigs have a way of making us do that. You’re doing your best for her. Has she got somewhere to hide/sleep? A cardboard box with a door cut into it will be just fine.
 
Aoh Caramilk is adorable, so glad you found each other, what a lucky little lady she is x
 
yeah she has a large kaytee hide away thing has a door and window. came with my brothers cage. I did find a bigger cage at a used good store(i cleaned it thoroughly). its only 2x3 but I'm gonna try put it together with the other cage i had to go between the two freely. i understand thats kinda cheating and isn't the same. but I'm gonna build a little enclosure out of plywood next pay. saw a few cool designs online with what looks like acrylic panels and wood slats on a plywood base.
 
She's gorgeous and so lucky you saved her. I struggle to catch a guinea pig in an indoor cage, very impressive you caught a piggy in the wild 😊
 
Well with every post on here always being followed up with. "you should get her a friend."... you made your point clear. i finally found a rescue that sets up bonding sessions for adoptions and got a second piggy. i introduce you cookie.cookie.webp
 

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