new owner (kinda) got some questions

[sheltiefan]

I have 1 guinea pig right now.We have had her for about a year. She belongs to my daughter who is 6. She is got to be the most spoiled piggie. She has her own fleece bed that when its taken out of the cage she will "weak" until it is returned to her. She has a HUGE cage. She is even potty trained. We thought it was so cool she did it by herself no training needed. She even plays fetch. She spends her days eatting of course (feed,vegies,fruits) And playing with my daughter and watching tv with each other. Its so funny.
But back to my question.
1)My best friend has 2 piggies and we have piggie play dates. ( they get along great )But her piggies are HUGE compaired to our little Sarah. Then the other day I was at a petstore and they had full grown piggies they too were HUGE. And all the pictures I see of owners holding there pigs they look SO big. Sarah is almost have the size of the big ones. Is she a dwarf? Or is she not done growing?
2) The vet we have doesn't know alot about guiena pigs. But he did say she is healthy and her teeth look good. But. I never see her chew. ( She has tons of chew toys ) But none are chewed on. Is this normal? if not what can I do to encourage chewing
3) nail trimming is very LOUD. and she bites. Any tips on trimming her nails
4) What are some healty snacks to feed her? We used to give her kiwi, papaya and raisians as treats but then a friend from the chinchilla site said thats a no no ( i own a chinchilla too. but they don't play together )
5) Any extra advice welcome

 

[lauralucy]

hi best way to check how big she is, is to weigh her using normal kitchen scales

as long as she is getting unlimited hay chew toys dont reall matter, you could try apple or pear branches in her cage she might eat those.

nail trimming is a trauma here to we try 2 people on distracting and one cutting, having foor to distract helps.

if you have a look in the food section there is a safe shopping list of things piggies can eat, but like us all piggies are different.

also piggies are best kept in pairs, you might find she eats more if she has a friend. they try new things as they are scared of missing out and also have to eat or the other piggies might eat it first, so cant leave it.

 

[Bailey]

Hi welcome to the forump

I don't believe their are such things dwarf guinea pigs, some are just naturally dainty. One of my girls is a lot smaller than the other.

My piggies don't chew on any of the specific chew toys, as lauralucy said hay is the best thing for wearing down teeth so as long as your girly has unlimited hay that should be fine.

Here is a great guide for foods, Kiwi & Papaya are fine
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42

I would definitely recommend trying to find a vet who is more savvy with guinea pigs. There is a list of recommended vets here: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1788

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38481

If there isn't one listed locally to you, you should be looking for one that deals with "Exotics". Here are some questions you should be asking a vet if you do look to change http://www.guineapigwelfare.org.uk/guinea-pig-care/health/questions-to-ask-your-vet/

And finally a guide to cutting their claws
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=61

When I do mine, my OH holds them and bribes them with cucumber to distract them

 

[flintstones]

Hi There,

Welcome to the forum, some wonderful information above, all I would like to add is perhaps consider getting Sarah a friend.

I have one pig, separated pigs and pairs that are kept together. I now wouldn't not have 2 living together obviously sometimes this just doesn't work due to the pig, I had one very bossy lady and she attacked everyone, so she 'chose' to live side by side. You have mentioned Sarah has playdates and gets along well, this would suggest to me Sarah would benefit from a little friend of her own.

We have lots of rescues on the forum who match up Sarah with the 'best' piggy for her. Not only are you getting a healthy pig, you are getting a correctly sexed friend for Sarah and ongoing support if you have any problems. Something you wouldn't get from a pet store and best of all you would be giving a Rescue piggy a new home, and allowing the rescue to go on to help more pigs.

Good Luck and any questions just ask.

Do you have any pictures? x)