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T.T.

Hiya

I'm Terri and a complete novice when it comes to guinea pigs and the lingo.

We've just got two young females who are lovely, one, Lily, is a caramel colour and one, Vicky, is the famous three colour. They have very distinct personalities that really compliment each other.

If you don't mind I'm just going to run over the care we're giving them, as advised by the pet shop, and was wondering if people could just say a"yes that sounds right" or "no! Don't do that" or "You could also try..." ")

OK so we clean them out twice a week, change their water every day, handle them every day, they are kept indoors, in a large hutch with a bedroom section. We feed them fresh veg every day and a small amount of fruit once/twice a week. We also give them a handful of dry food every day. (They eat a lot more than I thought they would and I'm a little worried that I'm over feeding them - is that possible?). I add clean hay to their hutch every day.

Thanks for reading, looking forward to chatting to you all more.

T.T.
 
Hi, i'm Jon! Welocme to the forum. No I think all that is right. No i would say the amount of food is about right. And everything else is great aswell. What are they called?

Hope you have a great time on the forum!

Jon
 
Welcome to the forum!

Sounds about right to me!

Could I ask what you use for bedding? woodshavings or sawdust are often recommended by pet shops but these have been attributed to respitory infections and skin problems and there are plenty of safer alternatives available! Also, pet shop type hay is often of poor quality and until you see the difference, you wont really know so something else to think about perhaps. Pet shops want your custom so will recommend stuff that they sell but better may be available!

Your girls could benefit from some exercise outside of the hutch. Mine have some time running around my living room floor but you could set up an exercise pen and if you have a garden, a secure run in the warmer months is ideal!

We have a food shopping list at the top of the food section for veg ideas, generally a good variety is best with not too much calcium rich veg eg greens

Hope this helps!
 
Hiya, Welcome, What part of the world are you from? Sounds like you are goin to have two very well loved piggies. xx
 
Hi Terri and welcome, yes sounds good to me. they eat loads, more dry food and hay in the winter. Don't let the hay and dry food run out as they eat all day long! you will get lots of tips on this forum but sounds like you are doing a good job.
 
Sounds like you were given good advice from the pet shop. Piggies do tend to eat alot (and poo) ! :))

They sound very lucky piggies - post some photos when you can!
 
Hello and welcome! Sounds like you're pretty knowledgable on the basics, did they tell you about nail trimming, grooming/bathing and what breeds your two are? we're a friendly bunch,ask whatever you need/want to know! If you're on facebook, look up my piggie group "all the guinea pig lovers on facebook" you'll get to see loads of setups for cages, photos of piggies, hints, tips and useful links. x
 
Thanks for the warm welcome and advice.

In answer to some of the questions....

I don't know what breed they are, but think they're short haired? The pet shop did mention nail trimming, but said to get a vet to do it? They didn't mention bathing at all, so any advice on how to do that and how often would be appreciated.

We do use sawdust, what would you recommend instead?

I put them in my children's old playpen this morning (it's a large one, big enough for two toddlers to play in, with a flat, cushioned floor,), and they had a great time so thanks for that advice. :)

I'm off to read the food list now.

Thanks again.

T.T.
 
Hi there and welcome from me in OZ :)
you've had some fab advice and yes check out the food list, it will really help you, and if in doubt ask questions........it's all a bit daunting at first but once you get to know your piggies loves and dislikes you'll be fine xx
You've come to the right place everyone here just adores all their pets and i've been lucky to make a lot of very genuine friends as i'm sure you will too :)
Can't wait to hear more about your little ones, and perhaps some piccies and their names too? x)x)
 
I've trimmed all of my piggies nails, even on my own! the most important thing is dont cut too much off and do it regularly (say once every three weeks). once you've done it the first time it gets easier. if i were you, get someone to hold the piggy, back against their chest with piggie in standing position.

With bathing, I use gorgeous guineas shampoos. I dont have to do it often. When one smells and/or looks greasy, bath all in the same cage as it washes their scent away and the others wont recognise them!

DON'T use sawdust, imo it's the worst thing for piggies. A lot of people swear by fleece/towel combo, or you could try something like megazorb, aspen or shavings. Care fresh is brilliant, but expensive. So if you see it on offer, stock up and let everyone on here know where the offer is :(|)

Best of luck Terry, you'll find some good advice here, and well done on getting some. xxxxxx
 
Hello:) I'm a newbie myself.... I have kept piggies for 20+ years now and learn new stuff all the time;) I have 20 piggies, as once you get hooked you are a complete addict:)) The only thing I would change is the sawdust/woodshavings as it can dry out the coat and may cause respiratory trouble....

I would love to see some piccies;)
 
At the top of the housing section there are reviews on various types of bedding. I use a combination of aubiose (which is a safe and compostable hemp available only in large bags though as actually meant for horses!) and hay in their sleeping areas and vetbed at the front of the cage, all of this on top of thick layer of newspaper. As your hutch is indoors, you may find the vetbed option cleaner as you dont have the mess of aubiose etc on the floor but they do like to burrow and sleep in their hay, so have a good read and think about what is best for you!

An example of vetbed, this is the one I have:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VET-BED-NON-SLIP-PINK-BEDDING-100cm-x-76cm-VETBED_W0QQitemZ230297041496QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs?hash=item230297041496&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

You can get other colours but paler is better as more likely to show up any urinary problems.
 
Hey I'm Jen! I'm a bit of a novice myself! I got my first piggies about 2 months ago now. Sounds like you are doing everything right! I know what you mean about them eating lots, mine eat like there is no tomorrow! Everyone on here has been really helpful for me and we are a friendly lot!

So on that note welcome to the forum! and put some pigtures up very soon!

Jen x

T.T. said:
Hiya

I'm Terri and a complete novice when it comes to guinea pigs and the lingo.

We've just got two young females who are lovely, one, Lily, is a caramel colour and one, Vicky, is the famous three colour. They have very distinct personalities that really compliment each other.

If you don't mind I'm just going to run over the care we're giving them, as advised by the pet shop, and was wondering if people could just say a"yes that sounds right" or "no! Don't do that" or "You could also try..." ")

OK so we clean them out twice a week, change their water every day, handle them every day, they are kept indoors, in a large hutch with a bedroom section. We feed them fresh veg every day and a small amount of fruit once/twice a week. We also give them a handful of dry food every day. (They eat a lot more than I thought they would and I'm a little worried that I'm over feeding them - is that possible?). I add clean hay to their hutch every day.

Thanks for reading, looking forward to chatting to you all more.

T.T.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks again for all your advice, we're all having great fun getting used to each other.

We live in Suffolk and our two guinea pigs are Vicky, who is three tone colour and very mischievious, always on the look out for escape or to nibble something unsuitable! She stretches her head up so high and is very inquisitive. and Lily who is a caramel colour, she is quite shy and difficult to pick up, though calms down quickly when she's sitting quietly on a knee being stroked. Oddly Lily also seems to be the leader, Vicky will kind of watch Lily and check that Lily is happy and approves of what she is doing. Hmm, not describing it very well. ?/

It's very strange because they really match my two little girls. The oldest (Lily's owner) is very shy and doesn't like new situations and likes to quietly observe things and her little sister (Vicky's owner) is inquisitive and confident and adventurous. But little sis always follows big sis's lead and likes her big sis watching her and keeping an eye on her. Perfect pets really!

I'll post up so pics soon, we got some really lovely ones of them playing in the play pen today.
 
Welcome, i've only been on here since December and everyone is really friendly and has really great advice

Look forward to chatting to you

Amy
 
As promised (hopefully) some pics of my two. Vicky is the three tone and Lily is the caramel coloured one.
 

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