One year of being a GP dad check-in

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OneDaySale

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey gang!

It's been almost a year since I got Simon and Garfunkel. I got them because my then gf wanted them. We broke up shortly after, but the boys are with me. She was supposed to be the expert in their care, but reading a lot taught me better ways to do things. You were all so helpful before when I needed quick answers, and I have definitely learned a lot from reading the pinned posts. I've meant to check in with updates, but life has been remarkably hectic...

So consider this an update, and also a check-in with some questions, as well as a back check that I've been doing the right things.

Home: The boys are currently in a 2x6 C&C cage on a double stand (so about 13.5 square feet of space). I have more grids, and plan on adding either a 1x2 loft or a 2x2 or 1x4 "L" to the end. I'd always intended to add the loft, but worried about being able to clean underneath it.
Q1) Which of the three would you guys suggest as the best addition?

Feeding: There are many differing accounts of what is good, and what is bad... and I promise I've done my research and read a lot of the posts, watched videos, etc. My feeding regimen is as follows: Unlimited Oxbow Western Timothy Hay that I buy in 25lb boxes plus an Oxbow Timothy and Orchard Grass blend that I buy in 90 ounce bags. I usually put down some of the bulk hay as a base, then top with the blend several times a day. They also get daily fresh veggies that amounts to a soup bowl full in the morning, as follows: a piece of bell pepper each (they love it, and will ignore every other veggie until i give them their piece each) and an organic baby lettuce mix from Trader Joe's as the primary veggies daily. I give them half a stalk of celery every other day (so a quarter stalk each) cut up in pieces. And in a sparse rotation, depending on what I have, I will give them a few strawberry tops (mostly the part I cut out from strawberries I, or my parrot, will eat), or a baby carrot each, or a bit of rosemary/thyme, or a cherry tomato each, or some basil. So they are getting one of those items maybe once or twice a week. And when I cut their nails, I will give them a blueberry or two each, so they get about 3 blueberries a month. Lastly, pellets. When I come home, they get a hay top off, then a very scant handful of Oxbow Garden Select pellets. The pellets are what made me decide I needed a backcheck on my GP care procedures... I bought a 25lb bag of young guinea pig pellets a month or so into getting these guys... then didn't think I could wait for the shipping time, and went and bought two 8lb bags of the same. I am close to emptying the second 8lb bag... then I see that "young guinea pig" pellets are for those 6 months and younger, and that the calcium may be too much for my guys (about 14 months). I still have the unopened 25 lb bag as well. I have not seen overly white urine.
Q2) is my fresh veggie regimen good? Any suggested changes?
Q3) can I use the unopened 25lb bag of young guinea pig pellets? It's too late to return it, do I need to eat the cost and donate it to a rescue? I have not seen sludgy urine, and do not believe I overfeed any calcium rich veggies, so maybe I can use it?

Last thing in an already long post: I am traveling next weekend for the wedding of two friends, my first trip in quite a while. I will be gone for 3 days. I've already picked up two extra water bottles, so they will have four 12 ounce bottles for the time (currently they have two). I've set up a video feed so I can watch them while I am gone. Other people have told me they will be ok, as long as I pile on the hay...
Q4) do you guys think this will be ok?

Thanks as always for your help!
 
2x2 extension is what I'd go for. The loft might be nice but the extended floor space is something you really can't go wrong with where boars are concerned, and better to go wider than longer when you're talking one grid versus two.

A long weekend would be too long to leave them. One night maybe but not more than that. They need more than a large pile of hay to get through.
 
Regarding the pellets, I’d personally donate them but the choice is yours.
You don’t want to see sludgy urine and to me just because you haven’t seen it isn’t a reason to continue feeding them. If you are going to, then I’d give less than a tablespoon per pig.
I only give pellets 2-3 times a week anyway.
Young pellets aren’t actually needed at all - they’re a bit of a gimmick - they can have normal adult pellets from the day they’re born.

Please don’t leave them for 3 days unchecked. They need someone going into them twice a day given the time you are away. Providing lots of hay and water won’t be enough to ensure they’re ok.
 
They will also need to be spot cleaned. I went on holiday last year and the person looking after my piggies had left them a day before we got back. Two days worth of poop was a HUGE amount.
 
Extending ground floor space is the best thing to do. Lofts are a bonus but don’t count towards the cage size.

Make sure, if you extend the cage in any way, that you mitigate the effect of the territory change by using soiled bedding in the new cage and/or wiping new bedding with the soiled bedding. What you are trying to do is make sure the new space also carries their scent.
Any new space is a territory change and can cause a couple of weeks of them reestablishing their relationship (in well bonded pairs it amounts to nothing more than a bit of extra dominance, but you don’t want it to bring about underlying issues surfacing and potential for issues)

Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment
 
thanks everyone for the replies!

I will have my brother stop by and add in veggies that I presort for him by day. He will grumble about that, but I will try to get him to spot clean as well.

On floor space, yes, i think I will loop on the L shape. They're already showing signs of a hormone spike (whether due to warmer weather or their age, I'm not sure, but I saw some aggressive peeing last night (and from the normally submissive one, with the dominant one drinking it up, ugh), so i will make sure to be smart about when and how I do it.

Any issues with my vegetable regimen?

EDIT TO ADD: (And I've already ordered a smaller bag of the adult pellets, which I know now will last for a long time... will donate the 25lb bag)
 
OneDaySale said:
thanks everyone for the replies!

I will have my brother stop by and add in veggies that I presort for him by day. He will grumble about that, but I will try to get him to spot clean as well.

On floor space, yes, i think I will loop on the L shape. They're already showing signs of a hormone spike (whether due to warmer weather or their age, I'm not sure, but I saw some aggressive peeing last night (and from the normally submissive one, with the dominant one drinking it up, ugh), so i will make sure to be smart about when and how I do it.

Any issues with my vegetable regimen?

EDIT TO ADD: (And I've already ordered a smaller bag of the adult pellets, which I know now will last for a long time... will donate the 25lb bag)
Click to expand...

Your brother needs to top up hay, refresh water, feed veggies and ideally spot clean every day.

Veggies look ok - the four safe veg they can have daily are lettuce, cucumber, pepper and cilantro. Any other veg should be in rotation, moderation.
I’m surprised they like rosemary and thyme - they are rather strongly flavoured!
 
I think most of us with boars are noticing some springtime hormones at the moment. My boys just got a penthouse and I mixed used and fresh fleece in the new space. Be prepared for a stinky day or two when you extend the space, eau de boar, delightful stuff 💨🤢😷😁
 
fluffysal said:
I think most of us with boars are noticing some springtime hormones at the moment. My boys just got a penthouse and I mixed used and fresh fleece in the new space. Be prepared for a stinky day or two when you extend the space, eau de boar, delightful stuff 💨🤢😷😁
Click to expand...
I remember that smell when my late Giuseppe used to drag his (unneutered) boar bits around a freshly cleaned cage 🤢
 
Piggies&buns said:
Your brother needs to top up hay, refresh water, feed veggies and ideally spot clean every day.

Veggies look ok - the four safe veg they can have daily are lettuce, cucumber, pepper and cilantro. Any other veg should be in rotation, moderation.
I’m surprised they like rosemary and thyme - they are rather strongly flavoured!
Click to expand...
they have never liked cucumber when i have offered it - whether i peel it, slice it, chunk it... it's nibbled on and left behind. I picked up cilantro tonight after refreshing on this thread Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
ive been doing the half and half clean, keeps from overloading my washing machine too.

But that aggressive peeing (and the drinking it up...), blegh, lol

They're still cute, but I'm trying to forget that as quickly as possible :no:
 
Brother will grumble, but he will do it... he already has kept an eye on my parrot when I traveled in the past
 
I have a 2x1 loft, and my guinea pigs almost never go up there unless I'm sitting on the couch next to it. Though I imagine at least part of the issue is there is only one ramp, so if one of them goes up there if the other goes up too they're trapped. My cage is only 2x5, and some other things I have wouldn't fit well with two ramps. They do LOVE to go under it, though, but there are other ways to do that. Ground space is also much better for zoomies.
 
My boys love charging up and down the ramp, their new one has raised sides but it's not stopping them jumping off halfway down!
 
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