Really Struggling! Advice Please

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staci

staci

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I brought two guinea pigs last week from pets at home. I was told to give them their pellets, timothy hay and savoy cabbage, red pepper and brocoli daily as it is what they use. I have tried other foods like celery and kale but didnt realise you cant give daily.
Any ideas of what staple foods I can use to make up their main diet? None of it makes any sense to me!
Also its recommendes i clean out fully once a week is this correct as ive been doing it every other day
 
Have a read of these stickies in the forum's food section to help you.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...-ratios-explained-diet-advice-included.30297/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

As for cleaning, it might depend on the bedding you use. But in general one needs to spot clean at least once a day and a full clean out once a week. When I used disposable bedding, I'd scoop up poops & wet clumpy areas out & replenish those areas with fresh bedding once a day & then once a week replace the whole lot. I now use fabric bedding which wicks away urine so only have to poop patrol once a day & wash the lot once a week.
 
I use sawdust and hay but they poo and wee everywhere
 
staci said:
I use sawdust and hay but they poo and wee everywhere
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Woodshavings is better than sawdust. Sawdust can cause respiratory problems, I've had mine bedded on woodshavings for a while now, no problems have occurred
Even through the shavings are only on the top floor
 
Sorry i meant woodshavings! Ive always called it sawdust!
What do you feed yours if you dont mind me asking?
Also how do i go about handling them? They just run off?
 
staci said:
I use sawdust and hay but they poo and wee everywhere
Click to expand...
My 2 boys are like that, they seem to have no favourite place or corner to do it in, they manage to cover their whole cage. It's one of the reasons I switched to fabric bedding so that at least I didn't have to worry about the urine for a week.

I would think with your type of bedding most of the poops would be embedded (instead of sitting on top like in my cas) so your biggest worry would be wet patches where they pee'd. Is you bedding not absorbing the urine?
 
Yes but i didnt know if i was doing right? I remove the soiled wet bedding and clean out every other day!
I want to start handling them but not sure how i go about it
 
staci said:
Sorry i meant woodshavings! Ive always called it sawdust!
What do you feed yours if you dont mind me asking?
Also how do i go about handling them? They just run off?
Click to expand...
For certain I give my girls a carrots each per day, most days a leaf or two of Romaine lettuce, occasionally curly kale, cucumber nearly every day, celery, 1-2 times every few weeks. Treats in between. Dill a few times a week, parsely 1-3 a week, baby spinach a few times a week, green pepper nearly every day.
 
staci said:
Yes but i didnt know if i was doing right? I remove the soiled wet bedding and clean out every other day!
I want to start handling them but not sure how i go about it
Click to expand...
I think you should try full clean outs once a week. As to handling them, well I've had my 2 boys for over 3 years now & they still don't like being picked up although they are fine once I have them. And trying to put them back down is a nightmare as they like to jump. So, I get them to go into a cuddle cup or a tunnel (you can try any conveyance) and pick them up in that. After all these years when it's time to get back in their cage I just say "who wants to go home" & they get back in their conveyance for the trip back. Wish they would do that when I want to get them out of the cage, but no, I have to bribe with parsley in the conveyance or I use a feather duster to chivvy their behinds into where I want them.
 
I just feel guilty leaving them in their cage all the time!
 
Tjis is all new yo me as i have never had them as pets before... what do you mean as floor time? I dont have a pen for garden yet
 
Floor time is exercise out of the cage. Guinea pigs who are not in huge cages need exercise time.
 
I feed mine peppers and cucumber every day, and then a mix of green beans/raw corn on the cob/herbs (parsley/coriander/basil)/non iceberg lettuce/carrot. Once in a while they get a little piece of tomato. And of course plenty of hay and some pellets. I can usually catch my pigs by hand, but one especially is quite fast! I try to guide her to a tunnel/cozy and just pick the whole thing up :)
 
All you've got to be careful with at floor time is to keep any electric wires out of reach or any places they could hide that would be hard to get them out of. A good idea to give them floor time before they have their veggies. Less likelihood of a mess but not guaranteed.

As far as cleaning, there will be certain areas that need cleaning more often. This usually where they eat (in one end & out the other) & where they sleep (too lazy to move).

As far a food goes mine get these twice a day:- 1/2 Romaine or Cos leaf, 2 slices of carrot, 2 slices of cucumber, a little celery, 2 pieces of pepper (whatever colour they'll eat), 1/4 of a small apple between 7 or 8 of them, the melon that's left after I've had mine. They eat the skin as well, a floret of brocolli, coriander & garden mint plus small quantities of kale & spinach 2 or 3 times a week. Occasional tomato or grape & some sweet corn once a week. Fresh grass & 2 or 3 dandelion leaves. There's lots more stuff but try to avoid too much high calcium foods.
 
Ive just brought them a pack from asda with kale spinach pak choi and jagallo nero. Are these all safe to eat?
 
Lilly said:
Have a read of these stickies in the forum's food section to help you.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...-ratios-explained-diet-advice-included.30297/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/
Click to expand...

As @Lilly said you should read through the above stickies as they explain about food.
I think the Kale and Spinach can be fed in small amounts 2 or 3 times a week. The spinach should be leaves only - no stems, you have to be careful as to much spinach is thought to cause kidney & bladder stones.
I'm not sure how much pak choi or jagallo nero all I can suggest is to fed them in moderation as well.
 
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