Rescued guinea pig.........

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Fairybird

Hi

New to forum and these little creatures too.

I have just rescued a guinea pig, a dear little thing coming up to a year old,his 12yr old owner didn't want him anymore so my eight year old begged me and i gave in after seeing him. 98)

Anyway i have a few questions....

He's just started squeaking an awful lot when we call his name, walk passed him, more that the usual sqeak or two when he is being petted. is this normal, how do you know if a GP is hurt, cross, angry, happy etc?

Should he vibrate?

Do i get him a friend to live with ( i've heard they are sociable animals and like company)?

Where can i get a long haired GP from and just how many breeds are there?

how long do they live for?

What shouldn't i feed them?

Do Cats tend to attack them?


Hope you can help
Ali
 
Hey... squeeking is normal especially when they are getting to know you... guinea pigs try to hide i they are hurt because they are 'prey' animals and dont want to be seen as the weak one...

Yep... I would say get him/her a friend of the same sex :)

er... have no idea ;D

they can live from 5-8 years... possibly 10 with real good care... (i think)

you can buy guinea pig pellets/mix's from petstores I think :)

depends on the cat... but you should prob try to keep the cat or any other animals away from him :)

Hope this helped... oh and WELCOME TO THE FORUM ;)
 
Hi welcome and well done for rescuing the little man.
Wow, lots of questions! Is the squeeking very high pitched? I think you will find he is hungry or excited if he does it when you are near. Soon he will start wheeking everytime he hears you open the fridge as he knows his veggies are coming. Guineas in pain are usually quiet and make a different scream type moise when in real pain. You will notice him 'popcorn' when he is happy which basically is a little, uncontrolable jump type movement. Very cute to watch and usually occurs when they have food they love or their cage has just been cleaned out.
You should defo get him a friend as they get very lonely. Either get him a young boar or get him neutred and find him a girlfriend. Bonding boars can be tricky but rewarding. Check out the Barmy4Boars website for more info.
Look in the food section of this forum. At the top there is a shopping list which tells you what they shouldn't have. Avoid iceberg lettuce and too many apples. They need loads of fresh hay everyday to eat plus dry food and veggies.
As for cats: depends on the cat I suppose. But i wouldn't risk leaving them alone together!
There are lots of longhaired breeds- Abysinnian and Texel for example. But I will let someone else tell you about them as I'm no expert.
Good luck. You will find him a very rewarding pet!
them
 
And yes, they do vibrate! If accompanied by a purr it is a good sign. and if it is silent and more of a shaking then he might just be a bit scared.
 
I used to have a guinea pig awhile back, and she would emit this loud shriek whenever I went into the kitchen because more often than not I'd come back with veggies! They are funny creatures, very observant and watchful of you once they are comfortable!
 
yes the squeaking usually means, wheres my fruit and veg LOL, they need fresh fruit and veg daily, I give mine some morning and night,

I give unlimited hay which is very important, you would be better with a hay rack, as the hay will get soiled with wee and poo, so won't stay fresh for long.Straw is not good for piggies, and can poke piggies in the eye.

He would love a friend (are you sure he's male?) a baby boar would be best (unless you have him neutered, approx £30 and get him a girlfriend) if you get a baby boar the younger the better. Males are difficult to bond as adults.

Guinea pig pellets are better than the museli type food as they can't pick out the bits they like and leave the bits they don't. Pellets give all the nutrition needed.Unlimited pellet food or museli too.

Cats can attack guinea pigs, I put a wooden cover over my run in the garden as the neighbours cats could try and attack them.
They do come and investigate them.

Hope you enjoy your new piggie, this is a great place to come for advice, you'll soon be addicted.
X PaulaX
 
Welcome to the forums and congrats on rescuing your first piggy! (If you fall in love they are irrisistable so you will be sure to have more!)

About the squeaking, I definitely agree about the fruits and veggies. Parsly is one of many pigs' favorites, and you give about 10sprigs a day(on the days that you chose to feed them parsely.) Also, my piggies enjoy apples alot, but I only give them apples once a week because too much can lead to watery stool and mouth sores. :( My piggies enjoy some baby carrots once in awhile. I find that they like baby carrots alot more than large carrots because the baby carrots are so nice and juicy - where as the larger ones are drier. Also, most piggies also like celery! You can feed them bananas(with the peel) or even oranges. Just be sure to check out the shopping list in the food section of the forums!

Are you adding Vitamin C supplements to his water? Guinea's don't naturally make Vitamin C in their bodies, so you have to add it to their water and also give it to them in good pellets and fruits and veggies. If he doesn't get enough, he might develope scurvy. Also, when you add it to his water make sure that you are refreshing his water daily because the vitamins tend to deteriate after only a short amount of time. (oh and you can buy the vitamins at any pet stores and stocks up with small animal supplies - just make sure it's for guinea pigs and not rabbits.)


THe vibrating is normal. Sometimes when my piggies are talking to each other they vibrate with excitement, and sometimes when I take them to the vets they vibrate because they are scared. just look at the situation - Is something stressing him? or does he seem relaxed and not stiff and alert?

They are very social animals. He probably will need a friend unless you are paying attention to him every waking hour. (which is impossible.) But be very careful. There is lots of "piggy porn" on the internet that will help you check his sex for sure. This is important because you give a unneutered boar a sow, she will most likely get pregnant - and piggy pregnancies can have so many complications and are sometimes fatal! So make sure you know for sure, and aren't just going off of what you were told. Then, if he really is a male, then you need to think about a very young boar (not yet "teenage") so that you can introduce them and hope for a successful bonding. (Doesn't always work, they sometimes fight.)


There are many many breeds of guinea pigs - and it's almost impossible to find a pure bred of any sort. Because you can never tell their ancestory or family history, basically you go by the descriptions of each breed.

Heres a list that's easily accessable (looked it up on google)Breeds
American - short, smooth hair
White Crested - short, smooth hair with a white rosette on top of the head
Self Crested - same as White Crested, but all one color
Abyssinian - Short, cow-licked hair (body covered with rosettes)
Peruvian - Long hair (floor length) that covers the face, making the piggie look like a mop
Silkie (Sheltie) - Long hair (floor length) that goes back towards the body rather than falling in the piggie's face (also known as a Sheltie in the UK)
Teddy - Short, kinky hair with a course texture
Texel - A Silkie with a curly coat that falls in ringlets
Coronet - A Silkie with a rosette on its head
Merino - A curly-coated Coronet
Alpaca - A curly-coated Peruvian
Skinny Pig - A piggie with no hair anywhere on its body (rather rat-like)

Satin variety - An extra sheen to the coat that makes it look satiny (pearlescent)
American Satin
American Crested Satin
Abyssinian Satin
Peruvian Satin
Teddy Satin
Coronet Satin
Rosette:
A section of hair that looks like a whorl that radiates from a center point. A starburst of hair.



Hope all is well and good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Best of luck and thinking of you,
Kay ^-^
 
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