I'm new here

[newpigmom]

I just adopted 2 guinea pigs for me & my son a few days ago. My son has named them Spotty & Scruffy. I had guinea pigs as a child, but it's been a couple of decades, information/products has changed through the years, and i've forgotten a lot. Let's just say i'm new to GP's .

I attached pics of the cage setup, and one of Spotty peeking out of his bag/bed/tunnel thing. PLEASE feel free to give me tips & advice! I have put this setup together by reading things online, asking at work (I work at a chain pet store), and watching Youtube videos, but it is all new to me. I started out with shredded newspaper for bedding (to try to save money on store bought litter), but it was messy, and I saw that a lot of pig people online used fleece, so I made a liner out of wool. They have been really consistent with pottying in one corner, so I bought a corner litter pan. I put some of the soiled newspaper in there, so the smell is there, and added some of the Kaytee Clean & Cozy bedding (what I plan to use in there, unless they hate it, or there's some reason I shouldn't use it). I originally had a cardboard hideaway in there, but they would go crazy scared when I would go to pull them out, so I made them little bag/bed/tunnel things instead. I figure lifting them up while still in the bag is less terrifying to them than me chasing them around the cage to pick them up. I am feeding them pellet food, hay, and fruits/veggies. So far I have given them each a small slice slice of apple, a handful of romaine each day, and 1 baby carrot each daily. I downloaded a list from the internet of fruits/veggies that they should/shouldn't have, but can you guys recommend the best stuff? The only thing I put in there to chew on so far is a wooden/loofah chew hamburger.
I took a pic with the top off, so you could see the setup better. I hate the top, because it only has the one small door on the front. Can I cut the top off, so it is open on the top? Is there any reason I shouldn't? It would be so much easier to pick them up, clean the cage, etc, if there were no top. The cage is this one:

www.kaytee.com/products/kaytee-rabbit-home.php

Any other advice you can give a new pig mom?

[popcornpiggy]

Hi and Welcome to the forum. I love how carefully and thoughtfully you have made a little home for your piggies I adopted some piggies about 8 months ago, after not having them for years and years,I'm a gran now !! And have found this forum to be really informative and helpful You will find lot's of useful stuff on here if you have a mooch about !

[newpigmom]

Thank you! I have always tried to make my pets as comfortable/healthy as possible, and I like to research things.

[guinnymom25]

Welcome! Do you know if they are full grown as yet? JMO but the cage looks rather small and you have 2 boars? They may start rumblestrutting and even fighting as boars need quite a bit of space with each other. Have you thought about making a C&C cage? you can make it any size you wish and for 2 boars, a 2x5 (grid size) is ideal.

[newpigmom]

Oh, geez... what's rumblestrutting? Is that the rumbling noise they make when they are close to each other? Will they hurt each other if they fight? I don't think they are quite full grown. They are brothers. The cage is 42" x 18". I didn't know about C & C cages before I got them, or I would have made one of those to start with. I will hopefully be able to upgrade to one in the next year, but right now i'm very limited on space. I can't have them around my dog, and our bedrooms are very tiny (have to be in one of the bedrooms, so we can close the door, so the dog can't get in by them).

[guinnymom25]

Yes it is a rumble and they look like they're dancing around each other. Just listen for teeth chattering as well as if they're yawning at each other. If they start lunging as well is a sign that they're going to be fighting. Just because they are brothers doesn't mean they will get along unfortunately. But by the set up of your cage, if you have two of everything, like your hideys, they should be okay. I would get another water bottle as well though to be safe.  Do you give them floor time so they can run a round a bit?

[newpigmom]

Jan 7, 2014 1:23:53 GMT guinnymom25 said:

Yes it is a rumble and they look like they're dancing around each other. Just listen for teeth chattering as well as if they're yawning at each other. If they start lunging as well is a sign that they're going to be fighting. Just because they are brothers doesn't mean they will get along unfortunately. But by the set up of your cage, if you have two of everything, like your hideys, they should be okay. I would get another water bottle as well though to be safe.  Do you give them floor time so they can run a round a bit?

Do I need 2 food dishes and 2 litter pans? I think the one piggy is more dominant (and bigger) and the other will always back down. The only time I ever hear the rumbling is when one accidentally runs inside an already occupied hidey, but then one always comes right out and goes to the other one. I can't give them floor time because of my dog, and they will disappear under furniture (already had a lost-under-the-bed mishap) but we take them out and hold them.

[guinnymom25]

don't think that would be needed...they'd fight more over the water as they can't really share it, with the food dish, there is possibly enough room for both of them to get in there, right? how big is the litter pan, enough for two piggies? just keep an eye to see if one is dominating it than the other. There will definitely be a boss and it looks like your bigger piggie is showing to be taking that position. Can you pick up a play pen (one that is usually for dogs) to keep the dog out? just an idea...piggies love floor time, to run around and show you some popcorning...which is such a delight to see.

[Orlaith]

Welcome to the forum! The cage is a little smaller than recommended but they'll be okay. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they stay friends. Rumbling and all is normal, just make sure they both get a fair share of the food and one doesn't end up getting stressed all the time.

Do you have a hay rack? I would suggest getting one as it'll encourage them to stretch up and it'll engage their minds as well. They need to have unlimited hay, it should always be available for them.

As for veg, Kayleigh, who you'll see around the site often, has made a fantastic list on her personal website (link here) which you should check out. A bit more variety would do them good, both nutritionally and also to get them excited and liking new tastes. Apple can be a bit acidic and cause sore lips if they have it often, so I wouldn't feed it every day, but you should be able to get loads of ideas from Kayleigh's list.

Also, the piggy in the picture is really cute. Which one is that?

[newpigmom]

Jan 7, 2014 15:13:46 GMT guinnymom25 said:

don't think that would be needed...they'd fight more over the water as they can't really share it, with the food dish, there is possibly enough room for both of them to get in there, right? how big is the litter pan, enough for two piggies? just keep an eye to see if one is dominating it than the other. There will definitely be a boss and it looks like your bigger piggie is showing to be taking that position. Can you pick up a play pen (one that is usually for dogs) to keep the dog out? just an idea...piggies love floor time, to run around and show you some popcorning...which is such a delight to see.

They don't seem to do the rumbling, other than when one runs into one of the sacks the other is already in, and it stops right away. I definitely think the one is more submissive, so they know their places. Soon i'll have a lot of space in my basement, and i'll set up a playpen for them down there for floor time. What is popcorning?

[newpigmom]

Jan 7, 2014 16:58:36 GMT Orlaith said:

Welcome to the forum! The cage is a little smaller than recommended but they'll be okay. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they stay friends. Rumbling and all is normal, just make sure they both get a fair share of the food and one doesn't end up getting stressed all the time.

Do you have a hay rack? I would suggest getting one as it'll encourage them to stretch up and it'll engage their minds as well. They need to have unlimited hay, it should always be available for them.

As for veg, Kayleigh, who you'll see around the site often, has made a fantastic list on her personal website (link here) which you should check out. A bit more variety would do them good, both nutritionally and also to get them excited and liking new tastes. Apple can be a bit acidic and cause sore lips if they have it often, so I wouldn't feed it every day, but you should be able to get loads of ideas from Kayleigh's list.

Also, the piggy in the picture is really cute. Which one is that?

I have a hayrack now, on the outside of the cage by the litter box. They have to be in the litter box to get the hay, so almost all their pottying is in the litter box now . I keep it full.

The apple slices I only gave them the one time. I downloaded a list of safe/not safe foods from somewhere, but i'll check out Kayleigh's list.

The one in the pic is Spotty. He's my favorite (shhhh... don't tell Scruffy). Spotty actually seems like he enjoys being held now .

[newpigmom]

I temporarily re-homed them to the top of a dresser in my living room. My dog can't reach the cage, even on her hind legs, so they are safe, but I will be eventually moving them into my bedroom. I took a picture of the current setup. I have carefresh bedding in there at the moment, but I will be using fleece after this. The bedding is just way too messy! I love that they use the litter box now that the hay rack is there. Today I gave them some kale. They prefer the romaine, but i'm trying to give them variety. In the summer, I will have lots of great stuff for them in my garden... zucchini, green beans, raspberry leaves, strawberry leaves, bell peppers, etc. For now, it will be what I get on sale each week. We usually always have romaine, kale, carrots, and bell peppers in the house, so I can still give them some variety.

Attachment Deleted

[newpigmom]

I have them in my living room now, and it's a very high-traffic room. They scurry into their hidey bags whenever I walk in or out of the room, usually wheeking. Will they get used to us faster now, or will this just make them more nervous and scared?

[guinnymom25]

Is the living room near the kitchen? Can you see the kitchen from there? If they hear the fridge opening or you chopping up veggies or rustling plastic bags, they'll start to wheek more which may make them more adventurous and not as skittish.

[newpigmom]

Oh, good! Yes, it's near the kitchen. I did notice that they wheek whenever i'm rusting plastic bags anywhere in the house, though i've never given them anything out of one. One of them (Scruffy) will finally come up to the bars and grab veggies out of my hand. Progress!