My Baby Piggy

[SarahxBear]

I just got my First baby Piggy two days ago! She seems really terrified of everything. I don't know if I should keep playing with her or let her get used to her cage? I don't want to keep her in it alot. Its only there for her to sleep in pretty much, eat and potty and such. Other then that I want her to be able to run around!! But she just sits there! I assume this is normal.. but what should I do to get her used to me and my Fiance Drew?

-Sarah

[Foggycreek]

The best thing is to get her her own buddy! Guinea pigs need companionship of their own kind.

Take her out as often as you want. How big is her cage? I realize you don't want her to spend much time in it, but I imagine there are hours upon hours that you are at work or school and she is alone. Have you looked at Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home yet?

[Lady Chutterly]

I think part of the problem cavies have is that they are "wired" to be animals of prey. Anything that looms above them is a potential threat. Walking people must be terrifying!

I'd let her get used to you by laying flat on the floor for a time while she's out and about and putting some romaine lettuce leaves next to you. When she comes to investigate, hold very still. Don't reach out to pet her, but maybe talk to her quietly. Over a course of days, you can move the food closer to you and maybe even hand it to her. But I would give her a safe place to run to and hide if she feels threatened. It may seem like months, but it won't be long before she'll adjust to you, I'm sure! Just be very patient.

Oh, by the way, while you're laying on the floor, take a look around. This view is what your piggie sees - it can be very intimidating to be a little thing in such a big world!

[SarahxBear]

Thanks alot!

I am planning on getting her another Piggy As soon as I can. The problem is I'm only 17 and I have a job that I only work about 15 to 20 hours a every 2 weeks! Money is not good!I don't get paid untill next week so I have to wait untill then to get her another one.

The cage is decently big considering her size/age right now. I'm not sure on Dimesions but I just bought the biggest one they had lol. I plan on going to the Cavy Cages site and getting a MUCH larger cage as soon as I get the second one and they get a little bigger. Space is also an issue with me right now. I suppose I'm not very suited to have a Guinea Pig but I can't give her up now!

She seems to be doing alot better. Im able to get her to come out of hiding and eat now! I was worried she would starve herself because she was scared! Always hiding from us and not getting a chance to eat!

We let her out of her cage at night and let her lay on our bed with her new blanket. She curls up in it and goes to sleep. I like to think that shes getting used to use because she can sleep on us and close to us now. I think its my Dog shes most scared of though O_O!!

Thanks again.

[Foggycreek]

Pet store cages get pretty small really quickly. The cages on Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home are for you to make yourself. The directions are easy to follow, and the materials easily found and inexpensive. You could make the minimum sized cage for about $35. At the very least 7 1/2 square feet is recommended.

When you do decide to get another one, please adopt one from a rescue or shelter.

Be careful with your dog! They can move quickly and grab a pig before you even know it. I've read many sad stories about dogs grabbing guinea pigs and causing much harm and even death.

Enjoy your little girl.

[SarahxBear]

Yes I know about the dog!! I always put him up when I have my piggy out! I'm pretty sure my cage is about that size 7 or so square feet. Its pretty big! As soon as I get the extra money and room I will get a bigger one ^.^

I'm not sure if we have shelters around here that Have guinea pigs!! I would of course choose that over anything. We only have one animal shelter here. But I'm going check!

[Wheek Minded]

Since this website you are posting on is specifically for adopting out pigs, I would think you would check the classifieds here for an adoptable animal, then try petfinders.org as well. Finally craigslist.org sometimes has people dumping their pigs when they get bored with them too.

I also recommend making a visit to Guinea Lynx :: A Medical and Care Guide for Your Guinea Pig and read their "Care Guide" it's got priceless information that is up-to-date and valuable for all new and old pet owners. The site is managed by cavy rescuers and veterinary professionals who work with cavies, so it's as good as it gets for cavy information.

When I got my pig a year ago I spent weeks googling for information before I located their site and now I shout it from the rooftops!

By the way, I have a Cube and Coroplast cage I built for my pigs using grids from Target and the information provided at the Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home website.



What do you think?

I built it slowly starting with the upper level, then later on I bought more grids and built the lower level.

The upper level cost me $15 for the grids, and $10 for the coroplast base.

My pet store cage was half it's size, and cost me 3 times as much money!!!

Also helps to read up on cavy behavior here: http://cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm

It sounds she is getting used to you! It will take time and some pigs never fully turn into lap pigs, others come to love their human time more than anything. The most important thing is to spend lots of short visits rather than one long one. They seem to have short memories and for some reason picking them up and holding them for a minute several times a day seems to have more of an effect on their tameness.

Also I always recommend this site as well:
Taming your Guinea Pig.
This lady has lots of good stuff on her page on taming.

[SarahxBear]

So I got her a Friend!! We are moving soon so I'm going to invest in a bigger cage. Thanks everyone, and I have looked at all the links and such!! Here is a picture of my Two precious babies!!

Also, I did look into rescues and shelters. There are none around here. I do know of one Piggy thats in our shelter. His name is Chocolate. But hes ALOT older then Petunia and Pepper and I didnt know if that would be a problem?? Is it bad to put Guinea pigs of vast age difference together? I didn't know if there would be dominance problems. Other then that theres nothing around here, and it saddens me!! Thanks again to everyone!

[VoodooJoint]

On a side note you need to get rid of that food. The seeds, nuts, grain and colored bits are very bad for them. They are high in fat, sugar and are possible choking hazards. You need to feed a high quality, plain pellet like Kleenmama's Hayloft :: Home or Oxbow Pet Products | Welcome

[Foggycreek]

No, it's not bad to put guinea pigs of vast age differences together. In fact, in my experience, the farther apart the ages, the better they get along.

I'm sorry you couldn't find one to adopt.