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Post by SiLamb on Jun 11, 2014 15:48:03 GMT
Hello, my husband and I recently adopted two guinea pigs from the local SPCA. The first one we got a month ago and the second one we got yesterday. I've attached pictures.
The brown and white one is what Harry Potter looked like a month ago when we got him. He has grown a bit in the last month. For those of you familiar with the Harry Potter stories, you'll understand why we named our cavy after the character when you check out the hair between his eyes. Harry was born on 02/27/2014.
The black, white and reddish brown one is Ron Weasley who we adopted yesterday. Again, we are going with the Harry Potter theme since we we got Weasley to be Harry's friend and because he has reddish brown hair. Weasley was born on 02/08/2014.
After bathing them both separately in lavender baby shampoo, we introduced them to each other yesterday in the playpin. Harry (who is 4 ounces smaller than Weasley) tried to be the alpha boar, but Weasley refused to be made to submit. By the end of the night, it looks like Weasley will be the alpha boar. We separated them before we went to bed. We will continue to bring them together in the playpin until we think they can get along together all of the time.
Prior to Harry, we never had a guinea pig. My husband's sister had one as a kid, but that is the closest he ever came to one. We look forward to learning and sharing on this forum.
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Post by faafaa on Jun 11, 2014 15:54:43 GMT
Hi! Welcome to the group! Your babies are so cute! I do have 1 suggestion to make. You can take it or leave it. The best thing to do with your 2 boys is to put them together and leave them that way. Don't keep separating them. As long as they aren't fighting they are good. Here's a great link for you to look at. I have 2 boys and I used this page to put them together, it worked great! www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm#Getting
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Post by SiLamb on Jun 11, 2014 16:13:29 GMT
Thank you so much for the advice. It is much appreciated. I went and checked out the site.
I'm thinking that I will need to keep them separate until I convert the big cage to a two level cage to provide more room before I bring them back together. Maybe my husband and I will be able to get that accomplished tonight so not too much time has lapsed since they last saw each other. I do have their cages right next to each other. Right now, they can only hear each other but not see each other.
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Post by faafaa on Jun 11, 2014 16:18:36 GMT
I'm sure you will get it all sorted out! They are so much fun to have around. This forum is a great place to find all sorts of helpful info and the people are great! I wish you the best of luck with your boys and I look forward to hearing all about their antics in the future!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 11, 2014 16:51:00 GMT
A very warm welcome love, piggies are very addictive. Once you have them they make their way into our hearts and stay there
Hugs JO xx
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Post by SiLamb on Jun 11, 2014 17:33:25 GMT
Jo, thanks. I've already fallen in love. I can't imagine having any other type of pet. I recently became a homemaker and found myself talking to the fish. This was OK until I started imagining the fish responding. So we decided to get a guinea pig...along came Harry. He has been a fantastic little companion, but we found that he would periodically get depressed if I didn't spend a lot of time near him. (You can't avoid those periodic weekends where you aren't home much.) So we decided to get him a companion...along came Weasley. We really are praying that they become fast friends. We don't have the space to give them permanent separate living quarters. The SPCA said that they would take back Weasley if they didn't work out together. We really like Weasley, so Lord willing, they will be OK together.
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Post by Bean on Jun 11, 2014 19:12:35 GMT
Welcome to Wheekers! Your boys are gorgeous and I love their names.
Haha to talking to the fish and imagining them replying! I often chat away to the pigs and buns - not so bad at home (where I'm not the only one as the kids do too) but when I'm out in the garden and there's no one else around, I bet my neighbours are thinking I'm a bit cuckoo!
I'd second the idea of only putting them together next when they can stay together afterwards. It might be frantic at times while you're doing intros and if you do have to end a session on a low note, it'll make things more complicated the next time. Good call having the right space available before you leave them alone together though - it's much more important with boys and so many pairs get along lots better with a bit more space. Fingers crossed they end up the best of friends! Nice that they've been next to each other in the meantime. Good luck and keep us posted with how it's going - hope your husband gets on okay with the cage.
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Post by SiLamb on Jun 12, 2014 15:04:05 GMT
Update...my husband finished the cage last night (picture attached). We converted an old dog crate (from thrift store), political sign (from the last presidential election that we had used) for the coroplast, old boots for two tunnels, old bin for the 2nd floor, and something my husband had in the toolbox for the hay bin. The front cage wall comes down. We have it up right now for sleeping time. I put them both in on the 1st floor (where the water bottle, sleeping areas, and treat dish is)...no one would go upstairs. Weasley tried but then gave up 3/4th of the way up. My husband was asleep when I figured out the problem. When he made steps for the ramp (made from some spare wood in the garage) the spacing between steps was too big for the piggies' taste. Since I figured this would be a problem and really shouldn't be put off until my husband gets home from work the next day, I woke him up. He thought I was crazy but willingly got up and added additional steps and then went back to bed. While the additional steps where being put on, I had the boys in their playpen. Once the steps where on, I put the boys both in on the 2nd floor (where the hay, pellets, and 2nd water source (a water dish that I added when I realized might be helpful until they get used to going up and down the ramp)). I put cucumber pieces on each step all the way down and put carrots in the treat dish on the 1st floor, hoping this would entice them to try to come down the stairs. I stayed up waiting to see what would happen. Weasley found the cucumbers and stopped Harry from reaching them. Weasley followed the cucumbers and went downstairs but fell off the ramp part way. Maybe the ramp needs to be wider than 4 inches?? At this point, I went to bed. This morning, Harry was still on the 2nd floor and Weasley on the 1st floor. So I put Harry on the 1st floor. Weasley has now seem to become the alpha as he was preventing Harry from staying in the igloo, even when Weasley wasn't using it. (Side note: this was tough to watch as it was Harry's cage and items first and to see him not feel welcomed in his own home, hurts me) They bickered a bit and then Harry decided to try the ramp and went back upstairs. These are my concerns: 1. I want my boys to both go up and down the ramp easily and confidently 2. I don't want Harry feeling relegated to the 2nd floor 3. I want Weasley get enough hay and pellets in his diet 4. I don't want to have to duplicate everything upstairs and downstairs. The 2nd floor really isn't enough space for one pig to live happily. Any ideas, suggestions?
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Post by faafaa on Jun 12, 2014 16:07:46 GMT
Looks like you and your man have been hard at work! I can see that you have put a lot of work into the new cage. I do see a few things that concern me. Please, don't be upset or put off by them, I only wish to help. I know that until you get things sorted out it can be frustrating. I was in your shoes not too long ago. I assure you with a little hard work you and your boys will be very happy! Please read this link: www.guineapigcages.com/With 2 boys more space is better. My concern is that your cage may be too small for 2 boys. Or I could be way off, it just looks really small??? With 2 pigs you need two hides. It would also be a great idea to have 2 water bottles and 2 feeding dishes. This will eliminate fighting and bullying. This will assure that both pigs will get enough food. If you're having issues with them fighting over hay you could always just put a few piles of hay on the floor. They love to lay in it and hide in it and eat it. With the ramp, sometimes a longer less steep ramp with sides will make a piggy more comfortable. Something like this... www.guineapigcagesstore.com/rampswww.guineapigcages.com/photos/open-2c-multi-level/p358-debbie-27s-3-story-cage-2c-236.htmlPlease don't be frustrated. You are off to a good start. I can see you working hard to make your boys happy!!!
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SarahKate
Newbie
Just added 3 piggals to my menagerie!
Posts: 16
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Post by SarahKate on Jun 12, 2014 16:40:17 GMT
They are adorable and the names are great! I think your hubby is a champ for getting up in the middle of the night for piggy stairs! LoL
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Post by SiLamb on Jun 12, 2014 16:48:57 GMT
faafaa, Thank you. I appreciate your advice, and I'm not put off at all. The picture I posted is a tad deceiving. The cage is 3 feet by 2 feet on the 1st floor and 3 feet by 1 1/2 feet on the 2nd floor. They have a huge playpen that is a circle that is 47 inches in diameter. They spend many hours every day in the playpen. There are three official hidies...one upstairs (it flattens down a bit when they aren't in it and are tunnels) and two downstairs. (Actually, Harry likes treating the hay bin as a hidy too and Weasley likes treating the ramp as a hidy.) Only one of the hidies is rigid (igloo). The other one downstairs was hidden behind the front wall, so it isn't seen in the picture well. I've added a few closer pictures. As to the ramp, in our research, we found many that were very steep. We intentionally made this one longer to be less steep to make it like many we saw online where the guinea pigs didn't seem to struggle using. In looking at the picture I posted earlier, I can see how the image made the cage look squished. An idea that I may try is to put something under the base of the ramp the reduce the angle of the incline. Not sure what I will use yet because I want it to be heavy enough that they won't move it. My husband and I did discuss adding edges to the ramp, but we where holding off until seeing if we needed to make the ramp wider first. The cage is actually larger than most pet store cages that we saw. I felt that the pet store cages where too small, so we went this route. Also for more space, we created the 2nd floor. I knew that keeping two boars on the 1st floor wasn't the best thing for them. We had looked out guineapigcagestore.com before making the cage. If you add our full floor space up, then it equals one level that the site says is good for 1-2 pigs. If I can figure out how, we may be able to make a 3rd floor for them. We are limited in space, so we had been taking the multi level method for creating space. We can go pretty high. UPDATE: So I tried an experiment. I put Harry on the 1st floor and Weasley on the 2nd floor. While typing this update, I see that Harry has made it to the top floor. Both piggies are eating their pellets and hay. Actually now I see that Weasley has made it back downstairs now. It looks like they are starting to be more comfortable on the ramp. Neither of them has had a ramp before, so it was a totally new experience.
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Post by SiLamb on Jun 12, 2014 16:50:57 GMT
They are adorable and the names are great! I think your hubby is a champ for getting up in the middle of the night for piggy stairs! LoL Thanks He really was a champ. He didn't complain. He thought I was crazy to be up worrying about how the piggies where going to do in their new cage, but he didn't complain. I am truly blessed in the husband department!!!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 12, 2014 17:26:20 GMT
Welcome to Wheekers! Your boys are gorgeous and I love their names. Haha to talking to the fish and imagining them replying! I often chat away to the pigs and buns - not so bad at home (where I'm not the only one as the kids do too) but when I'm out in the garden and there's no one else around, I bet my neighbours are thinking I'm a bit cuckoo! Ha ha, you are not the omly one love, I have full conversations with my pets. My hubby says when they answer me back, it will be time for a lie down LOL!! Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 12, 2014 21:51:20 GMT
Hello and welcome The boys are gorgeous Definitely keep them separate until you can do intros right, and leave them together. Both boys are in puberty, so make the cage as big as possible. I talk to the animals, too. Don't imagine them responding, definitely understanding Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
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Post by SiLamb on Jun 12, 2014 22:27:29 GMT
Good news update...so I moved the igloo upstairs and put a soda can box downstairs...I also took faafaa's advice and pulled some hay down from the hay bin ...things are changing. The piggies are going up and down the ramp often. They are both eating more hay. Harry was even popcorning around the 1st floor cage. Harry is definitely happier. Weasley is still hard to read. Harry is the noisy one of the two. Weasley does make noises but they are much lower and softer. It has to be real quiet to hear him. Will need to definitely widen the ramp or put up edges. When they are rushing, their paws fall off. FUNNY STORY: So I saw Harry's butt hanging over the floor to the 2nd floor. I was worried that he was going to fall down the hole. Nope, he had everything under control. He just decided he was going to pee down the hole...of course, right after my hand got there. I can't tell you how good it is to have everyone's encouragement during these new times. Thank you all!!
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Post by faafaa on Jun 13, 2014 14:24:13 GMT
Yay! This is all wonderful news! It can take them weeks to adjust to one another and a new cage. Your boys sound very entertaining! My baby George peed on my last once. I was shocked at how warm it was! Lol. Once they get the hang of that ramp they will new zooming up and down it! I can't wait to hear more great stories from your two. I hope they become the best of friends!
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Post by SiLamb on Jun 13, 2014 18:29:28 GMT
)Weasley is popcorning now along with Harry. Plus I often catch them being together in the cage...especially at times of rest. They will share the same hidey or be on the fleece bedding that is in the corner. Harry is no longer non stop trying to hump Weasley, praise God! That doesn't mean that they aren't doing it anymore or any of the typical adolescent boar behavior (i.e. rumblestrutting, chin wars) but it isn't non stop like it was. All in all, they really have been moving along quite nicely and quickly. Weasley only once in a while will take food from me. I have to remember how long it took Harry to warm up and be patient with Weasley. Weasley still won't eat his Vitamin C supplement, while Harry thinks his is an absolute treat. Their pellets contain Vit. C, but I've read that I shouldn't rely on that as their sole source. I'm not sure what I should do for Weasley on this matter. I've read conflicting data on it. Weasley has done a very cute loud (vocal) sneeze. I've heard Harry sneeze before, but they were always quiet like. I will be monitoring Weasley just in case it is something different. I found that the best time to feed them kale is not when I'm feeding cucumbers or carrots. They seem to think kale isn't worthwhile when the other two are available. One behavior I'd love to stop is their chewing on the ramp. My husband isn't concerned, since he said that he would just make another one if this one gets destroyed. I'll just have to keep an eye on the integrity of the ramp so that they won't get hurt on it. Since Weasley has come, I'm going through a lot more hay. More than double. I have to check their hay levels twice a day now. I've been noticing a relation of hay consumption to happiness level in Harry. So I'll take the higher hay bill if that means my piggies are happy. I'm off to clean their playpen so that they can spend the rest of the day in it. This is the not so pleasant part of guinea pig care.
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Post by 3piggles on Jun 13, 2014 20:12:42 GMT
Put in better things for them to chew. They like the location, So maybe hang some toilet paper tubes in that spot. Really sounds as if the boys are totally settling in. Love the peeing story. Yep, timing is everything Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
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Post by faafaa on Jun 14, 2014 4:00:45 GMT
They really are getting on well! I don't know if that typical boar behavior ever goes away. Every once in awhile my 2 will do a little chin lift over the hay or a little hump in the playroom...Ugh. lol
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jun 14, 2014 16:28:29 GMT
They sound wonderfully happy love, popcorning and running around. It is so heart lifting to read things like this.
Hugs Jo xx
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