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Post by rocky on Mar 30, 2015 16:29:24 GMT
Hello, I'm new to the piggy world. We just got our two boys a piggy each. They are a few months old from what we were told. We chose guinea pigs on the fact that they are not prone to bitting and are more interactive than hamsters. I'm sure we did the right choice, but boy I didn't know what I got myself into when we got them. We will do all guinea pig lovers justice and will take great care of them, my boys already love their boys! I know where to turn to in need of help!
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 30, 2015 16:48:06 GMT
Hello and welcome Glad you are enjoying your guinea guys. Are the pigs males or females? We love pictures, and are more than happy to answer any questions
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Post by rocky on Mar 30, 2015 17:13:22 GMT
We have 2 boys. They are Rocky and Spiky. Since everything I read talks about kale and hay, I will be buying kale, hay, and a few other veggies for them.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 30, 2015 18:20:42 GMT
Hello love and welcome to our happy little family. I am glad you are enjoying your piggies, they are extremely addictive as you probably have already found out.
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Post by rocky on Mar 30, 2015 18:41:42 GMT
Hello, and thanks. I noticed, and I'm easily influenced! I've already planned my shopping spree, for the stuff we sort of forgotten and thought we could put off untill later. My sons are in 7th heaven, we've said no for pets for so long, but we caved in. I think they will be perfect for our family.
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 30, 2015 19:15:00 GMT
Skip the kale. It has too much calcium for guinea pigs, and can cause bladder stones. Get Oxbow Western Timothy hay, if it's available. A guinea pigs diet should be 80% hay and 20% pellets, with veggies and fruits fed as treats. Also, get the Oxbow Cavy Cuisine pellets for the right age of guinea pig. They are top notch. Best way to spend the money If you are in Europe or the UK, there are other good brands. Just avoid Kaytee and L&M, as they aren't good brands. There are a lot of guinea pig toys in stores, but nothing beats a cardboard box with doors cut in it, or a paper bag with a back door cut in it. They can chew them, bounce them around, sleep in them, and everything else they want to do. I tried so many well recommended toys, and nothing beat a cardboard box or paper bag You can also drape a small towel over the side of the cage, so the boys can play through it or sleep in it. That goes over really well with my pigs. I have plastic pigloos and other store bought items, and rarely use them. If you want to buy them veggies for treats, cilantro and parsley are usually very well received. Just a sprig at a time. Bell peppers and cucumbers tend to be popular, as do celery and romaine lettuce. I give each pig a syringe of orange juice every morning. It gives them the Vitamin C they need, and has them totally trained to accept a syringe. A segment of a small orange, cut in half, is also a good source of C for them once a day. Too much citrus can cause mouth sores. Mine also really love watermelon, and are also partial to cantaloupe. This is a good reference for what to feed piggies, and it gives a lot of good information: www.guinealynx.info/chart.htmlI'd say those boys have found a great home
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Post by cookie72 on Mar 31, 2015 3:45:52 GMT
Welcome to piggy land. As you'll find out, they each have their own little personalities and likes/dislikes. While some piggies will devour certain veggies/fruits, others don't like the same ones. Just like people My piggie refuses to eat oranges, I've tried, so I use other veggies that are high in vitamin C, like red and green bell peppers, parsley, and not sure how high in vit c tomatoes are...but she adores those. I hope you will have fun with them and post pictures so we can see them too! Also...don't let the pet stores sucker you into buying the salt licks, and assorted 'treats' like mixes with nuts and seeds in them. They may looks appealing, but they aren't actually good for the pigs.
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Post by Bean on Mar 31, 2015 8:24:36 GMT
Welcome to Wheekers! We have a Rocky too, although ours is a funny and feisty girl with a bit of a mohican!
Have you got any pictures of your pigs? They sound lovely!
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Post by rocky on Mar 31, 2015 11:49:51 GMT
Hello,
The worker at the pet store I go to is an avid lover of guinea pigs (he has 8 ladies)and told me that the treats I should use are fruits and veggies and that the ones they cary are useless, so I'm thinking they are good people! We didn't take pictures when we took them out of their cage yesterday for the first time, poor boys were worried. We can already tell that Rocky is braver than Spiky. They love to be petted, my sons held them and pet them (they had to sit down for that) and were over the moon. We already know that they love carrots, brocoli, tomatoes not so much and bell peppers are so so. We gave them Timothy hay and wow they just devoured it. How do I know if they drink enough water, I've never seen them go to their little bowl. They have a bowl because that is what they had where we got them. We put a bottle over the bowl to see if one day they will use it, but the bowl doesn't seem to get much use?
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 31, 2015 17:19:59 GMT
Their poos should be oval and a medium to dark brown, firm but not super hard until they dry, and about 1/4-1/2 inch long. They do some super poos that have extra vitamins and nutrients in them, and they eat those, which is normal. If the poos are dry and fall apart easily, they aren't getting enough liquid, which could indicate other problems. The more fruits and veggies you give them, the less water they consume, especially if you give them very watery veggies such as cucumbers and watermelon. I'm glad your sons enjoyed cuddling with the piggy boys. How old are your sons? I have a granddaughter who is almost 5, and she doesn't get to hold the piggies yet, but she's great at petting them
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 31, 2015 18:19:17 GMT
There is nothing like a piggy cuddle love. I gave ours a piece of plum today and they loved it, so did the bunny.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by rocky on Apr 1, 2015 11:54:08 GMT
Thanks for the info. Their poo is just like you said. Plus they peed on my floor when they were out yesterday. I was kind of suprised that it was sort of an offwhiteish milky looking urine, is that normal? Not think but just not transparent. They must be happy they are now always chirping, almost like they are talking together. Its cute. My sons are 8 and 9 (will be 10 in june). They love their pigs.
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Post by Bean on Apr 1, 2015 14:21:36 GMT
They'll find the water when they need it! And as 3piggles said, they'll drink less if they're eating plenty of veg. All mine seem to prefer water bottles to bowls and it's much easier to keep the water clean when it's not getting poos kicked in it!
The white tinge to the urine is probably calcium - if they eat more than they need, they wee it out. Veg like kale, broccoli and spinach are really high in calcium so you'll often find their wee goes white if they're eating a lot of those, which isn't ideal as it can contribute to bladder/ kidney stones if particles collect inside them. If it's to the point where it leaves a chalky residue, you'd need to think about cutting back on veg which are high in calcium.
Your kids are about the same age as mine and they love the pigs! I'm sure you will supervise the handling closely while everyone gets to know each other and some kids take to handling them much better than others. There are some of the kids' friends who I practically sit on top of while they have the pig on their lap as they just seem to revert to thinking they're soft toys as soon as their mind drifts! But many kids are great, really gentle and caring and keen to be doing the right thing by the pigs. I can see lots of fun ahead for your family with your new little guys!
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Post by rocky on Apr 1, 2015 15:01:08 GMT
Thanks for the input...so less veg for them...good thing they peed on my floor!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 1, 2015 20:06:16 GMT
Yes, they tend to do that hun LOL!!
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 1, 2015 20:21:22 GMT
The sign of a great piggy home, well peed on floors I'm glad they are enjoying floor time. Your boys are a great age to enjoy piggies.
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Post by rocky on Apr 1, 2015 23:21:02 GMT
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Whimsy
Bronze Member
Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Apr 2, 2015 3:43:02 GMT
Cute little guys :-)
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Post by Bean on Apr 2, 2015 8:36:28 GMT
Aww they're gorgeous!
Do you give them little hideys (upturned cardboard boxes with doorways cut out will do) and tunnels to play in? Towels draped over things are fantastic to play under too. They love having areas of cover as they explore a larger space - it makes them feel safer as well as giving them lots to do.
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Post by rocky on Apr 2, 2015 9:54:43 GMT
We usually do, this time no since our neighbour was comming over to see them. We are leaving for a few days and she will feed them for us. They have an empty box with both ends cut out in their cage.
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