Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Sept 20, 2012 14:11:44 GMT
Melvin is the "funky" looking one and he is about 9 months old. Mila is the brown one and I think she is about 5 months old. This is Melvin relaxing before he had a friend Mila is the most comfortable when she is in her little snuggle bag Mila outside for the first time Melvin was trying to impress Mila for hours after they met and it tired him out so much that he fell alseep in his food bowl
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Whimsy
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Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Sept 19, 2012 23:10:54 GMT
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Whimsy
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Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Sept 5, 2012 20:28:21 GMT
She is definitely not deaf and I don't think she is blind. I have 3 different hiding places for her now and I covered part of the cage with a towel. It actually seems to have helped a bit. I can see she has been in the different houses and tents, so that's good. She also started eating a few vegetables when I hold her in a snuggle sack, so maybe she is just a little slow at getting used to her new home. I'll keep working on it and hopefully she will be more confident soon.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Sept 4, 2012 1:39:51 GMT
I adopted a female guinea pig a little over a week ago. She is approx. 4-5 months old. She is currently being quarantined. She came from a shelter where she was with her mother and two sisters. She seems scared and doesn't move much in her cage. She does eat some vegetables, pellets and very little hay, but I am wondering how a get her to feel more comfortable with me and her new home. I talk to her, pet her, hold her a few times a day (should it be more?) and just hang out in the same room. After the quarantine I plan on introducing her to my other guinea pig and I was hoping she would be a little more comfortable with everything by then. How do I help her feel less scared and how do I get her to maybe explore her cage a little bit? It seems like she stays in one spot for hours. I realize that it's natural that she is scared and nervous in the beginning, but I thought there would be some sort of change in behaviour within a week. Maybe I am wrong. Please let me know what you think or if you have any ideas that can help us both.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 27, 2012 1:54:11 GMT
I really don't know why they would do that, but I can understand that it hurts. I wonder if something freaked them out and that's why they run or maybe they don't want to be picked up. Maybe you can try just talking to them while they're in the cage and hopefully they will learn that they can trust you. I wish I could help, but I'm kind of new to guinea pigs, so I'm not sure how to help you. Sorry.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 25, 2012 16:25:32 GMT
Thanks for explaining the whole thing 3piggles. It makes sense now.
I picked up a little guinea pig girl yesterday and she is now quarantined in my computer room. She is pretty skittish, but actually quite good when I hold her. I know it will take time and I'm excited to see how she is, when she gets used to her new home and family.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 25, 2012 0:18:48 GMT
Zucchini looks kind of like a cucumber. You might call it squash in the UK.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 24, 2012 20:22:31 GMT
I guess I am a little confused by the whole dating thing. I totally understand the quarantine aspect, but if they date first to see if they are a good match, they have already been exposed to potential illnesses. I guess I don't quite understand when guinea pig dating is used then. Anyway, it would be nice to rescue all of the girls, but I just don't have the room for a cage big enough. I will consider maybe getting two girls (don't tell my boyfriend :-) ), but we will see. When you adopt from the SPCA the first vet visit is included in the price, so I will definitely take her there soon after I get her. I wish that the shelter was concerned about the quarantine issue as you mention 3piggles and that was the reason why the pigs can't do the dating thing before I pick one, but she made it sound like dating was out of the question, because their guinea pigs would be freaked out and wouldn't act naturally, which wouldn't give me an indication if they would get along or not. She also said that guinea pigs live until they are 9-12 years old, which made me a little skeptical of her expertise. I don't know. Obviously I am still learning myself, which is why I ask these questions, but I just feel that this shelter doesn't always know enough about the animals there.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 24, 2012 13:33:15 GMT
Thanks for the answer. My problem is though, that dating is not an option since the shelter won't let me try that. I basically have to pick a girl,adopt her, bring her home and then see what happens. As far as I know they have to be quarantined for a couple of weeks before they actually meet. Is it possible for them to meet briefly (date) at my home and then quarantine the girl? After that I introduce them on neutral grounds etc. If this is my option, since I'm not sure what else to do, when the shelter isn't very accommodating, which guinea pig do I choose? I was thinking one of the youngest ones (3-4 months old), but I'm not sure. It would just be so much easier if the shelter was willing to let Melvin meet the girls before making a decision.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 23, 2012 23:58:53 GMT
So I went back to the shelter today to talk to their "expert". Not sure how much of an expert she was. She was definitely not open to trying the guinea pig dating thing, so I was a little disappointed. They have 4 spayed sows that need a home and very little interest in them, so you would think they would be willing to do whatever it takes to find those little girls a good home. Now I'm not sure what to do. Do I just pick one (based on what?) and hope for the best or what are my options really?
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 23, 2012 23:53:16 GMT
My guinea pig likes zucchini, green leaf lettuce + pretty much all the things you mentioned. Actually I have never tried giving him green beens or corn. Maybe that will my excitement for the weekend :-) He doesn't like broccoli at all either, so maybe that goes for most guinea pigs. Who knows. Mine also loves water melon, but he doesn't get it very often.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 22, 2012 21:06:02 GMT
The sows are in a group of 3 or 4 and I think they came to the shelter as babies or maybe they were born there - I'm not sure. They haven't been socialized much, but it sounds like that can change if I adopt one. If I'm allowed to bring Melvin there, will I do a guinea pig "date" with the sows (one at the time) like I would do with the boars or is Melvin just going to like any sow just because he thinks there will be sex in the near future? :-)
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 21, 2012 23:07:23 GMT
Happy birthday Lucy!!!!! X
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Whimsy
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Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 21, 2012 23:05:18 GMT
Today I went to the SPCA, where they have 5 or 6 guinea pigs right now. I saw the two boars, but the sows were all kind if hiding. They were pretty skittish, but I held one of them and he seemed ok with that. The gp "expert" wasn't there today, so I will have to go back later and talk to them about a possible guinea pig date - if I'm allowed to bring Melvin there. The sows are all spayed, but not used to being handled at all. The boars are a little bit better, but they are rescues and still very skittish. If I end up getting one of them, do you think they will come around and learn to be more sociable? I wonder if it would be better to get a spayed female friend for my gp or one of the male ones? I am guessing it would all depend on which one Melvin seems to like more? I would like to help one of these little piggies to get a good home, but of course I also want what's best for the one guinea pig I already have.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 18, 2012 4:36:04 GMT
Oh what an unlucky little pig. I hope she gets well soon.
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Whimsy
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Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 12, 2012 4:09:57 GMT
I am thinking about asking my vet about the neutering and take it from there. It sounds like the procedure is quite risky, so I want to make sure my vet is experienced.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 11, 2012 4:54:17 GMT
I'm still looking for a friend for Melvin. I have seen a few ads in the paper and at the local SPCA for guinea pigs needing new homes, but most of them are either females or come in pairs, which just won't work for us. I really hope I find one soon.
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Aug 11, 2012 4:49:52 GMT
It does sound kind of suspicious to me. I don't understand why they couldn't just be honest and tell you if they thought your cat was a problem in adopting the guinea pig. As far as I understand, lots of people have both cats and guinea pigs, so it is strange if they thought it was such a big deal. Anyway, they should have been honest with you from the beginning. Did you find another guinea pig?
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Jul 30, 2012 22:23:14 GMT
I don't know much about bunnies, but they sure look cute, so I am looking forward to seeing the new little guy :-)
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Whimsy
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Post by Whimsy on Jul 29, 2012 21:58:03 GMT
I did contact the one, but he got a new home yesterday. I guess that's good news. I will keep looking and I'll try to set up a guinea pig date with somebody.
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