Needing some guinea help

[frtj0177]

Hi all,

I'm a relatively new guinea pig momma. I've had my 2 girls, Reece's & Pieces for about 2.5 months.

I'm somewhat at a loss. I've done tons of research, made them a beautiful home, try to play with daily, even have a playpen to bring them outside to the backyard.

With this being said, they still seem sort of scared of me, unless food is involved. They make the biggest mess, to the point where I'm doing daily full cage cleans. They toss the hay everywhere, pee over the edges of the cage so it's all over of the floor, poop everywhere. I clean their blankets weekly, their poop bin daily. I've looked online to try and "potty train" them but nothing is working. It's just becoming overwhelming and I can't keep up with it while working part time and a full-time student. I bought them under the impression that they were easy to maintain, but this honestly does not seem to be the case. They don't seem to like me much, when I hold them they do nothing but try to get away, again unless food is there.

They are not the kind of pets I thought they'd be...which is unfortunate. I'm hoping people can give me a few suggestions.

[3piggles]

Hello and welcome Sadly, guinea pigs are sold as easy care pets, great for kids, etc. They are animals, and like any animal, they make messes, and they have issues. They are also prey animals, so at the bottom of the food chain. It takes them a long time to get used to the people and other animals in their lives. Even when they do, they equate happiness with food. It's an animal thing

First off, while your cage is fabulous, and you obviously put a lot of thought into the design, is it easy for you to clean? Do the pigs use all of the cage, or tend to stay in one area? Is it easy for you to refill food, water, hay holders? Cages need to serve both the animals and the keepers. Rearranging, getting rid of the house and letting the pigs use the area under the stairs as a house, putting the hay and a box they can enter and leave, without taking the hay with them, putting the hay/food/water on the second level, etc. Just things to consider, try different arrangements, and see what works best for you and them.

Does the mess that gets out of the cage land in a specific area? If so, perhaps putting a rug or mat there, something easy for you to collect up with mess inside, and shake it into a waste basket, would make your life easier.

The more you interact with them, the faster they get used to you, and trust you. It sounds as if you have a very busy schedule, so perhaps petting them in the cage, talking to them whenever possible, and giving them lots of small treats they have to take from your hand, would help get them not only to trust you, but to know they have to interact with you.

Good luck. I hope you manage to cut down on the work involved, and get a bit more friendly with the piggies, before too long. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask

[bazookagoof]

Aug 24, 2019 21:00:21 GMT 3piggles said:

First off, while your cage is fabulous

Totally agree-  that setup is very impressive! 

Back to your issues- I have two boars, and yes, they also make a mess. When I clean their separate cages, I lay a few layers of newspaper down on the bottom and put soft bedding down, and clean this all out twice a week. The newspaper lets me pick it all up pretty much at once and dump it into the trash. True, I do end up sweeping a little after it's all over, but this process only takes about 25-30 minutes of my day. (Sometimes a little longer if I want to play with them during this procedure.)

Also, I always seem to get stuck with at least one pig being way too shy for my taste. One of my guys never sticks around and runs off to his pigloo if I try to pet him. Every once in a while he will let me stroke his fur, but only briefly. The only time he tends to be bold is when it's snack time. He'll go to the bars of the cage and stand up tall and even wheek at ear-piercing levels if he knows his favorite snack is coming.

On the whole guinea pigs tend to be skittish in nature. Even my other one will allow himself to be picked up, but will squirm away if he's not put down soon.

[Bean]

Hi and welcome to Wheekers! I see you have already got some great advice about things to try.

You've obviously put a lot of effort into creating a great home for them. I was just wondering, do they use that ramp? Most of mine would find that second section a bit steep, unless the camera has deceived me!

I use cubes but have the correx going up the sides a few inches to stop any bedding or poops being kicked out. You could just stick some strips of cardboard around the sides (folded to go under the bottom a bit too) to do the trick if there are particular areas that are causing a mess - it wouldn't last long of course, but they're probably enjoy chewing it too and you can just replace it when needed!

Some pigs really do take a while to warm up, but the more time you can put in with them, and consistently, the quicker thy tend to really settle in. We had a new duo come to us a few months ago, and they have other chilled out pigs to copy (which I always find helps with settling in), but they took a while to trust us and seek out interaction.

It's been the summer holidays so we've had a few trips away, and although the original gang always welcome us right back when we return, we have to earn back trust from the newcomers each time! I don#t think there's anything wrong with using veggies as bribes - it works wonders for us, and they soon forget why they started liking you in the first place!

Good luck, keep us posted with how you get on.

[gremlin40]

That is an awesome cage lol. Wow!!!

K...your guinea gals are super cute too.

Now..tips for a busy gal to help you with your guinea gals...I have two boys who do same things.

You can litter train but make sure it's in darker corner of pen... private right?

They may still poop and pee everywhere but keep putting a litter box in pen... eventually they will suddenly use it and will like the digging. I haven't picked a litter to do this with yet.
I'm using paper ball bedding and they still pee and poop everywhere they want lol... I think Herbie is the one pooping in the food bowl to keep Felix from eating it all 🧐

Second...NEWSPAPER!!!! Line your pen with it. It's safer than sawdust or wood bedding and absorbs pee while fighting odor. And it's freaking freeee. Add Timothy Hay patch mixed with fresh grass...helps the smell hugely.

K...with 2 guinea pigs I do a full clean every 3-4 days. Period. Anything more and this is bad husbandry...illness risk to guinea pigs skyrockets.

Diatomecteous earth helps with odor control and preventsites and ringworm...use it sparingly though...it can be hard on lungs if overused because it is a silicate powder.

Simple cheap stuff...get on a cycle and you are set. 👍🤗



Lastly I use a waterproof tarp under their pen and newspaper... I spray it with vinegar water at each cleaning and wipe it dry with paper towel... it works to keep the bacteria buildup down.

[anawilliam]

It sounds like you're doing your best to care for your guinea pigs, but I understand that it can be overwhelming at times. Here are some suggestions that may help:

Provide them with plenty of hay and bedding to encourage them to use their litter box. Guinea pigs like to have a designated area for toileting, so make sure their litter box is in a spot that is easy for them to access.

Consider adding more hiding spots or cozy areas in their cage to help them feel more secure. Guinea pigs can be shy and easily frightened, so having a place to retreat to can help them feel safer.