Guinea Pig Care

mickger844posts

I'm taking care of a guinea pig for a friend for a few weeks and have had him since Monday. At the start he was very quiet and didn't make that much noise. For a treat i would give him a few pieces of carrots 3 times a day. He has a bowl of food and water there for him when he wants it. As the days have gone by he is getting more and more demanding and wants his treats every few hours and makes lots of noise if he doesn't get his way. All he does is eat, sleep, poo and make noise when he wants his treats. He doesn't like to be touched and we had a big job getting him out and back into his cage when cleaning time came.
I'm wondering how much carrot should he be getting every day? Should he be out of the cage for exercise ? If so is it normal to find it hard to catch him and put him back in his cage ? I'm new to this guinea pig care and feel sorry for the little fella stuck in his cage all day but i get the impression from his owner that he is never out for long.
Any tips would be gratefully received.

sotisme

Okay so don't give him too much carrot, try giving him other vegetables and fruits. They love apples and devour fresh grass. This page is great and will provide you with lots of information :

http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/fruitandveg.html

Is there anywhere confined where you could let him run around? They do get very bored in a cage all of the time. Be careful of cables/ wires as he could get electric shocks if he bit them. If you have a small confined part in your garden he could run around there too? Be sure to supervise him though as cats and foxes might kill him.

It depends how friendly he usually is for people to be telling you if its normal or not for him to be nervous. He's probably a bit unsettled because he's not used to a different house and people. Any questions just ask.

Good luck and enjoy him while you have him

mickger844posts

sotisme wrote: »

Okay so don't give him too much carrot, try giving him other vegetables and fruits. They love apples and devour fresh grass. This page is great and will provide you with lots of information :

http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/fruitandveg.html

Is there anywhere confined where you could let him run around? They do get very bored in a cage all of the time. Be careful of cables/ wires as he could get electric shocks if he bit them. If you have a small confined part in your garden he could run around there too? Be sure to supervise him though as cats and foxes might kill him.

It depends how friendly he usually is for people to be telling you if its normal or not for him to be nervous. He's probably a bit unsettled because he's not used to a different house and people. Any questions just ask.

Good luck and enjoy him while you have him

Thanks a lot for the advice. Just gave him some apple and he loved it. Will try and find someplace for him to run around safely. Might have more questions as the days go by

serenacat

Hi have two guinea pigs so here is some advice.

They do pretty much like you say, hide, eat, drink and poo!
Mine are ok with being petted but are scared of humans.
I put them in the bathtub with boxes and they seem entertained. They bit into some wires before so I no longer let them run around the room , they also used to hid in very akward to reach places.
One of my guineas likes when you stroke her under her chin downwards.
I give them carrot peelings, lettuce, peppers, banana skins (daily), and brocolli etc.
Make sure not to give them any seeds which can make them choke.
Always give them pleanty of hay to eat, its their diet staple
here is a pic of them out of their cage.

Vojera

It takes a while for guinea pigs to settle in so the piggy is probably a bit unsure of his new surroundings. Some pigs like being petted and some don't, so don't take it personally if he won't let you pet him And some like being petted on top of their heads and others like under their chins, every pig is different.

For food, pigs should get veggies daily. Peppers, carrots, celery, baby corn, mangetout, apple, there are lots of options. As serenacat said, the most important part of a pig's diet is fresh hay. You should make sure the pig should have more than he'll eat in a day. It'll keep his teeth filed down and make sure he keeps pooping

SophieSakura

Does the guinea pig have hay? They should really have hay all the time to eat, and it should be the main part of their diet Then they should have a small handful of dry food, and about a cup of veg every day. The best things are green leafy veg (any lettuce except iceberg, cabbage in moderation, broccoli in moderation, rocket, parsley, coriander, basil, carrot tops etc.) also things like green peppers, cucumber, chopped up celery. They can have things like carrots, parsnip, etc two or three times a week because that's higher in sugar. And things like apple are good once a week in small amounts as a treat. Well that's just how I do it, but other people might have other ways

If he's very nervous then I wouldn't let him out of the cage cos he'll just sit there scared. But you could try letting him run around in a room, put a few cardboard boxes or something for him to hide in, scatter around a few veggies, and see if he wants to explore. He might just hide or he might explore. A kitchen is a good room cos there aren't usually any wires or carpet.

It sounds like you're doing a good job of looking after him and really care so well done

There's an Irish Guinea Pig Forum which has loads of information
http://irishguineapigs.findtalk.net/

mickger844posts

Thanks guys, very helpful advice. The owner never mentioned Hay but i did see it referred to a lot on the internet. He didn't have it in his cage when he arrived. Basically the owner gave me Wood chippings for his cage and also a food called Supa Guinea. I noticed that we was nibbing away at the wood chippings. Would the Supa Guinea or the wood chippings be replacing the Hay i wonder ? Do i need to get him Hay?? Never thought looking after a Guinea Pig would be so complicated

Vojera

I would definitely get hay. Most pet shops and Woodies DIY/Atlantic Homecare have decent sized bags for about €7 that will last a few weeks for one pig.

mickger844posts

Vojera wrote: »

I would definitely get hay. Most pet shops and Woodies DIY/Atlantic Homecare have decent sized bags for about €7 that will last a few weeks for one pig.

Just got a bag of Hay so will i put some in a bowl for him to eat or will i replace his wood chippings bedding with the Hay??

Vojera

mickger844posts wrote: »

Just got a bag of Hay so will i put some in a bowl for him to eat or will i replace his wood chippings bedding with the Hay??

You can put a big handful in a corner for him. The wood chipping bedding will soak up urine better than hay. He might snuggle into the hay, but that's okay. Give him a decent handful of hay twice a day and he should be okay. Just make sure it's always available and he'll be fine

I hope you get on well with him

mickger844posts

Vojera wrote: »

You can put a big handful in a corner for him. The wood chipping bedding will soak up urine better than hay. He might snuggle into the hay, but that's okay. Give him a decent handful of hay twice a day and he should be okay. Just make sure it's always available and he'll be fine

I hope you get on well with him

Did what you said and he is having a great time in the hay. Can't understand why his owner didn't give it to him before He seems a happy pig now which is the main thing

Vojera

That's great to hear Maybe mention it to the owner when they come back - hay really is an essential for piggies to prevent them having overgrown teeth and getting constipated.

Best of luck with the rest of the piggy sitting!

SophieSakura

Aw that's great that he likes the hay

I'd mention it to the owner that he liked it and it's really good for them It also helps prevent boredom cos they can graze on it all day. It's pretty cheap and they eat less food if they have it too, so it's not any extra money really.

taram

When my guineas hear the hay bin coming to their cage they go mental! They sleep in it, toss it around, hide in it and eventually get around to eating it

If you get a mixed bag of salad you might be able to tempt him into taking it from your hand? Not iceburg as it's nutritionally rubbish, but even my most shy pig will run up for a bit of spinach or lolla rossa

Sigma Force

Omg hay is essential for guinea pigs! The owner has no choice they must feed hay. Guinea pigs need a constant supply of hay and fresh water, their guts must keep moving otherwise their whole systems shut down and they fade away so hay is vital.

A cup of veggies a day should be enough and they should have high quality pellets eg Burgess pellets.

Some guineas are skittish and take a long time to come around.
They should always have somewhere to hide.

To make it easier to catch him and less stressful for him for now, place a box or carrier in the cage, put some veggies in it or hay and he'll pop right into the carrier. Close the door and then transfer him to whereever you need him to go.

Safe foods are broc. carrot, apple (not too much it can cause mouth sores) cauliflower.

Here's a link to my site for more info. http://guineapigcottage.webs.com/

Hope that helps.

mickger844posts

This Guinea Pig has an unreal appetite. He has eaten all the Hay i put in his cage which was a good fist full. He has nearly finished his Supa Guinea as well as the salad i hand feed him earlier. He is whistling loudly looking for more food and knocked over his water bottle looking for attention. How can he eat so much food and still want more ???

Sigma Force

I'd personally never use wood chippings, it's said that it can effect the oils in their skin and their respiratory system but at the end of the day it's messy and expensive.

I have always used newspapers (ensure no staples are in them) a thick layer, then hay on top for them to eat and borrow in. Change it at least every second day or every day if the cage is small. Just roll it up and throw it away no wood chippings flying around.

Use vinegar and kitchen paper to remove pee stains.

Sigma Force

As said guinea pigs must constantly eat to keep going, that's why the hay is so vital the most important thing is fibre in a guineas diet and long strands of hay are perfect, keeps their tums moving and their teeth in order.
It's perfectly normal for guinea pigs to eat constantly and a very healthy sign, start to worry only if the guinea pig looses his appetite and stops eating that's the worst sign in a guinea that something is up.
Young guinea pigs will eat more as well.
A fistful of hay wouldn't be enough you need to give him an unlimited supply of hay at all times.

Careful not to over do the veg though, veg is very important in their diet but too many greens may cause problems although they cope better than rabbits do when it comes to greens.
If you aren't sure if a food is safe to feed then avoid it.

He could also be lonley might be an idea to suggest to the owner to have him neutered and 6 weeks later introduce a female for company. Guinea pigs should be kept in pairs but only if the owner is prepared to avoid any accidental litters by neutering etc.

mickger844posts

Thanks Sigma, thats great advice. I cleaned out his cage as it was a mess. Put new clean bedding in there with plenty of Hay. He is eating away on the Hay now and seems happy. At least i know now that the constant eating is normal and he did get a bit of a run around in the bathroom while i cleaned his cage so all seems fine now

SophieSakura

Yeah guinea pigs are incredibly greedy They just love eating so much

Apparently if wood shavings are baked or heated or whatever, (which they usually are) it removes the harmful oils from them. If they are bought from a pet shop so are made for pets, and don't cause them any problems, then I would use them, just because I find them the most absorbant and best value. Some ones you get are quite dusty, but some are fine. If the guinea pig had respiratory problems then I wouldn't use them, but otherwise I do