New Owner with questions

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Gesyca_is_joy

Post   » Sun Jan 14, 2018 11:29 am


Good Morning, I am a new owner. We recently rescued a pair of guinea pigs for my son for Christmas and everything I know about them I have learned online. We have a home for them that is made up of two Guinea Habitat Plus cages which are connected in the shape of an L. they have recycled paper bedding covering the floor or the entire thing and the cage is on the floor of the main room in our house, pushed against a wall on two sides.

I have a few questions and would like advice to ensure we are taking the best care of Bacon and Reese's (my son named them). I would add pictures but I am not sure how.


1- Do I need to use the recycled paper bedding across the entire thing? I see images of "kitchen areas" but am not certain what the concept is or if it is a good option. We are thinking of putting a divider in one side that would have bedding and all their food but then what do you do on the other side? leave the bottom of the cage as is? or put something else down?

2- Feeding; I just want to make sure I am doing the best; they have unlimited hay, about 1/8 cup of pellets per day and they get about 4 oz of veggie/fruit combo daily...maybe more as I have noticed my son feeding them bell pepper or celery as he bonds. I have a list of things they can and cannot eat that was given to me when we adopted them but I guess my real question is whether or not they can have too much fresh food? I know there are certain items that need to be limited, but say just in general, is there a hard rule for 4 ounces or if they get more will that harm them?

3- Drafts: this is my big one, their cage is on the floor of our main room; my flooring is ceramic tile. they are kind of close to a back door but we hardly ever use that door. one side is near a fireplace (also not used. If we use the fireplace we pull the cage away from it). Someone told me they are prone to drafts and can get sick but I am not sure how to address that or how to know if it's even an issue in their case.

If someone can tell me how to add images I will be happy to do so.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Jan 14, 2018 11:36 am


Welcome to piggy ownership!

They do need bedding across the whole cage. Walking in puddles of urine can cause bumblefoot, and that's hard to cure.

How old are they? If under six months, they need unlimited pellets. If over, then 1/8 cup of pellets per day. Young pigs need extra calcium, which they can get from alfalfa pellets, or from timothy pellets plus an extra calcium veggie like parsley.

Limit the fruit pretty severely. Guinea pigs weren't engineered to process sugar well, and it can upset the bacterial balance in their gut. Here's a chart with nutritional info: https://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html. And another: https://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html.

How about raising their cage on a table, or on grids? There are tons of pictures of grid supports at https://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Jan 14, 2018 11:58 am


When you talk about a draft, is it an active draft? Can you feel the air moving? What is the temperature of the room?

You could put fleece on the more open areas of the cage. GuineaPigCages does have lots of cage ideas.

Draping a piece of fleece over a corner would cut the draft.

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Sun Jan 14, 2018 8:21 pm


Pictures are most welcome! You need an image hosting site. The following link should help.

https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... =10&t=2475

CavyGirl04

Post   » Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:06 pm


Our furnace spends about 10 minutes spitting out cold air before it warms up, so then, I put a towel over one side of the piggy cage so they're a bit sheltered (though doing this for the whole cage isn't a good idea). It protects them from being blasted by cold air, at least. However, if they have a hidey they probably won't be too cold; guinea pigs are basically balls of fat and fur, and they don't get cold super easily.
You can also give them some rags or fleece scraps to play with. I used scraps leftover from making the bedding, and just toss them in the cage. Pigs have fun with them and they can help them stay warm.

weezernwenzday

Post   » Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:56 pm


My vet recommended very limited carrots if any! My Chester was a tad (okay, more than a tad) overweight and he was getting a baby carrot with every meal. I eliminated them and he lost the weight he needed to lose, so carrots are now a treat in my home. Also, I always provide fleece blankets for nesting and sleeping on. They wash up easily, are soft on piggy feet and if they are cold they can sleep under them. Hope this helps!

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M1dn1ght

Post   » Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:47 pm


I made two sets of fleece liners for my cavy cage and don't even use paper or wood bedding. Not only is it super cost-effective because I don't have to buy bedding anymore, but it's SO easy to clean the cage by just lifting everything out at one time and dumping the mess into the bin. The fleece goes into the washer for cleaning, and I can use the spare set right away.

Fleece is everywhere in my cavy cage because of the reasons mentioned above. If you use it, it's a good idea to prepare it first by washing it three times without using fabric softener. Once you've done that, any moisture will pass right through it and help your piggies stay dry.

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