Hard lump under chin, soft poop as well?

[C Cole-Chakotay]

I have fleece and love it. It is much more cost effective than bedding; you buy the fleece and materials you use underneath once. It pays for itself quickly.

[Gracemackenz]

Thanks! That was one of my arguments. My mom just doesn't want to wash it and change it every week, which you do with bedding anyways.

I put them on a fleece blanket just to see how they would react, and they popcorned for about ten minutes; it was adorable. Hopefully my mom notices how happy they are with it!

[Talishan]

When you wash it, shake it well and pick off all the droppings and hay bits.

Hay reduces the life of the washer. The more you get off first, the happier your mom will be. ;-)

[Gracemackenz]

I am planning to make the loft use bedding instead of fleece, so hopefully my mom will be a happy camper haha

[Talishan]

This sounds like a wonderful setup. :-) Kudos to you for building it out for them.

We'd love to see pics when it's done!

[Gracemackenz]

I'll send pictures when I'm done building it! I've decided to make it 5x2, because we are looking for another piggie at adoption centers; I'm so exited!

[Talishan]

Excellent. You're doing everything right, carry on!

If you get another piggie, make ABSOLUTELY UNCONDITIONALLY SURE she is a female!!

http://www.crittercorral.org/

[Gracemackenz]

What if they don't like each other after introductions? I don't have room for another cage.. If I get another one, I really hope they like each other

[Talishan]

Contact Critter Corral. Many rescuers (not all, but many) allow for play dates or meet-and-greet sessions. You can bring Rosie and JJ, and see which ones work well with them before taking anyone home.

I don't know if Critter Corral does this or not, but it's definitely worth asking.

[Gracemackenz]

I never even thought of that! I will definitely bring them in and see who works the best. There was a pig at the Catnap from the Heart that I was interested in, her name is Amy.

I would adopt from Critter Corral (that was the first place I looked at), but the young females would prefer to be in pairs, and I only have room for one more. I'm going to ask the shelter where Amy is if I can bring them in, and possibly come home with her!

[bpatters]

Talk to Critter Corral. All that "adopt only in pairs" means is that they won't let you take home one pig that's going to be alone at your house. But if you've already got one pig, and are trying to adopt a buddy, they'll adopt to you.

[Gracemackenz]

Ok, that broadens my search a bit. There are some Guinea pigs that picture a pair, and would prefer to be adopted together since they are very bonded. I'll continue to search and look into the critter corral again!

[Talishan]

If Amy is at a cat rescue, make ABSOLUTELY sure she is a girl.

Don't break up a bonded pair (a good rescue won't do this anyway).

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Gracemackenz]

I forgot how to add pictures, but we've decided to get two more pigs. We might have to separate JJ and Rosie because they've constantly been fighting lately, but I will still make a little window in the Coroplast for her to see the rest of the pigs and communicate, if that makes sense?

[bpatters]

If you're going to have a lone pig, why don't you fix a cage for her and take her to a rescue or shelter to pick out her own cage mate?

[Gracemackenz]

If I were to build a stack cage, with a 5x2 on the bottom, then a space for easy access, then a 4x2 for JJ on top, would it be okay if I had JJ on the top and 3 pigs on the bottom? I don't know if JJ would feel isolated, but just in case JJ fights with the other two pigs, I'm thinking of space efficient ways to separate them.

I would let them out for floor time so they can still play with each other (only if I separate them). I'm just worried JJ would feel lonely on the top all the time.

Edit: I will think about getting JJ a cage mate; if she'll even get along with her is my worry. I don't think my mother would like 5 Guinea pigs either, but if I convinced her to get 2 more, I can probably convince her to get a fifth one for JJ.

Edit #2: I tried to explain to my mom that it would be best to get JJ a cage mate, but she said "if JJ doesn't get along with Rosie, she won't get along with any pig". I know that's not how it works with Guinea pigs, but I have to follow the rules haha. I will try to convince her further, but for now we're sticking to 4 pigs..

[bpatters]

How are you going to manage to care for all these guinea pigs? How much money do you have put aside for vet care?

The last respiratory infection one of my pigs had cost over $500, and that was just for one pig.

But to answer your question, JJ is going to be very lonely in the top cage alone, knowing that there are guinea pigs in the same room. The only way I would consider housing a lone pig is if I had one that absolutely would not get along with others, and I put him/her in an adjoining cage so they could see, hear, and smell each other through the bars.

What has happened when you tried to introduce JJ to another pig?

[Gracemackenz]

We have about $5,000? I'm not totally sure.

I'm most likely going to do the connected cages, that was my original plan.

I wasn't very educated with Guinea pigs at the time I got rosie, but JJ is definitely the dominant one. JJ seemed fine with introductions, or from what I remember, but now they keep fighting. JJ has recently lunged towards Rosie and there was teeth chattering from the both of them. I'm just praying they all get along with the new pigs tomorrow.

[Gracemackenz]

Sorry for the double post, but is there a chance that the dominance thing between JJ and Rosie will settle a little bit since there are going to be 2 older pigs now?

[bpatters]

Who knows? You'll just have to try.