Kahlua and Jack

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:32 pm


That looks great, ItsaZoo!

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sat Sep 18, 2021 11:54 pm


I thought it was pretty clever. A teenager had posted a YouTube video showing how she made it. I think she covered it with one of those stretchy book covers.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Oct 23, 2021 1:32 pm


These boys are doing well and growing like weeds. I've given them a tunnel to run throughandhide in and they make good use of it for both purposes. They don't try getting on top of it like the girls. They have learned to trust me quite a bit. Like the girls, they take food from my hand. They don't run to the tunnel to eat it though. They're relatively easy to pick up and both of them let me hold and pet them.

They are now the alarm system for the herd. You can hear them all the way in the kitchen. One wheak from them is all it takes to get the rest of the piggies going. The other youngsters join them in wreaking and the older ones add to the sound by chewing on the cage wires. It gets quite loud and it goes on until they get what they want. What they don't know is that I love hearing it; well maybe not the cage biting, but thats ok. I work quickly so that part stays at a minimum. All in all, Kahlua and Jack are very good boys.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Oct 23, 2021 2:33 pm


Sounds like you enjoy your guinea pigs tremendously! I think characteristic pet behaviors are endearing when they are often repeated.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Oct 23, 2021 4:45 pm


I am enjoying every minute with my guinea pigs. I feel a closeness with them in everything I do for them. Their Timothy hay comes in 50lb bales that I keep in a closed garbage can I bought just for them. I have to break off bits of it to put into their hay bag so I can carry it into the house. I do this at least twice a day. I take special care in cutting up their veggies twice a day. I make sure they all get the same amount of fresh, clean lettuce and their side entrée. I keep their cages clean and fresh.

I feel satisfaction in everything I do for them and my reward is the love and closeness they have for me in return. I rather enjoy everything to do with their care,, even the dirty job of changing their bedding. Every single one of them trusts me. They always come up to greet me whether I have food for them or not. They always get something, whether its food or attention. I'm living the dream with them and we are all happy.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Nov 16, 2021 7:31 pm


I finally got everything together for Kahlua and Jack to go into their new and larger cage, and not a moment too soon. They had all but outgrown their baby cage. So now everyone has their large space. They have nearly twice now whatthey had in Scruffy's first cage. They're not reacting like I thought they would though. They seem to be afraid of the extra space and have gotten very jumpy. They don't come out of the tunnel when I'm in the room unless I'm giving them food.

I actually had them to where they would come up to me and nibble my finger but now they scurry to their tunnel. Another thing that has changed is that their cage is sitting higher up than it was before, since they're sitting on top of the girl's cage now. That works out to be about shoulder level on me. I imagine it's a little more scary for them to be eye level with me when they're used to being lower. It's only been a day and I expect they'll get used to it very soon.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:01 pm


Interesting about the eye level.

I think it might have been my daughter's theory that my chickens thought I was just a head. When I come to the kitchen window and give them food, I am mainly a head. At night on their perches, perhaps all they see is a head, propped up on some sort of contraption.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Nov 16, 2021 9:00 pm


It disturbs me that any of my guinea pigs get scared when I approach them and I don't know why. In this case, I know it was the change of scenery and more space. I'm pretty sure they'll come around in a few days.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Wed Nov 17, 2021 1:33 am


The extra space could be scary. Gidget is like that as well. It took her a few weeks to like her cage. She was in a large pet shop cage at the rescue, and probably before that as well. I throught she would run around and explore in her larger cage. Instead she gets in a corner and then stretches to see what else is there. I've also noticed that if I put dark colored fleece in the corners, she's really cautious. It must look like a shadow or a hole, but she doesn't trust it. Light colors are okay.

It will probably take time to figure things out.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed Nov 17, 2021 3:02 am


They'll still come up to take food from my hand, so I don't think it's a serious problem. I'm working with them and I got Kahlua to come up and nibble my hand. Jack watches him and will stretch out towards me to sniff, but he won't come up to me unless I have food for him. It's interesting what you said about the dark fleece. I got some new fleece that's dark blue and put it in the new cage. Fleece color hasn't been a factor for any of my guinea pigs except for Mr Bubbles, who seems to lay around more like he's unhappy if I put dark fleece in his cage. Maybe the combination of more space, unfamiliar cage in a higher spot and the dark color is causing this. It has slightly improved, so we'll have to see.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Fri Nov 19, 2021 11:39 pm


Well, as expected, the boys have become accustomed to their new living situation. They don't run away anymore and they come up to nibble my finger, even if I'm not giving them a treat. Getting them out of the cage is a little more challenging because of the height, but nothing a small footstool can't fix.

Something else I noticed is that the wheaking only comes from the youngest piggies. The adults don't do it anymore. Instead of that, they bite at the cage. Not sure why. Its kinda a shame since I love hearing them. Gilligan used to be the loudest wheaker. Not so much anymore, as Kahlua and Jack are neck and neck for that title, with Muffin running a close second. Ruffles does it too, but hers are short and quick bursts.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Nov 20, 2021 8:21 am


Perhaps noticing how you yourself respond to the cage rattling vs. the wheeking, you might be able to encourage a return to wheeking by trying to ignore the rattling (or at least not responding to it until after you have responded to the wheeking).

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