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Don't bother with a litter pan, I think 99% of guinea pigs can't be litter trained (I might be wrong though). I use carefresh and spot clean it daily and a full bedding change once a week. Aspen is okay but it really depends on the brand, some can be super dusty. The blanket idea might work but just be aware they're going to pee on it constantly. Like a constant stream of pee basically. Urine everywhere.
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Mar 12, 2013 22:33
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I'll post more when I'm not on my phone but no, you really can't have just one. Personally, I find it to be cruel to have a singular guinea pig, and in fact Sweden(?) has even outlawed it. As far as bedding, you should check out https://www.cavycages.com for info on that. I use towels and fleece as bedding exclusively, and it works great. Search back through my posts in this thread, I know I've posted photos and information on it before
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Mar 12, 2013 23:32
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cuntvalet posted:In terms of bedding, I know that they need timothy hay, which is good enough, but instead of wood chips or what have you, is something like a fleece pet blanket okay for flooring instead of traditional bedding? When I was watching one of my university professor's rabbits while he was away on vacation, that's what he used for his rabbit, and it seemed like a simple, neat solution. They had the blanket on the floor of the cage, then a tray of timothy hay and paper bedding for a sort of litter box. Would that set up work for a guinea pig? The floor should be something like Carefresh. I tried towels for a bedding when I first got a couple and it turned every other day into wash day so I really don't recommend it, unless you want to triple your laundry chores. Guinea pigs just go where they are really often, they might aim for a corner, but they usually don't care that much. They can bed in timothy but its main purpose is for them to eat for digestion. Mine will lie and run around in it until they get bored and eat it all. quote:I was definitely curious about this. Normally, with any pet I would ideally want to start with one and go from there. Can they survive like that? I read that they can end up stressed/depressed alone because they're group animals. If it is okay to have just one (at least to start out) what are some ways to reduce the stress and depression possibilities? I really recommend starting with 2 who know each other. My first pig was a single one I had for a year until I got the second one and they HATED each other. They were also unaltered males which is really bad (get them neutered) (males are mean to each other either way). You will not be in the cage poking around 100% of the time and they need that level of social interaction. It's barely any more care for another one (since you're [url]http://www.guineapigcages.com/]building a coroplast cage, RIGHT???[/url]), more consumables but it's worth it. quote:I'm guessing/hoping the sounds will eventually be easier to tell apart as I get to know the pig(s) on an individual basis? I still can't tell mine apart sound-wise  quote:I was going to forego the hamster ball and just sort of have a lot of supervised floor time. My place is pretty big floor space wise, and the only stairs have lockable doors so i figure if I put something over the vents/danger zones, floor time shouldn't really need a rolly ball. Floor time is the best time. Remember that they're prey rodents. They evolved that way. They run when you try to pick them up when you've had them for years because literally their only defense in the wild is "hang out in a pack and run faster than someone else." So be mindful that they will try to squeeze under things and can do it. Until they're comfortable on the floor every time they're going to either freeze where you put them for a minute or bolt to a wall and freeze for a minute. Eventually they'll start sniffing around. Having a snack out might help them get over it quicker. They will chew on wires. I've lost (disconnected) usb wires to pigs. Also two quick things to consider before I have to run off 1) If you have pets make sure you get a lid for your cage until you can gauge their reaction. I have a cat who is AFRAID of the pigs so I didn't need to get one 2) They need greens every day. I make it rain salad and they get super excited.
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Mar 13, 2013 00:36
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I used to have hamsters that would never ever stop biting on the bars on their cage. I gave them a wood block, string, and even a metal slab just to see if they were loving around, and sure enough, they were. I got used to it, but each hamster I owned had a 6th month life span, so that kinda sucked. My last hamster I owned back in 2011 gathered what I think are mites (they were tiny black dots that were the size of a pencil tip) and just died. I had to deal with the mites myself as well since they wanted ME next (considering that I had lots of new bumps across my arm), but after a few months or so they died. I still don't know what those things are to these day.
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Mar 13, 2013 01:04
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Saint Darwin posted:I really recommend starting with 2 who know each other. My first pig was a single one I had for a year until I got the second one and they HATED each other. They were also unaltered males which is really bad (get them neutered) (males are mean to each other either way). You will not be in the cage poking around 100% of the time and they need that level of social interaction. It's barely any more care for another one (since you're [url]http://www.guineapigcages.com/]building a coroplast cage, RIGHT???[/url]), more consumables but it's worth it. Although it is easier to get two guinea pigs that are bonded (especially if you're a first time owner), unaltered males aren't bad, and it's not generally recommended that you neuter them. Neutering male guinea pigs produces very minimal behavioral change (especially socially) and is fairly difficult to find a vet to do, making it somewhat dangerous if you don't have a skilled vet with cavy surgery experience. It's NICER to have neutered males, since one of the main benefits is that you don't have to clean their anal pouch because they don't really have one, but health and behavior-wise it does practically nothing.
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Mar 13, 2013 01:53
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I use fleece bedding with a UHaul moving blanket underneath. It works great and I only need to change it once a week.
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Mar 13, 2013 02:10
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In our home we have one unaltered pig, Grendel, and our roommate's neutered pig, Boogie. Boogie is quite a bit older than Grendel. If that didn't already make them hate each other, the reason Grendel came by himself was because he had behavioral problems and was a bit of a "bully" pig in his litter. My husband and I figured we could make up for Grendel being by himself by giving him a lot of attention. The roommate, apparently, just didn't know much about guinea pigs. Boogie was lethargic by pig standards, and she would just shrug and say "Eh, he's old." They've been living side-by-side for quite a bit now, but there are still frequent "alpha-dances" or whatever it is that pigs do to try and look threatening towards each other. (Is their anything funnier than a guinea pig trying to look tough? I don't think there is) When they get their separate floor times, the first thing they do is try to break into the other's cage. The only time they won't rumble at each other is when they get their bath together, where they huddle in mutual terror when wet, but get more aggressive as they dry. But we've also noted that they both have much more energy when they aren't arguing over who's boss. Boogie popcorns and runs laps like a champ, while Grendel proudly sits on his pig barn and lets his giant unneutered balls sway in the breeze. A while ago we were worried about Grendel having mites, so while we set up his vet appointment, the cages were separated and the pigs definitely noticed. They weren't even in separate rooms, but there was a lot of calling out to each other. We found out Grendel just has an overactive scent gland and we're going to have to clean off his but every so often. When we returned them to the regular cage set up, these two dudes, who, when we cleaned their cages, would act like a brand new challenger pig had arrived, just quietly chatted with each other for a while, and seemed happy to be back in each others company. For, like, a day maybe. Then it was back to "No, you shut up dad, my butt is bigger!" We're not living with this roommate forever, so we're looking at either finding another roommate with pigs, or figuring out a good set-up so Grendel can have neighbors for the rest of his life. One of our good friends has two girl pigs and has shown interest in moving to our city if he can find work, so fingers crossed. Grendel might get neutered if his new neighbors are girls, just in case a mix up happens, but our vet even told us there wasn't a whole lot of reason for it.
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Mar 13, 2013 14:42
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I decided to put off the guinea-getting from this weekend (since I only have a one day weekend this week) and do the pick up on Thursday (next weekend I have a three day weekend so it'll mean more time to adapt to eachother, etc.). That means this week is building and collecting go time. A few questions: Do guinea pigs climb? Is it okay to put them in a pen as opposed to a cage or does that guarantee the Great Guinea Escape?
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Mar 17, 2013 02:35
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cuntvalet posted:I decided to put off the guinea-getting from this weekend (since I only have a one day weekend this week) and do the pick up on Thursday (next weekend I have a three day weekend so it'll mean more time to adapt to eachother, etc.). That means this week is building and collecting go time. The only time a guinea pig will climb anything is up a shallow ramp, or perhaps your arm if they're sitting on your chest. And even then, only if there's food at the top. They do like hiding under things, so make sure to block off places they could get under when giving them some floor time. Along with the usual removal of anything an inquisitive pig might chew on.
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Mar 17, 2013 02:42
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Neddy Seagoon posted:The only time a guinea pig will climb anything is up a shallow ramp, or perhaps your arm if they're sitting on your chest. And even then, only if there's food at the top. They do like hiding under things, so make sure to block off places they could get under when giving them some floor time. Along with the usual removal of anything an inquisitive pig might chew on. So they aren't like rats or hamsters which would vertically climb a cage wall, right? (I figured not because of their delicate backs, but I wanna do this right).
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Mar 17, 2013 02:47
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cuntvalet posted:So they aren't like rats or hamsters which would vertically climb a cage wall, right? (I figured not because of their delicate backs, but I wanna do this right). They physically can't move that way and mentally have no interest in trying. Mine will sometimes stand on their back legs with their paws on the side of the cage if they think someone might possibly at some point dangle food, otherwise they really prefer 4 feet on the floor and at worst sniffing upwards.
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Mar 17, 2013 03:01
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Climbing isn't impossible. I've got a pair in foster now that will scale a grid wall to escape a cage. However, these are two out of several hundred I've fostered. The average pig won't.
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Mar 17, 2013 03:11
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On the other hand, Chip, one of the black hamster babies from the litter, has learned how to climb his water bottle. He'll scale it and hang on top of it, chewing the paper clip that attaches it to the roof of the cage, and sometimes can stay on it for upwards of 2-3 minutes before falling spectacularly to the floor again.
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Mar 17, 2013 09:08
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Rodent Mortician posted:Climbing isn't impossible. I've got a pair in foster now that will scale a grid wall to escape a cage. However, these are two out of several hundred I've fostered. The average pig won't. That would be adorably annoying to deal with. "I didn't have to put a top on the cage because of the cat, I had to put it on because they decided to be behavioral anomalies and try to climb out." So a question for pig owners, how much water do yours drink? Mine are weird and will sometimes go 2 days between filling their 16 oz bottle, or they'll finish it in one day (of course that could just be depending on the water content of the vegetables I give them). I have no idea what "normal" is.
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Mar 17, 2013 17:59
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Captain Invictus posted:On the other hand, Chip, one of the black hamster babies from the litter, has learned how to climb his water bottle. He'll scale it and hang on top of it, chewing the paper clip that attaches it to the roof of the cage, and sometimes can stay on it for upwards of 2-3 minutes before falling spectacularly to the floor again. But... that's not a guinea pig? I don't think anybody is doubting the fact that hamsters can climb.
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Mar 17, 2013 18:06
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Saint Darwin posted:So a question for pig owners, how much water do yours drink? Mine are weird and will sometimes go 2 days between filling their 16 oz bottle, or they'll finish it in one day (of course that could just be depending on the water content of the vegetables I give them). I have no idea what "normal" is. Mine liked to play with their water bottle, one of them figured out that if she pushed the ball far enough up the tube she could make a torrent of water come out. We were like "why are the pigs drinking so much?!" until we saw her do it one day.
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Mar 17, 2013 18:24
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thexerox123 posted:But... that's not a guinea pig? I don't think anybody is doubting the fact that hamsters can climb. That's what I was saying, though I may have worded it a bit improperly.
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Mar 17, 2013 18:52
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Well, I just love depositing our two pigs back in their nice clean cage and having them produce four poos within twenty seconds. Good effort lads.
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Mar 17, 2013 18:58
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Is a water bottle best for guinea pigs? If so what type/brands are advisable?
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Mar 17, 2013 19:43
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Lettuce angers one of my guinea-pigs. You stupid beast. 
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Mar 17, 2013 23:38
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cuntvalet posted:Is a water bottle best for guinea pigs? If so what type/brands are advisable? I use a huge plastic one but I definitely recommend glass bottles because some pigs will chew on plastic. Even though I dislike most Super Pet products, their glass water bottles are fantastic and I've never had one fail or break. They also come with a little floating thing inside so you can check the water at a glance.
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Mar 17, 2013 23:42
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Those little floaty things are bacteria magnets though.
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Mar 18, 2013 00:02
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Didn't think about that, good point. What if you're like me and scrub all your water bottles once a week? Granted I haven't been using those in a while because it's fairly easy to see the water level in a glass bottle without the little floating things.
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Mar 18, 2013 00:08
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If you disinfect that often you're probably fine. I don't, however, and I never even though of removing the floating thing. Since they sit right next to me most of the day and it's REALLY loving LOUD when they try to get water out and it's empty (bangs and rattles against the cage) I guess I can remove it.
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Mar 18, 2013 03:36
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Captain Invictus posted:Those little floaty things are bacteria magnets though. Well, dammit. Is there a preferred method of disinfecting these for gerbils on a regular basis that doesn't involve a dishwasher...?
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Mar 18, 2013 13:51
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Niemat posted:Well, dammit. A sink and some hot water? V  V
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Mar 18, 2013 14:08
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Fraction posted:A sink and some hot water? V I know when I worked at the animal shelter we would clean with diluted white vinegar then rinse with super hot water, would that still work...?
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Mar 18, 2013 15:05
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cuntvalet posted:I know when I worked at the animal shelter we would clean with diluted white vinegar then rinse with super hot water, would that still work...? That'd probably be just fine. My water heater pumps out at 140F so that alone should sterilize it, but throwing in vinegar will definitely do it. I clean my pig's cages by emptying it and then spraying it down with diluted vinegar then wiping it up.
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Mar 18, 2013 15:11
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Thanks, guys! Is there a good ratio for the dilution? Or just kind of splash and swirl?
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Mar 18, 2013 15:36
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Honeydew, the momma hamster of the four babies I have, died yesterday. Don't know why. She was always slightly colder, slightly more hunched, and wayyyy more skittish than the rest of them though. I have a feeling she wasn't that young when she got pregnant, I don't know how old she was when I got her, but she was definitely physically affected by the pregnancy and rearing the babies. After I took them away, she lost a lot of weight and became more aggressive and bitey. Real sad. Her teeth were fine, she was eating and drinking normally, but she almost seemed like she couldn't keep her body heat in.
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Mar 18, 2013 15:50
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Niemat posted:Thanks, guys! Is there a good ratio for the dilution? Or just kind of splash and swirl? I know we never really measured. If the smell is still potent, add more water. Also, yay! Didn't know you posted here. 
CatStacking fucked around with this message at 16:15 on Mar 18, 2013 |
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Mar 18, 2013 16:08
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cuntvalet posted:I know we never really measured. If the smell is still potent, add more water. Awesome! Thank ya, ma'am!  I'll have to pick up some vinegar tonight for an overdue disinfecting!!I do on occasion... mostly I just lurk. The kind rodent experts here always help me with my gerbil conundrums!!
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Mar 18, 2013 21:00
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Niemat posted:Awesome! Thank ya, ma'am! Lemon juice is also a disinfectant for the same reason (highly acidic) and it smells a bit nicer than vinegar. I use 50/50 lemon juice and water as an all-purpose cleaning solution, but you could probably up the lemon juice concentration for maximum citric power. Unless gerbils are sensitive to vitamin C, in which case vinegar might be better after all
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Mar 18, 2013 21:07
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I may have to give the vinegar/water thing a try, I picked up some Nature's Miracle cage disinfecting wipes and they smell awful. They make the cages smell like a nursing home/hospital. It's unpleasant. Can glass water bottles go in the dishwasher? Or is the opening too small to get enough water in there to do any good? Whenever I refill their bottles I give the rubber duckies a good rinse in hot water. I like having them so I can see their water level from across the room, whenever I'm close enough to see the water level without the duck I'm usually doing something else that makes me forget about it. If I'm already up walking around I'm more likely to grab the bottle and fill it right away.
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Mar 18, 2013 22:07
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This afternoon when I was cleaning gerbil cages, I noticed a tannish-brown diamond on the belly of one of my gerbils. The diamond is on midline, between his front legs and his back legs, and his surrounding black fur covers it up if he stretches. I can't tell if it's super short fur or really weird skin (he was thrashing as I was trying to get a clear look at it). If anyone could help identify what's going on, I would really appreciate it!! I tried to get a better picture of it, but he was really squirming, so this was the best I could get.  fake edit: if the picture is weird, and I need to change it, let me know! I've never uploaded an image to imgur on my phone before, so I'm hoping it came out okay... 
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Mar 21, 2013 20:34
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Apparently it's a scent gland - perfectly normal.
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Mar 21, 2013 21:20
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Very random question... I am in a situation right now where I might end up moving back home (home being on the other side of the country), and I absolutely do not want to leave my hamster behind. What is the best way to travel cross-country with a hamster? The easiest method would obviously be to fly, but I can only imagine what effects that might have on a hamster. Has anybody ever flown with theirs before? Is it even possible? Or is a cross-country road trip gonna be the best solution?
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Mar 21, 2013 23:11
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alucinor posted:Apparently it's a scent gland - perfectly normal. What a relief! Thanks! I feel a little silly now, but I'm really glad it's totally normal... I was worried we were gonna lose him.
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Mar 22, 2013 02:27
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What's the best way to give a guinea pig it's vitamin c tablet? I tried just putting it in the food dish with her pellets and some lettuce. Came back later to find it stuck to the floor of her cage (as if she spat it out).
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Mar 23, 2013 05:09
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The best way is to give your pig vitamin C-rich veggies, and/or vitamin-C enhanced pellets. I've never had any luck giving a pig a vitamin supplement.
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Mar 23, 2013 06:35
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