The Cavy(Guinea Pig) Lovers Club

[leg]

do you mean woodshavings? either way, they could have a possibility of causing URIs (i still have two unused bags smh,, ill prolly use it for a hay tray). there's fleece, aubios etc. im using fleece rn, but it can get smelly if you don't have enough underlayers or wash it enough before hand. if it gets smelly and im about to wash it, i put a lil bit of white vinegar in which helps. no fabric softener and only non bio
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/thr ... ew.114219/
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/th ... -The-Study

[Starrats]

I use fleece and Green mile bedding https://www.cardboardbedding.co.uk/
The green mile goes on the floor of the eating area so the fleece stays cleaner

[cosmicmoonlily]

Yeah, woodshavings / sawdust, essentially the same thing. It's small (no large wooden chips) and very clean. Only problem is it seems to be a little bit harsh on their feet.
They live outside in their plastic cages , so cleaning out is easy and they rarely smell.
That green mile stuff looks nice!

[leiawolfe]

Hey guys! c: You've most likely seen me in the rabbit owner chat
Anyway, my friend (after I told her that hamsters are illegal in Australia), told me that she's considering a guinea pig to her small-ish home! She will be keeping the piggy inside if she gets one, because her cat lives outside. (This is just a first thought so please don't tell me she shouldn't get a pig since we don't know much about them). We would just like a detailed description of what your pig's daily routine is, what you feed them, any tips, etc. Thank you so much!

[leg]

Hey guys! c: You've most likely seen me in the rabbit owner chat
Anyway, my friend (after I told her that hamsters are illegal in Australia), told me that she's considering a guinea pig to her small-ish home! She will be keeping the piggy inside if she gets one, because her cat lives outside. (This is just a first thought so please don't tell me she shouldn't get a pig since we don't know much about them). We would just like a detailed description of what your pig's daily routine is, what you feed them, any tips, etc. Thank you so much!

morning - i change their water and spotclean (get out dirty hay, waste etc), put some more hay in. they need hay at all times as they have a fast metabolism and needs to keep the system going. pellets aren't given constantly to adult pigs as they'll become overweight. in order of importance: 1. Hay 2. Vegetables 3. Pellets. Like us, piggies can't produce vitamin c on their own, so they need safe veg to eat everyday in health quantities.

afternoon - i check on them, spotclean if needed, put some more hay in and possibly floortime

evening/night - spotclean, hay, feed their veg (i need to feed my girls seperate to my boy as he's prone to gas or oat and needs smaller quantities of veg). weigh them at 10pm, do a final check and leave

guinea pigs are social creatures and need companions of their own species; your friend will need at least two gpigs. their cage needs to be quite big. you can keep girls together, boys together or a neutered boy and girls together. minimum cage size for two girls or one neutered boy and a girl is 120cm by 90cm (not sure about the 90c, could be bigger or smaller i need to check). boys are often dominant and, especially during their hormonal stage and onwards, will need a bigger cage. you can google midwest cages, they're quite popular right now and nicely sized. i use c&c cages, similiar to midwest. two boys = 2x5 c&c cage +. two girls or a neutered boy and girl = 2x4 +. i currently have a neutered boy and two girls in a 4x4 c&c. ill try and find links for you on what is safe to feed.

please consider getting the guinea pigs from a rescue. pet shops and breeders contribute heavily to the amount of guinea pigs put in rescues or dumped for being 'bad stock'. rescues help these pigs and are often forced to shut down as a result of overloading. they also often make sure the guinea pigs are healthy before giving them.

helpful sites:
www.guinealynx.info
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/

[FoxScarf]

Hello all. :D

So as a child I had a guinea pig named Cow (clever right, because he was black and white?) but now that I'm older and live on my own,
I could finally give another piggy a home. My first day on my own, August 27, I went out and adopted a pretty little boy who I named McFly.

He's absolutely the light of my life now. Coming home after class, I would let McFly out for cuddles and free-roaming time, and soon we had a bond I've never really had before with a small animal. Now, McFly will jump up into my lap on his own, and sometimes follows me around the apartment if I have him out for free-roam. He knows the words: Wa-was (water, I babytalk my piggies lol) carrot, breakfast, pig-pigs, towel, and of course his own name. I'm teaching him 'up' right now. Things haven't always been so easy with McFly,
though. During my spring break, I noticed he became very unlike himself - lethargic, always puffed-up, and his eyes got kinda dull.
The next day, he began to hoot exactly like an owl, and I knew he must have an infection in his airways. I took him to the vet and they confirmed that he had very severe pneumonia. The vets kept him overnight to give him feedings and put him in a little box to pump him full of medicine. They prescribed me an antibiotic - I was kinda on the fence about that, since I know that sometimes certain antibiotics can hinder more than they help. For the first couple weeks, McFly did great. No more wheezing, he seemed waaay happier, and his symptoms were just about gone. Of course, once the pneumonia had gone, he began to have bad tummy issues from the antibiotic. So, I'd have to grind up some pellets and mix that with water, and syringe it every couple hours or so,
to make sure his tummy was getting the food he needed since it was all messed up. Continuing this for a couple weeks, he slowly began to get better, then worse, then better, til finally around the beginning of May, he came around for good. Now, he's as happy as can be and my precious little baby. With everything he and I have been through together, and almost losing him, I've very protective of him. I can't help it. My mother watched him for me when my boyfriend and I went on vacation, and I was so worried about him.
I'm very happy to be back home with my lil piggy. <3


On November 12, my boyfriend got my next boy, a mixed-breed piggy I named Yogi.


This is Yogi, named because he looks like a little grizzly bear. Yogi is incredibly feisty. I got him when he was still very young, half the size of McFly, and as a baby he'd follow McFly everywhere. He loved cuddling with his big brother, and they loved snacking together. However, once Yogi started getting older, he became increasingly more aggressive toward McFly until they got into a fight so severe I had to separate them for good. They still see each other and say hi, but on opposite sides of a cage wall, just because every time I try to get them to bond again, they have an even worse falling-out. It's okay though, I still give them both lots of love.
Yogi doesn't like to cuddle like McFly, but every now and then will fall asleep in your lap. He's very very smart (he figured out how to undo his cage, so I have to tie it shut or he'll find his way out) and noisy as well. He wheeks so loud that he almost sounds hoarse.
xD If Yogi is out of his cage for free-roam and sees that you're walking away from the fridge with some food, he'll chase you down and put his paws up on your shins, and 'ask' for some of whatever you've got. xD He's very picky when it comes to actually eating though, he hates most veggies I give him. The ones I've finally persuaded him to eat are carrots, cucumbers, sometimes green bell peppers, and sometimes broccoli. He will not even touch celery, or the tiny apple chunks I gave him. He's perfectly happy with eating his braided-timothy hay house, though.

I absolutely love my guinea pigs, and highly recommend them for anyone who wants a smaller pet with a lot of personality. They're very affectionate if given the love and care they need.

[Fennecfoxing102]

I JUST FOUND THIS! I GOT 2 GUINEA PIGS 2 WEEKS AGO

[Fennecfoxing102]

So my pigs are named Nutmeg and Coco. I have absolutely no idea what the genders are... Nutmeg is dark brown and white with kinda-big black eyes, and Coco is light brown and white with smaller red eyes. They're so adorable! Nutmeg is friendlier towards people so far. Coco always runs and hides in the igloo we got when people approach. Nutmeg loves grapes and carrots, as well as Timothy hay. Coco likes lettuce, carrots, and fresh grass. But they of course both love fresh grass! ^-^

[Lonin]

So my pigs are named Nutmeg and Coco. I have absolutely no idea what the genders are... Nutmeg is dark brown and white with kinda-big black eyes, and Coco is light brown and white with smaller red eyes. They're so adorable! Nutmeg is friendlier towards people so far. Coco always runs and hides in the igloo we got when people approach. Nutmeg loves grapes and carrots, as well as Timothy hay. Coco likes lettuce, carrots, and fresh grass. But they of course both love fresh grass! ^-^

They sound really cute :D
Luckily sexing a guinea pig is really easy :D
Flip them over and press gently on the belly near the genitals. If you have males the [censored] should pop out, or you should be able to feel a ridge. If nothing happens you have a female. Or you can gently spread the area, in a female there should be a y shape, in a male nothing happens.
This site is useful and has pictures: http://www.guinealynx.info/sexing.html
It's really important that you sex them as soon as possible and that they're both the same, you don't want to end up with babies.

[Fennecfoxing102]

Also... Problem :c I'm leaving tommorow for traveling, so they'll be alone for a month. We have neighbors coming to feed them and clean the cage, but I'm not sure if they'll have anyone to play with. Is this okay? Or should I do something about it?