any guinea pig money saving tips?

amy104

Jen, I wouldn't recommend shavings either. They are still pretty dusty and can make the piggies cough and sneeze. If you can't get hold of megazorb easily try auboise - its a horse bedding made from hemp and far less dusty.

Your piggies are probably sqabbling as they are starting to mature and test for dominance - do you have boys are girls?

Boys

Normal dominace displays will include bottom wiggling, quiet rumbling, mild teeth chattering, chasing and mounting. If the teeth chattering becomes louder, they start to raise on back legs, yawning or nipping you need to watch them as it may be about to kick off. If vicious biting, obvious rearing up ready for a fight occurs you'll need to seperate immediately as they can do each other serious harm.

Girls

Its unusual for girls to fall out permanently but they too will want to sort out whos boss so you may see the chasing, nipping and teeth chattering. Most of this is normal, the piggies need to sort things out without our interfereance so try not to seperate unless blood is drawn.

make sure your piggies have lots and lots of space and plenty of hidy holes so they can get out of each others way if they feel like it.

Hope this helps.

top_drawer_2

hi,

Thanks for the advice. I havent a clue what I'm going to do with the wood shavings then..... I was aiming to save money and time by buying in bulk.

I have boys and there does seem to be a lot of teeth chattering and chasing one another, they have a tunnel thing which they squabble over often and a igloo thing, a toilet corner thing (which one normally sleeps in) and some wooden chewy things.

They seem to be calmer now ..... one is sat in one corner and the other in the igloo.

Jen

amy104

If they are squabbling over something specific maybe get another one so they have one each.

top_drawer_2

lol I didnt believe it could be over something so daft ....... they have always seemed happy enough to snuggle up together but yesterday I bought a pop up tent thing giving them two sleeping areas (and barely any other room in the cage) and hey presto last night I had my first full nights sleep in several nights!!!

Thank god for that, crisis averted.

Jen

amandada

We got 2 new baby guinea girls today, and they're too gorgeous! Our older one, Muffin seems really taken with them, and has washed them both and now they're all snuggled up together!

supersaver66

amandada wrote: »

We got 2 new baby guinea girls today, and they're too gorgeous! Our older one, Muffin seems really taken with them, and has washed them both and now they're all snuggled up together!

aww how sweet, I bet Muffin is loving it! You will have to post some pics of them all together

Ruby_Moon

Don't use Straw for your pigs as it isn't soft enough and they don't get any benefit from it at all.
You need to put shavings and/or shredded paper on the floor of the cage as an absorbant material and plenty of hay. Pigs will eat the hay in no time but they need this for their nutrition and for their teeth. You can also give them sticks that you find out in the woods to gnaw on.
You do not need to put anything in their water and the water is much better for them if it is pure rain water too. If you keep a bucket outside, you can just fill up eaily from that.
They do need a darker compartment (was it not a guinea pig cage you got?) if it isn't built in then you do need to get one.
On an outside hutch it will be the bit with no mesh, on an inside cage it will have a plastic compartment on the side.
A dish of fresh each day. This can be a mixture of veg in your fridge (not potato), grass, dandelion leaves, any herbs especially mint and oregano (especially good as the stalks are woody) and also a dish of dry guinea pig food.
You may want to give a small treat once a week and treats are things you might buy from the pet shop, grapes, apples, tomatoes...most fruit really should not be given very often because of the natural sugars.
Lovely creatures also need a fair bit of exercise every day so set up a great run for them or a supervised time in your home (supervised because you don't want your electrics chewing through).
Best thing though is having a few and listening to them talking to each other

Ruby_Moon

top_drawer wrote: »

hi,

I've read its saw dust that is a risk to GP respiratory system, I hope so anyway as I bought a massive bag of shavings to keep them going for awhile and save me backing and forthing on foot to the pet shop. In the longterm I am going to buy in Megazorb.

I have only been giving them hay in the hay ball, but adding veggies every other day and filling their bowl with nugget food each day + changing the water bottle every day. Should I change this?

They also seem to be sparring quite a lot at the moment which I am a little worried about as up until yet (they have been together 3 months now and were from the same litter) they have got along fine, they do still snuggle together under the blanket and go to be together when I let them out to play. Can GP's fallout?

Thanks

Jen

You are correct...it is the sawdust that you shouldn't use as they can breath it in. The shavings are plenty big enough.
You don't need to change the water every day, every other day is fine and it may look like they haven't drunk much.
Yes, you need lots of hay for them to sleep on and eat.

amy104

You don't need to change the water every day, every other day is fine and it may look like they haven't drunk much.

Sorry but I don't agree with that - would you drink water that was old and stale? - I know I wouldn't so I don't expect my pets to either.

Reference the Wood Shavings it is not the breathing of dust that I was refering to and therefore the size of the particles is irrelevant. The problem is that most sold in pet shops are derived from Pine/Cedar. Both contain phenols, and it is this than can have implications on the piggies health. Personally I would never use Cedar. If you have shavings that are pine I'd advising airing them prior to use so the phenols disipate.

top_drawer_2

hi again,

They seem much happier since having the second sleeping area although there is still a little arguing going on ............ lol I guess thats going to be the case for anyone who spends their whole life together! I am also giving them Timothy Hay to eat and the other stuff to snuggle up with.

Today I have given them a yellow pepper as suggested on here and they have both almost completely ignored it - is this wrong?? I thought yellow peppers were a fav + they have vit c in them so they are good for them.

Thanks

Jen