[Gpdd] Care: 3 new Piggys

[Jennifer Langer]

ILoveMyPBPiggy, 
You sure have a bunch of questions. I’ll try to answer them. The best kind of cage for a guinea pig has a solid (not wire) bottom. For 3 Piggies you want as much space as you can give them. They tend to be more happy, active and social if they have space to scamper in their home. Go to http://www.cavycages.com/ . I can not say enough about this site. It tells you how to build your own cage. It’s fairly inexpensive, but you can customize it to your herd! It also gives you guidelines for the space advised for you number of Guinea Pigs, as well as tons of pictures to help you come up with your own version or copy one already made. We just made one in December. It was SO much fun to build and our new family of 3 boars is thrilled with it! 

The big one may be “picking” on the other 2 to establish his dominance. In all herds there is a pecking order, so to speak. You just want to make sure that this never keeps the other 2 from eating or drinking and doesn’t seem to erupt into too much fighting. Cavy Spirit is an overall good source on information that a social life section you might want to read. Go to: http://www.cavyspirit.com/ . 

It sounds like you’re doing a good job by taking them out daily for play time and holding also. This will help them get used to you, keep them active and happy, and overall ensure they are content. I recommend having a large playpen to section off an area if you aren’t with them constantly. I am building one out of wire grids (like seen on the cavy cages site) and zip ties. I am making it huge to encompass my entire living room so they have lots of space to run. You can make hidey holes and mazes out of boxes and large paper bags (which also serve as good chewing things). Once you and they are more comfortable with each other you can consider if you want “free-range” Piggies. 

Fresh food IS necessary every day. The right amount ensures they get enough vitamin C, which their bodies need but can produce. Most sites recommend at least 1 cup per Piggie twice daily. I start there, but give more according to what they will eat. Just start with a few fresh foods and experiment. They will not all probably like all the same things. Eventually you want to include 4-5 different fresh foods per meal. It sounds like a lot of work, but just start slowly and give yourself and them time to adapt. 

Timothy hay is a necessary food that they should always have in their cages. This helps keep their teeth from growing too long and keeps their digestive system healthy. You want to try to find the greenest hay you can. I can give you some online links if you are interested. 

Pellets should also always be given. Alfalfa based mixes are alright until about 6 months or during pregnancy. Otherwise you want a timothy based pellet food. It minimized problems associated with too much calcium or protein. I recommend Oxbow or Kaytee brands. My Piggies prefer Oxbow which we have to buy online at http://www.critterstore.com/guinea-pigs.html . You want to avoid the mixes that have anything but plain pellets usually. There’s usually just a bunch of unnecessary dyes, nuts, and seeds that your Piggies don’t need. 

Here are my favorite links for Piggie information:
http://www.cavycompendium.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7741 -- An incredible list of good fresh foods and dangerous ones. 
http://guinealynx.info/ -- Great Piggie info, including a fresh food list I use almost daily, and info about what hays are good.
http://www.salcavies.com/health/feeding.shtml -- Piggie fresh foods
http://home.gwi.net/~czupryna/squeak/meds.html -- Piggie Medicine info
http://www.galens-garden.mcmail.com/pet_health.htm -- Piggie health info
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/index.html -- Piggie health info
Oh
(I know this is long, but I’m almost done), a Pigloo is an igloo you can get at pet stores that many Guinea Pigs love to climb in and on.  I hope that helps. My Piggies are telling me “Be quiet! You talk too much!"

Jennifer and Adam, and PB, Bob Bob, and Boar-is 

"To find a beautiful thing, look with an open mind and heart."
-- 
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