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Cryptobotanist
Oct 23, 2005

Oh no... Poor me...
I want to get a Capybara... They're cute ...massive guinea pigs

Are they legal to own as pets in the US? I've found some sites about people owning them as pets in the US, but no general care sites, they're mostly blogs, so that doesn't really answer if they're legal to own

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Blackish Sheep
Feb 3, 2007

Even cartoon me doesn't know what's going on.
Does anyone have any recommendations for aquarium cage extensions? I want to get one for my mice that they can't squeeze out of.

^^^ A capybara? That would be awesome! Dog sized guinea pig!!!

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

Paradise Lost: Clash of the Heavens!

I just adopted a single guinea pig from a local animal shelter. They had maybe 15 juveniles in a cage which would be a little small for one, one bowl of food and one water bottle. They were not full grown, but close to it.

I know that I need to get more than one as they are social animals but I wanted to make sure I could handle taking care of one first before I get a second, if all goes well, i'll get another one so she has some company in two months.

I picked her because she seemed like one of the most calm of the bunch.

I have a nice large enclosure set up for her with several places for her to hide. When I put her in, she explored a little bit then sat down in a corner and has not moved since. She is under the water bottle though she has not drunk anything, the bedding is a bit higher because it is a corner.

Now I ask the question every new pet owner asks: Should I be worried?

I know initially all I should do is give her her space and someplace calm and quiet. She has partial cover due to the water bottle and the slightly raised bedding in the corner but I am worried that the corner she is not hiding in any of the hides I had for her and after going once around the enclosure when I first put her in, she has not moved since.

She seemed to be breathing rapidly at first but is not now. It has been about an hour.

Dignity Van Houten
Jul 28, 2006

abcdefghijk
ELLAMENNO-P


My hamster has a respratory infection. He's a russian dwarf, year and a half old, normally healthy as an ox. Three weeks ago I got generic pine shedding from wal-mart, that may be the reason he's sick., though I'm pretty sure he's been using pine or ceder his entire life. Would it be safer to replace all the shedding with toilet paper until I can get aspen bedding tomorrow morning? I don't mind shredding an entire roll of TP if it would be safer on his lungs.

I just went and got thyme, I plan to crush it up around him and try and make him taste thyme tea.

To clarify, he may have a bug like pneumonia or he may have gotten sick from the shedding. I don't know for sure if the shedding caused his illness, but on the chance that it did, would an all toilet paper nest be good for him? Just for 12 hours. Or would the stress of me handling him be worse than leaving him in his current home?

edit/ made him a toilet paper blanket and sprinkled thyme around his head. I've been reading that thyme is an herbal decongestant. There's no way I can make him drink the thyme tea though. I'll see if I can get him to a vet tomorrow. Any idea about the all toilet paper shedding for tonight?

Dignity Van Houten fucked around with this message at 05:42 on Oct 29, 2010

Crash BandiCute
Nov 8, 2004

Dona Nobis Pacem

935 posted:

My hamster has a respratory infection. He's a russian dwarf, year and a half old, normally healthy as an ox. Three weeks ago I got generic pine shedding from wal-mart, that may be the reason he's sick., though I'm pretty sure he's been using pine or ceder his entire life. Would it be safer to replace all the shedding with toilet paper until I can get aspen bedding tomorrow morning? I don't mind shredding an entire roll of TP if it would be safer on his lungs.

I just went and got thyme, I plan to crush it up around him and try and make him taste thyme tea.

To clarify, he may have a bug like pneumonia or he may have gotten sick from the shedding. I don't know for sure if the shedding caused his illness, but on the chance that it did, would an all toilet paper nest be good for him? Just for 12 hours. Or would the stress of me handling him be worse than leaving him in his current home?

edit/ made him a toilet paper blanket and sprinkled thyme around his head. I've been reading that thyme is an herbal decongestant. There's no way I can make him drink the thyme tea though. I'll see if I can get him to a vet tomorrow. Any idea about the all toilet paper shedding for tonight?

Always avoid wooden shavings. Particularly for dwarf hamsters whose lungs are so small, the particles can be breathed and this can be dangerous. You have done the right thing by temporarily using toilet paper. I use Carefresh bedding for my roborovski dwarf hamsters, and I recommend you use that or a similar paper based bedding. The vet will be able to advise you on how to proceed, let us know what they say.

Sirotan
Oct 17, 2006

Sirotan is a seal.


Diogines posted:

I just adopted a single guinea pig from a local animal shelter. They had maybe 15 juveniles in a cage which would be a little small for one, one bowl of food and one water bottle. They were not full grown, but close to it.

I know that I need to get more than one as they are social animals but I wanted to make sure I could handle taking care of one first before I get a second, if all goes well, i'll get another one so she has some company in two months.

I picked her because she seemed like one of the most calm of the bunch.

I have a nice large enclosure set up for her with several places for her to hide. When I put her in, she explored a little bit then sat down in a corner and has not moved since. She is under the water bottle though she has not drunk anything, the bedding is a bit higher because it is a corner.

Now I ask the question every new pet owner asks: Should I be worried?

I know initially all I should do is give her her space and someplace calm and quiet. She has partial cover due to the water bottle and the slightly raised bedding in the corner but I am worried that the corner she is not hiding in any of the hides I had for her and after going once around the enclosure when I first put her in, she has not moved since.

She seemed to be breathing rapidly at first but is not now. It has been about an hour.

If you only had her for an hour as of the writing of this post, no I wouldn't worry. She is just freaked out that she is in a new, unfamiliar place all alone. Just give her some time and probably a friend, and she will perk up.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

Cryptobotanist posted:

I want to get a Capybara... They're cute ...massive guinea pigs

Are they legal to own as pets in the US? I've found some sites about people owning them as pets in the US, but no general care sites, they're mostly blogs, so that doesn't really answer if they're legal to own

Not in most states. In some states you can own them with an exotics permit.

Also, they can't be kept as house pets - they're more like wild livestock. You need an outdoor enclosure of a certain size, with walls buried under the ground a certain distance, and a certain sized swimming area.

Trust me, I've checked. :sigh: I even found an exotics rescuer who is willing to transfer a pair to me as a foster home, but I can't get the permits where I'm at, because I have a private residence and not a licensed non-residential facility to house them at.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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Sirotan posted:

If you only had her for an hour as of the writing of this post, no I wouldn't worry. She is just freaked out that she is in a new, unfamiliar place all alone. Just give her some time and probably a friend, and she will perk up.

Its been 16 hours now. She repositioned herself to face the other way but has not moved otherwise. I do not think she has slept at all, she has not eaten or drunk anything either.

She is not in one of the hides, but the way she is facing now she is in a corner, under a water bottle and behind a hide, so she is mostly covered on all sides.

Her eyes do not seem to track me when I moved past her but her breathing did accelerate rapidly briefly, though it calmed when I left. I came in at eye level and dropped a small baby carrot slice near her. From what little I can tell, she seems really terrified. I understand that I need to wait but I am worried, is there anything else at all I can do to help ease her in?

Based on the setup at the shelter I am guessing she spent her entire life in that overcrowded cage.

Sirotan
Oct 17, 2006

Sirotan is a seal.


Diogines posted:

Its been 16 hours now. She repositioned herself to face the other way but has not moved otherwise. I do not think she has slept at all, she has not eaten or drunk anything either.

She is not in one of the hides, but the way she is facing now she is in a corner, under a water bottle and behind a hide, so she is mostly covered on all sides.

Her eyes do not seem to track me when I moved past her but her breathing did accelerate rapidly briefly, though it calmed when I left. I came in at eye level and dropped a small baby carrot slice near her. From what little I can tell, she seems really terrified. I understand that I need to wait but I am worried, is there anything else at all I can do to help ease her in?

Based on the setup at the shelter I am guessing she spent her entire life in that overcrowded cage.

Can you take her out and hold her? Put her on top of a towel in case she pees on you and offer her a baby carrot or some other kind of vegetable. My pigs also like to go inside and hide in a folded up towel. She is probably fine and just scared, but if she isn't eating it is a concern.

How open is the top of the cage? Can you take a picture of it to show us? Maybe you can cover it to make it dark inside and also so she won't feel a hawk is about to come and swoop down on her.

I know one of the first pigs I ever had as a kid I got when he was a little tiny baby. He sat inside the foodbowl and didn't move at all for at least two days. Brought him to the vet because I thought he could be sick and the vet told me he seemed healthy enough. We went out and got another male pig and the instant we put them together he just perked right up. He was just scared and alone and needed a friend.

I'm hesitant to suggest this to you since you don't know 100% that there is nothing wrong with her and you are a new owner. You can always take her to a vet if you are at all concerned about her health.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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I am understandably afraid to touch her at all, I worry it may freak her out more. As far as I can tell, she may have spent her whole live in that cage.

I watched her run around so she did not have any apparent problems with her limbs, no cuts or scratches I saw when I looked her over, despite the cramped conditions all of them seemed fairly health. I picked her because she was the one who struggled the least when I picked her up.

The top of the cage has a screen to keep it secure but I am pretty sure that she could not make it out of the top, should I remove it? I do not have a digital camera or I would take a picture.

I am hesitant to get another guinea pig, fearing I might make a bigger mess of things, not a mess in my home, but take care of them improperly. The pigs in the cage came in 3 series of colors, so I am guessing 3 liters. Should I go back for one of her siblings?

Edit: She just turned around to face the other way for the first time in at least 8 hours, still not touched any food though.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Oct 29, 2010

Sirotan
Oct 17, 2006

Sirotan is a seal.


Diogines posted:

I am understandably afraid to touch her at all, I worry it may freak her out more. As far as I can tell, she may have spent her whole live in that cage.

I watched her run around so she did not have any apparent problems with her limbs, no cuts or scratches I saw when I looked her over, despite the cramped conditions all of them seemed fairly health. I picked her because she was the one who struggled the least when I picked her up.

The top of the cage has a screen to keep it secure but I am pretty sure that she could not make it out of the top, should I remove it? I do not have a digital camera or I would take a picture.

I am hesitant to get another guinea pig, fearing I might make a bigger mess of things, not a mess in my home, but take care of them improperly. The pigs in the cage came in 3 series of colors, so I am guessing 3 liters. Should I go back for one of her siblings?

Edit: She just turned around to face the other way for the first time in at least 8 hours, still not touched any food though.

She is probably not used to humans at all. You are going to need to get her acclimated to you whether she likes it or not. It sounds like she's probably fine and just scared. Pick her up and hold her for a little bit and offer her some food. Yes she will probably be terrified but the more attention and handling you give her the less scared of you she is going to be. Its just going to take time, and having another pig in there will definitely help. I'm not trying to urge you one way or another into getting another pig but in my opinion she is much better off with a friend.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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I am not at all "anxious" to force myself on her, I just don't want her to be unhappy and freaked out.

Just tried what you suggested. She ran and initially struggled when I picked her up, but not as much as the other ones I held in the shelter. I think that is a good sign she has no serious injuries?

When I picked her up and held in a towel in my lap she did not seem interested in the carrot or even struggle, though when I shifted she moved a bit, she did not try to make a break for it. Her breathing was not particularly fast when I did that.

I placed her back in her habitat, this time right at the entrance of one of the hides, she went right inside and is now in the corner, watching the way out. I put a small apple slice and a sliced baby carrot at the entrance. I am hoping she might feel a little calmer now since she has cover on all sides.

I think I will go and grab another one from her liter tonight. The setup I have is a good size for one but I worry it is too small for two full grown adults. It should be big enough for two adolescents though, temporarily. I'll pick up another from her liter and increase the size of the habitat some time in the next month.

Edit: She dragged the apple slice inside! Took a small bite of it. Never though I would be so happy to see a little fuzzy thing eat.

SonicYooth
Jun 13, 2005
You might want to use a sexing guide to ensure she's a female and then make sure to adopt another female.

Doorknob Slobber
Sep 10, 2006

by Fluffdaddy
I recently acquired a little robo hamster. I love the little guy, we've had him for a couple weeks now and I figured by now he'd start settling in and not being as scared of me, but it hasn't been working out. He still won't take treats from my hand, just sniffs at my hand and then runs away. I've read robo's tend to be a bit shyer than most hamsters, but I didn't expect it to be this shy. I'm glad we got a "quieter" wheel for him though than our mice because man he runs on that thing way, way more than they do. I keep his cage right next to me whenever I'm home to get him used to my presence, and usually once a day I'll put food or a treat in my hand and hold it in his cage to see if he'll eat from it and nothing yet. Does anyone have any advice?

Gaj
Apr 30, 2006
Rinse and repeat just keep offering treats. My russian dwarf took two months to really warm up to me and not get terrified after ten seconds of handling.

kazmeyer
Jul 26, 2001

'Cause we're the good guys.

Diogines posted:

Edit: She dragged the apple slice inside! Took a small bite of it. Never though I would be so happy to see a little fuzzy thing eat.

Yeah, just give her time. She's really, really freaked out right now. As far as she knows, you're a condor and you swooped in to take her away from her family to be your next midnight snack. Depending on the conditions she was born/raised in - and it doesn't sound like they were particularly great - it'll take her a bit to realize she's safe. Just leave her be, don't spend too much time around the cage for the time being, and watch for pellet/hay/vegetable/water consumption. She'll come around.

Once she gets used to the cage as her new home, then you can spend more time socializing her. And yeah, getting her a companion would be an excellent idea. Two pigs really aren't that much more work than one, and pigs with companions do a lot better. A litter mate might be just the thing to thaw her out.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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Came back a few hours later. The entire apple slice is gone and she moved a bit in the back of the hide, I think she may have eaten the whole thing, though it could just be hidden.

She had a water bottle at the shelter, but she is hiding away from it, not that I think she would possibly be willing to be "exposed" to get to it.

I am worried if she does not drink, should I put a tiny saucer of water in there temporarily?

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

Diogines posted:

I am worried if she does not drink, should I put a tiny saucer of water in there temporarily?

Not quite yet. Pigs drink less when they eat lots of moisture-rich veggies, so for now, it may not be a problem. I'd recommend you offer some damp romaine leaves - they're a perfect veggie, and the liquid on and in them should be enough for her, for now.

Also, if you haven't already, you should go get a scale and start weighing her. I can't emphasize enough how important this is in terms of monitoring and keeping up her health. You can actually weigh her daily, and that will help show you that she's eating and drinking enough.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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Right now I worry handling her to weigh her will freak her the hell out.

I brought her another pig from what I think was the same liter, the coloring was very similar. The new one jumped around a bit and then went into one of the hides. As I repositioned the other hide to make getting in easier, the one i've had for a day freaked the hell out and ran at full speed so hard she tore away all of the bedding under her in an attempt to squeeze behind it. Now she is out of a hide and just sort of hiding in a corner.

On the bright side, the little carrot slices I left in the enclosure was gone and there was a fair amount of poop spread around, so she did eat.

Sirotan
Oct 17, 2006

Sirotan is a seal.


Diogines posted:

Right now I worry handling her to weigh her will freak her the hell out.

I brought her another pig from what I think was the same liter, the coloring was very similar. The new one jumped around a bit and then went into one of the hides. As I repositioned the other hide to make getting in easier, the one i've had for a day freaked the hell out and ran at full speed so hard she tore away all of the bedding under her in an attempt to squeeze behind it. Now she is out of a hide and just sort of hiding in a corner.

On the bright side, the little carrot slices I left in the enclosure was gone and there was a fair amount of poop spread around, so she did eat.

If you want them to become tame at all you're going to have to stop worrying so much about how scared they are and start handling them. They aren't delicate flowers that will die of a heart attack just because you touch them. They're going to continue to be freaked out and scared for a while.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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Handling them won't scare the crap out of them and make it take even longer till they are not afraid of seeing me?

My though was that I should avoid touching as much as possible till they are more used to their new digs.

Sirotan
Oct 17, 2006

Sirotan is a seal.


Diogines posted:

Handling them won't scare the crap out of them and make it take even longer till they are not afraid of seeing me?

My though was that I should avoid touching as much as possible till they are more used to their new digs.

Oh I'm sure it will scare them but you'll get them familiar with you faster if you are holding them calmly and quietly and giving them treats to associate humans=food much faster than just leaving them be.

Supercondescending
Jul 4, 2007

ok frankies now lets get in formation

Diogines posted:

Handling them won't scare the crap out of them and make it take even longer till they are not afraid of seeing me?


No. Handling them will desensitize them. Fear has a threshold, after a while panic turns into acceptance which will then turn into "you know, I get treats and poo poo when this big thing touches me, it's really not so bad."

Being mincing about it and not wanting to push them will just result in pigs that never get used to you because they never had to.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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Pet Island has never steered me wrong in the past, so I shall defer to your advice and start doing that tomorrow evening. Would handling them both at the same time, assuming I can prevent them from running away be a good idea or a bad one?

Sirotan
Oct 17, 2006

Sirotan is a seal.


Diogines posted:

Pet Island has never steered me wrong in the past, so I shall defer to your advice and start doing that tomorrow evening. Would handling them both at the same time, assuming I can prevent them from running away be a good idea or a bad one?

Do it individually for now while they acclimate to their new environment.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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I've been using http://www.guinealynx.info/ as my main source of information. My home now has more plants than ever heh, but any any particular tips on a "favorite treat" for my pigs when I handle them?

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

Diogines posted:

I've been using http://www.guinealynx.info/ as my main source of information. My home now has more plants than ever heh, but any any particular tips on a "favorite treat" for my pigs when I handle them?

Excellent.

I recommend parsley. It's too high in oxalates for extensive long-term use, but it's fragrant, which will really attract them, now. Try any fragrant herb, really. Pigs don't have any sense of novelty so you can take the exact same food they have in the cage, and offer it as a treat, and they'll still be all excited every time.

Also, keep in mind that these fuckers are squirmy as hell and will jump with no regard to personal safety. Don't carry them around without a very firm grip on them; if you don't feel comfortable with that, carry them around in a little bucket or something. Do your interactions sitting down on the floor so they can't hurt themselves if they squirm away. My partner had one break a leg from a 14" drop.

Also, how confident do you feel that the shelter correctly identified both as girls? If not, post rear end pics and we can sex them for you.

alucinor fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Oct 30, 2010

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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I saw a sexting guide online and examined them when I got them. I examined a few, some of the ones I examined I pushed gently on their stomach and their penis emerged. I am pretty sure that they are both female.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender
Excellent again. You're doing great!

The only thing you are remiss in, is in posting pictures. :colbert:

kazmeyer
Jul 26, 2001

'Cause we're the good guys.

Seconding everything that's been said; now you've got her a companion, she'll get comfortable with the cage much quicker and you can start on socialization. For hand-feeding, I tend to avoid stuff like baby carrots (I always end up covered in carrot mulch) and go with stuff like sprigs of parsley or leaves of spring mix.

Don't be surprised if it takes them a while before they'll eat out of your hand, though. It's all up to the personality of the individual pig how quickly they'll get comfortable with you, and I had one pig who was affectionate as all get-out but the instant I picked her up, she'd freeze solid. I never once got her to take food from my hand over almost six years. (Her sister, however, would stand against the bars of the cage and wheek at me until I'd come over and scruff her behind the ears.)

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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I don't have a camera or I would give you pictures.

They are both moving around and eating and drinking.

The new one is well, bullying the old one, running after her sometimes. I am not worried, what I read said that that sort of asserting dominance happens and it will stop eventually. They are only chasing, no more than that.

I do not see any apparent pattern to her doing so. Some times one will run out of their hide, chase the other for a moment, then return to her own hide. Other times they both stand next to each other in the same hide, so I guess the hostility cannot be that strong.

I could not get either to eat anything when I had them in a towel in my lap today, nor yesterday, keep trying once a day? When I leave the same food in their enclosure they eat it eventually. They seem to love apples best.

kazmeyer
Jul 26, 2001

'Cause we're the good guys.

It's not hostility. In any herd, there's an alpha pig; that pig gets first crack at food and water and where to sleep. When you put pigs together, they'll have to work it out; even though your two may have been littermates, the new living conditions require a new sorting out of who's boss.

Just to give you an idea of how ingrained things are, I've got two water bottles in my cage for my two girls. One day both were kind of low, but I was in a hurry so I went to refill one. As I was heading back toward the cage, I got a call from a client, so I set the bottle down and promptly forgot about it due to all hell breaking loose. The girls drained the other bottle dry, and I came in later to two thirsty pigs.

I immediately refilled the dry bottle and put both back in the cage. Freyja, the alpha, immediately walked over and started drinking, while her sister Nanna sat patiently behind her waiting her turn. I rattled the unoccupied bottle. She looked at it, then back at her sister. Being the beta pig was so ingrained in her mind that she was willing to wait her turn to drink, even though there was another bottle right there.

Basically, as long as they're not fighting to the point where blood's being drawn, you've got nothing to worry about. It will settle down eventually, especially if they're not both being aggressive.

Keep trying on the handling and hand-feeding. Like I said, it may take a while, and depending on the personality of the pig you may have more success with one than the other. As long as they're eating and drinking (and pooping, and pooping, and pooping, and oh my god pooping) everything is right in piggy world.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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I could not imagined something so small could make so much poop heh.

Will they get used to being handled and calm down a bit, to the point that they'll eat the treat I try to give them, or is handling them for naught if they don't get food and thus associate it with a positive experience? Put their daily fresh fruits and veggies in the enclosure right after?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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I fear I just made a huge mistake. Since I got a second one, I built a new, larger enclosure for them and transferred them over. They are both in the same hide now but are scared shitless. Neither of them really cried when I first put them into their old one, though they were clearly scared, now they are constantly crying. Any ideas? I fear all I can do is be quiet and wait, does it matter if I leave a light on or off for them?

Edit: Non issue. By morning they had calmed down and also eaten the vegies in the cage.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 14:27 on Oct 31, 2010

Gustav
Jul 12, 2006

This is all very confusing. Do you mind if I call you Rodriguez?
Goddammit, my degu just died, leaving behind 6 four-and-a-half week old puppies. Supposedly they need 6 weeks to be weaned and 8 weeks before they should be separated from the mother... They eat solid food, so hopefully they'll survive and hopefully they don't end up too screwed up in the head... Does anyone know anything about this? Is there anything I can do besides the obvious stuff to improve their chances?

kazmeyer
Jul 26, 2001

'Cause we're the good guys.

Diogines posted:

I could not imagined something so small could make so much poop heh.

Will they get used to being handled and calm down a bit, to the point that they'll eat the treat I try to give them, or is handling them for naught if they don't get food and thus associate it with a positive experience? Put their daily fresh fruits and veggies in the enclosure right after?

You don't have to use food as a treat every single time, but it doesn't hurt. The more they associate being handled with what they really want, snacks, the quicker they'll warm to it. I always make sure to deliver an extra round of veggies after toenail clipping, for instance, and that seems to give them a couple ounces more patience about being manhandled.

Eventually, your pigs should come to tolerate being handled - they'll probably always react like you're a bird of prey when you go to pick them up, but they should settle down once you've got them securely held and can pet and soothe them.

As for the crying after the move - likely that wasn't crying. When guinea pigs are freaked out and in a new place, sometimes in their quest to hide, they'll end up violating each other's personal space. I've seen three pigs actually try to hide underneath each other before, it was like a Stooges routine. Likely, they went into the hide, both tried to occupy the same spot, and what you were hearing was a constant barrage of "will you stop touching me?!"

kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Oct 31, 2010

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

Paradise Lost: Clash of the Heavens!

Any idea how long to expect till they do not run for cover at the mere sight of me?

The first thing they seem to have learned is that my desk chair squeaking means that I am going to get up and likely pass by their enclosure on my way someplace else in my home.

The moment they hear the squeak, they dive for cover. If I ever pass by their spot they dive for cover the instant they see me. They do not cry out, but they run for cover and watch me with their heads poked out a little bit.

kazmeyer
Jul 26, 2001

'Cause we're the good guys.

Depends on the personality of the individual pig, unfortunately. You'll know you're making progress when, in addition to watching you, they start wheeking at you for veggies.

cat with hands
Mar 14, 2006

When I shit I like to scream "WORSHIP THE GOD EMPEROR ON HIS GOLDEN THRONE." Mom hates it.

Diogines posted:

I could not imagined something so small could make so much poop heh.

The weekly weigh ins suggested by Alucinor only works if you are consistent with their diet. As you've already discovered they have pretty quick metabolism and their weight can change quite quickly just by how much food they are given.

cat with hands fucked around with this message at 10:13 on Nov 1, 2010

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alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

Diogines posted:

Any idea how long to expect till they do not run for cover at the mere sight of me?

I tell my adopters, 4-6 weeks minimum.

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