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My roommate got two guinea pigs the other day and right now they're in a sort of temporary setup until we finish building their bigger setup since I convinced him that would be better than the cage they're in now. Anyway, how long do they take to start settling in? They're both eating and drinking a a tad skittish but not too bad. Just when you move stuff around in the cage they'll take off sometimes. Should I wait a few days before interacting with them directly? They're both rescues, also.  One of them looks like she has a mane and it's adorable. The other is short haired and reminds me a lot of Groucho Marx for some reason. They don't have names yet, though. Here's a crappy zoomed in picture of the longer haired one, I don't have a picture of the other yet. They're both bright and alert and seem pretty content so far.  
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Mar 29, 2012 13:10
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Those documents are really useful, thank you! I sent them to my roommate as well. It looks like we've got just about everything they mentioned, except we'll need to trade out vitamin drops for fresh veggies but that's not a huge deal. They seem to calm down the instant that they're in your hand/lap on all fours. I am starting to understand them, such as the GIANT HAND OF DOOM thing. They're way different than the rats that I own, and my roommate keeps joking that the guinea pigs are totally mine since I'm being all obsessive about their care. I can't help it, they're too cute. I did manage to get a shot of the short haired one as I was typing.  Still have no idea about names, haha.
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Mar 29, 2012 16:25
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Here's some (awful) pics of the guinea pigs: This is Bailey:  And here's Clover:  I took both to the vet for a standard checkup and the vet said Clover's a tad underweight, but with regular feeding should be fine. I'm getting scales today so I can make sure she gains some weight. I kind of suspected it since I thought she felt skinny at first, but thankfully there are no other problems (she has a healthy appetite, eliminates regularly and has no other issues health wise). Bailey is healthy. I've gotten questionable animals from the rescue before (basically because they make sure there's nothing contagious, but aside from that seem pretty unconcerned with health issues such as weight and respiratory issues with rodents). Also, is it just me or is the vet recommendation "feed a guinea pig" kind of like asking me to get a cat to be lazy? 
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Mar 31, 2012 18:56
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Yeah, I'm not sure of the exact weight of Clover (waiting until bank opens tomorrow to get scales) but you can feel her spine and hips pretty prominently through her fur. She could probably stand to gain a few hundred grams (I think 200 was the vet recommendation) and she's eating fine, pooping and whatnot so I think she'll be okay with a regular diet. Most likely whoever had her before me just fed her hay and nothing else or something like that. On another note, I swear I've read everywhere that guinea pigs are active during the day, but mine seem to only want to run around in circles and chase each other at 2 am. Is it just a temporary "until they get used to the schedule" thing or will I have to get used to late night/early morning romps?
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Apr 2, 2012 00:51
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I don't mind it that much (if they do wake me up I tend to fall right back asleep) but that's good to know. I'm pretty sure I got that little "factoid" from a Petsmart brochure when I went to get timothy hay anyway.  Petsmart!Here's another picture of Clover, just for fun.  Later today I'm buying a pen so they can run around on the balcony a bit. It's screened in and there's no way for them to get out of it normally, but I just want to be super-safe.
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Apr 2, 2012 13:27
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SonicYooth posted:Just my two cents but I'd make sure the pen has a roof. The pigs would be easy prey for a hawk without one. Oh, the balcony itself has a roof over it. It's basically like an entire enclosed outdoor room.
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Apr 2, 2012 14:14
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Imaduck posted:One warning about this: a friend of mine set his pigs out on his balcony with a concrete floor. It wasn't super warm out, but the concrete floor itself got very, very hot, as it had been exposed to the sun earlier, and they got dehydrated / heat stroke, and one even died Alright, I'll be sure to keep an eye out. The balcony we have is wooden, but the slats are too tiny for even a rat to get through. Maaaybe a mouse, though. I appreciate all the advice, everyone. I'll try to get a picture of said balcony for better advice/ideas later on. Right now I'm debating covering the area they'll be in with flat cardboard so there's no chance of splinters/nail snagging.
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Apr 3, 2012 21:25
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Good news! My previously underweight guinea pig, Clover, is now at a healthy weight!  I celebrated by letting them run around on the porch-balcony-thing with a large blanket covering the area they were running on and kept them contained to a single corner so I wouldn't have to worry about them getting into something they shouldn't (supervised the whole time though). I have never heard Clover be so vocal. She whistled for about 5 minutes straight while running around out there.
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Apr 13, 2012 17:43
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I have a general question about guinea pig health. I had a bit of a freakout earlier because Bailey's head was tilted and she seemed kind of unresponsive to me for a bit, but she's eating and drinking okay now, as well as peeing and pooping fine. I'm taking her in to the vet tomorrow and I suppose it's probably inner ear infection, since she seems fine otherwise and was completely okay earlier today. I wanted to know the causes behind these infections, and if there's anything I can do to help prevent them in the future. Right now Bailey is fine, if acting a bit drunk when she orients herself. Right now she's asleep. I've been monitoring her for close to 4 hours now and she's able to do everything pretty much on her own, would it be okay to put her back in her run with the other guinea pig or should I continue to keep an eye on her separately? I'm about to keel over myself, so I wanted to know if I should grab a red bull or go ahead and let her back in the run until I take her to the vet in the morning? Or if I should alternatively check on her every few hours and try to get some sleep in the meantime. Sorry for  , it's the first time I've dealt with this so I was uncertain. As a sidenote, I bawled over the way she looked when I first came home and saw that, I was certain she'd broken her spine or something up until I went and re-read this thread.  Thank you for existing, thread.
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Apr 17, 2012 06:23
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I went to the vet today with Bailey. I've been keeping her in pretty okay condition I think, but she did have an inner ear infection. I got Bailey from a rescue but they didn't have much information on her when I had her, so the vet thinks she's had one in the past and it just reoccurred, apparently that can happen sometimes? But it was an ear infection, she's supposed to get two drops of Baytril in each ear twice a day for 10 days. Her weight is at a pound exactly and has been for a week or so (ever since I started weighing my underweight guinea pig I was weighing her too) so there's no weight loss or gain there, and the vet said her teeth looked great. So I'm curious now, about the reoccurring ear infections now. Is it normal if they've had those in the past to have them again periodically? Because I got no warning whatsoever on that one, she was just fine when I left to get some food last night and when I came home her head was cockeyed and she was kind of lethargic. I'm just confused now because I brush down the run and wash it/dry it twice a week and replace the bedding every time I do. Could it maybe have something to do with something getting in her ears? I don't know I'm just trying to figure it out sorry if I'm rambling But yes, she is fine now, eating and drinking okay too. I gave her a rather hefty slice of bell pepper along with timothy hay in the travel cage and by the time we got there she'd eaten the whole thing. I'm glad that she's acting a lot better than she was last night, though.
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Apr 17, 2012 15:23
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Called the rescue to let them know, they said they know now because there was another guinea pig rescued from the same place (a BYB breeder/hoarder I think) got an ear infection again too and has a permanent head tilt now. Poor girl.  Thankfully my other guinea pig rescued from the same place hasn't shown signs of anything other than coming in underweight and overgrown nails, but I'm keeping a close eye on her to make sure. On another note, the vet mentioned that rabbits can get this too? I didn't know about that, is it the same basic cause in both? Can chinchillas or other rodents (or lagomorphs) get it as well? One last question, can it be transmitted to other animal species besides other guinea pigs? Thank you for all the help, alucinor. I've calmed down considerably since then, and Bailey seems to enjoy me doting over her. She's been very calm through this whole ordeal.
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Apr 17, 2012 22:48
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They didn't mention that, no. I was curious because for a while I was considering getting a rabbit, but I probably won't because of having carpeted floors in every room. I do have a dog though, so I'll be sure to keep everyone separate. Thanks again, I'll try to get some pictures of the scamps later tonight to share with the thread.
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Apr 17, 2012 23:58
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Well....gently caress. I thought Bailey was doing a lot better but she passed away an hour ago. There was just no warning that I could see. She was active, eating and drinking, pooping and peeing, and yelling at me for giving her the usual dose of Baytril. Then at around 2 am, she was jumping around but didn't seem to be moving much from one spot, so I picked her up. Her front end was limp. She stayed on her side, unable to stand up for about an hour, then started having seizures while I was searching for an e vet. She passed away when I woke up my roommate to drive me to the vet. I'm just too in shock and confused about what possibly could have happened to really think straight. She even nibbled on some bell pepper while she was going downhill, and drank water. I'm taking her body to the closer vet when they're open on Monday for a necropsy, and I'm taking my other guinea pig in to make sure she's okay too. Right now I'm disinfecting the gently caress out of everything. Any idea what could've happened? I'm just really, really confused. I'm going to tell the rescue about what happened too.
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Apr 22, 2012 10:20
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I was able to find a vet open today that was okay with doing a guinea pig necropsy. It's the same vet I took her to for the ear infection. She looked really shocked when she realized it was the same guinea pig she treated the week before. I should have the results by next week on that. My other guinea pig is fine and doesn't seem to have been too badly effected emotionally, either. I'm pretty relived but now I'm worried if she'll be okay without a companion. I'm just going to keep an eye on her for now. Still kinda in shock over the whole thing, but I wanted to thank you guys for offering your support and advice. Don't think I'll be getting from that rescue again though, as I adopted rats a few months ago who all ended up sick with URIs within a few weeks of having them. Kind of uneasy about them now.
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Apr 22, 2012 22:51
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Necropsy came back with inconclusive. Welp. I guess if it's any consolation, that means I probably wouldn't have been able to spot what was going on anyway. My other guinea pig is still doing okay. I was delayed in building the ultra-huge-amazing cage setup for her, but I'm back on track now.
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Apr 25, 2012 13:16
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So the rescue I got Bailey and Clover at felt so bad about Bailey's death that they practically shoved another guinea pig in my hands, plus medical records and as much information as possible since I had the paperwork proving Bailey's death was inconclusive. So uh, this new guinea pig's name is Pepper. I'm still pretty upset over the whole thing so I'm having a hard time getting used to her, but thankfully Clover and her get along very well. Pepper is only a few months old, apparently the previous owner bought two guinea pig females and one of them turned out to be pregnant, so Pepper is apart of the resulting litter.  I'm kind of apprehensive but her and Clover get along so well that I feel like I can't complain.
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Apr 28, 2012 16:12
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 Guinea pig get out of that tube you're a pig you can't even. Also that ferret will murder you. Also some good news! Pepper is settling in well and seems to actually enjoy being handled, so that's nice. she acts like she was handfed and handled a bunch before I got her.
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May 1, 2012 15:26
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Personally I just open the image in a new tab if it's thumbnailed and my comp auto-resizes it so it's not a big deal to me, but if you click to enlarge it then it does take up quite a bit of space, so whatever you want to do I suppose.  Here are some newer pictures of my piggies. This is Pepper, she's definitely grown since I've gotten her. She's growing on me more and more, and while not exactly "affectionate", she doesn't seem to mind eating snacks out of my hand now.  And here's Clover. She looks a lot better from when I first got her and she was underweight.  She clung to my hand like that the whole time I was clipping her nails.
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May 12, 2012 15:57
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Here's a small heartwarming story for you guys. I posted up an ad for a bird cage on craigslist and got two people inquiring about the other cage I had in the same picture - a rat cage, the ones my rats are currently using. I said "unfortunately not selling that" to both, but then the latter one contacted me and told me about a hamster she rescued and needed a new home for. It's a big ol' Syrian hamster that was mistreated by his former owners. The would drag him out of the cage kicking and screaming by his ears and tail, and she was looking for a bigger home for it. So I offered my first cage - those dinky rat starter cages that can fit like, one male rat at best? But man it's the perfect size for that hamster. Long story short, rescued hamster is getting a big new home for basically the price of gas to meet them from a completely unrelated ad. Yeah, I'm a sucker for sob stories.
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Jun 1, 2012 02:40
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I am kind of  right now over my guinea pigs. I have two females, I know that for sure, both about 9 months old, but one of them is seriously like 3 times the size of the other. They are fed pretty much the same diet (along with fresh veggies every day) and yet the larger one is significantly bigger. Scales confirmed she weighs a lot more than the other one (which is also weird considering she was emaciated when I first got her) so I'm just wondering if that's normal? They both are of healthy weight, just one's a lot bigger (and kind of a dick to the smaller one). I spent the past week double-checking their genders just because of how comically exaggerated the size difference between them is. Other than that, they're both healthy and a lot better about being handled than they were several months ago.
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Jun 23, 2012 16:23
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I've had the smaller one for 8, the larger one for the full nine. And I'm dumb and didn't write their weights down so I'll have to do that tomorrow. The larger one seems to eat more actual hay than the smaller, while the smaller seems to prefer eating veggies and picking out flowers and things from the hay before bothering with it. I don't monitor them 24/7 though, so there's a possibility she may not be getting as much food in the long run. Hopefully their weights will equal out more once this larger cage is finished so they'll have a lot of opportunities to eat from different bowls and such instead of sharing a single food bowl and place to get hay. The larger one was from a pair I got that after about a month, one of them passed away suddenly. So I got another guinea pig (the smaller one) to be her companion. They were around the same size then, the huge size difference seemed to have occurred within the past month or so. e: Don't think she could be pregnant unless guinea pigs can delay pregnancy like kangaroos. Just been big pig and little pig for 8 months, both female.
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Jun 23, 2012 17:31
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If you have any bell pepper or other vitamin c rich veggies, offer those to him as well. Guinea pigs need vitamin c in their diets and I'm betting an abandoned one might need some. Poor lil' guy, I hope he finds a new home. There's been a ton of abandoned guinea pig stories lately from my area as well, I wonder what's up with that.
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Jun 26, 2012 23:57
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That's really sad. I've had my guinea pigs for about 4-5 months I think and they've only just started accepting treats from my hand within the past week or so, doesn't stop them from being awesome pets. My local craigslist has a ton of guinea pigs listed in it too, so at least there are some people willing to try and rehome them. I'm not sure how it gets to the point of abandoning them, though. Especially out in the wild. I can kind of understand taking them to a store, but only in the cases where rescues around you don't accept small animals. (Like in my area I think some do, just depends on the shelter.) I assume it's like with some pets, people just don't do research beforehand or don't have a decent guide, so unexpected behaviors (like running and hiding, nibbling/biting, and loud wheeking) might be too much for someone who was expecting a "big hamster" or something. I dunno, I'm rambling. Speaking of that though, my own guinea pigs have both warmed up a lot in the past week, I'm not sure what happened. Usually they hide when I put down food, but now they'll run up to me and follow my hand around. They still run away when I pick them up and act like nail clipping is the most traumatic thing ever, but I digress.
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Jun 27, 2012 11:48
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He looks a lot my girl, Pepper. I just noticed.
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Jun 27, 2012 16:49
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Omigosh babies!  I'm really curious now though, I've never been to a guinea pig show or seen them judged, what kind of standards are they judged on? Coat, body type, colors, that sort of thing? Those pictures are adorable, also. Especially the second one.
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Jul 8, 2012 02:04
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You would think if you don't recognize an animal that you could just ask what it is, but nooo.
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Jul 11, 2012 16:15
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Apple slices should be fine as long as you're not feeding him apple seeds. Unfortunately I don't know much about hamster food but a shrimp head sounds kind of disturbing to find. I don't know if there's Oxbow brand hamster food, but that's generally the brand I trust for my guinea pigs' pellets and my rats' lab blocks.
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Jul 16, 2012 22:29
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Do you put vitamin c drops/tabs in the water? Also, is it filtered? My guinea pigs were extremely picky and only drank filtered water with no drops in it (because I assume that tastes nasty to them).
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Sep 5, 2012 19:44
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Hey guys. Quick question. I've been asked to take care of my friend's Robo Hamster. Other than the info present on Robo websites, is there any particular precautions I should take? He doesn't like being held so for the most part I just feed him/change bedding/get him water, is that all there is to it really? I'm just unfamiliar with hamsters. I'll be keeping him for a semester or two so I want him to be comfortable. He's about 4 months old and never stops running on his wheel unless I'm asleep or not home.  Seems relaxed, but hides behind his house when I feed him.
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Sep 7, 2012 00:43
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The robo hamster I'm taking care of almost escaped today. I was cleaning his cage and he chewed through the temporary carrier (which was a bad idea in retrospect because it's thin cardboard) and I managed to catch him by the leg before he ran under the fridge. Is there any obvious signs I can look for to make sure he's alright? I'm hoping I didn't hurt him by the way I caught him. He's not limping or vocalizing so I'm pretty sure he's okay but if there's any other ways to tell let me know! I just feel really bad for grabbing his leg to catch him but at least he didn't escape. On another note, Petsmart (of course) said that Robos were bitey assholes when I went there and got him a silent spinner. In that really stressful situation he didn't bite, but was still pretty freaked out. He hasn't bitten me once despite my friend mentioning he bit her a few times. Wonder what's up with that.
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Sep 21, 2012 22:51
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Captain Invictus posted:Every single Robo I've owned has been a bitey rear end in a top hat. Most hamsters are bitey assholes really, once they actually wake up and get all hyper, they'll chew on basically anything. Maybe I just got lucky. This little guy is pretty relaxed! Then again, my friend did socialize him a bit before I started babysitting. And good news - looks like he's fine. He's running on his wheel and climbing ramps today so looks like I didn't injure his leg.
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Sep 22, 2012 21:15
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Random rodent question: is it okay to put robo hamsters in those balls they run around the floor on? Also, what's the suggested brand and size if so? I've been wanting to give my hamster some freedom while I clean his cage. And I was originally petsitting him for a few months but it looks like he's just going to be mine, so I'm trying to make him be as comfy as possible.
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Oct 11, 2012 23:13
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My hamsters and guinea pigs both have had the same issue. I'm pretty sure it's just a reactive "oh god my feet are off the ground I'm gonna die" thing that some of them have worse than others. Even my rats have it to some degree but as soon as you plop them on a shoulder, they're calm as can be.
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Oct 30, 2012 13:51
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That actually reminds me - I once cared for a rat with an advanced URI and it had a very distinct, awful smell and really coarse fur. Can that translate to mice too?
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Nov 13, 2012 01:25
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I'd pick out the sunflower seeds to save for treats though. They're pretty fatty.
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Nov 17, 2012 15:16
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They are precious. You should give them food names because all guinea pigs need food names. I forgot to post this here but after I rehomed my rabbits 4ish months ago I decided to adopt two pigs that were at the shelter shortly after because I have no self control (or didn't then, at least). And because I missed WHEEP WHEEP WHEEP all the time. Here's Cocoa:  And Boo:  They're great and adorable and in no way evil.  Okay, maybe a little evil.
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Nov 19, 2012 17:33
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Boo was named Boo when I got her and it's too cute to change.  e: Or her full name could be Boo Berry.
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Nov 19, 2012 17:53
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I haven't posted pictures of Lenin I don't think so uh, here are those.   He is very round.
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Nov 21, 2012 14:31
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Saint Darwin posted:I bring you... That is an awesome fort! Why can't guinea pigs respect fine art? I can't find it on Petco's website, but they added an awesome pigloo thing mine adore. It's got steps so they can stand on top of it! Cocoa liked to put her front paws on the pigloo when she was excited, now she climbs up that and shrieks at me.
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Dec 6, 2012 14:42
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The other day someone dropped off 2 hamsters at Petco. Our local store policy is that we'll take back any animal species we sell (with only a few limitations) and the two hamsters we couldn't sell back due to age. Instead they were up at the front for a small adoption fee. There was this nice hamster cage on clearance for $7, and to make a long story short I have another hamster. I think he's a teddy bear hamster but I honestly don't know. He's really chill and seems to be okay with being held but can get impatient if he's held too long.  When he first got here he was very thirsty (shaky video, sorry). Very active, seems pretty healthy, but I'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow for a checkup. His teeth are a little overgrown, though. Looks like he just "lost his charm" for whoever was keeping him (but I don't know for sure since I wasn't there when he was turned in).
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Dec 7, 2012 16:17
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