fell into a guine pig

codykrr

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well my wife, came home from work today....and well now we have a guine pig. so what now? i went and bought some medow blend hay, some wooden blocks to chew on, food and a water bottle, its a full grown female. my first question is....can you take these things to the groomers? it is in severe need of a nail trimming and a hair cut. we were told she loves baths, and hasnt ever bit anyone. so does anyone have some insight?
 

LeilaNami

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well my wife, came home from work today....and well now we have a guine pig. so what now? i went and bought some medow blend hay, some wooden blocks to chew on, food and a water bottle, its a full grown female. my first question is....can you take these things to the groomers? it is in severe need of a nail trimming and a hair cut. we were told she loves baths, and hasnt ever bit anyone. so does anyone have some insight?
Well you could take it to a small animal vet and they will usually have someone there to groom it. Unless it's really matted I think it's easier to just do it yourself. Are you relying on the food to give the pig vitamin C? If so, make sure you keep the food in an airtight container in order to preserve the efficacy of the vitamins. Otherwise, get a vitamin C supplement. I prefer supplementation by drops you put in the water.
 

codykrr

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well ill have to get some then...i didnt know they needed that. also it loves grapes, apples, and carrots. and kale. i dont know but she is cool and i like her noises so far.:D
 

LeilaNami

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Yeah they'll die without that supplementation. Good luck with her. They are very talkative and their care is pretty straightforward. There are even some books out there that teach you to interpret their vocalizations. :D One of mine meeps really loud when she hears me walk into the house. Very sweet animals. What hay is used in the meadow blend? Oh and on the vitamin drops in the water, some people will tell you not to use it but I've never had a problem with it. They say it has other vitamins that are toxic but if you make sure the drops only contain C then it's fine. My pigs are old girls and have been on that supplementation method since I got them a couple years back. Also, you have to replace the vitamin C at least every 24 hours which is how often you should at least change the water anyway or as with the food, the vitamin deteriorates. Bell peppers are another good additive to the diet for vitamin C. Have you ever cared for any other rodent before?
 
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Bird Man

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well ill have to get some then...i didnt know they needed that. also it loves grapes, apples, and carrots. and kale. i dont know but she is cool and i like her noises so far.:D


Wait till she runs out of food or water because it knocked it over, or chewed the bottle and all the water came out. Then you will think differently. I bred these guys for 2 years. I never used any vit C supplements, although everyone says to do so, I never had a problem. Finally had enough of their screaming and got rid of the over grown rats.
 

codykrr

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i had a rabbit once...it was more like a dog though...a lap dog at that. i was checking the hay and it is mainly alphalfa. i got blocks for her teeth, and man she is awsome...even knows her name!...literally come to it! and yeah i have tons of mice..so i know water changes daily are needed. but anyway she is in a giant dog crate for now till i build her cage. and man she is awsome. i already lover her to death just hours later. thanks guys.
 

xhexdx

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I'm really not that fond of guinea pigs. Unless you get them young, they seem to be very reluctant to being held or touched. Most of the squealing they do (the loud stuff that's easy to hear) is because they're upset or scared. They do a little bit of noise-making when they're wandering around and exploring stuff, but it's not nearly as loud.

They just don't seem like they have much of a personality. I much prefer rats as pets. But that's me.
 

davidbarber1

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well my wife, came home from work today....and well now we have a guine pig. so what now? i went and bought some medow blend hay, some wooden blocks to chew on, food and a water bottle, its a full grown female. my first question is....can you take these things to the groomers? it is in severe need of a nail trimming and a hair cut. we were told she loves baths, and hasnt ever bit anyone. so does anyone have some insight?
Insight?? Feed it to your python :evil: {D

David
 

mouse

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i have a short hair and a peruvian (long hair)guinea pig. both are male and in different cages. one will "talk" while you hold him and "purr" when you pet him. he is real mellow, the peruvian will sound the alarm if somebody is messing around in the kitchen.
 

codykrr

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sorry, my python isnt that big yet....and besides she is a cool little thing. i guess now i need to try andget her a huge pin and get another "friend" im told they do better in groups. what im really concerned about is her nails. they need trimmed bad. you think a dog nail trimmer would work? im just nervous to do it myself so i dont hit the quick. but they are way over grown. she is cool though
 

Miss Bianca

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OK first of all she's beautifullllllllllll awwww....
I love Guinea pigs. At 14 I had one named Manhattan,
and he was sooooo vocal he'd let me know when he
needed that half'a'head of lettuce one way or the next!

she's very cute. she definitely does not need her fur trimmed down,
it goes that way she is a rarer form and the little swirls in her fur-
forgot what they are called are very cool.
Her nails may be trimmed with the idea you had of maybe getting
puppy claw-clippers, however it may NOT be necessary at all.
Guinea pigs' nails are kinda long as it is...
they might be as they are suppose to be.
(maybe post a close-up pic to see if there's a problem ex: curving,
and/or if you get other suggestions..)

Also, she doesn't look full-grown, but fairly small...

she is sooo cute! congrats!

don't listen to the 'cute-pet-haters' that don't like them. LOL
they're great if you have enough room and can afford weekly-or-more
bedding changes. They peepee and caca alottttttttt...
:)
 

codykrr

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haha, yeah well as for bedding....my wife works as a nutritionist in a nursing home, and can get me huge bags of shredded paper. i didnt mean she needed her hair trimed just her claws they are starting to curve and you can definatly tell they need trimmed. but thanks for the comments, she is very ool nd my daughter loves her, buti will be honest, i will hold any T anytime, but she kinda freaks me out! her teeth are huge and i know that a bite would hurt!anyway, i belive we are going to get her a friend, maybe a peruvian long hair?
 

Miss Bianca

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haha, yeah well as for bedding....my wife works as a nutritionist in a nursing home, and can get me huge bags of shredded paper. i didnt mean she needed her hair trimed just her claws they are starting to curve and you can definatly tell they need trimmed. but thanks for the comments, she is very ool nd my daughter loves her, buti will be honest, i will hold any T anytime, but she kinda freaks me out! her teeth are huge and i know that a bite would hurt!anyway, i belive we are going to get her a friend, maybe a peruvian long hair?



It'd be cool to get her a friend... and by the way, your T will bite you wayyyyyyy before this little one will!!! They aren't agrressive but can become startled by sudden movements and/or sounds... best of luck...
:)
 

LeilaNami

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Wait till she runs out of food or water because it knocked it over, or chewed the bottle and all the water came out. Then you will think differently. I bred these guys for 2 years. I never used any vit C supplements, although everyone says to do so, I never had a problem. Finally had enough of their screaming and got rid of the over grown rats.
You can get by without drops if you keep food fortified with vitamin C in an airtight container and replace daily. You can also get away with feeding some veggies and fruits with vitamin C but you will need to calculate the proper dosage in grams for each piece of food. Drops are a heck of a lot easier to ensure that your pig is getting the necessary amount of the vitamin.

Oh and mine
Christian (she has cataracts)


Patches (older with kidney/thyroid issues...she periodically loses clumps of hair because of it)
 

codykrr

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ok, well we give her a bath today, and i clipped her toenails. i had someone i trust tell me that regular tonail clippers are the best for this application. also i as surprized to see how well you can visibly see the quick. so no worries there. also was surprized how much she liked the bath. well as of now we are lookinginto getting her a "play pin" instead of me building her a new cage. kinda like this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr7bBsXkJGU

any ideas on where to buy one?
 

mouse

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they got the "fences" at the petshop where you can make the cage/kennel/pen. or you could go and buy the shelves that look like milk crate cubes but are squares that you clip togeter and make a long fence/kennel instead of cubes. i don't have the play yard yet, but my kids take the guineas out and have them on the floor with them and pillows and boxes.
and you got a cutie. my short hair is white with red around the eyes and ears and a red patch on one hip. my boy had to name him rodney. the long hair is black with gray and has one hind foot with only one toe. but he came that way, his fur looks like somebody cut it, he is named onix. i found both on craigslist from different ppl. now they are in cages next to each other to get used to each other and come out together, and hopefully i can put them into the same cage together eventually.
 

codykrr

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well ours seems to like eating on the long carpet fibers! so i think im going to get a burber ruh to put in the pin once we get it. also we were told today that she used to be kept with a rabbit, but the reason they gave them to us was because she would chew the hair off the rabbit. do they ever "fight" in groups like this? or if she is kept with acuall other pigs will she be ok. got me alittle worried now. oh andalso she is almost ayear old. so how long do they live? im sorry for asking a million questions and wouldnt ver normally dive into any pet before knowing about them. but this was my wifes doings.:eek:
 

mouse

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they like to live in groups, but as with other animals they want to know who is in charge, so they sometimes get into fights till they know who is boss (that's why my 2 are in different cages. i'll let them meet on neutral ground and they sniff each other and get along, but when they do the screaming and chattering i'll take them apart. but their cages are next to each other, so they can get used to each other. plus i heard not to keep them in a cage with a rabbit. and some do chew off the hair on others or themselves, but that isn't dangerous.
gonna have to take some pic's of my two boys and post them some time.
 

LeilaNami

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they like to live in groups, but as with other animals they want to know who is in charge, so they sometimes get into fights till they know who is boss (that's why my 2 are in different cages. i'll let them meet on neutral ground and they sniff each other and get along, but when they do the screaming and chattering i'll take them apart. but their cages are next to each other, so they can get used to each other. plus i heard not to keep them in a cage with a rabbit. and some do chew off the hair on others or themselves, but that isn't dangerous.
gonna have to take some pic's of my two boys and post them some time.
Right. They tend to both be docile animals but if the bunny gets startled in any way, the guinea pig may get seriously hurt by a stray kick. Also, gpigs groom...a lot. My two give each other hair cuts :D
 
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