OT - guinea pigs for Christmas

[milivica]

I picked up two female guinea pig's today, that had been found with three others in a box in a dumpster! I'm fostering the females, they are under pregnancy watch so I think that's why they didn't want them in the hectic atmosphere of Humane society.

I'm definitely not a guinea pig expert at all, so would love some info on how to make their lives with us as stress free and happy as possible. I'm reading about their dietary care, toe nails, teeth, etc... so that I should have covered.

Also, any advice on favorite toys any of your pigs might have had...do they play with toys?

These are really layed back so far. Unbelievably they don't run when I pet them. They sent big cage, but of course way to small to be joyful and triumphant in, lol. I'll leave their cage open in the kitchen, but only when I'm in it so I make sure they don't get into something I hadn't thought of.

The bunny we fostered loved hopping around the kitchen while I cooked and cleaned. The dogs are intensely interested in the pigs, unless I can work that out we will not keep them, they will indeed be only fostered. I don't like stress! It stresses me to continually worry about one pet eating another - I'm pretty sure it stresses out the pet too!!!

Oh one really fun thing, I found several sites with the various chirps and sounds of guinea pigs, I can't imitate the content sound, but I'm recording it so I can play it lots when ever I pet them. I want them to think "hey, this place must be really safe and fun". I mean, how else do they know that unless I tell them with guinea pigs sounds, ya know?

[Jamies Mommy]

I want to see pictures! I love guinea pigs

[milivica]

This picture does not do them justice, they are so incredibly cute. The brown one has this crazy cowlick on the top of her head. OMG it's so cute. Then the other one with the long 'bangs', she has these sort of calico or tricolor bangs, omg just beautiful. Both though, seem to have the same face, so must get that from one of the parents.

They are really quiet so far. The cage humane society gave me is too small, like a foot and a half by three feet I'm guessing. Anyhow, I remember seeing baby pools at the pet shop, pigs can't jump, so I'll either get that, or more likely, close off the one doorway to my kitchen for a couple of hours a day, but, make sure they can still get in and out of their cage to feel safe.

They got an apple and green pepper treat today, but only a little. I have a huge care packet to read from several Cavey sites plus the humane society. I hate to rely on just one source of info in case it's wrong. Now this kind of thing is actually FUN to learn about.

I'd love some suggestions for names. I keep thinking Crouton for the brown female, I knew a pig named that once and thought it was a darling name. The one with the bangs just looks like royalty or glamorous or something with that long coat. I liked Ginger, but she is tricolor, so has white and brown and ginger coloring, plus she doesn't act like a Ginger (not sure if that makes sense, but she doesn't).

Thanks for asking for a pic of them, here ya go!

[peglem]

The one w/ bangs looks like Tina Turner back in her "What's Love Got to Do With It" days.

[milivica]

OH funny, yes she does! The names I was thinking of for her tonight were Diva, Tina, Gina, Eva...funny that you say that. She might wind up with Tina now that you've made that association in my head. Till you said that, the dark underside and the light top of her doo, reminded me of Christina Agulera(sp) back when she made that 'Dirty' video, you know, the two tone hair thing. Hmmm, Tina Turner, Christina. I think it's going to have to be TINA. Done deal.

Now the other cutie with the wild cowlick. So far she reminds me just a little of that country singer that looks real boyish, OH Katy Lang I think is her name. Really great voice, but I'm not sure she might be gay or one of those folks that look both boyish and girlish, I forget what that's called again. Androgenous or something I think.

Hmmm. Tina and Katy. Well, I like Tina anyway. I don't want to call the other Crouton if the first one has such a cute girl name. I know, not that they pigs would know.

And don't anyone say Ike for the other one, even if she were a boy no way.

[mrsdoubtfyre]

you have a big heart to save these poor critters.

Perhaps you were led there by their guardian angels?

It is reprehensible to think someone would throw living creatures into a dumpster. :mad:

[Tootsie]

My kids had guinea pigs. We called the multi colored one "Whistles" because of the noise she made. In the summer, we would put the cages outdoors on the grass. They make wonderful manure to nourish a garden! Cheerio.

[milivica]

Hi MrsD, actually I didn't find them and save them, but I do have my name and number at the humane society, and foster animals when I can. Often I can't, such as cats would just not work around here, but anything in a cage or tank would.

Tootsie, yes, if they are still around here in the spring (if they have babies they will be) I'll do the same, or unchemically treated lawn is overflowing with various grasses and clover and weeds, why not a little pig crap. Who'd know? I'm tellin ya one day, here in Madison city of lakes, I'm going to put a rock wall bordering my entire yard, and make the biggest pond a residential home owner ever had. Enough for a row boat and some trout anyhow.

I'm real happy to say, that based on even the short amount of time these pigs have been here, they do not seem to associate humans with anything negative. Already, they have come out of their plastic igloo to take treats from me (cilantro, green pepper, apple) when I 'weeeek', then, eat it in the open and don't even go back into their house. If they're already out and I walk past, they don't run back into their igloo. I'm really basing this though, only on the way I perceive pigs at pet shops act, plus the few I've known that others owned.

I finally had the name I thought was right for the pig with the bangs, hit me. Trixie. I have no idea why, but she looks like that to me, I suppose the tri-color had to have a tri in the name. Also, I want a name that is cute and fun to say for their 'someday' family which I assume will have kids. I also considered Acee Decee (get it, ACDC the rock group) only cause I heard "All Night Long" on the radio tonight. They were out in the kitchen today, omg it was hysterical...first they hung out in their igloo which I put on the floor in the corner assuming it would make them feel safer than being in the open. They didn't come out. So, I lined up chairs and put towels over so it was like a tunnel, and made a path to under the microwave cart where there was another igloo, and, put a patch of timothy hay in between. They seemed to have a blast, going back and forth and back and forth between igloos, about a 5 foot run, so not too long - they just thought it was so cool, going back and forth, and each time, going a little further out of the towel 'tunnel' to investigate. My voice is not soothing to them at all, but they will come up to my face if I shut up (I was laying on the ground on my stomach).

So that was very fun. There's something about watching little critters have fun that is just sooooo enjoyable. Like you just feel lighter, not giggly but a contentment.

They're so like independent from us but unified with one another, I think they seem so far to think life would be funner if I just left the food and left them be to run and frolic and poop everywhere. And omg, they sure do a lot of that! I'm trying to figure out how to make a nice exercise run for them, shouldn't be hard at all. I think they don't come out so much, cause they're in a cage so like, where they gonna go? That's how I'd feel anyhow. I want a cheap and easy plan, and founds lots online. I gotta say though, I still don't have a 'feel' for them, can't read them at all (like humans, lol, kidding, I'm actually doing that now).

[milivica]

Ok, got it.

Pickles (with the bangs) and Crouton (with the hair colics)

Sound like guinea pig names to me, and, leaves me room to expand the 'food' or 'salad' names if one or both are pregnant. And, I think both are - just a total guess. I have been reading more, I picked them up today. Both felt like they had a softball inside of them. Seemed like a bulge, then again I don't know what a nonpregnant guinea pig feels like. HA! I just thought of something funny. I have an old EPT test still, maybe I should test the pigs pee??? Wonder if that'd work? I have no idea if they'd have the same hormones or what ever makes the test show pos or neg, as humans do. After all, they are 'guinea pigs' and lots of human stuff was tested with them (sadly).

Be kind of amusing if nothing else! Be super easy to do, when I let them have free run in the kitchen, they leave wee puddles.

[milivica]

HA!!!!! 'Wee' puddles....get it? The double meaning, baawawawwaa!!!!

Ok, maybe I need sleep.
(but it was a good pun!)

[frogmama]

you could go to the pet store and ask them "may I squeeze your pigs?" so you will have a comparison...

i would pay actual money to see you do that ;)

[milivica]

Hey! That's actually really good idea Froggy. Did you actually mean that as a joke, cause that's a great idea!

[milivica]

OH also, dh didn't like Pickles for a name, so we're going with

Crouton and Kalie (as in Kale)

Sure is a nice break for my brain, to think about guinea pig names instead of, well instead of just about anything else (mortgage, bills, school, IEP's, etc...)

[Lynda]

Careful if you do that...a lot of pet stores don't know how to sex them and don't bother trying.

[frogmama]

Well, I'm serious in that I've actually done that with hamsters (not actually "asking" to squeeze them just asking general breeding questions and holding them while surreptitiously squeezing them :)), not serious in that YOU WILL GET SOME REALLY FUNNY LOOKS IF YOU ACTUALLY ASK!! Ok, depends on your local pet store - they may be completely used to YOU by now, lol.

[milivica]

Hee hee, yeah I wasn't going to ask quite that way either. Lord only knows how that might be interpreted!

But it really is a great idea. I'd like to know because if they are, they need a slightly different diet, more calcium, stuff like that.

Well, I just snapped a few piccies. It looks like a total mess, but it's their play area in my kitchen - that they run through and mess up, but seem to have lots of fun in. They love to shoot from 'cave' to 'cave', to mess up all the papers and hay, and to shoot in and out from under the microwave cart in a 'train' following one another.

Hope you enjoy the photos of Crouton and Kalie (the one with the bangs).

[milivica]

Took all day yesterday, rebuilding a cage I had already, turning it into a horizontal cage (from a vertical) but it's done. The piggies now have a total of 12 square feet to run around in, it's secured to my coffee table so my shrimpy dogs can't scare or get to them. And yes my living room looks like crap. But that's fine! They need that, especially with them both feeling what ever a pregnant guinea pig feels about territory, finding a safe place. One was kicking the other out of their igloo. Now they have 4 mini habits in this habitat to give birth in the safety of cover. When you foster animals, and it's all so temporary (maybe till mid march tops). I might be getting selfish, I'm just not up for the large zoo I once had. I don't mind all the poop and feedings and so on, I don't like the stress though when one gets out, since most of what we had will chew electrical wires which could kill them or us if there's a fire.

I'll resurrect this thread when they have their babiiiiiiies! Though I have no idea how long that might be, cause the humane society has no idea when they got pregnant. That's going to be so adorable!!! A bunch of mini-pigs squealing and hopping around, scurrying into their areas of cover. And LOTS of poop to clean, lol. I'm cleaning now at least once a day. Wow these ladies go a lot. As you could see from the pics above though, they're so stinkin cute. Can't wait to see their little 'duplicates' hopping around.