# Rescued a Guinea Pig today and I don't know anything about them



## Katie Chumlee and Shorty (Oct 22, 2010)

but I knew enough to know that what she was living in was unacceptable. Her cage had not been cleaned in at least a month they said. Her hair/fur was matted and full of her own feces and urine. We cleaned the cage there and I loaded up all her belongings and took her home. And the most embarrassing part is that it was my brothers!  He knows better! Her name is Pig and please vomit as much info as you can to me about them and I will try to keep up. Thank you so much in advance.















btw.... my heart sunk into my stomach when I typed in guinea pig into the forum search and got a bunch of threads in "raw feeding" omg...


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## Nani (Apr 14, 2010)

CUTE!!!!! Love cavys! I fed mine timothy hay, a little alfalfa, dark green veggies, all other veggies and fruit. Guineas need a good source of vit c as they can't make their own. Buy treat toys and hang and hide the food to mimic foraging. Kale and other dark leafy greens are an excellent source of vit c. There is something I'm forgetting I'll get back when I remember. Congrats and beware.....guineas KNOW when you've opened the fridge and they WILL expect a hand out!!!! ..........They are pigs after all! :hungry:


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

A great website is Guinea Lynx :: A Medical and Care Guide for Your Guinea Pig

The type of guinea pig you have is called a Peruvian. They are beautiful. If you can't get the mats out just trim her fur. She should be eating a very small amount of plain pellets, unlimited timothy hay or other grass hay, and about a cup of veggies per day. For mine I usually feed something like a leaf of lettuce, a few stalks of dandelion greens and some sprigs of cilantro or another herb. Variety is key! They love fruit and carrots but only as treats, too much sugar is bad for them just like it is for us. She'll need a cage about 7sq. feet or more and will probably be happy with a buddy. Just make sure they are the same sex because you don't want them breeding! 
Four of my pigs are currently up for adoption due to allergies and lack of space... if you're interested


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

My first pet in college was a Peruvian Guinea Pig!! They are adorable but messy. I used to keep my pigs cage filled with cat litter (the kind made of newspapers or other stuff, NOT clay) with wood shavings on top. It made it a lot easier to clean him but he still needed cleaned often. Wood chips were really expensive then and I couldn't afford as much as he needed for a clean cage. They can't stay in rabbit cages where the debris falls thru because they will injure their feet. They have to stay in guinea pig cages. 

In addition to the pellets, mine had a salt wheel that hung from his cage and he LOVED nibbling on it. I had read somewhere that they needed a salt wheel and mine sure seem to enjoy it. 

If he got too dirty I occassionally gave him a bath in the sink with warm water and baby shampoo. You have to make sure they stay really warm if you bath them (we lived in Florida so it wasn't hard), and make sure they don't catch any chills because they catch cold easy. 

I also let mine run around outside once in awhile by putting the top of his cage directly on the grass and setting something heavy on top of it. He seemed to really enjoy being outside and on the direct grass. We'd also let him run around our enclosed patio for exercise but you have to remember that they aren't housebroken so they will 'go' anywhere while they are out running around! The kitchen would be good for exercise (easy to clean up the floor). 

Good luck with your new pig!!


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## Katie Chumlee and Shorty (Oct 22, 2010)

I think she was being fed the wrong food. There is a bag of timothy hay, a bag of pellets, and a bag of mixed stuff with corn kernels in it. The bedding is pine......?


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

I don't know what the corn stuff is but guinea pigs should only have plain pellets, no cereals of "veggies" in them. 
Pine is okay but since you have a Peruvian you may find that shavings are easily picked up by her fur. You can use wood stove pellets or pelleted newspaper litter [like chowder mentioned] with a top layer of carefresh, or, a better option, you can use fleece and towels: Tasha's Tails: Writings from Amy and her cavies: Fleece Bedding Breakdown.


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## Katie Chumlee and Shorty (Oct 22, 2010)

Is this size big enough for two?
20.5'' H x 41.25'' W x 20.5'' D


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## Katie Chumlee and Shorty (Oct 22, 2010)

she has red eyes too weird


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

I have had many guinea pigs over the years, most recently I had 2 that I rescued from Petco....they were in their tiny cages on the counter with the note "free or $10 donation on them) so I snatched them up....unfortunately my hubby was severely allergic to them so I had to rehome them. One thing is they need quite large cages/enclosures. I made a cube cage for mine Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home They loved it. They would do what was called 'popcorning' around the cage. Don't use exercise balls/wheels as those can damage their spines. If you are feeding a good selection of greens etc you shouldn't need to supplement with Vitamin C, if they don't get enough Vitamin C they can get scurvy, which can make them very sick and can actually kill them. Since yours was neglected it might be a good idea to supplement with a chewable vitamin C tablet for a while, I used to give like 1/8-1/4 of a 500mg to mine until I got them on a good dose of healthy veggies. The Guinea Lynx page has excellent information on it about their care. Wait until she starts squeaking for the veggies....that just made my day  They'd get so excited for them.

Here are a couple pictures of the enclosure I made for mine.


















& eating their veggies


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

Katie Chumlee and Shorty said:


> Is this size big enough for two?
> 20.5'' H x 41.25'' W x 20.5'' D


That sounds fine to me, especially since they're girls. Are you planning to get another one? Please adopt from a shelter or rescue... don't buy from the pet store!


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## Katie Chumlee and Shorty (Oct 22, 2010)

The humane society doesn't have any for adoption and the ones at petco had to stay together so I'm on a waiting list I guess...I would never buy from a pet store eewwwie! I love animals too much!!!


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## Katie Chumlee and Shorty (Oct 22, 2010)

*Piggy gets slight upgrade !*

Before








After








I still have to pick up the fresh food


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

If you are itching for another pig, try petfinder! Pet Search Results: Adoptable guinea pig Small Pets in Faribault, MN: Petfinder

But don't feel like you have to rush into anything. Guinea pigs are kind of like potato chips... you can't have just one! But do pace yourself


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## Katie Chumlee and Shorty (Oct 22, 2010)

SilverBeat said:


> If you are itching for another pig, try petfinder! Pet Search Results: Adoptable guinea pig Small Pets in Faribault, MN: Petfinder
> 
> But don't feel like you have to rush into anything. Guinea pigs are kind of like potato chips... you can't have just one! But do pace yourself


Yes I hear what you are saying lol I read some ads on CL for some free ones or rehoming ones and I just didn't get a good feeling about the ad so I didn't do anything further.


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

Katie Chumlee and Shorty said:


> Yes I hear what you are saying lol I read some ads on CL for some free ones or rehoming ones and I just didn't get a good feeling about the ad so I didn't do anything further.


Oh I don't blame you... THIS: Guinea Pigs for Adoption is my craigslist ad for my four that I have to re-home... trying to shake off as much of that 'yuck-I-am-offering-up-my-guinea-pigs-on-craigslist' feeling. I like to think that most craigslist rehoming ads are harmless, but unfortunately from what I've heard from people who adopt off CL, the animals are not typically in great shape.


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## Katie Chumlee and Shorty (Oct 22, 2010)

SilverBeat said:


> Oh I don't blame you... THIS: Guinea Pigs for Adoption is my craigslist ad for my four that I have to re-home... trying to shake off as much of that 'yuck-I-am-offering-up-my-guinea-pigs-on-craigslist' feeling. I like to think that most craigslist rehoming ads are harmless, but unfortunately from what I've heard from people who adopt off CL, the animals are not typically in great shape.


female guinea Pig

These are the ads I am talking about. I would respond to your ad.


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

Katie Chumlee and Shorty said:


> female guinea Pig
> 
> These are the ads I am talking about. I would respond to your ad.


Blech. I hate hearing phrases like "I need to get rid of my... dog/horse/reptile/cat/guinea pig." Makes me wonder if people hear themselves talk.


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## Katie Chumlee and Shorty (Oct 22, 2010)

Well here we are! Thank you so much everyone! Here are my pigs yes I have another girl, I rescued this one too from a nasty situation, makes you think how many animals out there are living is horrible conditions and we have no idea :shocked: Here they are enjoying their kale :becky:






YouTube - Pigs


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

They are SOOOO cute!!! It makes me want to get another one!


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