# I got guinea pigs! And a question.



## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

Long story short I got guinea pigs and wasn't planning too. I have researched them before and I know what they need. They are living in a temporary cage until on Tuesday I get a good one. They seem really scared and won't move. They are just huddled up. Is this normal? I don't think they are sick. Their eyes are clear and you can't hear their breathing. Could they be that scared?


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I have 4 guinea pigs!

They probably are that scared. Guinea pigs are silly things, like ultra prey animals and can be super fearful nervous little things lol Give them time it will be a bit better 

Make sure they have hay 24/7 and lots of veggies!

Here is a good forum:
https://www.guineapigcages.com/
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/index.php

if u r on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/663237273725239/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheGuineaPigCommunity/

I also really recommend using a C&C cage!

Also pics?


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

I forgot about pics, I will get some when they wake up or decide to move.


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## jlhummel (Oct 23, 2014)

I used to have Guinea pigs too. Love them. Yes it'll probably take a while for them to warm up. For mine their initial response was always..."eep it's going to eat me!" But once I had them in My lap they were happy with cuddles. My one boy Carson Lived to be just a few months the shy of 10yrs old!!! That's pretty old for a piggeh.

This is an excellent forum. Www.guinealynx.info


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## InuLing (Dec 26, 2015)

Yeah I like to call them little cowards because their reaction to pretty much everything is to flee. They love getting pet though. I'd just always get them out and once they were in my arms they stopped being terrified and started purring. Silly things.


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

The first image is Coco and the second image is Sage. They have warmed up to me but still run away. They really are cowards aren't they.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Some pigs might be more outgoing than others... The other day I saw a woman with a shoulder pig walking her kids to school.... 

[Begin rant]

Seriously?! They allowed her to bring her pig onto school property and banned our shoulder rats??? They actually printed and sent a "no pets" flyer to every kid in the school when I picked up my daughter with our rat on my shoulder.... and I've seen dogs in the school lobby... 

NO ANIMALS? Our rats tail dragging ar**!

There really has to be a test to be a school administrator that accurately measures the size of a person's intellect and inversely applies their intelligence level to the rank and position they are hired for.... There's actually a school in NJ where the average score on the standardized state test is under 1 (out of 100). Given the test has multiple choice questions statistically any one of our rats would do better than those kids if we put a keyboard into their cage and treats on the A, B, C, and D keys.... What kind of a mind can conceive of an educational system that produces kids that are actually stupider than rats?

Don't answer that... and I intend no offense to competent administrators anywhere.... if you can read this, you most likely aren't among the people I'm annoyed with.

[End rant]


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I had GPs for close to a year before I developed hay allergies and had to rehome them. I would get the biggest cage you can.. if you can build a C&C cage that is often the cheaper route to go for a large one. I used the midwest guinea pig home (the big folding cage with the canvas bottom) but I removed the divider. 

I'd suggest putting their hay in mangers / hay bags to keep it off the floor ofthe cage and putting small cat litter trays with paper pellet litter below the hay.. they will spends loads of time there and poo while there. Do not underestimate the amount they will poo in a day... I found a hand-held vaccuum very useful on a daily basis to vacc up poos. 

I also suggest training them to run into a "snuggle sack" or some such using veggies.. this makes it a lot easier to move them into a larger play pen so you can clean their cage. I used rewards by putting veggies in the sack for them and immediately moving them to their pen with loads of vegg in it... Soon all of mine were trained to run into the sack when they saw it.

As for fear... These guys are very much prey animals and mine hated being picked up from above. They were ok once in a cuddle cup in my lap with some vegg, but did not enjoy being petted or messed with much. 

I found it was most fun to watch my GPs interact with each other and run around rather than interacting directly with them. They would take food from me, but were not nearly as interactive as rats.


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

I have a midwest cage without the divider and I'm almost certain in getting another one so that it will be almost 16 square feet. I have a cat so I was wondering if you think it would be ok to put the cage on the floor. I have the one on a table for now.


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## InuLing (Dec 26, 2015)

That depends on your cat and your piggies. They are very much prey animals and will likely be terrified of your cat. If your cat is likely to harass them or even just spend a lot of time near them, then I wouldn't try it.


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

He does tend to be near them I wouldn't say harass though. I think i'll just get a second table.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I have my cage on the floor and I have 2 dogs & 7 cats. 

It really just depends on your pets. My boy GPs were alittle bit nervous at first but they are all used to each other now and all is well. 
My one girl seems to like the dogs and cats more then us.... lol she runs to the cage to see them. All of my pets are bored with the guinea pigs now and only ever go look at them if they are being loud and popcorning like silly, except for my one cat Ziva. She loves to sit and watch them. 










(the pic of the cage is when i first was putting it together so it is super empty lol


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

My cat still stalks the rats and it has been almost 2 years... My dog doesn't care so that isn't an issue. My cat just seems like a little spy to me. He is super sneaky and will apear out of nowhere. I just don't want my GPs to be scared. As a side note they came up to me and sniffed me so we are making progress.


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Yay, progress. I don't know where you keep your rats, but if you can, I'd put the GP in the same room. Granted, I keep my rats in my bedroom, which is a no-fly zone for the rest of the predators, so you might have a different situation.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

RatAtat2693 said:


> Yay, progress. I don't know where you keep your rats, but if you can, I'd put the GP in the same room. Granted, I keep my rats in my bedroom, which is a no-fly zone for the rest of the predators, so you might have a different situation.


I'd suggest not doing that if you let your rats run around the room though. 

I had mine in the same room and my rats could easily slip through the bars of the midwest cage. They would steal their veggies and bully them. It could be dangerous.


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

moonkissed said:


> RatAtat2693 said:
> 
> 
> > Yay, progress. I don't know where you keep your rats, but if you can, I'd put the GP in the same room. Granted, I keep my rats in my bedroom, which is a no-fly zone for the rest of the predators, so you might have a different situation.
> ...


Didn't think about that. I used to pet sit GPs, but my rats are huge boys who live in a rabbit cage, so they couldn't make it through the bars.

I once found a Craigslist ad that was trying to get rid of a rat since it kept bullying the GP. Turns out they were housed together.

I was just like, "Dude, no."


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

I wish I was making this up.

Very old.


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## Simons_mom (Mar 25, 2016)

RatAtat2693 said:


> I wish I was making this up.
> 
> Very old.


*LOL* I believe it! My ratties have had little to no fear.. the cavvy never did get over being chicken hearted!


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

I keep them both in the basement. It is a very long hallway with a big playroom at the back that I keep them in. No doors. I'm just hoping the lid of the midwest cage stays up. The rats actually freaked out when I held them because I had guinea pig smell on my shirt. I hope they get used to it because I don't want to keep changing shirts.


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Meh - if my rats can get over me smelling like cat/dog/horse, I'm sure they'll adapt to GP.


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