Am I doing it wrong?

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Alberts_Mummy

Alberts_Mummy

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Hi guys, this is only my second post on the forum :)

We got Albert a week ago today, he needed to be rehomed as his owner was allergic, her children were gutted :(

Anyway I have saw on a previous thread where members posted pictures of their wee piggies home. Albert has a cage similar to this , http://www.petsathome.com/shop/rabbit-140-guinea-pig-and-rabbit-cage-by-ferplast-15976

we use woodshavings for bedding and have noticed on the other thread ALOT of you have fleecy blankets for bedding....why is this? am I dont it wrong? he seems okay in it and when we went to pick him up his cage was the same with woodshavings.

just slightly confused as we are new to all this, i only have experience with a hamster. Albert is a year old and I'm also thinking of taking him to the vet to get him checked out incase there is possibly anything wrong with him.

thanks!

Sarah x
 
Hi Sarah nooooo it's ok, everyone uses different things for their bedding.
I use hay with newspaper underneath, they also have little blankets to snuggle up with too, this is how my girls were bought up.
The woodshavings might have been why the previous lady had an allergy, some woodshavings can cause this with both the piggies and the slaves.
Have a look thru the different types of bedding and see what you can afford :)
 
yeah i have a couple of sheets of newspaper underneath too.

I got him an igloo home to go in, and he seems to sleep in there. over the past few nights he has slept outside his house though...is this okay?

I'm look at some handmade snuggle puches just now, might get him one of them as our house can get a wee bit chilly at night x
 
You'll find he'll sleep wherever he gets comfortable x)
Yup good idea to offer snuggles/cuddle cups for him...... if it gets cold you could also pop a blanket over his cage too :)
 
Hi,

Does your piggie has a friend?

I use fleece - I find it easier/cheaper and it looks cute. There is lots of controversy about woodshavings because some believe it causes respiratory problems, others say it's not the woodshavings it's dirty cages where the woodshavings haven't been cleaned out and the debate goes on. Personally buying bags of woodshavings to cover this type of space - I'd find expensive but I've used woodshavings with my hamsters and they've all been fine - and it's the same argument for them.

But then someone recommended megazorg- from Farmway (you can buy it from their online site) - it's £7.99 for 85 litres! (Huge money saver). It's extra absorbant, completely safe and soaks up urine better. I use this for my hamsters now. You could use this and get a hay tube for him to sit and munch in. It's cheaper and Farmway deliver quickly and you can get your piggie food from them - so for me it's a bit like, there's controversy about woodshavings, this stuff is deemed completely safe, it lasts longer between cleans and is cheaper - ok well it's probably the better option then!

Good place to look for different ideas to Guinea Pig care is youtube - this girl is so cute for her guinea pigs: http://www.youtube.com/user/Piggiepigpigs?feature=g-*#p/*/0/dVy1y8XD5oc

Her name is Piggiepigpigs and she has tonnes of video's on her guinea pigs and how she organises everything, and making cosy's etc. I'm sort of like her (she's changed her set up now and mine is more like her most current set up) -we have the same style cage, fleece, cosy set ups. I suppose mostly for asthetic reasons - the look cute in my lounge! Take a look through her video's though, there's loads of things she does that can help inspire! :)

He does need a friend though. I have two boys if I could turn the clock back I'd get a girl and a neutered boy, as that seems to be the most natural combination. Although if you go to a rescue, with somewhere that does 'boar dating' they should find him a mate that he will get along great with.
Check our Glynneath, Milhaven, Potteries, Rugby, Crawley - guinea pig rescues - they all have information on boar dating.

Can't urge you do this enough though, a lonesome piggie is an unhappy piggie. Even if he's used to be on his on his own, you'll get more out of him, more joy to watch and he'll bloom with a piggie pal :) he'll love you for it!

It's a bit of minefield though trying to find the right play mate. I'd deffo get advice from one of the rescue's (check out the rescue and rehoming thread) and the behaviour thread.

Or pm me if you want any more help.
xx
 
i used woodshavings for ever! and only recently switched to fleece (mainly because i never realised it could be used!) mainly due to ease of cleaning, and it looks nicer (hopefully is nicer for them too!)
i wouldn't worry too much! it's all down to personal preference :)
 
Your definalty not doing it wrong dont panic. :)

As said, some people believe woodshaving can cause problems. Personally i find fleece is cheaper, cleaner, smells less and far snugglier for my boys. :) But plenty of people use woodshavings and this is fine!

You have a lovely big cage for him, which is great, but i would be nice to get him a friend. :) Lots of rescues do something called boar dating, this is where you take your boy to meet other boys, and he can choose his own friend that he really likes. :) You will be amazed at how much more you get out of havin a pair. Their interaction is half the fun! :)
 
thanks guys, we cleaned his cage out last night and mentioned to my Other Half about the fleece and he said its worth a try, he thinks it might be cheaper too. once our wooshavings are done ill try it out.

no he doesnt have a friend, he has been on his own for a year with his last owner, we were told if he's used to being on his own he should be okay. i do understand that he might be lonely but what if he doesnt take to the other piggie?
 
You can take him boar dating. This is were he can choose his own friend. Guinea pig rescues offer this vital service. It stops the chances of guinea pigs fighting.
 
The shavings debate again.

The only animal I know for sure cannot be kept on shavings is rats, they have a very very sensitive respiratory system and I cant be kept on shavings either it makes my chest funny but some people still manage to keep them just fine on them.

My hamster is on shavings (because they were 49p) but once I get my megazorb ill use up the shavings then he'll be on megazorb full time.

My piggies will be on fleece, or megazorb maybe a mix of the two.
 
Rescues do something called boar dating. You take your piggy along and he meets other male piggies (no babies that way) then he decides who he likes, and gets to go home with a friend hes chosen. The rescue will talk you through the process and provide support during their bonding time.

Unfortunatly you were told wrong, just because he has been on his own so far, simply means hes been lonely so far. He will definatly still benifit from a friend, and youll really notice this when his friend comes home. :)
 
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