Decision Made, direction needed!

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TinyBubbles

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The deeper we got into our research, the easier it was to decide that we needed some pigs in our lives! This is where I need your help. :)

We have ordered our supplies, most are expected in tomorrow. We have found a set of boars that were in need of a new home just one town over! (I thought we had a four hour drive in our future.) They are coming with a "standard" Midwest enclosure which I believe to be too small for 2 males so I plan to order a 2X4 C&C. I think all I have left is a trip to the grocery store for fresh veg for the week.

The site we are ordering the C&C from said that orders are typically processed within 3 business days and we plan on picking up our new family members this weekend so they will get here before their enclosure. Since they are used to their current enclosure do I keep them in it until they are more comfortable being in our house or is it okay to move them into their larger home as soon as it arrives? I guess I'm worried about moving them and then moving them again, but at the same time I think more room can only make the settling in period take less time... so I'm thinking myself in circles.

My experience is with hamsters and for them it was important to always leave a bit of something with their smell just to let them know that all was well, is that true with guinea pigs? Should I include the fleece from their old house washing it one piece at a time for that sense of security or is it okay to start fresh with what we have purchased?

Here is a view of the gentlemen we are so excited to meet!
 

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Hi,

I would recommend a 2x5 C&C cage for two boars to avoid territorial fighting, however it is not essential.

I'm actually not sure how important it is for them to have something with their smell always in there. It may help, but I do a full clean out of my cage once a week and everything gets replaced, and the piggies love it regardless - running and popcorning. It might help if they are in a completely new environment to have something they are used to, however.

Hope this helps 👍
 
Welcome to the forum.
The boys look gorgeous.
Have a read through the forum thread on housing - you will find most of the answers there.
Keeping them in the cage the arrive with will be fine for a few days.
It’s familiar and safe as they settle in.
Yes - do use fleece from their old house as well as the new fleece. It will help them adjust.

Please keep on asking questions as you get used to be a slave to the boys.
There’s always something to learn.
Please post lots more pictures when they are settled in.

Do you have names for them yet?
 
I don't know their current names... my human boys think they will stick with the names they arrive with. I think we will probably get a sense of their personalities and see if they fit. For some reason as I stare at the pictures I have of them I keep thinking Perry & Mason. I think dinner tonight will be taken up making a list of duos as a jumping off point.
 
You could extend the cage by building an L shape. Is it possible where you were planning to build it? How old are the boys?

Regarding veg, I would ask what they’re used to eating and stick with that. You can then introduce new veg slowly. I’d do the same for pellets and switch over slowly if you choose to do so.

Have a read of the feeding guide below to see what are the staples for a good piggy diet.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Thank you for the L suggestion, I hadn't thought of that!

They currently get all the hay they want (of course) bok choy and bell peppers daily with a mix of parsley and cilantro and then carrots and cucumbers once a week. She specified cucumber skins so I will probably slowly vary their diet some. I have read a feeding guide here but not sure if it was that one. There is so much that goes into it my head spins a bit if I'm honest. I figured I'd be referencing it daily as I was shopping for and prepping the veggie meal. I thought I remembered that bok choy was on the "not so much" list but I haven't had time to check again since I heard back from her.

I didn't recognize the brand of pellet she is giving them so I will slowly switch them over to Oxbow. I plan to start a small lettuce garden for them with a few herbs. So fun when you can combine two of your hobbies!

She believes they are about 9 months old.
 
Parsley is high in calcium so I would personally not give that every week. Carrots (and fruits) are high in sugar so I’d switch to giving them as an occasional treat. Veg they can have daily are cucumber, a lettuce leaf (except iceberg), a couple sprigs of cilantro, bell pepper (those two are a good source of vitamin c) and a green bean. You can then swap in other veg.

Be aware that they’re in their teens at the moment. This period is from 4-14 months of age. Space is even more important for them during this time. It can be trying even for a well bonded pair. Could you set up a (secure) playpen which they could have 24/7 access to from the Midwest cage? The Midwest could sit inside the play pen and the side could be open?

Also make sure you have two of everything - bottle, hides (with more than one exit) and hay eating area. I would scatter feed their veg and pellets. This lessens the chances of hogging bowls and plays to their natural instinct. If you use bowls then put them at least 1 piggy length apart.

I know it’s a lot but the guides below are also worth reading. The other thing to do is to find a vet for them (see first link). Once you bring them home, I would get them booked in for a general health check.
Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information
 
How exciting. They look gorgeous. Can’t wait to see more pics.
 
:wel:
How exciting!

More room doesn’t make settling in harder - less room makes it harder because boars need a lot of room but also because you then have to change their territories which for boars has the potential to be a problem.
The thing with boars, particularly as yours are teenagers, is to keep territory changes to an absolute minimum. Every time their cage or environment changes it will cause them to reestablish their territories and relationship. Mostly, in well bonded pairs, this means a an increase in dominance for a while but if they are happy together and want to be together, then it will be fine. In pairs who may have underlying issues and who are perhaps not quite as stable as they appear, the increase can tip over into a dysfunctional bond and cause a break down. Hence keeping any changes to a minimum!

Definitely use the bedding from their current home and put it into their cage once you get them to your home. The familiar smells will help settle them. When you get their new cage, you will then need to use soiled bedding again to transfer them to their new cage. It can also be advisable for teen boars to not clean out the whole cage in one go as that can also set them off. And definitely giving them as much space as possible, a 2x4 is tight for teen boars.
 
Today was a busy day you'll! My brain is spinning so I hope this makes sense.

I think I've measured every open space in my house 4 times and I simply don't have more than 67 inches in length so using the L shape suggested above is my only option to get to a 2X5.

In searching the C&C portion of the forum (although I'll admit I haven't found time to make it through the entire gallery) I didn't see a ton of examples that weren't straight runs which makes me more worried than I already am.

I am not a crafty person so I'm relying on guineapigcagesstore.com to build our C&C. I thought I'd just get their 2X4, and the expansion to make it a 2X5 and use that extension to make my L but their website deterred me from that thought. I reached out to their customer service to ask why it didn't work and they said their extension on the coroplast wouldn't be long enough to do what I'm trying to. Since I've never touched these grids before I'm hesitant to hit submit on this order.

In your opinion, if I purchase the grids to make the 2X5 and used the last two grids in length for the L would it all go together and be stable for them? I'm elevating it using grids as a stand. As unskilled as I am, I feel like I have read enough posts and watched enough videos to understand how to get and cut my own coroplast. I saw an example of someone putting their extra bit jutting out in the middle of their 2X4 but I would put the L against the wall and put their hay there I think. That way they still have the 2X4 to run and the extra bit is more of a kitchen.

I get my boys tomorrow or Saturday and I hate that I haven't been able to get this decision made but it is a big one and I want to do it right!

I got a picture of their current veggie meal this morning and I think that needs an adjustment... to me it looks like they are getting too much veg and not the right mix so my chore for tomorrow is getting specific on how to ween them from their current diet to the diet suggested. I assume I don't want to do that all at once and certainly not when they are getting settled? If anyone knows the thread I need the most to make this an easy adjustment on them I'd be happy to be taken by the hand and led through it. :)
 
It's more common to make them straight but that's the beauty of c&c, in that they can be made any size or shape you need them to do. You simply push the grids together with the connectors and cut the coroplast/get more coroplast to fit! There are members on here who do have L shaped cages, cages on stands, cages more than 2 grids wide etc.

Yes, it will be perfectly stable. We do always recommend cable tying the grids together anyway as that makes them more secure.

If you get the 2x5 but turn it into a L shape, then you will have a cage which is 4 grids across the back and 3 down the side and 2 grids wide (uses the 14 grids of a 2x5) - the piggies will have enough space and you will have enough grids to do that. The only thing will be the coroplast in that you will lose the upstand along the cut edge, but as long as you mark and cut correctly, cutting a 2x5 piece of coroplast into that shape will fit.

In terms of diet, any major changes should be made slowly, but cutting down on veg doesn't need to be done slowly - simply dont give them as much. What does need to be done slowly is introducing different types of veg - you dont want to give them lots of new things at a time.
This is our diet guide
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
:agr: It's great that your trying to do the very best for your boys 😁
It may be easier to, for example, buy the 2x4 chloroplast, and then buy a 2x2 or 2x3 to go on the end to make an L shape - that way you can cut it to size without worrying you'll take too much (or you can make it bigger). Or you could cut your own chloroplast, which may be cheaper and easier. It really depends on what you can readily get and how much effort you want to put into making the cage/cutting the chloroplast 👍🙂
 
I've just had another more detailed look at their website.

It depends on DIY you want to be on it - as I said getting a 2x5, cutting the correx and reconfiguring it would be absolutely fine to do.

If you aren't confident, You could also buy a 2x4 cage, the 'small to large extension' piece of coroplast, and then some extra grids and connectors to enable you to turn into an L shape (plus some extra grids for the extra piece of stand you will need). That would work building wise ( I dont know why they say it wont be long enough because that particular extension piece is 2x1 which is exactly what you will need) but its likely to be a bit more expensive.
 
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To close out this thread...

Our boys are settling in nicely as possible as we wait on our C&C. I went ahead and ordered the 2X4 with an extension that takes it to 2X6. I still don't know exactly what I'll have room for but I figured I'd just get as much as I could and see what I can work out when it arrives.

As you warned there have been some territory disputes due them being teenagers in a new environment and them being in the standard Midwest but things are calming down. I feel like I'm seeing the exact opposite of what their previous owner told me as far as who was more shy and who was a bit more bold. Is that normal when there is a change in environment?

I have spent most of the last couple of days trying to observe, first from across the room and I have slowly moved up to sit next to them for 20-30 minutes at a time. We have gotten to the point where Tom will come give my hand a sniff 60% of the time when I approach, the other 40% I have to offer it. Jerry gives me a cursory nose twitch and backs away. Neither is all that interested in being petted just yet, although my husband got one in with Tom after I topped the hay off last time.

I read somewhere to make a distinctive sound when you are approaching so they know who to expect, I have found that when the posturing sounds start up I can just make that sound and it (usually) distracts them from the stand-off they were going into.

They came to me with one very large hide that I left in and I added a cozy, I almost feel like the discovery of the second hide started some of the territory issues. I added a second food bowl and have taken both out because they just get spilled. I attempted to add my old water bottle from my hamster. That bottle was soaked in water & vinegar than ran through a dishwasher twice but it was still being chewed more than drank from so it had to come out. I hope I found an identical water bottle to what they are used to that will arrive tomorrow. I added one tunnel but didn't have room to add the second, I have watched the effects of removing it or leaving it in. For now, leaving it in has won as it is another place to hide even though it breaks the "have two" rule. The hay container was originally sold as a hamster cage (ugh) but once you take the door off it is more than large enough to be a piggy sized opening for them to climb in and have a comfy snack but the bar spacing is so small that they can't get much more than a nose in. Also it isn't so tall that they can make a quick escape over the side if they need to run for cover. Finally I have been draping a towel over a bit of the end with the hay just so they feel like they have some cover while they are eating.

As I was writing this my husband came home and made himself a late dinner, I happened to be sitting next to them and the weeking started as if it was time to eat. The hay gets slept in so I hadn't planned to top it off before bed but they were so sure it was time for something that got a bit of orchard grass added to their hay. I have to be careful as they are trying to train me to offer extra herbs, sneaky boys! After they munched that a bit Tom went into a hide and Jerry introduced me to zoomies Tom didn't want to be overshadowed so he came out to show me what may have been a few popcorns. First I'd seen of what I'd call "happy" behaviors so I'm ending my weekend with a very full heart!

I'll see if I can get some pictures posted as well, I think that may be easier from my phone.
 
1. The end of the ride home
2. First breakfast “we would really prefer to be served in bed”
3. Just before the zoomies and popcorning started at the end of our second full day
 

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I'm glad they are settling in well. Their period of reestablishing themselves will take a while

Do ensure there is at least item per piggy (that'll be easier in a larger cage). Adding new items will have an effect on them for a while, but it is always better to have several hides (its also best if they have two exits so you will need to keep a watch with the hides that are I there given they only they one exit) and multiple of every item. Scatter feeding their daily portion of veg and pellets amongst hay can work very well (rather than using bowls), it stops territorial issues but also encourages natural foraging behaviour and keeps them occupied.

Personally I would remove that wire hay rack and just throw the hay in loose. The bars do look too small for them to get the hay out properly. They love being able to get in amongst hay to eat and forage through, sleep in, poop in so the more hay there is the better!
 
I do appreciate all of the advice, I’m sure we wouldn’t be this far this fast without all the feedback! Can’t wait until I have their “for real” setup in place!
 
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