i need advice

omljaden

omljaden

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
8
Reaction score
10
Points
75
hey! so i just got a new guinea pig today, and he’s so cute and i love him so much. although i will admit i did get him out of impulse and didn’t do the correct research, although after bringing him home i’ve been researching absolutely all day. but of course, i am new to guinea pigs. i owned a hamster like 5 years ago, and i don’t remember much although they are very different. he’s a baby now, and we have a relatively big cage for him although after researching i find that it isn’t big enough. do i have to get a bigger cage immediately or wait until he’s bigger? bc he’s so small now. and also, i know he might be nervous but he won’t eat or drink or even move much and i’m worried. my parents also wouldn’t let me get another one, although they said maybe in the future if he’s not okay by himself they will think about another. but i read something that said it’s okay as long as i give him lots and lots of attention, though i do have other animals to care for. is he gonna be okay by himself? also, what should i feed him other than his pellets and hay? help please lol
 
Hello

Congrats on your new piggie, hes adorable!

Right now as he's so tiny, I don't think a big cage is urgently needed as he'll feel very overwhelmed in it, but I do suggest trying to get one within the next few weeks/month. He will grow very fast and guinea pigs, especially young ones can be very energetic. They tend to mellow out more when older but still enjoy a large area to patter around.

If you have only just got him today then him not coming out to eat or drink is quite normal, especially for an overwhelmed baby. If you leave food/drink you'll find its disappearing when you aren't around which means he is venturing out. It takes them a little while. When you walk into the room or go near the cage I suggest just talking to him or the room itself. You'll feel nuts but he'll get used to your voice and not be quite so terrified in the upcoming weeks.

You definitely 100% need to get him a friend. Guinea pigs are herd animals and guinea pigs are supposed to be in pairs. A boar will only need one other male friend to go with him - make sure its either a boar past his teenage years, or a baby piggie his own age so they can bond well. A second guinea pig barely changes the cost of having one as a pet. So adding a second really isn't doing anything to the cost, but it is helping your piggie out so he's not alone and can have someone to interact with.

He'll be okay by himself in the short term, but he really needs a friend and bigger cage as soon as possible.

Make sure you give them veggies! They need them twice a day and unlimited hay. Pellets aren't as important but while they are young its okay to give a little more. My lot get one handful of pellets a day.

For vegetables, cucumber, lettuce, peppers, coriander, celery and green beans are what I personally suggest.
 
Please do speak to your parents and drive the point home that piggies need company of their own kind. Especially the young ones who learn from older ones what’s safe to eat and other general things. And he will also feel ‘safer’ if he has a friend around.

Give him 48 hours at least to settle in. Remember he’s experiencing new smells and predators and a new home, on his own to boot. Cover the cage or make sure he has somewhere to hide. I’m sure he’s eating, just not when you’re around. The veggies above are a good start. Had he been introduced to them where you got him from?

There are a lot of threads here that contain very useful info for new piggy owners.

Good luck and enjoy him 🥰
 
so i just got a guinea pig today, and i have to make sure of something. see, i only got one as my mom would only allow me to get one of them. and i of course have been reading all kinds of different opinions. some people say i need to 100% get another one, others say that it’s okay if i only have one, as long as i give it lots of attention and play time. i need to settle this since i’ll have to be doing a lot of begging in order to get another. will my baby be okay by himself? what could i do to make it so he’s the happiest he can be without a friend? help pls lol
 
I really believe you need a buddy for your piggy. I hope you are able to work it out. Welcome! Hope to see pics soon! 😊
 
He definitely needs a friend despite if you’ve read otherwise. My mum got me guinea pig when was about 13. Neither of us knew much about guinea pigs and long story short he died aged 2. He lived completely alone and all these years on i feel so so guilty because now I know about guinea pigs, I know I didn’t do right by him. It’s my biggest regret about owning guinea pigs, my mum was very strict and said I could only get one and the pet store said it was fine. It’s not fine. Your guinea pig will suffer and be sad and even die of depression. A guinea pig has to have a companion, without exception.
 
You can’t make him happy without a friend. Say you give him attention and play with him 2 hours a day, he’s lonely the other 22 hours. 2 hours of playtime a day is only 14 hours of it a week, leaving him alone 154 hours. Guinea pigs need other guinea pigs and human interaction can’t replace that unfortunately
 
Welcome to the forum! :)

To be completely blunt, people only say “they can be okay on their own” to justify not getting two piggies. 100% they need a friend unless it’s is for very unique circumstances (for example illness).

I always imagine a lonely piggy is like being abducted by aliens, sure the aliens aren’t mean to you but you can’t communicate to them and you never see another human again. You’d be so lonely and frightened forever, without anyone to comfort you.

I started out with two piggies and I even found when I expanded to four piggies my first two were even happier! So they really do need others of their own kind to have a good quality of life and to be happy. It’s definitely worth checking out the cage size threads on here and maybe with your parents just having a look at what’s required :) Have you got a rescue near you?
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Welcome to the forum! :)

To be completely blunt, people only say “they can be okay on their own” to justify not getting two piggies. 100% they need a friend unless it’s is for very unique circumstances (for example illness).

I always imagine a lonely piggy is like being abducted by aliens, sure the aliens aren’t mean to you but you can’t communicate to them and you never see another human again. You’d be so lonely and frightened forever, without anyone to comfort you.

I started out with two piggies and I even found when I expanded to four piggies my first two were even happier! So they really do need others of their own kind to have a good quality of life and to be happy. It’s definitely worth checking out the cage size threads on here and maybe with your parents just having a look at what’s required :) Have you got a rescue near you?
Click to expand...
not one that sells guinea pigs, no. i got him from a pet store. i know it’s bad to support them but it’s really the only place i could get one
 
Little Ones said:
You can’t make him happy without a friend. Say you give him attention and play with him 2 hours a day, he’s lonely the other 22 hours. 2 hours of playtime a day is only 14 hours of it a week, leaving him alone 154 hours. Guinea pigs need other guinea pigs and human interaction can’t replace that unfortunately
Click to expand...
do i need to get one immediately? i unfortunately don’t gave a big enough cage to fit two, but i’m working on buying stuff to build my own. but it’s going to take awhile for me to convince my family to get me another. will he be okay for a little while?
 
omljaden said:
do i need to get one immediately? i unfortunately don’t gave a big enough cage to fit two, but i’m working on buying stuff to build my own. but it’s going to take awhile for me to convince my family to get me another. will he be okay for a little while?
Click to expand...
The sooner the better since he’s a boy. I know how you feel, I was in a really difficult spot when I was growing up and had a guinea pig. My mum was adamant on only having 1 and only having a small cage. Having a companion for your pig is top priority, perhaps say to your parents that only having one is considered abuse and is illegal in a lot of countries (which it is) and if that’s the case then you’d rather have none at all because it was just be cruel. That’s what ended up working with my mum anyway haha. I wish you so much luck and I understand it’s a really hard situation to be in
 
Little Ones said:
The sooner the better since he’s a boy. I know how you feel, I was in a really difficult spot when I was growing up and had a guinea pig. My mum was adamant on only having 1 and only having a small cage. Having a companion for your pig is top priority, perhaps say to your parents that only having one is considered abuse and is illegal in a lot of countries (which it is) and if that’s the case then you’d rather have none at all because it was just be cruel. That’s what ended up working with my mum anyway haha. I wish you so much luck and I understand it’s a really hard situation to be in
Click to expand...
the way my mom is, she’d probably just be like “okay you’ll have none then” and get rid of him. i’ll try tho haha
 
Little Ones said:
How’s it going with your parents? Any progress?
Click to expand...
hey! my dad said it’d be fine (although i don’t even live with him) but i was talking about it with my mom and she didn’t exactly say yes but she was kind of like “that would really suck if he died due to loneliness” so i think that if i talk about it with her more she’ll definitely agree! i think she just needs to see that i’m gonna take good care of them since this is my first small pet since 5th grade, so i definitely think it’ll happen within the next month :)
 
omljaden said:
hey! my dad said it’d be fine (although i don’t even live with him) but i was talking about it with my mom and she didn’t exactly say yes but she was kind of like “that would really suck if he died due to loneliness” so i think that if i talk about it with her more she’ll definitely agree! i think she just needs to see that i’m gonna take good care of them since this is my first small pet since 5th grade, so i definitely think it’ll happen within the next month :)
Click to expand...
That’s good news! The sooner the better but also better late than never. You’re definitely doing right by your guinea pig, so keep up the good work :)
 
Little Ones said:
That’s good news! The sooner the better but also better late than never. You’re definitely doing right by your guinea pig, so keep up the good work :)
Click to expand...
also, considering the cages sold at pet stores labeled as “guinea pig cages” are never big enough (obviously) and since my guinea pig is really small rn, i was talking to her about her boyfriend building a new and bigger cage for him because i’ve seen so many videos on youtube about diy cages, and she said that next time he comes over i could talk to him about it! (he builds a lot lol)
 
Great news about getting your piggie a friend and a bigger home. He's so cute I love the little white crest. :love:
 
omljaden said:
also, considering the cages sold at pet stores labeled as “guinea pig cages” are never big enough (obviously) and since my guinea pig is really small rn, i was talking to her about her boyfriend building a new and bigger cage for him because i’ve seen so many videos on youtube about diy cages, and she said that next time he comes over i could talk to him about it! (he builds a lot lol)
Click to expand...
That’s awesome! The easiest cages to put together are c&c cages, but any cage that’s the right size and is safe works, I’ve seen some really nice diy ones on YouTube too. It seems like your mum is being really helpful and understanding which is great :)
 
omljaden said:
so i just got a guinea pig today, and i have to make sure of something. see, i only got one as my mom would only allow me to get one of them. and i of course have been reading all kinds of different opinions. some people say i need to 100% get another one, others say that it’s okay if i only have one, as long as i give it lots of attention and play time. i need to settle this since i’ll have to be doing a lot of begging in order to get another. will my baby be okay by himself? what could i do to make it so he’s the happiest he can be without a friend? help pls lol
Click to expand...
100% he needs a friend who is another guinea pig... please ask your parents to allow this. Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top