New guinea pig's nails too long?

Didiri1337

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Hi, I hope this is the right forum to post this in :)
I just bought my first two guinea pigs 2 days ago, and they came from a really bad situation in a family who didn't care for them ( When I got them the hay bedding was completely moldy and there was old pee and poo everywhere ). They have been with me for a while now and are currently having their first floor time which they seem to really like. However I just noticed that their claws are really long and curly and my long-haired boy seems to have mats or mud stuck around his butt. They are still way too scared of me to be handled yet but I don't want them to have to walk around with curly nails, what can I do?
They also seem to be fighting quite a lot, they are both males and I don't know if they are neutered...
 
You can take your pigs to a guinea pig vet and get the nails trimmed for a small price of you like, then you can watch and see how they do it. If you want small animal nail clippers, wilko sell them. If they are curling they are def too long.

Neutering wont make any difference to a boars temperament. It only stops them being able to breed.

With 2 boars, you need a minimum cage size of 140x60cm. Boars pairs need decent space to get away from eachother. Also use two hidey houses, 2 water bottles, 2 bowls if you use them.

Are they fighting at floor time?
 
Yes, both at floor time and in the cage. They don't seem to be biting each other and right now they are just cuddeling in their houses but sometimes they kind of jump on each others backs and chase each other. At the moment I have a pertty small cage (but meets the requirements) because that is the one I got with them but as soon as the pet-shops open I will get some cage-walls and try to build one much bigger myself. They have a lot of hay, two food bowls and houses but only one bottle atm.
 
Yes, both at floor time and in the cage. They don't seem to be biting each other and right now they are just cuddeling in their houses but sometimes they kind of jump on each others backs and chase each other. At the moment I have a pertty small cage (but meets the requirements) because that is the one I got with them but as soon as the pet-shops open I will get some cage-walls and try to build one much bigger myself. They have a lot of hay, two food bowls and houses but only one bottle atm.
I dont know anymore on this. Il tag in @Wiebke.

Doesnt sound like fighting to me though.
 
Good if they are not fighting, I just read somewhere that they try to dominate each other by pressing on each others backs :)
 
Sounds like normal dominance behaviours to me.
 
Google c&c cages these are a great type of accommodation for piggies. As sadly most pet store cages are too small.
 
They're sold on line as wire grid storage units. Make sure you get the ones with 9 squares across.
 
Hi, I hope this is the right forum to post this in :)
I just bought my first two guinea pigs 2 days ago, and they came from a really bad situation in a family who didn't care for them ( When I got them the hay bedding was completely moldy and there was old pee and poo everywhere ). They have been with me for a while now and are currently having their first floor time which they seem to really like. However I just noticed that their claws are really long and curly and my long-haired boy seems to have mats or mud stuck around his butt. They are still way too scared of me to be handled yet but I don't want them to have to walk around with curly nails, what can I do?
They also seem to be fighting quite a lot, they are both males and I don't know if they are neutered...

Hi!

Your boys made be too scared of you, but they are going to feel a lot better after you cutting off the worst of the mats, giving them a bath and then carefully cutting/clipping off the mats close to the skin (giving your matted boys a short haircut to allow the hair grow back without tangles and without attracting fungal skin infections, skin parasites and vermin due to their filthy state. Then trim their nails.

If necessary, do it has a two person job. if you feel that you cannot cope with handling them, could you contact your vet clinic and ask whether a vet nurse with guinea pig experience could help you and show you for a comparatively small fee.

Considering their bad state from having to sit in their own excrement and likely not having had the right diet/diarrhea (the 'mud' that you are mentioning, they could do with a vet check anyway!
You never know what is lurking underneath all the mess and in what state your boys are actually in as diarrhea could be a sign of them having been on a wrong diet with far too little hay on top of not having been cleaned out! :(

Please take the time to read these helpful guide links:
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

Sexing Guide (includes pictures of full and neutered boar bits in adult boars although from the mess your boys are in I highly doubt that they are neutered)
Bathing (including cleaning grease glands) (Any dried poos caked directly to the skin need to be gently removed in a sometimes repeated process of soaking and and gently scraping until they have been fully go off without harming the skin)
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
Guide to Cutting Guinea Pig Nails
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?

They are also re-establishing a group in new territory. Neutering takes away only the ability to make babies; it doesn't change behaviour, personality or social interaction. Rumblestrutting and mounting are socially interactive mild dominance behavioursand not just simply mating behaviours.
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

Please put your boys on a good hay based diet (over 80% of the daily food intake) with a carefully balanced mix of veg and 1 tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day. Please be careful to introduce only one new veg per meal in case their digestive system can't cope with it.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Here is our full new owners information collection, of which most of the links above are part of. It also contains a section on settling in and making friends with, as well as a guide on social behaviours etc.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
 
Thank you so much! I was thinking about taking them to the vet but I didn't want to scare them even more...
They were definitely on the wrong diet. The only hay in their cage was their bedding and it was wet and moldy. They only had a food dish with some guinea pig-mix (mostly nuts and seeds) and it was very dirty.
Good to hear they are not fighting :)
I'll try to get them to vet pretty soon, I don't really feel comfortable cutting their nails.
Thanks for all the links
 
Well done for taking on those piggies. It sounds like they will have a lovely life with you. Muesli is not a good choice for piggies and nuts and seeds are def not a good choice. Pellets are a much better choice as piggies can't leave out the bits they don't like. Mine love Harrington's but there are loads of good pellets you can buy. @Flutterby has done a comprehensive list under the food section.
 
Well done for taking on those piggies. It sounds like they will have a lovely life with you. Muesli is not a good choice for piggies and nuts and seeds are def not a good choice. Pellets are a much better choice as piggies can't leave out the bits they don't like. Mine love Harrington's but there are loads of good pellets you can buy. @Flutterby has done a comprehensive list under the food section.
They were off the musli the same day I got them, now they have planty of fresh hay to eat, and some high quality pellets :)
 
Well it sounds like your piggies have landed on their feet getting a new home with you. I hope they settle in well. The guides Wiebke has listed are rally full of information about settling piggies in, what to look for and how to care for them.
We would love to see photos if you can catch a glimpse of them.
 
Welcome to the forum
Well done for giving the boys a good home.
It may be worth taking them to the vet for a general health check anyway and then their nails can be clipped too.
Once the matting on the fur is cleaned up and the nails cut they will feel much better.
A good diet, a good cage and lots of love will soon settle them.

Please can we see pictures
 
It seems that they have landed quite well, they were popcorning all over the floor today. I called a vet and she said they were fine. I'll try to get some photos of them.
 
The Brown one is Teddy and the red one is Billy 💗
 

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