They are located in my room so they will always have me around (unless at work.) I indeed mean pellets, my main language is not English, sorry. I will definitely buy a second hiding spot when going to the pet store then! At the moment I have the second hand stuff of my cousin that also owns guinea pigs so I did not have much to work with due stores being closed yesterday. At the moment I have a small carrot and cucumber in the cage provided and per advice of my mother, a cut up apple (I can take it out if apples are not adviced). She also said that if they are not drinking I should lightly dib their mouth in the water bowl but I am not sure if that is a good idea? She is more old school with ideas.
The tempature is around 17°C at the monent but I have a fan running in my room at all times during warmer tempatures.
This is the first time I am owning critters by myself without the help of my mother so sorry if some questions are very obvious answers too I just want the best for them
Your English is very good!
Your questions are absolutely fine, we are here to help you. The green links I added in my previous post also provide further information on each topic. We are happy to answer your questions though.
Mostly new piggies just need to be left alone and left to settle in. We recommend to leave them alone (only feeding, watering and spot cleaning) in the first week without trying to touch them. Chat to them as your room so they get used to you being there and your voice. Then from the second week, sit by their cage and talk to them, see if they will take food from your hand (that can often take a lot longer though - taking food from you is a sign of trust but it can vary how soon they do it. For some it’ll be a week or so, for others it can take months).
You will need to start to do their routine weekly weight checks from the second week onwards so some handling is going to be needed for that. They probably won’t like it but it’s something that needs to be done!
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely (videos)
Definitely get another hide, there should be two of everything in the cage.
Apple and carrot should not be in the diet routinely. They are ok to be given in a very tiny amount once a week as a treat, but never both at the same time and never a lot. They are too high in sugar.
The four veggies they can have safely daily are lettuce, cucumber, coriander/cilantro and bell pepper. These four veggies provide a good mix of nutrients without being high in calcium (too much calcium can cause bladder problems). If they aren’t used to veggies, then introduce new ones slowly and one at a time in small amounts. Build up quantity and variety gradually, doing too much too soon can cause digestive upsets.
Keep their pellets to one tablespoon per pig per day only. Don’t let them have constant access to them as pellets arent particularly good for them. They bridge any gaps in nutrients so can serve their purpose, but they contain a lot of calcium. They are actually the one part of the diet they can do without.
As long as there are several bottles around the cage, at a height which they can reach, then they will drink.
It’s recommended drinking water is filtered particularly if you have hard water.
I would not put their mouth in the water.
Temperature wise, 17 degrees is ok. They are most comfortable between 18-22. Their tolerance for temperature range is similar to that of a human. If you are comfortable, too hot or too cold then it’s likely they are feeling the same way.
