Settling Piggies In

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Mellowmummy

Mellowmummy

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Hi just want to check iam doing everything right for our new piggies
They arrived yesterday and I have put them in their house with hay, food and water. They are 12 week old boys, my living room is two rooms knocked into one so I have put them away from the tv etc. I have a 3year old and a 5 year old who have been fab so far with the piggies but they do make the usuall noise kids make! So far they have. Hid. Lots but ate. the food I put out for them yesterday so I know their eating :) is their anything else I can do. To make them feel at home? Sorry about the full stops my phone is being silly :(
 
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Sounds great! What type of food are you giving them, what is they're house like and is your living room often used? Because guinea pigs have extra-sensitive hearing and a lot of noise isn't good for them. How far away far away are they from the tv?
Congratulations on your new piggies and best wishes for them! The kids' noisiness isn't a problem, as long as they're not screaming XD
Also, in Summer (if you've got a hutch (with no wire on the bottom) that can go on the grass), they love to graze and wander around (in the hutch on the grass)... if that makes sense. + If you do decide to put them on the grass, it is not a good idea to let them go in your garden as they may run away.
What are they're names?
By the sounds of it, they're doing well! :)
 
You can cover their cage with a blanket over the top and back to give them an added feel of safety. Talk to them in a steady stream as soon as you come into the room, but try not loom over them. Give them time to get their bearings in their new surroundings; that will take a few days.

Establish rituals with specific words, sounds and melodies for feeding, spot cleaning, picking up (best done in an upturned hidey, tunnel or suitable cosy, but a cardboard box with one entrance will also do - it save you from having to hunt them down and them jumping out of your of your arms when you start handling them once they are more courageous in their new home) etc. Give them lots of encouragement and praise, but also create an expression of disappointment ("no" is not a concept that works well with piggies).

Here are more tips from our Daily Care section: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/
 
thanks for your replies :)
cavyhappy they are about 20 foot away from the tv at the back of the room, the back of the room is where we eat and the children play our stairs are at the back of the room so when their ready it is the best spot for them to get lots of attention, cage wise its a huge plastic one with a lid, I thought a lid would be my best option as my little 3 year old is desperate to stroke one and a lid keeps them safe and her away for the moment! I am feeding them guinea pig food I brought from the pet shop its little pellets they ate it all yesterday night, yesterday I gave them cucumber and that had all gone this morning. Today I have done red pepper, and grass in one dish and pellets in another but they have not eaten anything yet as they are in hiding. In their cage as well as hay to sleep in I have a hay rack and a cardboard box which one of them is inside. My children choose their names as I want them to think like their their pets so one is Nibbles and one is Miss Pink, tho their both boars! ;)
Wiebke thanks for that advice at the moment we have just been talking to them but I will start using more specific words for doing things, they seem to be interested in what I am doing from a far as I have noticed their heads pointing in my direction.
One things for sure the whole family loves them all ready and we are all very excited at building a loving bond with them :)
 
Just place veg, hay and food a bit closer to their hiding place for the moment; they will dart out whenever it is quiet.

It takes about 2 days for new piggies to get their bearings and to realise that they are safe; to settle them in fully and to build up their trust and confidnece will take a lot longer, as that is a very gradual process.
 
Have you read the diet thread as they need a veg rich in vitamin c every day such as pepper, broccoli or parsley(I think) as they can't make their own.you get attached so quickly don't you.I have six but list one a couple of months ago and I only had her three months but was devastated
 
That's great! :) Also, the red peppers (or as I know them as, capsicum), are really good for them, so in that case the more the merrier!
 
Madguinealady thanks for your reply yes I've printed that out laminated it and stuck it on the fridge it's a great list :)

Cavyhappy thanks for that yes they seem to love the pepper that seems to be the first thing they eat when I put the food in
 
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