Swimming Warning !

[Ginnypig]

I have read your message about that awful video of swimming guinea pigs and agree it is cruel and disgusting! I saw this on FB a couple of months back and I'm ashamed to say some people on my FB found this funny. I DID NOT and commented as such. I have today also copied and pasted your statement on FB with a clear message about how i feel. Poor little piggies must have been so scared. I am content that i give my girls such a happy life. Thankyou GPF for pointing this out and i hope others will follow me in bringing this video to shame. Thankyou. L xx

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

Agree I was scrolling through YouTube videos yesterday and made sure I gave them a thumbs down, and commented on one. I cannot stand those videos. On my channel I'm going to make a video about guinea pigs swimming and the dangers of it

 

[Ginnypig]

Agree I was scrolling through YouTube videos yesterday and made sure I gave them a thumbs down, and commented on one. I cannot stand those videos. On my channel I'm going to make a video about guinea pigs swimming and the dangers of it

We need to make people aware of the correct care of guinea pigs. Drives me mad when people have them in hutches outside too. How would they like to be out in the dark on their own with predators about. My girls have a 4x2 c&c cage between two piggies in the lounge. I have 5 girls at the moment but the newest one needs to be rehomed. She was alone in a petshop and apparantly no one wanted her cause she has red eyes. Shes beautiful and only a few weeks old but is a fiesty little bugger. Doesnt really like to be touched. My others find her annoying so thinking about rehoming her but need to make sure she goes somewhere where she will be looked after properly. Any thoughts?

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

Red eyes are beautiful

 

[Ginnypig]

Red eyes are beautiful

She is gorgeous. Couldnt leave her as had been there weeks all alone and she was very skinny. Dread to think what they would have done with her if i didnt take her. Would keep her but her fiesty nature and constant charging about is causing my others to get irritated with her. Dont want them to hurt her as they do bite her and make her cry sometimes. How would i rehome her safely?

 

[GPTV]

agree with you & i'm against them 'swimming'.

with your new girl its just a thought ... but have you had her checked for skin conditions? Mites in particular? often when they really don't like being touched its because of a problem, does her skin look the right colour? eg pale under light hair & dark under dark hair or red &damaged (scratches/bites/wounds, etc)?
they can often succumb to illnesses after the stresses of moving owners/housing.

However if she is only young not used to being handled much she will be very skittish, she wont have learnt to trust you (being a prey animal she's wired up to run, until she's settled).
i expect the other girls will accept her being a baby & give her a few motherly nips, or chuntering telling's off until she conforms to the current hierarchy.

i recently lost my old girl Ellie (8yrs) & was given two new furballs (under 2yrs, but not sure by how much...more like a year i think)
they were completely nuts, they zoomed around like mini rockets, i have now had them about 7 weeks, they eat from my hand, display some fabulous chooken legs & even Dopple does a front paw chillout & they will nearly doze off on my lap at cuddle time. however they still have a squealing, zoomie time occasionally when i try to pick them up.

Grace (4yrs ish) just stands & rumblestruts at them if either of them is in the tube she wants to be in, until they move! (or she just crashes on in!)
last night Orca just sat in the pipe& shrieked at Grace until she walked off, they all love to cuddle up together at lap time though.

would you be able to keep her say a month to see if she's settling in & only rehome her if things become really heated between them?
i bet she's so excited to get a loving, caring home with space to exercise & company it would be a shame to rehome her if its a few dominance issues that may settle.

good luck with her... any photo's?

xx

 

[Ginnypig]

agree with you & i'm against them 'swimming'.

with your new girl its just a thought ... but have you had her checked for skin conditions? Mites in particular? often when they really don't like being touched its because of a problem, does her skin look the right colour? eg pale under light hair & dark under dark hair or red &damaged (scratches/bites/wounds, etc)?
they can often succumb to illnesses after the stresses of moving owners/housing.

However if she is only young not used to being handled much she will be very skittish, she wont have learnt to trust you (being a prey animal she's wired up to run, until she's settled).
i expect the other girls will accept her being a baby & give her a few motherly nips, or chuntering telling's off until she conforms to the current hierarchy.

i recently lost my old girl Ellie (8yrs) & was given two new furballs (under 2yrs, but not sure by how much...more like a year i think)
they were completely nuts, they zoomed around like mini rockets, i have now had them about 7 weeks, they eat from my hand, display some fabulous chooken legs & even Dopple does a front paw chillout & they will nearly doze off on my lap at cuddle time. however they still have a squealing, zoomie time occasionally when i try to pick them up.

Grace (4yrs ish) just stands & rumblestruts at them if either of them is in the tube she wants to be in, until they move! (or she just crashes on in!)
last night Orca just sat in the pipe& shrieked at Grace until she walked off, they all love to cuddle up together at lap time though.

would you be able to keep her say a month to see if she's settling in & only rehome her if things become really heated between them?
i bet she's so excited to get a loving, caring home with space to exercise & company it would be a shame to rehome her if its a few dominance issues that may settle.

good luck with her... any photo's?

xx

Hi thanks for your advise. I will try and settle her a bit longer although she is far more skittish than my other 4. Its having time to get them each out for s cuddle. My eldest refuses to share me and my long haired doesn't like cuddles. She prefers to be left alone. Havent got a photo of the baby yet as she doesnt stay still enough lol xx

 

[GPTV]

i found that at first picking my two up when they were in a cardboard tube was easiest, hand over bum end of tube to block it (no reversing function available)& carefully insert hand into head end of tube, putting hand underneath the body to support it, gently lift her out & just sit her on your lap softly talking to her& give her strands of grass or hay or just her favorite veggie bits & she'll calm down when she realises the hooman means food, they're mostly quick learners & she'll get rewarded for being calm & settled, hopefully if she's not so skittish then your others will accept her more readily if she falls in with their more relaxed routine.

maybe sit your most tolerant/calmest piggy & newbie together on your lap, just so she can get the idea of how its supposed to work (lapmate gets the bonus of extra treats as well )

lol yeah young piggy photos, they are so difficult to get... usually hairy streaks of their colour with zoom lines at the back on every photo....
they have mastered the art of " whatever you do-don't let the camera focus on me!"
good luck xx

 

[Ginnypig]

i found that at first picking my two up when they were in a cardboard tube was easiest, hand over bum end of tube to block it (no reversing function available)& carefully insert hand into head end of tube, putting hand underneath the body to support it, gently lift her out & just sit her on your lap softly talking to her& give her strands of grass or hay or just her favorite veggie bits & she'll calm down when she realises the hooman means food, they're mostly quick learners & she'll get rewarded for being calm & settled, hopefully if she's not so skittish then your others will accept her more readily if she falls in with their more relaxed routine.

maybe sit your most tolerant/calmest piggy & newbie together on your lap, just so she can get the idea of how its supposed to work (lapmate gets the bonus of extra treats as well )

lol yeah young piggy photos, they are so difficult to get... usually hairy streaks of their colour with zoom lines at the back on every photo....
they have mastered the art of " whatever you do-don't let the camera focus on me!"
good luck xx

Feeling pleased. Actually managed to get her out earlier after chasing her around the cage. She sat on me for cuddles for about 10 mins. . Well chuffed. When i put her back i swear she did the biggest popcorn ever. It was so funny. Shes so small its adorable. Cant understand why noone wanted her. We have called her Poppy . Do you think if we kept her the 4x2 c&c cage would be bug enough for those 3. Thanks x

 

[Christine Buck]

i found that at first picking my two up when they were in a cardboard tube was easiest, hand over bum end of tube to block it (no reversing function available)& carefully insert hand into head end of tube, putting hand underneath the body to support it, gently lift her out & just sit her on your lap softly talking to her& give her strands of grass or hay or just her favorite veggie bits & she'll calm down when she realises the hooman means food, they're mostly quick learners & she'll get rewarded for being calm & settled, hopefully if she's not so skittish then your others will accept her more readily if she falls in with their more relaxed routine.

maybe sit your most tolerant/calmest piggy & newbie together on your lap, just so she can get the idea of how its supposed to work (lapmate gets the bonus of extra treats as well )

lol yeah young piggy photos, they are so difficult to get... usually hairy streaks of their colour with zoom lines at the back on every photo....
they have mastered the art of " whatever you do-don't let the camera focus on me!"
good luck xx

Does anyone use cuddle sacks? Once I started cuddling with them in those they are happy and go to sleep on me shortly. Even kisses when their nos s peek out

 

[Maisy and Poppy]

Feeling pleased. Actually managed to get her out earlier after chasing her around the cage. She sat on me for cuddles for about 10 mins. . Well chuffed. When i put her back i swear she did the biggest popcorn ever. It was so funny. Shes so small its adorable. Cant understand why noone wanted her. We have called her Poppy . Do you think if we kept her the 4x2 c&c cage would be bug enough for those 3. Thanks x

Aww. I have a Poppy too!