What Is "young" For Feeding & Care?

[Mariah]

I'm getting a 6 month-ish old sow (who has already been pregnant! Poor girl!)
Do I feed her timothy or alfalfa based pellets?
Anything else that I should know about based on her age?

Oh, and would there be any problems with a pile o' fleece for her to dig around in? I think I read somewhere that this was a tangling hazard, but I could be making that up.

 

[piggyfan]

Hi there. I would treat her as an adult guinea pig. Fleece is good as bedding but not to dig in. You need to have an absorbent layer such as towels then two layers of fleece. Will you be getting her a friend? Guinea pigs are social animals and get lonely living alone.

 

[Mariah]

Hi there. I would treat her as an adult guinea pig. Fleece is good as bedding but not to dig in. You need to have an absorbent layer such as towels then two layers of fleece. Will you be getting her a friend? Guinea pigs are social animals and get lonely living alone.

Thanks for the advice, I don't want to be feeding her the wrong stuff!

As for a buddy, first we're going to make sure we can keep her -- my partner doesn't seem allergic to her or her food so far from our visits, but if he does turn out to be I don't want to have to break up a pair or bring them both to a shelter. Her current owner offered to take her back if we found out Vexx is allergic on top of being asthmatic (aaand that was the clincher because I'd feel terrible taking her in and then going nope! you cause horrible reactions! off to the pound!) If we can keep her we'll be getting her a buddy ASAP--until then at least we're both self employed and always home? I know its not the same, but...

Is there anything that is good to burrow in that's not dusty, or too dusty? I know hay would be best, but I'm trying to keep the dust down with a hay-rack as we have no room to put her in that Vexx doesn't use, and who wants to hide a pet? She shall live in the office/craft room with me!

 

[piggyfan]

Guinea pigs do not need to burrow. I use towels then vetbed as bedding then put a pile of hay for mine to eat and play in.

 

[Mariah]

Huh. Wonder where I got that idea from? Thank you!

 

[piggyfan]

You are most welcome.

 

[Jerrybelly]

They don't often burrow, but they do like to forage. A lovely big pile of hay, with some finely-cut veg or nuggets sprinkled through would certainly keep her occupied for a few hours!

 

[Wiebke]

Most guinea pigs have finished their first big growth spurt by 4-6 months. Alfalfa hay is only necessary for mum during the nursing period. Most pellets contain quite a lot of alfalfa, so you can control the extra proei/calcium for growing piggies with the amount of pellets you feed. We recommend to not feed more than 40g (1 1/2 oz daily) for piggies your girl's age and very gradually to reduce it to the 10-20g (ca. 1/2 oz) that mature adults needs from about 12-15 months old.
The most important part is unlimited hay. If your partner is allergic, you may rather feed several small portions and refill when he is not in the room.
Here is more information about piggy diet: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

Piggies don't burrow, but they love hideys they can sneak into! You can find out more in our housing section about various beddings. In your case, fleece with an absorbent underlay of towels, washable incontinence seat pads etc. is probably the best option. We have a guide on how to best prepare fleece for use at the top of the housing section.

In the longer term, a piggy is generally still much happier with round the clock company of their own kind.

 

[Mariah]

Hi Wiebke! Thank you so much for the detailed advice! I have another question about food. I'll be getting a buddy for S'mores soon--Pebbles, and she's about 2 and a half months right now. Do I need to feed Pebbles Alfalfa based hays, or will she be OK with Timothy based at this age? If she does need the alfalfa based, do I need to do anything so S'mores can't get her mits on them, and what?