guinea pig questions

[bubblesrkool21]

I have two guinea pigs. both are female and i have had one almost a year, the other i got about a month ago. they don't get along and i wanted to know if there is anyway to get them more used to each other. also, i wanted to know of special treats they can eat and what kinds of things are not good for them to eat. and has anyone had any luck litter training and do you have any suggestions for me?

 

[smhufflepuff]

It's been quite awhile since I've owned guinea pigs... But, big idea here is: if they don't get along, don't force them to live together. You could try a few things like making sure they meet on neutral ground. Putting one in the other's cage is pretty much a recipe for disaster. Piggies can be rather territorial and the newcomer will be viewed as a threat... a space invader who must be dealt with; not welcomed. You could try putting their cages near one another so they can see, smell, and hear one another without risk of injury.

No, never had luck with litter training. Didn't really try. For the most part, they went in the corners of their cages, so I'd just address the messies in those locations every day and change out their entire set-up maybe once a week (or more if they were determined to be messier).

Special treats and food -- I'm no longer up on the best staple diet (like which is the best pelleted piggie food). For the most part, the store-bought pre-packaged treats that are marketed toward gp's and their humans are not terribly good for them. You'll want to aim for fresh fruit and veggies... the kind that you'd eat.

 

[AZChins]

I have always heard that piggies that are bathed together, stay together. I have boys and when they don't get along they play very rough. Have you tried letting them play together on a towel maybe on the couch? That works with my guys.

My pigs pee in their little house, I don't know why. I put some towels in there for them to urinate on and then I change out the towels every day or every other day. That's the closest that I have come to litter training any of them.

MC, the older boy, loves mint. I actually bought a little mint plant to cut off a few leaves for him every now and then. Also, both of the piggies LOVE basil so very much. I try to stay away from fruits as much as possible. Have you ever taken a vegetable peeler to a long carrot to make long carrot strings for the pigs? They love that so much...and you can get a lot of long peel strings for them to eat out of a relatively small carrot.

I'm not an expert or anything at all, we've only had guinea pigs for the last four or five months. They definitely are fun little pets. Not like chinchillas, but fun and cute in their own way. (Chins are a lot cuter though...don't tell the boys.)

 

[Newt]

Hi, as far as litter training goes, none of the 16 guineas I've had over the years have ever showed any response to litter training! I think they just go whenever and pretty much wherever they want to!!
Limit treats to fruits and veg... smhufflepuff is right about premanufactured stuff...it usually has way too much fats and sugars in.

An awesome website for lots of guinea help and info is
http://www.guinealynx.info/
they're my first port of call for advice on diet or medical probs


oh, and yeah, some guineas just wont get along no matter what. I was always told not to bath guineas, as they so easily develop respiratory issues, but maybe you could check that with guinealynx too?

Good luck!