new gp's

[nappyzone]

Hello, yesterda we got our two new girly guinea pigs - they are 10 weeks old and so cute. I am resisting the temtation to pet them as the shop said to leave them for 48 hrs to settle in - any tips on how to get them nice and tame as obv at the moment there a bit skitty. Am feeding them pellets - when and what else can i give them. We have called them Charlie and Lola! My dd is hounding me to stroke them, we are keeping them in an outside two storey hutch with run attached but havent let them in the run yet as like i say they said to keep em in for 48 hrs to settle. Any tips would would be gratefully received as weve never had gp's before.

but not straight away yeah?

we hjave charlie and lola as well!

i give me a stroke and pick up each day to put them in the run. they are still skittish, but i got them as adults.

I've had baby gp's before and have given them cuddles and lots of human contact straight away. I agree let them settle in etc etc but don't be afraid to pick them up regularly. They need handling as early on as possible. Yes, they can be very skittish but with lots of regular handling they'll be fine. Sit with them on your lap, on a towel, and they'll love the attention.

As far as food is concerned - the best pellet only food I've found is Supa Guinea - its full of vitamin c which they need in their diet. Pellet only food also prevents them from being fussy eaters and only eating the bits they want, not the bits that are good for them! Plus introduce greens - celery, cabbage, broccoli (they love the stalks), tomatoes, apple etc. Don't give them lettuce. BUT more importantly make sure they have plenty of hay - they need hay to keep their teeth down and again a good source of vitamins.

thanks alot - thats helpful - keep on with any more tips as im as green as grass when it comes to them but they are soooo cute - i will get them out for a little love tonight - no lettuce - right.

I've kept gp's for quite a long time now - they are absolutely gorgeous little creatures and so friendly - the more you handle them the more they will be easier to keep - their skittishness diminishes as they get older and more confident.

One word of warning....be careful what sort of hay you buy - DON'T buy straw for them - it is far too sharp and likely to damage their very soft feet and could easily pierce their eyes. Hay can sometimes be quite sharp - although I tend to buy meadow hay from petshops which is nice and soft but check it through before you put it in their hutch - I've just lost a gp who had a sharp piece of straw get into his eye - the vet managed to get rid of it but it caused an infection which in turn created an abscess just below his chin, which I had lanced etc etc only to develop a second abscess so had to be pts.

Also when they go out into their run its a good idea to buy the little guinea pig houses you can get - they may not be clever enough to run up the ramp to get back into the dry in their hutch - for a few pounds you can buy plastic dome shaped houses which clip together (easy to keep clean) because gp's shouldn't be allowed to get cold/damp. Their lungs are literally resting on the ground and they can be prone to chesty problems if allowed to get too cold etc.

They love grass and dandelions - again a good source of vitamins - I love to watch them demolish a dandelion and its even better to watch a pair of them have a tug of war with one!!

awww - i had them out tonight on a blanket for cuddles, they were a mare to catch in the hutch but once i sat with them one at a time they seemed to calm, they get to play in the run tomotrow if its nice again so will have to nip to pets are a rip of home and get a little plaggy igloo or failing that chuck a big bog roll in!!!

Yea they will be little devils to catch in the hutch but as they get bigger it'll get easier! I tended to just do the softly softly approach with them and talk to them as you try to pick them up. They'll get used to it eventually.

Be careful with the loo roll - they'll probably chew it up. I've got large pieces of plastic pipe in with my pigs in their runs - gives them something to run through and chase each other around in plus somewhere to hide away. Local builder supplies it - its quite wide in diameter - bit like sewage pipe & made of very hard plastic so they can't chew it very easily.