# Guinea pig behavior



## jdm_s2k (May 21, 2008)

hey guys...

im new to this forum...

just have a few questions about my guinea pig...

i have had him for about 3years and i must say...he has grown a lot...

at the time of purchase..i only bought one because i was afraid i cant handle 2...but now it seems to be easier..

would it be bad if i have a 3 year old with a young bbaby guinea pig?

both males...i dont want to nu them...

as for cage? i bought a bird cage and use sticks to uphold a 2nd level...

he jumps on top and sleeps there....

sometimes he seems so lazy...jsut wants to sleep around all day...

normal?


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## leoti (Dec 9, 2007)

i would not put a three year old boar in with a baby but thats my opion and re the cages i would invest in a proper hutch, i have one guinea pig and he is fine on his own as he gets his company from us


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## guineapigqueen (Jan 12, 2008)

I would recommend finding a breeder/rescue within your area to take your boar along to because some boars can be very tempremental about being introduced to another same sexed pig. If you went to a Pet Shop and bought another boar you could end up with a mis-sexed pig and 75days later a litter of babies or they could not bond and you wud need another cage. 
Other option is to get him neutered wait the minimum of 3 weeks after and take on a sow but preferably not a young one, because he will mount her alot and if she is tiny its not really fair on her.

Regarding his cage, how big is the bird cage and how high are the levels? I wouldnt recommend putting a level in any higher that 1ft due to them being a little bit clumsy and could fall off and damage himself.
I have a cage similar to this...








and I have made an extra level on just above the plastic for my single boar to jump onto.

If you are considering getting your piggy a friend or two you many need to consider a larger cage have you see this design before?








They are called C&C cages and a website specifically for them... Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home
You can make them as large or as small as you want to fit into a certain area. I have 2 levels of 4x2. Here in the UK the grids are a little bit more difficult to find but B&Q have them as well as Screwfix direct. The cage in the above picture has been lined with lino but you can use Correx/coroplast which can be found at any sign makers.

BTW guinea pigs are lazy creatures, they do just sit around and eat, sleep and poop!

Any more questions fire away...
Emma x


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## jdm_s2k (May 21, 2008)

right now its about 1 feet high or so....and he just jumps up!

i didnt know he could do that! i was quite surprised when that happened...

i had a small ramp for him before but he just wouldnt use it......doesnt know how to use it perhaps?

i will look into the cage you have..shown above

thanks = )

also, he likes to eat these following foods...does ur eat the samething?

-banana peels, top of the strawberry, apple peel, LOTS OF GREEN foods..., orange peels.....grape peels....

^^^just thought its weird for him to like these...

we also feed him hay...and some sort of vitamin C pellets...

for some reason....he doesnt pick on me or my dad....

he always likes to pee on my mom's foot...i duno why!


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## Clucks (May 3, 2008)

Hi
He sounds like a real character.
Just like people every guinea pig has it's likes and dislikes with food. Two of mine love oranges but the others aren't keen, one old girl loves grapes and another goes mad for tomatoes, I've never tried them on banana peel, can't see that it would hurt tho.
Not sure why he pees on your mum's foot, she must just be lucky I guess!
I agree with guinea pig queen about taking him to a rescue centre or a breeders to find him a friend, and her cages look great!


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## guineapigqueen (Jan 12, 2008)

Cavies can eat alsorts off food! BTW he can have the whole strawberry not just the top! Mine love them!
Here is a list of fresh feed they can eat with HIGH Vitamin C ...

- Bell / Sweet Peppers - red, green, yellow (not hot or chile) 
- Broccoli Rabe / Rabe / Rapini 
- Broccoli, Broccolini (stems are liked better than flowers) 
- Brussels Sprouts (in moderation)
- Cabbage (in moderation)
- Chinese cabbage (in moderation)
- Cantaloupe Melon 
- Carrot tops / leaves 
- Cauliflower / Broccoflower 
- Celery leaves 
- Cilantro / Chinese Parsley / Coriander greens 
- Collard greens 
- Currants - yellow, red or black (leaves also edible) 
- Dandelion greens 
- Feijoa / Pineapple Guava 
- Garden Cress 
- Gooseberries 
- Grapefruit (caution - sores around lips can develop) 
- Grass - wheat, winter rye (grown in pots from seed) 
- Guava 
- Honeydew Melon 
- Kale - curly or plain 
- Kiwi Fruit 
- Kohlrabi leaves 
- Lemon, Lime (home-grown best, otherwise feed cautiously) 
- Mango 
- Mustard greens / Leaf Mustard 
- Orange (caution - sores around lips can develop) 
- Papaya / Paw Paw / Tree Melon
- Parsley - curly or plain (high in calcium)
- Peas in pods, Pea Shoots (not dried) 
- Persimmon - american or oriental 
- Red Cabbage 
- Rosehip 
- Savoy Cabbage 
- Spring Cabbage/Greens
- Spinach (feed in moderation, linked to formation of kidney & bladder stones) 
- Strawberries 
- Swiss Chard, Red Chard 
- Tamarillo (leaves poisonous) 
- Tangerine / Mandarin (caution - sores around lips can develop) 
- Tomato (sores around mouth can develop; leaves poisonous; artificially
grown can be low in vit C) 
- Tuscan Cabbage / Cavolo Nero 
- Water Cress 

Other good food...
- Apple (avoid seeds; if too tart, sores around lips & mouth can develop) 
- Apricot 
- Artichoke 
- Arugula / Rocket / Roquette / Rucola 
- Asian Pear 
- Asparagus 
- Banana (feed in great moderation - can cause constipation) 
- Basil 
- Beets 
- Belgian Endive 
- Bilberries 
- Blackberries 
- Blueberries 
- Carrots (feed in moderation, vit A in carrots said to cause liver problems) 
- Celery Root / Celeriac 
- Celery stalks (cut into small pieces) 
- Cherries (remove pits)
- Chicory/Endive 
- Chives (caution, feed in moderation) 
- Choy sum 
- Corn on the cob (strings, leaves & stalks are edible too) 
- Crabapple 
- Cranberries (whole fruit, not concentrate or juice) 
- Cucumber (fresh only, not pickled) 
- Dates (dried high in sugar) 
- Dill 
- Figs (dried high in sugar - as treat only) 
- Frisee Lettuce 
- Grapes (in moderation, high in sugar) 
- Green Beans in pods / String Beans (not dried) 
- Green Endive 
- Kohlrabi bulbs 
- Lettuces - red, green, butter, Boston and other (avoid iceberg) 
- Mint 
- Nectarine 
- Paksoi / Bok Choi
- Parsley root 
- Parsnip 
- Passion Fruit / Granadilla 
- Peach 
- Pear 
- Pineapple - fresh (sores around lips & mouth can develop) 
- Plum, Prune (dried high in sugar - as treat only) 
- Pumpkin 
- Radicchio / Italian Chicory 
- Radishes (if mild) 
- Raspberries 
- Romaine Lettuce 
- Rutabaga 
- Salad mix (without iceburg lettuce) 
- Squash - acorn, banana, butterhorn, spagetti, and others (feed in 
moderation) 
- Sweet Onions (caution, feed in moderation) 
- Thyme 
- Treviso Radicchio 
- Turnip 
- Watermelon (can cause diarrhoea - high water content) 

I hope this helped you and other piggy owners.
Emma x


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