Guinea Pig Problem?

Question

I have a two year old guinea pig and she is very shy and quiet. Its soo sad because she is soo adorable and has so much love but she literally dosent do a thing. When I take her out and put her on the ground for her to get exersise she does nothing. She wont even walk around. Shes expensive says my mom and i have to clean her cage every 3 days because i feed her alot of lettuce to eat because its her favorite thing to do in her boring life. Im also alergic to her but it seems that whenever im around shes just so happy to see me and that she would never be happy with anyone else. What should I do to make my life easier and hers happier. I cant go on cleaning all that poop and sneezing alot but i still do love her and would never be able to bring myself to give her away when I made the commitment to own her.

Answer 1

It sounds like you really care about your little piggie. I'm so sorry you're having the allergy problem. It could very well be her bedding. See if changing what you use in the cage helps. Don't use cedar or regular pine shavings, as the oils can give your piggie breathing problems.

You can feed your piggie lettuce, just not iceburg lettuce. Their favorites are Romaine. You can also give her parsley, cilantro, bell pepper, strawberries, carrots, slices of apple or orange, cantaloupe, endive, or escarole just to name a few. Always give your piggie fresh veggies each day, but do it in moderation so she doesn't get mushy poos. You should only be needing to change her cage every week. I can see why your mom would think she was expensive if you changed the litter every three days. If you have a really small cage, then it will smell worse, faster. See if making a bigger cage doesn't help with the smell & needing to change it so much. Visit www.guineapigcages.com for some ideas.

I'm sure your piggie is very happy to see you! However, because you cannot play with her all day, every day, you should really consider getting her a friend. Guinea pigs live in herds in the wild and don't like to be alone. So when you're not around, chances are she's very lonely & wishes she had someone to "talk" to & play with. Maybe your mom would take you to a local shelter or rescue & allow you to adopt a new girl buddy for your piggie? You can look at www.petfinder.com to find a shelter near you. I'll bet my bottom dollar you would see a huge change in her personality if you just got her a friend.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 2

OK 3 recommendations:
1- You MUST feed her Timothy hay EVERY DAY! she could be lethargic due to gut stasis - I learned the hard way over the years that this condition develops over a long time, the guineas just sort of get more and more sluggish, and then they die. All due to the fact that they just needed to eat hay! (they need the fiber in order for their digestion to work properly). This could be part of the problem. You should feed her grass as a treat too, and also give her a variety of veggies such as cukes, tomatoes, celery, and dandelions.

2- She might be a bit lonely - maybe you can find someone else in your neighborhood who has a piggy, and invite them over to play. Just introduce the pigs to each other slowly, while feeding them both a vegetable that they like (so that they are focused on eating rather than on possibly disliking each other), and let them hang out with each other for an hour - you must be there to supervise the entire time, in case they either fight, or if the piggy friend is a male, you don't want them to mate either (it would be unlikely that they mate the first time meeting, since females only go into "mating mode" once every 2-3 weeks or so, but they might get all excited and worked up so just be cautious).

3- Is her cage boring? Piggys like to hide under things and crawl into small spaces - it make them feel safe. You should build her little hide-outs and things, with openings and little tunnel-y things to crawl around in. you can use wood or small cardboard boxes (they love chewing on cardboard boxes, you can take some small boxes and cut some pig-sized holes in the sides - get creative!). I also use small brown paper bags as guinea-pig toys - I put one in the cage, and they like to chew on it and crawl in and out. Sometimes I tie a thread to the side of the bag, by poking two little holes and looping the thread through, and then suspend the bag over their cage so that it's hanging, sideways, about 1/2 inch off the ground - then I stuff the bag with hay, it's funny to watch them try to get their fat little faces into the bag to try to eat the hay while the bag is swinging around. look up websites about guinea pigs, that will help with more ideas, one good one is www.cavycages.com.

Finally, it's possible your piggy is mentally handicapped (ie. a little "slow"). But you can love her just the same!

Answer 3

You SHOULD feed her lettuce, just not iceburg lettuce. The majority of her veggies should be leafy greens such as red leaf or green leaf lettuce. Iceburg lettuce can cause diarreha and has no nutritional value, so avoid that. Check out guinealynx.info for more info on veggies and everything else you need to keep her healthy.
One of my boys is very "shy" and doesn't run around as much as I'd like. It's just his personality. My other boy runs and popcorns all the time. They are just different piggies. Who knows why. I just give him the chance to run and play everyday and try to gain his trust, maybe eventually he will decide to come out of his shell.
I'm allergic to something in my boy's cages. I don't know if it is them or the hay. I sneeze a lot and itch. I keep a bottle of lotion that has anti itch ingredients in them (like for poison ivy). I also keep the room well ventilated when I clean there cages, open windows turn on fans, etc. You can try to get an air purifier. There are small, cheap ones (around $30) that you could keep near her cage. A mask could be a cheaper option. I wear long sleeves too when I hold them so that my ars don't get too itchy.
Vitamin C should not be added to her water. It weakens in water and you cannot monitor how much she really gets. Use vitamin C drops or chewable tablets. My boys love the tablets. You can buy them at GNC.

Answer 4

Many guinea pigs are shy and too scared to run around when left loose. You can use shredded paper to save money on bedding. Bedding should be Aspen--it's the safest. I change my bedding for 2 pigs in a large cage once a week. With allergies, you may need to change it more frequently. You might be allergic also to the pine dust if you are using pine shavings. Cedar is toxic, by the way. Don't feed her lettuce, it has no nutritional value and can cause diarrhea. Try little pieces of carrot, apple, tomato, bell pepper, and oranges. Her main diet should be timothy hay and a little guinea pig pellet. Add vitamin C (100mg liquid) to her water every day and change it every day. You can gently bathe her in kitten tearless shampoo every couple of weeks. Use warm water and dry her well. This may help with you allergies. Don't let her sleep in her room, that will help as well. Wash your hands after playing with her. Getting anothe pig at this point would just make your allergies worse, and she might not get along with it, then you would have two cages to take care of and twice the expense! Good luck.

Answer 5

Aw, you really do care for your little piggy. I'm really happy you won't just dump her somewhere. My piggies are the same. I take them out to run outside and they don't run at all , they perfer to sit there and eat grass. I think shes so excited to see you because you are a member of her little herd and she wants to spend time with you. I think there is nothing to make her life happier and your life easier except for taking your piggy outside and let her sit there while you watch her. Or if you are really willing to spend more money, maybe you should buy her another companion ( preffably a Guinea Pig) so she can have some company. I hope you get some good awnsers!

Answer 6

I'm very sorry about that. Some guinea pigs are just shyer than others! She probably wasn't handled when she was a baby so has become timid of people. I have 2 guineas that are like that myself. The best thing to do is to find another guinea pig to be her companion. A guinea pig that lives on its own will be very timid and will not thrive like they are supposed to. They are HERD animals so they need at least one other guinea pig to live with.
If you get another then she will surely come out of her shell. To ensure that the second guinea pig you get isn't shy - get it from a Rescue centre or a small-scale breeder. Petshops get their stock from backyard breeders who do not handle their guinea pigs. Did your first guinea pig come from a petstore?

Good luck!

Answer 7

Are you giving her vitamin C supplements? Humans and guinea pigs are the only mammals that can't store vitamin C in their systems so they have to have a constant supply.

Lack of vitamin C can cause sore joints, so that might be why your guinea pig is not very active.

Also, don't give her too much lettuce. I know she likes it, but it's like giving children too much sugar. There are other foods that guinea pigs consider treats. You can get good information on guinea pigs online and at pet stores -- PetCo and PetsMart have very good info sheets for free.

You're very nice to want to make her life happier. If you do need to find her a good home, most animal shelters will take guinea pigs, and most larger cities have guinea pig clubs.

Answer 8

don't put in another guinea pig with her unless this guinea pig is the same size and another female. introduce them SLOWLY so be sure they aren't agressive to eachother. bedding DOES need to be changed that often or it can make them sick. and be sure you're useing carefresh - DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT use any type of wood shaving bedding. it can cause lung infection and even death from the chemicals they use and such. also - too much lettuce is BAD. i don't reccomend it. feed her oranges, kale, kiwi, strawberrys - ANYTHING that's HIGH in Vitamin C. guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin c, so they are very prone to colds. put vitamin c drops (found at almost any pet store) in her water daily. they can even catch colds from humans, so don't let anyone with a cold handle her. if she starts sneezing or getting goopy eyes, increase vitamin c. if it doesn't get better within a week - get her to a vet. as for her temperment - some guinea pigs are just very laid back (usually the males - but my female is the most laid back) - it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with her. keeping her properly groomed and brushed may help with allergies since they shed a lot. giving bath and brushing can help with the shedding. just interact as much as you can because guinea pigs need that interaction or they can become depressed. email with any questons - [e-mail]

Answer 9

I think you should get her a friend, some medical masks and some rubber gloves... also visit

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/ for some cleaning tips.

Are you alergic to the guinea or the hay? I would find out. It could be a very easy solution like changing from hay to fleese bedding.

Good luck

Answer 10

What you should do is keep playing with her all the time, you could even take her outside if you wanted and see what she does when you do that. You can also purchase things at a petstore for cleaning the cage and stuff.