Guinea Pig Problem!

Hi everyone. I recently got a guinea pig (On Tuesday), let me describe him first:
His name is Buster. He is four months old, has a mialy white body with two patches of brown on his face, and one large brown/black patch on his rear end.

This is my problem: He is scared when I try to pick him up, and when he knows he's going to be put back. When I go pick him up and play, he runs franticly around his 'house'. (he lives in 2 20 gallon rubber-maid clear storage boxes, linked together with a pvc pipe) When I eventually do pick him up, I hold him in the middle of my chest, and hold him firmly so he doest jump on my way to a chair. Buster is a complete sweatheart to hold, he doesnt squirm or do anything, as long as you are petting him or have your hands on his back. When I get up from my chair, I hold him tightly against me like I do when I pick him up, and he starts to go insane. He bites at my shirt, or anything he can get ahold of (hasnt gotten anyone's fingers yet) and I'm afraid to move and have him jump from my arms, or bite me and I'll drop him. :(

Does any other guinea pig owner out there have this problem? He doesnt try to bite or jump or even turn around when I'm holding him in a chair, but anytime I slightly move he bites and jumps. :confused: I dont know what to do. Someone please, if you have ANY suggestions, let me know.

Thank you in advance,
Sam and Buster

I had the same problem with one of my guinea pigs, Rodney. Buster is just scared. I had to take it really slow with rodney. I just quietly talked to him, gently pet him, and hand-fed him carrots until he got to know me better. I didn't have as much trouble with my other guinea pig,Bear because i got him when he was a little older and going to a new home didn't come as quite a shock. Good luck with Buster :)

I am sure that Horse is right. You have to take it REAL slowly. I haven't had guinea pigs, but I have hamsters, and our new ones are alway skittish for a while. I'm sure it will get better. Just be very gentle and soothing for a while.

Hi Sam, and hi to Buster too!! I have a guinea pig too, Squeekers, who is 2 years old. Like everyone else has said, he's just scared!!! And he's still a baby :) Like "horse" above me says, the key I found is to take it slowly; to let him get use to you and his surroundings.. Everything is SO new and frighteneing to him right now. I found too, that starting off by talking quietly to him in his cage, just sitting next to him and hand feeding him was the best start. Squeekers still squirms a little when I pick him up or put him down. I found if I sit on the floor next to his box, let him jump out on his OWN, then gently lift him to my lap or leg, (not a great distance) and he's far less fearful. There I can pet and hold him without fear of him jumping from my hands and falling. Letting him sit in your lap while you are doing something is a good idea. Squeekers sits on my lap while I'm on the computer. He loves the clicks and bings and all the sounds! And he loves music too! Just take it slowly. With a little time, his fearfulness will subside! Good luck, and give us updates! Sandra

[ October 06, 2001: Message edited by: tatsxxx11 ]

Thanks so much everyone, I knew I could rely on you guys to help me out! :D

I was hoping it was just scared, and not a huge problem. He is getting a little better. I talk to him on my way into my room, and I'm pretty sure he knows who I am. I guess I have to be patient! :)

I forgot to mention something too:
He was the youngest male at the petstore, and they put him in a cage with 3 or 4 other older males. So, being territorial, they fought and Buster got the abuse. He has two spots on his back where he was attacked really bad-which I'm happy to say is healing nicely- so we be careful not to touch him there, although it seems to cause no pain to him. I guess that could REALLY be causing him some stress too. :rolleyes: But, being mindless, I forgot to mention that before.

I have to tell you something scary!! Today, I had my mom buy Buster a itty bitty dog harness. I read on other websites that some people get harnesses or collars and walk there guinea pigs. I thought this was a kewl idea. So I put him in his new little harness, and before I took him in the backyard for a stroll, I took him in the bathroom and shut the door to make sure he couldnt get out of it. He promptly got his paw stuck in the little strap ring!(about the size of a penny, that holds the front strap to the back) I started screaming, because I thought he broke his leg. Buster was freaking out completely, and making sounds I didnt know he could! Finally, my mom heard my cries for help, and came to the rescue. We finally got Buster's leg out, and out of the harness. I still at this point though his leg was broken. I was crying my eyes out til I put him in his cage and saw him walking. What a relief!!! I'm so happy he's okay.

Well, thats my scary story. Like always, my post is a long one. (I just cant say everything I want too without being in a billion paragraphs!)

Thanks again to everyone's advice, and I'll keep the updates coming. And I think the digital camera is working, so maybe some pictures too!

Sam
And the boys: Buster the guinea piggy, and Brutus the 'monster' dog. :D

Hi Sam and Co!! Hope little Buster is doing well :) Can't wait to see some pictures of the baby!! I too have a little harness for Squeekers. Mine is made especially for guinea pigs and other small critters. It doesn't seem to have the potential hazards that the one you described has. Maybe a pet store by you has one you might try. Although, Squeekers is not a big wanderer and would probably do just fine with supervised outdoor grazing, minus the harness :D

You probably already know this. But I thought I would mention just in case, how sensitive piggies are to temp. changes and drafts. There have been reported deaths :( of piggies left in direct sunlight and or temps. as low as 70 degrees!! They also are very sensitive to drafts and cold. Just be careful that he is never left in direct sunlight without a place to hide or in rooms with too high or low a temp. Wheeks to Buster from Squeekers!! Oh, what are his favorite foods and how much do you feed him?

Hey, congratulations on your new guinea pig! My pig was the same, talk to him/her and say their name. It helps. If you have a cage that has a door near the floor you might try sitting down. Sometimes it scares them to have something so big hovering over them. Good luck :D, pigs are awesome

Buster says hi to Squeekers! :D

Thanks for letting me know about the temperature problems. I keep my room about 70 degrees, but I think this winter I might get him a heating pad to set under his cage on a low setting, just in case. I'm be sure to keep the room draftless!

About the food and treats. So far, I know he abosolutely LOVES apples. He can be in a dead sleep, and the minute I walk into the room with apples, he's bright awake! Also, is it bad for him to have the skins?I have an apple when I get home from school, but I hate the skin. SO I peel it off for him with a little of the inside on the back, to make it crunchy. Is that bad for him to have mainly skin? I read somewhere that feeding too much apple may give them problems with the acid in the apple irritating to their mouth. I've looked at his mouth, nothing seems wrong. Anyone else heard of that?

As for the staple food, I feed L&M's Bonanza. He seems to like it, but not eating nearly enough! He picks at, but only eats probably 1 tablespoon of the 5 or 6 tablespoons suggested on the bag of food. I've had him for nearly a week now, and so he should be calmed down enough to eat, right? He is only 4 months, but I would think that he should eat more than that. I've also been offering wood sticks, which he wont touch. They're celery flavored, so maybe he just hates celery. I also give him alfalfa cubes. He loves them completely, and they're gone pretty quick.

Another problem!! I left it for last, because it kinda serious. HAS ANYONE EVER HAD A GUINEA PIGGY SPRAIN OR BREAK A LEG? I'm so scared! I was holding Buster today, and I gently touched the foot that got stuck in that stupid harness, and he made this horrible sound! I touched the other front foot, to see if he just didnt like his foot handled. But no, I could pick it up and firmly hold that foot without causing Buster any pain. I'm hoping it's a sprain, because he walks fine. Any tips from anyone about this? :(

Sorry I keep turning to you guys for help, but I really don't have anywhere else to ask my questions. Thanks for reading and responding to everyone of my entries tatsxxx11! Thanks to everyone else too! ;)

[ October 08, 2001: Message edited by: dababy ]

Just discovered he loves carrots too! :D
He's sitting on my lap on his little pillow, and crunching away at a carrot piece! I'm also trying to get the digital camera to work so you guys can see him. Let me know if you have ever known of a broken leg on a guinea pig! Thanks so much!

Sami
Buster and Brutus

Hi Sami, Buster and Brutus!

First, poor little Buster! Yes, it is possible for piggies to injure their legs; sprains, breaks, etc. If he is walking around easily, I doubt that he was broken anything. But try to keep him quiet, without too much running around for a few days. Keep a close eye on him. If he seems to be in pain (without you touching his leg) I think you should take him to your vet to have him checked. Sounds like he may have sprained or strained his leg :( If this is the case, it should heal on it's own with a little rest.

As for his diet!! Squeekers LOVES apples (with the skin) baby carrots, peppers, bananas, blueberries, celery, cucumber and especially parsley!! Be careful with the parsley though; it is very high in calcium and over feeding is believed to contribute to the forumation of bladder stones, very familiar in piggies. You may know this, but piggies cannot make their own vit. C like humans can. They need to get it from their diet and it is very important for them to get a daily supply. This is given best in the form of fresh fruits and veggies. Dark leafy greens, like parsley, spinach, and a dark, leafy lettuce, like romainne, are good sources; iceberg contains too much water. Of course, oranges, apples and carrots are very high in vit. C. There is a commercial vit. C solution you can buy at the pet store. You add 1 teaspoon per water bottle per day. It is a good backup. But you shouldn't rely just on that! It breaks down easily, especially if the bottle is near sunlight. Piggies are very prone to colds that can kill them very easily. So be sure and give him plenty of food with vit. C. Mine guys get a small slice of fresh orange every other day. Watch for mouth sores though as orange is so acidic.

For a daily diet, Squeekers gets 2 or 3 feedings a day. He gets about 1/2-1 cup total of fresh fruits and veggies, appx. 1/2 of pellets that he "free feeds" from, and ulimited timothy hay daily. Alfalfa based pellets and hay should only be fed to nursing mothers, babies and sick piggies; it is very rich. This is very important for their digestion; a good source of fiber. All pets stores and many grocery stores carry it. If they don't eat it, they like to use it for bedding! And even if he doesn't seem to like it now, leave the wood chew stick in his cage anyway. All piggies love to chew wood, and he will probably give it a try eventually. It is important for them to be able to "file down" their teeth as they grow continuously! If Buster doesn't like the pellets you use now, try another brand. I use Oxbow Cavy Performance. It's a very highly recommended vit. c supplemented timothy based pellet. But be careful of ones containing sunflower seeds, nuts, etc. Piggies can choke on them

Anyway this is Squeekers diet for today:
A.M. 2 baby carrots
dark greens or parsley, about 1/4 cp
1/4 cup pellet
handful of hay

Noon: About Tbsp.of chopped red pepper
1/2" slice of banana

P.M. Large spinach leaf
small slice of apple
1/4 cup of pellets
Hay

You get the idea! You can vary the fruits and veggies. Just make sure you don't overdo the fruit (lots of sugar!) and give him dark greens daily. A small piece of orange every other day is good; but not too much! That does have a lot of acid in it!

Change his water every day! And be careful to watch if algae starts forming on the sides of the bottle. I scrub out his bottle with hot, soapy water then run it through the dishwasher, once a week. The algae forms a bacteria that can kill him!! And they love fresh, cool water!

AND! NEVER use cedar bedding! The chemicals in it are deadly! Only some untreated pine or aspen beddiing. (Aspen is best)

I hope I haven't overwhelmed you with info. When I got Squeekers, he was my first piggie and I was clueless! Just thought I would pass along some info. I researched. I'm also going to post some links to great cavy (guinea pig) pages. They have great info. on all aspects of guinea pig care from health, to nutrition, to grooming (they need to be brushed and have nails clipped) to bedding, games, etc. And great chat rooms. They also have pre-recorded wheekers noises! Squeekers loves to sit on my lap and listen to thme!

Don't be overwhelmed. I'm sure in a short time you'll get into an easy routine and love caring for him. And let me know when you want to give him a bath! Squeekers loves them! Fondly, Sandra

Try these:
www.caviesareus.tripod.com www.beanmakers.com www.aracnet.com www.cavyseek.com

[ October 09, 2001: Message edited by: tatsxxx11 ]

[ October 09, 2001: Message edited by: tatsxxx11 ]