Bringing your Guinea Pig Pets Home – The first days
I know you are excited because you’ve just bought your first little guinea pig and brought him home. Your probably so excited that you just can’t wait to pick him up and cuddle him. However much you would like to do this it’s not a good idea right now.
Think about it a minute, your new pet is in a new home and environment and he is probably somewhat scared right now. If you pick him up and cuddle him it’s just going to make him even more scared. Give him time to get acquainted with his new home and surroundings, as well as get used to you!
After he has had time to get familiar with his new surroundings and new life in general then you may pick him up. When you first bring him home it’s a good idea not to make any sudden noises around him as well. I’ve included some tips below for you to check out about what to do after bringing him home.
Tips:
At the time you bought your new guinea pig you probably as well bought him a new cage as well. If you haven’t set the cage up yet now would be a good time. I hope you have already done this before bringing your new guinea pig home however. It is important for your new pet to have a place to hide and a space that is his alone.
I know your going to be tempted to hang out around his cage watching him after first bringing him home, but this is also not a good idea. If you shadow every move he makes you will continue to scare him and I know this is not what you want to do.
Instead of shadowing him from up above it would be a better idea if you kneel down to his level next to his cage and watch him playing. This will show your new guinea pig that you can be trusted around him. You do not want him thinking you are the enemy.
Bribing your new guinea pig:
Just as with young children bribery is one of the easiest ways in which to gain your pets trust. This will show your new guinea pig that you want to hold and cuddle him. In case your wondering what to bribe him with the best thing to use is treats. All guinea pigs have special things they enjoy eating so you have lots of bribing tools at hand.
The best ways in which to bribe?
Whatever you decide to bribe your guinea pig with take a couple seconds to show them the treat. After they have seen the treat and possibly smelled it then lay it down on the cage floor and step back away from the cage. Kneel down close to the cage door and wait patiently.
If after a few minutes your new guinea pig has not taken the treat then carefully pick it up and remove it from the cage. Close the cage door and walk away going about your own business. You might have to do this several times a day at first until your new pet figures out what you are wanting him to do. At this time he might actually come to the door to take the treat from you.
Each time your guinea pig comes to the cage door you might move a little closer to him. This way he will get used to you being there close and slowly will get closer to you.
At first he will be somewhat shy about it but eventually he will learn to accept your presence and take the treat right out of your hand. In fact he will start to get excited upon seeing you enter the room and might jump and dance around.
Picking up your guinea pig
It’s important to know that you never use treats as a way to pick up your guinea pig. This could cause the guinea pig to have trust issues with you and damage your new relationship.
It’s best to gain his trust by cuddling with him. Continue showing him that you are a friend and not the enemy.
Holding your guinea pig pets
It’s important to be very careful when picking up your new furry friend. Remember how small they are and that you could accidentally harm their breathing if you do not handle them gently.
Very gently place your hand under his stomach while at the same time supporting his back as you help him up. Again, never hold him to tight but always hold him gently.
If you have a young child in the house it’s always best when letting them hold the guinea pig to be present or have another adult present when this happens. This way you can rest assured that they will not be dropped or squeezed to tightly.
Getting your guinea pig to relax
The first several times you pick up your guinea pig for cuddling it is a good idea to do so in a quiet room free of distractions and noises. Have your treat ready and see if you can get him to take it while sitting on your lap.
If you have and show patience to your new pet then after a while he will start to take the treat when he sees you are showing him love while doing it. Again, he will become excited when he sees you at the end of the day or anytime you walk into the room.
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What is a C and C Cage – C&C
If you have thought about purchasing a guinea pig and heard the pet store assistant make reference to a C&C cage then you’ve probably wondered exactly what type of cage that is? If this is the case then this article will answer this question for you as well as tell you how to make a C&C cage of your own.
The expression C&C means coroplast and cubes. Coroplast is really the company trade name name but the commodity is basically furrowed plastic which is small sheets of plastic that are separated by empty columns. Cubes is referring to the square metallic grids that you would use in making storage cubes. Chances are you’ve seen these types of storage cubes in many stores today.
In essence your C&C cage is a custom made and designed guinea pig cage. You use square metallic grids for the outside partitions and then the coroplast lays within the cage to make the floor or bottom.
Are there advantages to a C&C cage?
Guinea pig owners find that the reason they like to make their own C&C cages is due to the fact that most of the ones you will find for purchase that are available for guinea pig use are just to little. If you own one guinea pig that little piggy needs a cage that is about 7.5 square feet. Most of the commercially made cages are about 42”L x 20”W x 22”H.
The various sizes of the metallic grids will allow you the guinea pig owner a way in which to design a assortment of cage sizes to suit your guinea pig and you. Also the coroplast is very effortless to work with as it’s non toxic, strong, waterproof and lightweight.
This also means it is really simple to clean. Aw, now I’ve got your attention! Many C&C cage owners have said that their cages have lasted for more than 5 years. Since the materials are so simple to use this will let you design more charming and luxuriant cages which can include features like multiple levels. Just think you can make your little piggy a home with several stories to play in.
When selecting the materials what should you consider?
Make sure that you realize that while the metallic grid cubes themselves come in standard sizes, the grid spacing can differ from manufacturers. When you look at some of the grid spacing and layouts you will see that many are to large. A 14in square cube that has a 5 x 5 layout would be too large.
One of the dangers of the grid size not being small enough is that your guinea pig could quite possibly get his head stuck through the sides and this could cause him to become strangled. This would not be good for your little piggy. So if you are considering building your own C&C cage choose a grid layout of 9 x 9. This one usually has 1.5in spacing and is the fail-safe for your guinea pig.
How do I make a C and C Cage?
- The first thing to decide on is the size of the cage that you plan to build.
- Next purchase as many holding cubes as needed.
- Once this is done then lay them out and decide the diverse arrangements to determine which you like the best.
- Once that has been decided then you need to connect them together. You can do this with the connectors which has been provided. This is important: these connectors are not very strong and it is recommended that you use two cable ties for reinforcement. One at the top side and one at the bottommost.
- Next measure the width and length. This way you have the measurements for creating the coroplast inner walls that you will deposit down inside. Be sure and make them just a little littler than the actual measurements or they will not fit properly.
- Remember that you are only making four sides and a bottom, so leave the top open.
You might also want a lining of 5 or 6 in. about the sides for storing the bedding or hay. For this you might use a razor or craft knife as you can mark a side which will allow you to be able to fold the stuff up. At each corner you will need to have the length of the liner cut through. You can do a individual horizontal or a vertical cut. This allows the coroplast to shape to the corners when folded together. The corners can then be sealed with tape.
Last but not least, place your coroplast box within the metallic grids.
That’s it, your done now. Isn’t the C&C cage much nicer than the pre-made ones that you looked at? Now that wasn’t to hard either!
Want to see a video of a C&C cage being made?
