Jakes New Cage...AND I'm adopting a new boy!!!!

Jakes new cage is all finished, and he LOVES it!!

Its about 5 feet long and 2 1/2 feet wide.












And here is the new boy that I'm adopting!






"Wicket" is the name he came into the shelter with, but I don't think I'll be keeping it since he doesn't know it anyway. He was very underweight and is just now back to full health! I'm adopting him from Kats Kritters in Memphis and hoping to have him home sometime after the 26th!!

I'm sooo excited!

what cutie pies!!!! your little piggy and the new one are just prescious!!!!! good job on the cage too!!!!! looks like they'll have lots of room!!!

nice cage, i'vve wanted to make one of those , but i cant find any cubes around me. is jake litterbox trained? or is the box with the hay, his food? they are both very cute btw

Jake isn't litter box trained. The box with hay is where I'm encouraging him to go (they tend to go most while they eat and drink) but he uses the whole cage mostly!

The fleece on the bottom wicks any moisture away to the towels underneath, the fleece stays dry. Then I just vacuum out the poops everyday and wash the fleece and towels once a week. Its actually much cleaner than shavings, and Jake seems much happier on the fleece (can you imagine those shavings poking you all the time?). If you have any other questions I'd be glad to answer them.

I got my cubes from Bed Bath and Beyond. Some targets carry them, but mine doesn't.

Looks great! My piggies are in a C&C cage too There's is err, 5x2 grids with an extra cube, one cube less than 6x2...basically a floorspace of 11 grids They live on fleece aswell and I love it

The new guy will be here SUNDAY!!! I'm SO excited!!

Originally Posted by maddensmom

The new guy will be here SUNDAY!!!

I'm SO excited!!

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Oh I can't wait to see pics!!

Since you're open to questions....do you have to introduce the two in a similar manner to cats?

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Oh I can't wait to see pics!!

Since you're open to questions....do you have to introduce the two in a similar manner to cats?

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Sort of...

Boys are prone to fighting, so they have to be introduced on neutral ground. Anywhere where there is no scent of either of them. Then they have to be watched closely for awhile. They tend to bully each other for a bit to establish dominance and after that they normally get along. As long as there's no serious fighting (drawing blood) you leave them alone to work it out. While they are on neutral territory you tear apart the cage and disinfect everything so that the cage becomes neutral ground as well.

If all of that doesn't work, you bathe them together and it tends to bond them through the trauma!

I'm hoping everything goes smoothly.

Originally Posted by maddensmom

If all of that doesn't work, you bathe them together and it tends to bond them through the trauma!

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I've also heard of people taking rabbits for car rides together to help them bond. I guess anything traumatic will draw pets together.

good luck with the new guy. Nice cage too! Hopefully the fact that the cage is fairly new to Jake will help too.

Doesn't he chew or move the blanket around?

Originally Posted by marie-p

I've also heard of people taking rabbits for car rides together to help them bond. I guess anything traumatic will draw pets together.

good luck with the new guy. Nice cage too! Hopefully the fact that the cage is fairly new to Jake will help too.

Doesn't he chew or move the blanket around?

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Thanks!

The fleece is sewn to two layers of towels, so to him its fairly heavy. Plus I've secured it at all four corners to the grids with binder clips. That way even if he tries to pull it up, it won't move.

Thanks for answering my question! I had no idea & it's been bugging me for awhile now.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Thanks for answering my question! I had no idea & it's been bugging me for awhile now.

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No problem!! Guinea Pigs are often times mistreated just because people are so misinformed about the proper care for them.

I would love to answer any questions that anyone has, I'm no expert but I retain info like a sponge!

Since you like questions....if Jake is not quite "housetrained"....will the new boy pick up on that? I mean, is the new boy housetrained? If he is, will he go back to not being housetrained because Jake isn't?

Can Guinea Pigs get UTIs?

(Sorry, I'm full of stupid questions! )

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Since you like questions....if Jake is not quite "housetrained"....will the new boy pick up on that? I mean, is the new boy housetrained? If he is, will he go back to not being housetrained because Jake isn't?

Can Guinea Pigs get UTIs?

(Sorry, I'm full of stupid questions!

)

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There's no such thing as a stupid question!

Eh...it doesn't really matter if they are house trained. Jake never goes outside of his cage, but will pretty well go anywhere in there. It doesn't make much difference though. The fleece stays dry even if he piddles on it, so he's feet are never wet. It all immediately gets wicked away to the towels underneath. It doesn't smell (although I'm sure it would if you didn't change out the fleece often enough) and Jake seems to love having the soft fleece to sleep on.

The new boy has been on pine shavings his whole life, so he will probably do his business anywhere and everywhere as well. I'll just keep vacuuming out the poos and will probably start changing the fleece twice a week instead of once. I have two sets, so I just pull one out, put the other in and wash the first. Works out really well that way.

I'm going to keep trying to encourage them to use the hay box (which reminds me I'll need a bigger one) but if they won't thats ok too. I have to change the fleece out just as often either way.

I hope all that made some sense.

Guinea Pigs can get UTI's. They are treated with antibiotics just like ours.

The most common health risks for guinea pigs are URI's and mites. While mites are easily treated URI's can be deadly if not treated aggressively and promptly.

Keep em coming!

What sorts of toys can Guinea Pigs have?

I'm asking so many questions as someday, I might well have a GP!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

What sorts of toys can Guinea Pigs have?

I'm asking so many questions as someday, I might well have a GP!

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Toys!! My favorite part!!

They can have cat toys that are durable. You just have to check for any small pieces that could be chewed off, or bells that could fall out or come loose.

Some ferret toys are great. A lot of Guinea Pigs like stuffed animals, Jake doesn't care a bit in the world for them though!

The big favorites are paper bags (Jake LOVES his), toilet paper tubes filled with hay (be sure to cut them lengthwise so they can't get stuck in them though), balls of paper, and towels or other pieces of fabric they can tunnel under.

They also LOVE tunnels! The big green one in Jakes cage is just one of the grids I had left over from building the cage that I bent in half and then covered with extra fleece, he loves it!

I can make you really want one!

Check out this video of Jake playing when I first got him:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=123887

Right now, there is no way I could have one. They look waaayyyy too much like lunch to my dogs!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Right now, there is no way I could have one. They look waaayyyy too much like lunch to my dogs!

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My big dog loves him to pieces and treats him like a baby. My little dog would eat him if given the chance so she doesn't get anywhere near him!

Madden, on the other hand is scared to death of the little guy! He won't have anything to do with him, he just runs away or hides behind me and makes a pathetic mew if Jake gets too close!

One of my dogs is developing some behavioral issues, so she isn't ever allowed alone with the other dog or any of the cats. So, yeah....a Guinea Pig wouldn't stand a chance at my place right now!

And big tough Madden is scared of a funny lookin' rat?!?!