Crazy guinea

Question
QUESTION: I am a New Guinea pig owner of 12 days. My guinea is approx 3 months old. When we first got him,, he would hide most of the time and was somewhat quieter than I had expected. He was active but not as much as now. We went away for the wknd and brought him and all his accessories with us (cage, toys, chews). He was on our lap in an open box with his bedding for the three and a half hour car ride. The first night he was "normal" but now he is acting crazy. He would run up the ramp and jump down, scramble like he is terrified if we go near the cage (new). The store we purchased him at said we didn't need a hut or vitamin drops. After the first day away I thought maybe he wanted a hut. I purchased one but he pushes it around and hides behind it not inside. I was also going to get  a litter pan for inside the cage but the worker at the store told me to just use news paper. As a different substance for him to stand on when he goes.  I am little worried his sporadic crazy running and jumping that he is going to hurt himself. Is this running normal?  My child woke me and said they were worried there is something wrong with him because of his behaviour

ANSWER: Unlike hamsters or mice guinea pigs do not particularly like toys and don't need a wheel to exercise. They do enjoy a little 'hidey hole' but the best and cheapest way to provide one is to use something like a round cardboard oatmeal box. They will chew on it, and that's okay. They need something to help keep their teeth worn. Just take off the colored paper and open up both ends of the box. He will crawl inside and sleep in it, or he may just enjoy running through it.

Another good and pretty much lifelong hut is found at any hardware store. I like Lowe's or Home Depot as they have a larger supply. Go to the section that sells plumbing for big jobs like sewer lines or big water lines. Get a piece of connecting tube that is about 6 in in diameter.

It's made of indestructible PVC and is very inexpensive. It's easy to wash and if chewed on will not harm the pig. It is about eight inches long and 6 inches in diameter. Perfect for the round body of a guinea pig. Don't get the smaller size, he will outgrow it or get fat and get stuck in it.

The reason guinea pigs need a solid floor is because of the way they are built. The weight distribution puts more pressure on the back legs than a rabbit. Wire floors will cause pressure sores on the pig very quickly.

What you are seeing is what we call the "guinea pig crazies" and is their way of being silly. I have 50 cages of pigs, they are stackables are are five cages high. Usually in the evening one will suddenly start zooming around the cage as fast as he can, then suddenly stop as if to say, "do you want to see that again?" Then one by one they all start it. Cages are rocking, pigs are squealing and everyone is having a great time. It usually lasts about five to ten minutes then they all stop as if nothing happened.

This is just their way of exercising and having fun. It's more prevalent in the younger ones but occasionally some of my old timers will join in as well. It's funny to see a pig old fat pig trying to run around in circles and jump.

Do not put vitamins in the water. He doesn't need it and the smell will prevent him from wanting to drink. Just feed a good quality pellet, the kind without all the colored things in it as those are just eye candy for the owner.

Parsley is the best source of Vit C and he doesn't need a great deal of it. You should also offer some lettuce and a piece of carrot. Occasionally you may read that Iceberg lettuce is not good for guinea pigs, and I've even seen people go so far as to say it's poisonous. Absolutely untrue.

Iceberg lettuce #the round tight lettuce# contains very little if any nutrients. It's only good for holding up salad dressing AND for hydration. It is primarily water and for that reason is an excellent source of water when you're traveling with your pig. Water bottles will leak from the motion of the car, but lettuce does not.

The Iceberg "poisonous" statements seem to start like undocumented gossip. One person says something is not the best, the next says is bad, and by the time it gets around it's reported as poisonous. This is ignorance, not fact.  

When we travel to and from shows #sometimes out of state# the pigs are given lettuce during the drive so they stay hydrated. Romaine lettuce has the most Vit C and for that reason is recommended as a supplement on a daily basis, but in moderation. For one pig one leaf is more than sufficient and many times even that much is too much.  

They love melon rinds, banana peels and the cob off the corn. You eat the parts you like then give him what you don't eat. During the corn season I buy a couple of cobs, cut them into slices and just put them in each cage. After eating the sweet corn they will use the cob as it dries out just to chew on. A sort of toothbrush if you will.

Do remember that his main diet should be pellets, not just fruits and veggies. A piece of carrot about an inch long is plenty. The chewing also helps keep the teeth worn.

Guinea pigs' teeth never stop growing, so they must graze and chew on things to keep them properly worn. Hay is also an excellent supplement and is great for the teeth. Some of mine eat it, some just like to bed down in it and some like hiding under it.

The best bedding is wood shavings. Use pine, not cedar. If you have a feed store in your area you can buy an entire bale of shavings for a lot less than buying small bags at the pet store.

These bales are typically sold for stall bedding for horses. However, breeders use them for bedding because of cost. A bale of shavings is about 12" x 24" x 36 " tall. They are tightly wrapped in plastic and if kept dry #garage,basement, etc# will be as fresh as the day you bought it no matter how long it takes to use it. With one pig that bale will last you a year or more. And pound for pound is about 80 x cheaper than purchasing in the pet store.

Unlike rabbits you cannot litter box a guinea pig. They simply go wherever they are, which sometimes means inside the food bowl. Don't put water in a crock or bowl. The pig will soil the water quickly making it unfit to drink. Use a water bottle that hangs on the cage with a tube. The pig touches the ball at the end of the tube and it releases the water, drop by drop.

I've found the best place to purchase stone crocks is at the dollar stores. If you have a "Dollar Tree" or similar type store they often carry the heavy stone crocks and are sold for $1.  At a pet store you will pay four or five times that. You want a heavy potter or ceramic dish so that he can't knock it over.

Don't assume that it's full just because you can see pellets on the top. My pigs often sit in the dish and pee, soaking the pellets underneath and making them all unfit to eat. So clean that dish every night just to be sure.

The bottom line is that your pig sounds perfectly normal and healthy. Those sporadic little fits are just signs of fun. You may also see him occasionally do what is called "popcorning" when he will suddenly jump all fours off the ground and twist his body. Again this is a sign of pure glee. He's feeling good, life is good and is happy. As they grow it becomes more difficult to get all fours off the ground because of how they are shaped, but they still try.

So sit back and enjoy his little antics. He's showing off and playing. He will not hurt himself. As long as the ramp isn't too high he's not likely to fall off and hurt himself. He should have ample shavings in the cage and that will cushion him in case he does.

You didn't mention how often you're cleaning his cage but there is a good rule of thumb to go by. If you can smell that cage you've waited too long. Remember that is not just bedding but is also where he pees and poos. The urine will begin to smell if not cleaned frequently.

Some pigs will go in just one corner while others go anywhere. Unfortunately you don't get to dictate where he goes. He makes that decision. You can scoop the wet shavings nightly and just replenish with a bit of fresh bedding but the entire cage needs a complete cleaning every few days. The smaller the cage the more frequently you'll have to clean it.

So enjoy your new pet and let him entertain you with his showing off and doing the crazies for you.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for all your advise. You have made me feel much better about this new family member.
Btw, the child who has this pet is responsible for spot cleaning every day and a full clean every wknd. His water bottle and food are changed daily. We take per ownership very seriously and it is a member if our family and is treated as such.
Thank you again

Answer
Kudos Mom, I salute you! I've given many a pet pig away to children over the past many years and my first requirement is that they are old enough to be responsible. I won't give or sell a pig to someone who wants it for their two or three year old. Most children under five are too young for a pet. At that young age they're not old enough to understand how to handle any animal. The child gets scratched trying to hold it or the pet gets injured, then out goes the poor animal. That's not the child's fault.

I did have one exception and that was a little girl whose mom worked with me. They'd had a guinea pig for many years that was actually supposed to be the older sister's pet. This little girl had taken on the full care of "Crystal" since the child was three.

Crystal passed away right after the little girl's fourth birthday. She was devastated, so she came to my caviary to pick out a new pet from a litter that was ready to wean. I told her to decide on a name and when she did she could call me and I would put that name on the pig's pedigree. She put that little pig to her ear then told me, "She says she wants her name to be Crystal."  So Crystal it was.

I received many pictures of her and Crystal. That pig would ride in the little baby stroller, wear little bows on her head and stay swaddled in a blanket while being carried like a baby. They were inseparable until Crystal passed away from old age.

I tell these young potential new pet owners they have to sign a 'contract' promising that they are responsible for feeding, watering and cleaning the cage. If at any time Mom has to tell them to do it or they break their promise without good reason, the pig comes back to me.

This contract goes home with them and Mom or Dad puts it on the refrigerator as a reminder that they made a promise in writing. I'm proud to say that I've never had to take one back.

I am a devout believer that a child who wants a pet should have one. It builds in them a sense of compassion and responsibility and I believe it makes better adults of them too. So your new family member should be a blessing in your household and hopefully will give you many years of happiness. I would love to see pictures if you'd like to post them.