So this will be the last day of my "Babywatch" posts. I just wanted to document how their first week went for future reference. Going forward, I'll be working on posts related to things like nutrition, bedding, and behavior.
The babies seem to have settled into their new home pretty well. They are still skittish, but typically easier to catch than they were at first, and I usually handle them 2-3 times a day for just a couple of minutes each time. I plan to continue to work with them and I'm hopeful that over time, they will become more comfortable with their humans.
They seem to be eating quite well. Wheatgrass is hands down their favorite food, although they enjoy green peppers, carrots, bananas, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and lettuce too. Raspberries and celery are on the borderline list, so I'll probably continue to feed them occasionally to see if the babies change their minds later, and I will continue to introduce new foods periodically. They seem to like both the botanical hay (which is mostly timothy) and alfalfa, so I give both free choice. I also have been feeding 2 tablespoons a day of Blue Seal pellets. They definitely love the pellets, but I remain unconvinced that feeding pellets in large amounts or even at all is a good idea, so that will definitely be a topic I want to research further.
The fleece cage accessories are working well, and using fleece and vet bedding for the cage liner, along with U-haul furniture pads underneath has worked great for the past week. I still would like to experiment a little, though, to find the option that works for the guinea pigs and is easiest for me.
I'm also still working on the cage set-up. I have a 2x4 C&C cage that I'm using now, and I'd like to add a partial second level. I'm still debating on how to set it up so I can remove the second level easily to clean the main level or catch guinea pigs, but still have the second level secure. So more on that in a future post.
In all, I find these two additions to my life to be quite adorable and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and learning more about guinea pigs.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Babywatch - Day 6
In the morning, I introduced celery in a small amount (about 12 quarter inch square pieces). They did eventually eat it, but I could tell celery is not currently a favorite. I continued with green peppers and wheatgrass in the morning and lettuce and wheatgrass in the evening. I also added about a tablespoon's worth of small pieces of cantaloupe at night as a treat. They definitely liked it!
In the afternoon, I reworked their cage to get ready for the addition of a partial second level. I still haven't quite figured out how I want to set it up, but I needed to make some adjustments to the acrylic sheets that I had on the sides of the cage as babyproofing and I needed to add some second-level grids. I also changed their bedding, although it still looked like it was in pretty good shape and I didn't notice any odor. However, I was ready to swap out the fleece for the vetbedding I had gotten from Lakeside Products.
So I cut the bedding to the size of the cage (about 27.25" x 56.25") and I also cut two pieces out of a U-Haul furniture pad to go underneath. I've actually read some good things about using wood pellets underneath the vetbedding too, so I will probably try that in the future just to test it out. Anyway, I put the new bedding in the cage, and reconfigured the accessories a little too. I had to wash all the fleece stuff, so I swapped out the fleece tunnel for a willow tunnel and moved things around a little. The guinea pigs loved that and they were excited to chew on the willow tunnel, so that worked out pretty well. In fact, they are now making their first photo appearance.
In the afternoon, I reworked their cage to get ready for the addition of a partial second level. I still haven't quite figured out how I want to set it up, but I needed to make some adjustments to the acrylic sheets that I had on the sides of the cage as babyproofing and I needed to add some second-level grids. I also changed their bedding, although it still looked like it was in pretty good shape and I didn't notice any odor. However, I was ready to swap out the fleece for the vetbedding I had gotten from Lakeside Products.
So I cut the bedding to the size of the cage (about 27.25" x 56.25") and I also cut two pieces out of a U-Haul furniture pad to go underneath. I've actually read some good things about using wood pellets underneath the vetbedding too, so I will probably try that in the future just to test it out. Anyway, I put the new bedding in the cage, and reconfigured the accessories a little too. I had to wash all the fleece stuff, so I swapped out the fleece tunnel for a willow tunnel and moved things around a little. The guinea pigs loved that and they were excited to chew on the willow tunnel, so that worked out pretty well. In fact, they are now making their first photo appearance.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Babywatch - Day 5
Based on yesterday's feeding results, I'm going to try to start being a little more scientific in what I'm feeding. So this morning, I started out with 1 ounce of green peppers and 1 ounce of wheatgrass. The guinea pigs ate the wheatgrass within minutes, but they left the green peppers for a little later. All the green peppers were gone within a couple of hours, though. Once the green peppers were gone, I gave 1 tablespoon of pellets and topped off their hay dishes with meadow hay instead of either the botanical or the alfalfa (both are still available in small amounts) because I just wanted to see if they would eat the meadow hay instead. They did eat a little of it, but I decided to add some botanical hay and alfalfa in the afternoon.
For the afternoon feeding of fresh food, I gave them 1 ounce of wheatgrass again and about an ounce of a lettuce mix, which they really seem to enjoy. I also added more hay (who knew such tiny creatures could eat so much hay?).
I stuck to my usual routine of handling them 1 or 2 times during the day, just for a couple of minutes at a time. They still were skittish, but I found that they were much easier to catch. I'm not sure if that is because they are getting used to me or I'm getting used to catching them quickly.
I do have big plans for tomorrow, though. I had ordered bedding that is similar to PetLife's Vetbed from an American company, and it arrived today. I hope to get it washed and cut to size so I can start using it instead of fleece. The fleece has actually been working fine, but I wanted to test it against a product actually made for animals. Plus, in the guinea pig forums, I have found a few anecdotes from people using it who preferred it to fleece, so I wanted to see for myself. I also want to see if I can get a mid-grid level installed in the cage to add some additional space and interest. So stay tuned to see how the cage remodel goes!
For the afternoon feeding of fresh food, I gave them 1 ounce of wheatgrass again and about an ounce of a lettuce mix, which they really seem to enjoy. I also added more hay (who knew such tiny creatures could eat so much hay?).
I stuck to my usual routine of handling them 1 or 2 times during the day, just for a couple of minutes at a time. They still were skittish, but I found that they were much easier to catch. I'm not sure if that is because they are getting used to me or I'm getting used to catching them quickly.
I do have big plans for tomorrow, though. I had ordered bedding that is similar to PetLife's Vetbed from an American company, and it arrived today. I hope to get it washed and cut to size so I can start using it instead of fleece. The fleece has actually been working fine, but I wanted to test it against a product actually made for animals. Plus, in the guinea pig forums, I have found a few anecdotes from people using it who preferred it to fleece, so I wanted to see for myself. I also want to see if I can get a mid-grid level installed in the cage to add some additional space and interest. So stay tuned to see how the cage remodel goes!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Babywatch - Day 4
Today's new food was raspberries. I cut two of them up into 4 pieces each and mixed them in with the green peppers I fed in the morning. They were not a big hit, though, and except for a test nibble, the guinea pigs left them alone. I'll probably try them again at some point in the future, but for now I'll move on to something different - maybe melon?
I topped off the botanical hay in the morning, but didn't need to add any alfalfa. I can't say they didn't eat any alfalfa at all, but the handful that I'd added the day before looked untouched. I think that is an interesting development because alfalfa is recommended for babies due to its higher nutrition content. I'm a big fan of giving food choices whenever possible, though, so I'll keep offering several kinds of hay, including alfalfa, and just observe what they eat. As long as they are active and seem healthy, I'm going to assume that they are choosing the food that best meets their needs, much like they would in the wild.
Another interesting thing that I've noticed over the past couple of days, but particularly this morning, is that right after I sweep the cage, they like to come out and investigate (and poop a lot, sort of like they were saving it up...).
In the afternoon, I went to the grocery store in search of some fresh veggies and fruit. I was hoping that there might be some wheatgrass and I was in luck. I managed to find a small container of organic wheatgrass. I also got a spring mix of lettuce and a cantaloupe.
When I got home, I put a small amount of the lettuce and wheatgrass (maybe a half ounce each) in a food dish and the guinea pigs INHALED ALL OF IT. They went for the wheatgrass first, but they had eaten everything within maybe 10 minutes. And then, they started snarfing down alfalfa hay. And that would make sense because I think wheatgrass (and maybe lettuce too) has more phosphorus than calcium, so the high calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in the alfalfa would balance out the wheatgrass. I'm definitely flagging this result in my mind to do some number crunching on later.
I topped off the botanical hay in the morning, but didn't need to add any alfalfa. I can't say they didn't eat any alfalfa at all, but the handful that I'd added the day before looked untouched. I think that is an interesting development because alfalfa is recommended for babies due to its higher nutrition content. I'm a big fan of giving food choices whenever possible, though, so I'll keep offering several kinds of hay, including alfalfa, and just observe what they eat. As long as they are active and seem healthy, I'm going to assume that they are choosing the food that best meets their needs, much like they would in the wild.
Another interesting thing that I've noticed over the past couple of days, but particularly this morning, is that right after I sweep the cage, they like to come out and investigate (and poop a lot, sort of like they were saving it up...).
In the afternoon, I went to the grocery store in search of some fresh veggies and fruit. I was hoping that there might be some wheatgrass and I was in luck. I managed to find a small container of organic wheatgrass. I also got a spring mix of lettuce and a cantaloupe.
When I got home, I put a small amount of the lettuce and wheatgrass (maybe a half ounce each) in a food dish and the guinea pigs INHALED ALL OF IT. They went for the wheatgrass first, but they had eaten everything within maybe 10 minutes. And then, they started snarfing down alfalfa hay. And that would make sense because I think wheatgrass (and maybe lettuce too) has more phosphorus than calcium, so the high calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in the alfalfa would balance out the wheatgrass. I'm definitely flagging this result in my mind to do some number crunching on later.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Babywatch - Day 3
On Day 3, I wanted to add a new food to the alfalfa, botanical hay (mostly timothy plus chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and clover), green peppers, cucumbers, and carrots that they'd eaten the day before. Because my daughter eats banana every day, I decided to add one slice cut up into four pieces to the green pepper that I gave the babies in the morning. I didn't see them eat it, but it was gone after about 5 minutes, so they must have liked it. Banana does have a higher sugar level, so it's probably not a great food to give every day, but it is nutritious and is considered an easily digestible food for baby humans, so I think it should be good for the baby guinea pigs in small amounts every once in a while. Plus, I want to make sure they get a good variety of foods each day.
Later in the day, I gave them two slices of cucumber and 6 carrot peels, which they gobbled up immediately. I also topped off their alfalfa hay and their botanical hay. In fact, it looks like they are now eating the botanical hay more than the alfalfa hay, and they seem to really like pulling the hay from the bamboo feeders. There is also meadow hay and oat, wheat, and barley hay in the feeders, but it doesn't look like they've eaten much of it.
In terms of handling, I picked each of them up once and held them for a couple of minutes. With the second one, I got the idea that maybe I should feed them pellets while holding them because the pellets are definitely on their favorite foods list. That worked pretty well, so I'm going to try it with both of them tomorrow. I'm still just giving them limited amounts of pellets twice a day, though.
Later in the day, I gave them two slices of cucumber and 6 carrot peels, which they gobbled up immediately. I also topped off their alfalfa hay and their botanical hay. In fact, it looks like they are now eating the botanical hay more than the alfalfa hay, and they seem to really like pulling the hay from the bamboo feeders. There is also meadow hay and oat, wheat, and barley hay in the feeders, but it doesn't look like they've eaten much of it.
In terms of handling, I picked each of them up once and held them for a couple of minutes. With the second one, I got the idea that maybe I should feed them pellets while holding them because the pellets are definitely on their favorite foods list. That worked pretty well, so I'm going to try it with both of them tomorrow. I'm still just giving them limited amounts of pellets twice a day, though.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Babywatch - Day 2
When I went to check on the guinea pigs in the morning, I found one in the fleece tunnel and the other hiding in the fleece forest. I'm not sure if they were just more comfortable being apart or they had run for the nearest cover when they heard me coming down the stairs. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they drank more water overnight and ate all of the giant handful of alfalfa hay I had put out for them the night before plus some of the Oxbow Botanical Hay (which is mostly timothy plus a little chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and clover).
I added another handful of alfalfa and topped off the botanical hay dish as well. Then I brought down a few pieces (maybe about 10 pieces about a quarter inch square) of green pepper and put them in a dish. It wasn't too long before the babies came out of hiding to see what new foods were available. Once they realized green pepper was on the menu, they happily munched on the pieces and within a few minutes, they'd eaten all of the green pepper. Yay!
I also added maybe a teaspoon's worth of their pellets to the food dish once they were finished with the green pepper. I'm not sure how much pellets babies should get - I've seen recommendations ranging from a couple of tablespoons a day to unlimited amounts. But, to be honest, I'm not convinced that pellets are that great of a food source. The ingredients seem questionable to me, so my plan is to keep the amount of pellets that I feed pretty limited (maybe 2 teaspoons a day), while doing a little more research. I'm also hoping to start adding a variety of fresh foods to provide what I think is better nutrition.
In the afternoon, I cut up two slices of cucumber (leaving the peel on) and decided to add a few carrot peels as well. Both guinea pigs immediately went for the cucumber and then tried and apparently like the carrot, because they ate it all.
In the evening, I topped off the alfalfa hay one more time, and gave them just a small amount of pellets, which they got pretty excited about.
In terms of handling, they are still pretty flighty, and I expect that they will be for awhile. So, I'm trying to spend time hanging out by the cage and just holding them for a minute or two each day for the next couple of weeks. Then I'll gradually start increasing the time spent handling them as they get older.
I added another handful of alfalfa and topped off the botanical hay dish as well. Then I brought down a few pieces (maybe about 10 pieces about a quarter inch square) of green pepper and put them in a dish. It wasn't too long before the babies came out of hiding to see what new foods were available. Once they realized green pepper was on the menu, they happily munched on the pieces and within a few minutes, they'd eaten all of the green pepper. Yay!
I also added maybe a teaspoon's worth of their pellets to the food dish once they were finished with the green pepper. I'm not sure how much pellets babies should get - I've seen recommendations ranging from a couple of tablespoons a day to unlimited amounts. But, to be honest, I'm not convinced that pellets are that great of a food source. The ingredients seem questionable to me, so my plan is to keep the amount of pellets that I feed pretty limited (maybe 2 teaspoons a day), while doing a little more research. I'm also hoping to start adding a variety of fresh foods to provide what I think is better nutrition.
In the afternoon, I cut up two slices of cucumber (leaving the peel on) and decided to add a few carrot peels as well. Both guinea pigs immediately went for the cucumber and then tried and apparently like the carrot, because they ate it all.
In the evening, I topped off the alfalfa hay one more time, and gave them just a small amount of pellets, which they got pretty excited about.
In terms of handling, they are still pretty flighty, and I expect that they will be for awhile. So, I'm trying to spend time hanging out by the cage and just holding them for a minute or two each day for the next couple of weeks. Then I'll gradually start increasing the time spent handling them as they get older.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Babywatch - Day 1
I wanted to write about how my baby guinea pigs settle in to their new home for the first week, in case it is helpful to anyone else with new babies and also so I can remember what happened.
I have to admit to being pretty worried about the babies for their first day. They did eat a little bit of alfalfa hay overnight, but they had clearly stayed in the fleece cozy sack all night, and I was concerned that they might not have gotten any water. The first thing I did was pick each one up to do a general check on alertness. Each one seemed scared, but OK. The next thing I did was swap out the cozy they'd spent the night in with a new fleece tunnel and an upside-down shoebox with one end cut out. I figured the cozy had been pooped and peed on all night, so for sanitary reasons, I wanted something fresh.
Next, I cut up a few pieces of green pepper and put them on the floor next to the shoebox entrance. Both babies seemed to be happiest in there, so I wanted them to have access to something to eat. I also moved a dish with alfalfa in it over to the shoebox.
The babies still didn't come out, but I started hearing a few quiet noises throughout the morning. At noon, I weighed each of them - one was 12 oz and the other was 12.5 oz. When I put them back in the cage, I put them in a different place than the shoebox, so they'd be forced to explore a little, and they did a little, but they quickly decided to hide in the fleece tunnel. So I left them alone for the afternoon and ran some errands. My husband put some fresh green pepper in the cage while I was gone. He said it looked like they'd eaten a few of the pieces I'd put out in the morning, but he was concerned about their water intake and wanted to see if they'd eat something fresh. We didn't see them eat the green pepper, but within a couple of hours, all the pieces were gone.
Finally, by about 6 pm (22.5 hours after I brought them home), the babies began to explore the cage and were soon zooming around faster than I could believe. And they also started drinking, and drinking, and drinking. I felt so relieved!
They were still pretty scared if any of us moved too much or spoke too loudly - they would run and hide right away. But they were definitely very active for several hours, and even popped their heads out of the tunnel when I put some more alfalfa hay in their dish. I went to bed feeling pretty confident that they were going to settle in to their new home just fine.
I have to admit to being pretty worried about the babies for their first day. They did eat a little bit of alfalfa hay overnight, but they had clearly stayed in the fleece cozy sack all night, and I was concerned that they might not have gotten any water. The first thing I did was pick each one up to do a general check on alertness. Each one seemed scared, but OK. The next thing I did was swap out the cozy they'd spent the night in with a new fleece tunnel and an upside-down shoebox with one end cut out. I figured the cozy had been pooped and peed on all night, so for sanitary reasons, I wanted something fresh.
Next, I cut up a few pieces of green pepper and put them on the floor next to the shoebox entrance. Both babies seemed to be happiest in there, so I wanted them to have access to something to eat. I also moved a dish with alfalfa in it over to the shoebox.
The babies still didn't come out, but I started hearing a few quiet noises throughout the morning. At noon, I weighed each of them - one was 12 oz and the other was 12.5 oz. When I put them back in the cage, I put them in a different place than the shoebox, so they'd be forced to explore a little, and they did a little, but they quickly decided to hide in the fleece tunnel. So I left them alone for the afternoon and ran some errands. My husband put some fresh green pepper in the cage while I was gone. He said it looked like they'd eaten a few of the pieces I'd put out in the morning, but he was concerned about their water intake and wanted to see if they'd eat something fresh. We didn't see them eat the green pepper, but within a couple of hours, all the pieces were gone.
Finally, by about 6 pm (22.5 hours after I brought them home), the babies began to explore the cage and were soon zooming around faster than I could believe. And they also started drinking, and drinking, and drinking. I felt so relieved!
They were still pretty scared if any of us moved too much or spoke too loudly - they would run and hide right away. But they were definitely very active for several hours, and even popped their heads out of the tunnel when I put some more alfalfa hay in their dish. I went to bed feeling pretty confident that they were going to settle in to their new home just fine.
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