It all began with Naomi. A Guinea Pig who was not my own but was actually an April Birthday gift to my daughter Abby from her Grandma Jo. It really was the perfect gift for my daughter who loves nature and is often found researching and studying bugs and small creatures of all sorts. She came to us wrapped in a white box stamped with the PetCo logo, a bag of pellet food, and some paperwork containing a receipt and warranty from Petco. She was very curious and very friendly right away. Grandma Jo told us that Naomi had peeked her head out of the box watching the scenery through the car window on the long drive out to our home.Grandma Jo knew right away that this pig has tons of personality.
She has bright black eyes and long hair-like white fur covered in large calico spots including a big black one over her right eye. My daughter fell in love and quickly so the rest of the family including myself. In the next few days we learned so much about her. She loves to tunnel especially in blankets which seemed to make her so happy that she would have teeny seizure-like responses that came with a jump and a squeak that scared us to death. At the time we didn't know these were normal and were worried we would have to make use of that Petco warranty and get her some medical attention however after some intensive googling we found out it was a quite normal behavior called "popcorning" and just something that happy guinea pigs do when they are excited. Of course after we found out it was normal - it's all we wanted to do :0)
When I was a kid I once had a total of 26 pet hamsters that I loved and cared for. All my own, not meant to be bred for sale or anything, just how things turned out. They too had unique personalities and made very interesting pets. Some were particularly smart and some enjoyed attention and petting more than the others. I always thought I would like to have another pet hamster some day as an adult or for my kids to play with. I had never really considered a Guinea Pig. Somehow, I really had it stuck in my head that Guinea Pigs bite though I had never really been around one or known anyone who had been bitten by one it's just something I had heard and assumed was true. After a few days of getting to know Naomi I was really blown away. Not only did I not want another hamster, I wanted more Guinea Pigs. Do they Bite? No, they don't really bite per say but they do Nibble and I think this might be what stemmed the biting rumor I had heard.
What I think really amazes me about these little balls of fluff is the way they Communicate. They have sooo much to say and so many ways of saying it and with a little research or just spending some time with them to see what they want, you can really learn what your pig is trying to tell you. This is a relationship I did not have with my hamsters and I do not really think they were capable of on such a level. Guinea Pigs do not only communicate with their human owners but they also have a complex combination of Wheeks and Squeaks and movements that help them to communicate with other Guinea Pigs as well. They are quite social creatures and it is considered cruel to isolate them. In most countries you are not allowed to even purchase them legally without already owning other pigs as they naturally live in herds. Much like most humans - they don't do very well on their own.
Naomi's first home was a Rubbermaid Tub which actually makes a wonderful home for Guinea Pigs if you can find a suitable size as they really do need plenty of room to run around. The tubs are easy to clean and move. Naomi seemed quite comfortable however fixing a water bottle is not such an easy thing for these tubs and having a water bottle is really a better way to go than having a drinking dish. My husband did some reading on the web about cages and filled me in about Cube Shelving and Corrugated Plastic Cages which with a little work you can construct into your own custom cages that are easy to clean and will give your pig lots of room to run laps in. Guinea Pigs should not have a wire floor as it can cause bumps and sores on their feet that could cause deformity or possibly even death if the sores result in infection. These cages use corrugated plastic sheeting for the floor which you can then fill with bedding to make a nice safe flooring for your pigs' feet.
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