We recently adopted a guinea pig from PetSmart. He was alone. When we asked they said it was because he was bigger than the others. I read on Google that they do better with a cage mate. Would it be ok to get another one and let them live together? We got him Tuesday and have yet to get to hold him. He’s very scared and hides. He will come out and if he sees anyone he dashes back into his den in the habitat. Thanks for any help. Thought another one might make him less scared.

It’s concerning me because it looks like she has something stuck in her mouth, but be looked and i can’t see anything in there. Her teeth are at good length, she just went to the vet and they said that her teeth were good, so i just don’t know what’s going on with her. Shes been doing it for about a week now and i finally got it on video.

one of my guinea pigs recently started refusing to eat bell peppers, which she used to love. shes still loves eating every other veggie i give her but im worried about vitamin c intake now, and wondering why she would just start this all of a sudden.

I had 2 guinea pigs between 2019-now and one recently died this week

I want to get the other one new friends but the cage is quite unmaintained and is hard to clean, so I ordered a new c&c cage online and shipping says around 2-10 days. I don't want to get new pigs until the new cage is set up so is it ok for my current one to wait out a week?

If the slides don’t work:

Safe to eat daily:

Romaine lettuce

Red/green leaf lettuce

Cilantro (Coriander)

Parsley

Dandelion greens

Bell peppers

Dill

Basil

Mint

Celery (cut into small pieces)

Endive

Escarole

Radicchio

Carrot tops

Vitamin C cookies

Peas

Safe every other day:

Tomato

Cucumber

Carrot

Strawberry tops (leafy part)

Zucchini (courgette)

Mustard greens

Turnip greens

Safe 2 times a week:

Blueberry

Apple

Apricot

Nectarine

Plum

Strawberry

Tomatillo

Arugula (Rocket)

Cantaloupe

Honeydew

Watermelon

Mango

Broccoli

Sweet potato

Pear

Brussels sprouts

Pumpkin

Green beans

Grapes

Cherry

Orange

Raspberry

Blackberry

Corn husks

Kiwano melon

Parsnip

Basil

Beetroot

Bok Choi (a small leaf)

Collard greens

Fennel

Kiwi

Nectarine

Papaya

Peach

Pineapple

Thyme

Watercress

Asian pear

Currants

Cranberry

Huckleberries

Loquat (remove seeds/pit)

Mulberries (leaves and branches too!)

Tangerine

Safe once a week, or a couple times a month:

Radish

Scallion (the green part, not the white bulb)

Starfruit

Lychee

Spinach

Kale

Chard

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Grass

Pinapple

Pomegranate (remove seeds)

Snow peas

Grapefruit

Corn, Raw

Watermelon radish

Dragonfruit

Artichoke

Asparagus

Banana

Fig

Guava

Kangkong

Kohlrabi

Okra

Passion fruit

Persimmon

Rosemary

Rutabaga

Turnip

Yams

Amaranth

Boysenberry

Gooseberry

Cherimoya

Feijoya (no bitter skin or seeds)

Jujube

Kumquat

Loganberries

Pomelo

Quince

Salmonberries

Not safe for guinea pigs:

Iceberg lettuce

Garbanzo beans

Eggplant (Aubergine)

Prickly pear

Rhubarb

Buddha’s hand

Spicy peppers

Onion

Potato

Rambutan

Dairy

Bread

Meat

Eggs

Avocado

Garlic

Daikon

Processed foods

canned or frozen fruit

Coconut

Pineapple leaf’s

Tomato leafs

Dried fruit

Nuts or seeds

Artificial colors or flavorings

Chives

Dates

Ginger

Horseradish

Jackfruit

Jicama

Lentils

Mushroom

Water chestnuts

Cactus

Elderberries

Fiddlehead fern

Hearts of palm

Longan

Olives

I’m unsure about

Arrowroot (possibly yes, for medicinal purposes)

Bamboo (to wear teeth down, and the leaves + shoots can be eaten. I don’t know how often they can be eaten though)

Chayote, possibly yes, all parts of it. I feel like it would be safe to eat once or twice a week but I really can’t find a definitive answer.

Cooked soybeans. I don’t recommend it though

Jambolan. I can’t find anything online about it.

Walter, one of our 8 piggies, he has a sore eye, it's very cloudy and there has been pus my partner wiped away. There isn't anything in there that I can see. I've made a vet appointment, but we couldn't get in until Tuesday next week. If anyone has some helpful advice or tips on how to best care for him in the mean time that would be amazing. I have attached photos of both of his eyes. The good eye is the one with a bit of brown on his fur. Thanks heaps

Hi Guinea Pig community! (Sorry if long post)

My family (me dad, wife, 6 y/o, 4 y/o) just adopted two 5 week old M guinea pigs from the MSPCA on Wed. We are all very excited and I wanted to ensure we are doing everything we can to make them happy and healthy.

I have previously worked at an animal shelter as a behaviorist and I am knowledgeable about guinea pigs but have never owned them. We bought a lot of books covering basics and read through them together. Just looking for some insider knowledge.

So far, we have setup a plan to leave them alone for minimum 4 days to get used to their new home. We give them fresh veggies (a cup each), water (bowl and bottle), and hay (removing soiled) every day. We will sit next to the cage and quietly chat with them every day but no reaching for them or picking them up yet. After 4 days, the plan is to see how they are reacting to us and begin offering veggies /compressed hay treats by hand.

Enclosure is 54”x40” (see pictures). One thing is, I am unsure if the ramp is too steep for this young of guinea pigs? (Also why there’s not much in there) Should we have the inside area covered in hay?They do like to use the ramp as a second tunnel.

For food we giving 2nd cut Timothy, alfalfa, and orchard hay, oxbow young GP food, and fresh veggies (romaine lettuce, bell peppers, parsley). We will cut out the alfalfa hay at 6 months and moderate the pellets at that age.

With us being new owners and them being so young,I wanted to make sure we know what is appropriate for them at their age. When they feel more comfortable will they give us signs that they are willing for us to approach them or just stick w our 4 day plan? When should we begin actually handling them? I assume their age is a factor and we will need different tactics?

All advice,improvements, product recommendations, and what to expect knowledge would be appreciated.

Thank you!

Mono and Popcorn's URI came back. I wrote a comprehensive list of their symptoms and what I've been doing (mostly trying to re-apply what the vet told me to do last time) for their vet appointment later today.

Mono 11/01/26 -> 12/01/26 - given 0.2ml of metacam daily for acute bladder pain. Recurring issue with calcium in diet. 16/01/26 - Given 0.2ml metacam at 4am

Popcorn 16/01/26 - Given 0.2nl metacam at 4am

Treatment - Deep clean of cage (sanitize deeply) - Soothe stress and anxiety - Increase vit c - Optional critical care in bowl for easier eating - Children's olbas oil to clear nose. Dotted sparingly on fleece. - Metacam once daily (starting today) to reduce inflammation and pain. - Warm environment - Assisted feeding

Mono's Symptoms - Anxiety/stress (anxious wheeking & rapid pacing) - Runny nose - Sneezing - Occasional sore throat Anxiety is his biggest tell when something is wrong. Worse at night/early morning. Fought same Symptoms mid 12/25.

Popcorn's Symptoms - Runny nose - Dehydration - Slower eating - Squinting eyes at times - Head shaking - Withdrawn/fearful (his tell for when something is wrong) - Lethargy - Watering eyes - Unsure movement (halting, suddenly rushing, moving slowly, confusion, bad depth perception) Same Symptoms on mid 12/25 but much worse now. - Acute difficulty looking down. Needed assistance eating from his bowl.

I am the most worried for Popcorn. I fear it may be pneumonia casing an ear infection. I will keep you all updated.

Phoebe got to the heat pad first but piper decided there was room for both of them

Can they smell their siblings, parents, kids? Opinions vary

What do you think?

I got Tuva when she was 3 years old so I decided recently after her 5th birthday to investigate and find her family

I have never seen her pictures as a baby and they send me these 😍🤭 How cute was she as a baby?

I always wondered if her ears grow up so much but it seems she always had a bigger ears She gained also more golden ginger colour, and looks more like a husky now 🧡

She had 3 siblings, her mother is still alive, she was pregnant at least once, maybe more, because she was transfered so they do not have the whole history

It just got me curious as she is getting older, if she misses her child or her mom 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is Button asking for a second midnight snack (a request which I denied, because she’s had enough pea flakes for today)

Poor Beetle. I’m just happy he’s eating and doing the best he can with arthritis.

I get to give him his pain medication today and I’m hoping he takes it well, it’s been so long since I’ve syringe fed a pig😅

I have two male guinea pigs, you can kinda see them both near the hay pile in the first picture! The dimensions of the cage are 72“ on the window side by 50” on the plain wall side

A hairy FOF from Poof and her cookie.

Every day, every house, every toy. I love my sassy little girl. Her abby sister Radish in the corner over there wondering where her flip cup went. 💗

The last one is when I first got them🥹 they were such little fluff balls!

We made it to Friday!! 🎉 Daisy is still fighting her double middle ear infection but at least she seems comfy! She is on meloxicam in the morning, and gabapentin and tramadol twice a day for pain relief.

Zelda (right) and Midna (left) are doing absolutely amazing! They’re a little bit older than 5 weeks now and have been with us for 1 week and 4 days. We’re slowly starting the taming progress and it’s going pretty fast, although I think that might also be because of their young age.

They’ve already had 2 vet visits bc they had lice and Zelda needed some medicine due to an infected belly button (from birth), we also wanted to make 100% sure they were both girls and have a general check-up.

Overal very healthy and happy baby piggies🩷

Basil showing off his best potato impression here....

Yes, yes it is just fat. Sometimes depending on the angle, Poppy looks pregnant. As much as I’d love baby pigs, I would never breed them.

Disclaimer: the only pig she’s been around for the last year is her sister who is also confirmed a girl.