It has been two weeks since our lovely guinea pigs, Pinky and Squash, came to our house. They still run away to warn me when I approach them, but sometimes they come and sniff my fingers instead of running away. If I give them carrots that piggy likes, they ask with Cuy Cuy sounds for more. Even after only two weeks had passed, they quickly gained weight because of their good appetite. It pops as if happy, and sometimes weeps happily.   

  ​Usually like a cute little puppy, sometimes it is curled up like a yarn, but when it gets up or moves like this, its body lengthens like a spring.

  In appearance, it can be said that it looks like a hamster with a larger body and a longer body.  Just by looking at his face, he strangely resembles a rabbit. Guinea pigs need to keep several. Because they are animals that live in groups, if you only raise one animal, he will feel lonely. So, having two is ideal. Because fertility is good, if possible, raise guinea pigs of the same sex. 

  On the left, a slightly larger, white and brown piggy is pinky, and on the right is a dark brown squash. Pinky is slightly older and eats anything with great appetite. But he hates exercise. Squash is more active and curious than Pinky but he is picky. 

  ​This is how my daughter sits in the middle with a playpen spread out and teaches astrology to the piggies. She gave a class on planets today and she likes Pinky's reaction to Mars.

  ​At first, I was very worried because squash was smaller than Pinky and didn't eat well. It's a lot better now. If I give him a carrot, he steals Pinkie too.

  ​Guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C on their own. Therefore, it is common for guinea pig-only feeds to contain vitamin C, but vitamin C is destroyed when the feed comes into contact with air and rancidity begins.

 Guinea pigs love hay. There are two major types of hay, Timothy hay from the Grape family, and alfalfa hay from the Legume family. ...
How to feed guinea pigs You should give them twice a day, morning and evening, at a set time. Originally, guinea pigs are nocturnal.

​ Our Pinky comes and eats as soon as I put Timothy in the bowl. Just by opening the bag to get Timothy, he knows and sits there in advance.

  I let  them take a bath with shallow warm water with caution, they can't wet their ear and nose  in two weeks. After bathing, I wiped it with a grooming tissue and brushed it.

  ​The area around the piggy's cage should be cleaned frequently using the cleaning tool below.

  Because guinea pigs are rodents, their teeth grow steadily, so they have a habit of grinding their teeth by gnawing hard things. In the end, they grinded all over the cage, so I have to hung toys for teeth grinding. 

 The most important thing is exercise. Guinea pigs can get geriatric diseases just like humans. It is important for small animals to eat, but it is also important to exercise so that they can properly consume the energy they get from eating and maintain a suitable weight.

 We set aside time regularly so that the piggies run in the playpen.

  Today, I would like to share with you how to make a guinea pig playhouse using paper boxes commonly found in Pet  stores. I made this with my daughter and she loves it. 

  The box below has regular patterned  holes and has a handle on top.

 Below is inside of the box. I cut the whole bottom of the box. 

 Next, cut the front area like a door as follow as below. 

 As shown below, I applied duct tape to the edges surrounding the door to make it softer.

  ​While I was attaching the duck tape, my daughter drew around with the paints.

  The squash on the left seems very satisfying. Pinky on the right looks like he is still uncomfortable and scary when he shows  the whites of his eyes slightly visible.

 ​My daughter and I tried making a playhouse in different versions below.

 This play house is made for hideout of guinea pigs. It's made of paper and will be fragile and brittle to put in a cage, so I used it for temporary play with their play pen. Pinky and Squash are very fond of this hideout we made. It seems like a good idea to try making it with children.

  Finally, I finish today's post with cute pinky and squash pictures. 

 What will I need fro my Guinea pig?  

Note: This article is based on my case. Most of the products in the checklist below were purchased from Amazon.

1. Habitat or pen sized 24 x 36 x 24 inch or larger. 
Pace the habitat in a low humidity area that's cool - between 65-75 °F (18-24 Celsius)-and out of direct sunlight(important!). 

2. hay feeder and hay : As herbivores, Guinea pigs feed on grasses/hay, plants and greens.

 Note: 

• Your guinea pig should eat a pile of hay as big as his body every day.

 

3. fortified Guinea pig pelleted diets (these have supplemental vitamin C) 

4. Vitamin C supplements (critical for their health) : Supplement your adult Guinea pig's diet with 25-50 mg of Vitamin C per day. ​

5. food bowl : ​It is recommended that it be made of a ceramic material that does not easily fall over or that it can be fixed.

 6. water bottle

7. hide

8. bedding/ water proof pet pad

9. prepared treats

10. grooming kit and shampoo

11. wood chew

12. Litter training tray : placing a litter pan in the corner of habitat. 

 13. Portable carrier. 

 14. Vegetables : 

• Arugula lettuce
• Beet greens
• Bell Pepper (no more than 1 tsp/day)
• Broccolini stems
• Carrot tops
• Cilantro
• Dandelion greens
• Kale and Parsley
• Spinach
• Strawberry tops (NOT the berry!)
• Turnip greens
• Watercress

 Reference: ​https://www.vmamodesto.com/blog/feeding-your-guinea-pig/

 ​I recently bought a two-story wooden cage to prepare my guinea pigs for adoption.

 A comfortable, well-ventilated space without direct sunlight was just in  my lobby. Our house has a large and fancy lobby area with high ceiling. So I made a cage using this space.

 Finally, I made a decision to  use the corner space, we thought that a two-story house is for the area.

 I chose a wood material because I wanted a sturdy house and avoid cold draft, which it is usually flow in the wooden house such as America style houses. The cage I bought has pretty windows, balconies, an open roof and drawers to clean up the bottom easily. Although it is a two-story structure, it seemed that there would be no difficulty when the guinea pigs jumped inside due to the high height. Top layer has pretty high ceiling.

 We have been very busy all weekend as the guinea pigs have to prepare for their settlement before they come home. We hooked up a case water dispenser, installed a hay refill container, installed a potty train tray and brought a fluffy guinea pig for hideout. After much considering, a paper bedding was laid on the floor, and waterproof pads were put everywhere. Additionally, we prepared case cleaning tools, guinea pig food, chewing gums , treats and vitamins. 

 ​We also bought grooming brushes, tissues, nail clippers and shampoo. ​I also put a mini radiator next to it just in case it feels cold.

  We imagined two guinea pigs playing happily in this pretty two-story house that was empty but everything was ready before the guinea pigs arrived. 

 ​But, as always, imagination and reality are very different.

   ​First of all, we found that the cage, which looked fantastic, had a number of issues. It's a problem that I couldn't see no matter how much I read the reviews on Amazon, but when I actually experienced it, I found out in detail. So what are the difficulties and how to deal with them. 

  ​First of all, when the guinea pigs entered the cage, we noticed that their urine were leaking out of the cage. A cage liner is what I needed.  Immediately, my husband made the liner by coating the cardboard with vinyl. My husband, who had raised hamsters as a child, built the high height liner to prevent leaking urine. 

  And the wooden bridge connecting the first floor and the second floor was thin and flimsy, and there was space between wall and bridge, so I had to put a cushion next to it as shown below. And best of all, the bridge are made of wood, so they can grind them with their teeth as you can see in the picture. After putting a cushion next to the space, it did not change any more.

  And there is a gap between the cage wall and the rail on the wood, and the gap is quite wide, so the guinea pig's poop kept getting in. To solve this problem, I put a waterproof pad on the side. Fortunately, our guinea pigs don't bite the waterproof pad yet.

  ​I've been thinking about buying a pretty two-story house and jumping up and down, but no one wants to climb up yet. Only a guinea pig named Squash succeeded in going down. Squash is very brave and active.

  The first day I was worried because they didn't eat hay or drink water for almost half a day. But the next day, they eat well, drink well, and pay well again. I feel very reassured.

  I hope the cute guinea pigs, Pink  E  and Squash, grow up healthy and happy. I have a lot to do with two little boys today, so I think I should end this post now. 

I'll post their news and regards in this site. 

 This weekend we will welcome new members to our house. The name has been decided in advance. It's Pink E and Squash and my kid named it. I bought the house as their Habitat  on Amazon for Pink E and Squash.  (If you click below image, you can go to the related amazon site!)

  My site mainly deals with stories about painting and art, but I will occasionally post stories about them for Pink E and Squash.

 31.5"L x 26"W x 46"H. The two-story rabbit cage is ideal for 1-2 rabbits and similar-sized pets such as guinea pig, hamster and ferret, providing more room for pets to run up & down with a solid non-slip wood ramp (5.2” wide) inside.

  My child put their names on a sticker like this. 

 ​There is such a small window and there is a pretty and small balcon.

  ​Below is an inside view.

 Guinea pigs are very sensitive to both heat and cold. Keep them in temperatures between 60 and 85 °F to avoid putting their health at risk. To check the ambient temperature, I have attached a small thermometer as shown below.​

 This way, you can open the roof to look inside or do cleaning.