Happy Christmas!

I hope both you and your piggies have an absolutely lovely day! 

Merry Christmas!

Pride and Prejudice with piggies!

I hope everyone has actually seen this book! It's amazing, I saw it the other day when I went christmas shopping with my friend and I stood reading it for a while and it's so cute! Sorry this is random but it is about guinea pigs so I thought I'd put it here!

A Guinea Pig Pride and Prejudice

Thanks for reading, again sorry this is random but I was too excited to not post about it. Literature and guinea pigs - what's not to love!?

'The Pig Build'

Hi everyone, so I have recently decided to extend Toffee's cage a little so that she has a little more room! Recently I have had to be continuously swapping her toys because both her tunnel and her ball toy are fairly large and she loves them both, but doesn't actually have enough room for the both of them in at the same time.

Although I can't really build upwards as her shelf with all of her food is above her, I have decided to extend via a small loft and an outwards extension.
To do this, I am going to add a wooden board which will form the main part of the extension, I am then going to support this with smaller wooden blocks. I will most likely attach these with pet safe glue or nails but I will obviously have to look at the safety and security of these options (If you have any suggests, please let me know via the comments section!)

I am then going to build a small slope back into the main living area and add a few slices of wood to it for Tof to grip so that she can make her way up to the loft. I am going to put her house on this loft which takes up most of her cage so it is really important that she can make her way up well!

And that's all I really have so far... now I just need to figure the measurements and materials etc! More updates coming soon once it is build!

Thanks for reading and please let me know your thoughts and/or ideas!

Getting your piggies!

*This page is specifically aimed at indoor guinea pigs*

Hi everyone, so unfortunately this is going to be an overly long post because there is a lot that you need to keep in mind when getting guinea pigs as pets. Guinea pigs make great pets for little kids as they are friendly, sociable and have the same sleep patterns as humans so they will be active when you are!
Hooked you on those little piggies already? Find out more here!....

Where will they live?

Before you actually get your guinea pigs then I would recommend that you buy the cage first... it's a good starting point really! 
As this post is for indoor guineas, I wouldn't recommend that you buy a hutch as those are meant to go outdoors.
For your indoor guinea pigs you could either use an average cage or build your own cc cage so that you get personalise it. We, personally, have an average cage but Toffee has no issue with it so that would be fine.
Cages range from about £60 and need to be roughly about 3x1ft minimum because guinea pigs do like to run around a lot, but there also have to a lot of toys and things, so it uses a lot of room. 

What will they need?

When you have their place to live, you will need to give them a things to go inside it and things to eat. These include:

• Wood Shavings
• A House - Preferable wooden as plastic can be chewed and may become sharp.
• A water bottle. 
• A food bowl
• Food (find out more here)
• Hay (find out more here)
• Toys - such as balls.
• Wooden Chews - to wear down teeth
• A tunnel - Guineas are very sociable but like a place to hide too.

This isn't for their house, but you could do with a carry case before you get them which you could take to where you are getting them from so that they feel a bit more comfortable.

Preparing their house.

Before you get your guineas, it is a good idea to set up everything so that the moving in process will be much easier and stress free for them. When we got Toffee and Midnight, we weren't very prepared so they actually ended up sat in a cardboard box while we got everything set up. Make sure they have enough space to run around though because it's important for them to stay fit!

Getting them!

There's a lot of controversy whether you should get guinea pigs from breeder, a pet shop, or a rescue. We actually got Toffee and Midnight from a pet shop but it wasn't a great pet shop because we later discovered that they had quite a lot of issue, especially with their ears (I'm not getting into that though). Personally I wouldn't really recommend pet shops because not well known pet shops might not be taking great care of their animals and chain shops might be more interesting in just producing enough animals to be sold in their shops. 
I am, however, not saying that this is always the case so where ever you get them from, just ask every question ever to the person selling about that guinea. If you are satisfied that you know what you need to, then go with your gut :)

Guinea pigs are group animals so it is important that you buy at least two (making sure that the cage is big enough if you get any more). In my opinion, I would say that female guinea pigs are the calmer and friendlier ones but I am bias because I've never had a male guinea pig. Females are actually better in the sense that they are less likely to try to assert dominance by bullying other guinea(s) though! 
I would recommend that they are all of the same gender though. If you do get both males, I would just watch them for a while to make sure that they aren't fighting and that they are getting used to each.

Settling in

It is very important that guinea pigs settle in well for them to have their full potential of being awesome!
Here's a mini step by step of how to make sure they are settled! --

1. One you have bought them then slowly lower that into their new cage. Make sure you hold them to your chest securely so that they feel safe!
2. Give them plenty of places to hide and then just leave them alone! Leave the room where they are and let them get used to their new living environment!
3. Wait until the next day, still changing their food and water but making no effort to make contact with them!
4. Gradually keep coming and going, changing their food and things, they will get used to your presence.
5. Pop your hand in a few times, possibly with a treat, and let them come to you. Don't give them treats too often though because they will just start thinking of you as the treat giver...
6. If they come to you straight away then that's great, but this could take time. Just take the time to let them get used to you, eventually you can stroke their ears and downs their backs. 
7. If you'd like you can now start to pick them up and give them cuddles :) All guinea pigs have days when they feel grumpy and send you on a bit of a wild guinea pig chase, but if they actually struggle then they might not feel ready for cuddles yet so it's best to just leave them be.

Sorry it's quite long winded but it is important that piggies settle in with you, your family, and their cage mates! 

Top Tips of Settling In: 

If you have bought a carry case before buying them, then put a blanket in when you are buying them, then put the blanket into the cage for a while. It will almost be like a comfort blanket. If you are getting the guinea from a breeder or a rescue, then you could also ask them to put the blanket into their cage for a few days before you buy them so that they have more time to get used to it!

Thank you for reading and please feel free to comment or ask any questions!

Meet Toffee

Name - Toffee
Nicknames - Tof Pops (for popcorn-ing reasons) / Bunny (yeah I know, I'll give her a complex)
Age - 5
D.O.B - 27/06/10
Living Area - Indoor Guinea
Fur Status - American  (Read more)
Favourite Veg - Spinach
Favourite Fruit - Apple

Ideally guinea pigs (cavies) should be kept in pairs but unfortunately, several years ago, Toffee's sister - Midnight - passed away at the age of 18 months due to incurable stomach issues so toffee settles with a million cuddles a day from me and my family.

Toffee's favourite treat is dried soft apple that can be purchased in most health food shops, if you would like to give your guinea this sort of treat, you need to make sure that they have no added sugars or chemicals etc... Although you are able to give them a little more of this dried apple because of the decrease of acidity when the apple is dried, make sure they are not given too much - maybe no more than half a ring of apple per day per guinea!

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or posts that would like me to do then please let me know via the comments section! 

My Pets

Although this blog is obviously based around my beautiful guinea pig - Toffee. I do have other pets who are so great and I would just like to do a little post to credit them for being great pets...

Tigger and Frodo

Both of them looking grumpy for some reason haha :)

These are two brothers that a while back we sort of adopted...or should I say they adopted us. Their previous owner had a baby daughter so they left and came to our back door a few years ago - Tigger came first then Frodo followed. 

Tigger is a typical tabby with tiger strips down his back, hence his name (although we didn't actually name either of them). He is quite grumpy and loves to sleep and eat, but he absolutely loves cuddles so he will squish his way in to get a cuddle from you - he does get jealous if you cuddle his brother though.

 Frodo is all black with a little white blob on his tail. I'm not sure what kind of cat he is but he is so cuddly and will always want cuddles, whatever you are doing - even if it involves sitting on the keys of your laptop, on any sheet of paper you are using, or in any box. Frodo is quite jumpy so you still have to be quite careful around him, but if any unknown cat comes into the garden then he gets really protective and will try to fight them!

Lucky

Lucky when she was snoring on her favourite blanket

Lucky was the best cat ever! I don't want to seem that I am being mean to Tigger and Frodo, but Lucky was the first cat that I ever had so I grew up with her and she was the only one who ever felt like she truly belonged to us. She was so sweet, small, calm and she loved cuddles - especially when she was laid like a baby in someone's arms. Unfortunately, on August 14th 2013, Lucky passed away at the age of 20, which I guess was a good age because of the predicted age of cats but I miss her every day because, like most people and their pets, I wish she could have lived forever! Her and Toffee were also best friends because Lucky would walk up to Toffee's cage and lick her face, then Toffee would lick her face!

Midnight

We liked to think that Midi was Toffee's sister, even though she was much smaller and looked completely different! Toffee and Midnight got on really well, even if there was the odd bit of arguing between them over some treats and vegetables!
Unfortunately, at only around 18 months, Midi had to be put to sleep because of a stomach issue that meant that she could eat but couldn't actually get rid of her waste. She could have had an operation but she was so small that we just didn't want to have to put her through it. I hadn't really get to know her very well as she was also my sister's guinea pig, but she was so sweet and will be missed a lot!

Thank you for looking at my pets, to find out more about Tof then please check out the Meet Toffee post! Happy Christmas and New Year!

Day 12 - Our Last Day

Well it's our final day and unfortunately I didn't have the materials to make the thing I was going to make, so this post isn't necessarily a proper post but here is a nice picture of Toffee as a baby piggy dressed up as Toffee the red nosed guinea pig. 

Well I really hope you have enjoyed the last 12 days with Toffee and me! Have a very happy piggymas and new year! Thanks for reading!

Day 11 - 3D Christmas Tree

Ok, so we've decorated the outside of the cage and now it's time to decorate the inside - and you can't have christmas without a tree!

You will need:

• A piece of cardboard
• Scissors
• A pencil
• String

Method:

1. First, draw two cardboard christmas tree shapes of the same size (use the first one as a template). 
2. Then cut them out. If you are fairly young then ask an adult to do it!
3. Now cut a slit from the bottom to about 3/4 length of the first one, and then cut a really small slit about an 1/8 way down from the top. 
4. Slide them together for a 3D effect! 
5. Poke some little holes in the top and tie the string in so that you can tie it to the cage! 
6. Hang it up to add something a little christmassy to your piggies cage :)

Thank you for reading and Happy Piggymas!

Day 10 - Top 3 gifts on a budget!

So I already have a Top 3 gifts list (here), however this one is on a budget. For today, all the gifts that I have chosen are under £5, trialed and tested by Toffee, and natural products so that they are healthy for your piggies.
*Like my previous gifts post, these are not in any particular order*

1. Seagrass Ball

For me this is perfect gift for guinea pigs because it includes two of their favourite things - playing and eating. These are quite big but seriously good value for money as most are no more than £3. Although Toffee does eat it a little, she actually prefers to play with it like a football by pushing it around with her nose!

Mini story time: The other day, I walked in on Tof picking up her ball in her teeth and trying to carry it into her house, but seen as the ball is bigger than her doorway - she just sort of bounced off... I laughed at her so I think she's kind of annoyed at me now...

Anyway, back to the review. It's a great little gift that Toffee loves to play with so I would 100% recommend getting one for your piggie(s). I got mine from The Range for just £1.99 which I thought was pretty good! If you would like to buy smaller ones though, they also do a pack of 3 which Toffee had a while back and seemed to love! If you can't get a 'The Range' shop then they sell these in quite a lot of pet shops.

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2. Loofah Chew

Toffee has actually had this for quite a while and it has got quite a bit of wear and tear on it from where she has chewed it quite a lot. Loofah is perfectly safe, but I would recommend that you either read the label to make sure that there is nothing added, or buy it from a pet shop. 

This particular loofah hangs up from a wooden hook and has 3 balls inside of each part of the loofah. Tof has actually chewed it so much that the bottom ball has come off and she ate all of it so there are parts missing, but she still seems to

like it!

I bought mine from Pets at Home for £3 and I'm not sure where else you could buy them, but I'm pretty sure that they will sell them in other pet shops and (as I said before) you can buy just normal loofahs for them - even though I think that it hanging up really adds quite a cute little decoration to the cage!

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3. Sticks

Toffee has these all of the time and absolutely loves them! Unfortunately, she loves them so much that when I went take the picture for this post, it was all gone but I do have one from the website. Toffees favourite are the carrot ones, and they are good for her teeth because they are quite hard biscuit. 

Although Toffee loves hay, she doesn't actually like the hay version of these so if you would like to give your guineas hay biscuits then there are plenty of different biscuits that are made of hardened hay that you can get. I personally got ones from Pets at Home in simple sticks but I'm not actually sure if they still sell those so you may be able to have a look around. 

The hanging sticks that I had were no more than £3 for a pack of two and the two normally last about 2 weeks (1 a week) so they are quite good - although they are great for Christmas, you can just get them all year round because guineas seem to really like them! 

...And there we have, my top 3 gifts for under £5! 

Thank you for reading and Happy Piggymas!

http://www.ipet.no/PICTURE/12921-4-supreme-stickles-treats.jpg

Day 9 - Decoration

This isn't going to much of a post really because it won't really have any info on it but I thought do a post about how I've decorated Toffee's cage this year!
This is just the outside of her cage, the inside is on our final day!

Toffee's cage right now:

Toffee has lights, a Santa teddy, and a cute little stocking

Safety Note:

When using lights, only use battery operated lights and make sure that your guinea(s) cannot chew the wires.

Thank you for reading and Happy Piggymas!