I am getting a guinea pig in a few days!!! 
I bought it’s cage which is around 7.5 square feet. But I have a few worries! The food they gave me at the petstore looks like it has seeds in it. It’s called Nutrishare formula. Is it ok for them? I got it Timothy Hay . A bowl and a water bottle. I got it Carefresh bedding and a few toys.
so my questions are
1. Nutrishare? Is it bad for my piggy? Why?
2. Vitamin Tablets? What brand should I buy?
3. Which are generally less smelly females or males? Which are more friendly?
4. Girl names?
5. Boy names? I like Henry so far!
And if you have any beginner piggie tips please add!
Hi and congrats on the new pet!! oK so it looks like you got a good sized cage and it looks like you have everything it needs. To answer your questions:
1. Nutriphase is okay but i would take it back and get plain guinea pig pellets. The seeds added in the food is extra fat that guinea pigs dont need. Seeds are also not supposed to be fed to guinea pigs in the first place.
2. Any vitamins for water with vitamin c are good since guinea pigs cant produce it themselfs. Watch your guinea pig to make sure it drinks because some dont like the color or taste of the vitamin water.
3. Females tend to be less smelly because they do not spray like males. Both are great but i tend to see females more cuddly and fun.
4. Daisy, lily, muffin, cookie, maple, basil, blossom, reese, honey, chocolate, dolly, tulip, sugar, spice, buttons
5. Henry (cute!) Elmo, moe, fred, mac, maxie, teddy, fudge, boo, bugsy, blue
http://funpetnames.com
Tips: Remember to wait a few days until handeling your piggy. He needs to get used to his new cage and enviroment.
Remeber to feed lots of veggies each day with small pieces of fruit for treats.
make sure they have lots of hay available for their chewing needs.
Well good luck and i hoped that helped!
here are some sites with fun things to do with your piggy and good piggy care.
http://guineapigfun.com
http://guineapigcafe.com
http://guinealynx.com
Hope i helped! Good Luck 
Related posts:
they are easy to take care of. you dont need vitamins. a name is your choice. nutrishare is fine. neither smell worse or better. enjoy your pet.
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guinea pigs crap a shltload
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they wouldnt give u it if it is going to kill the pet
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awwwww!!!! i ? my piggy. get a girl, they are nicer. DO NOT get vitamin tablets. instead, give her something natural, like oranges. sophie, bella, bailley are good names. my girl guinea pig is named snuffles.
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Haha I remember when I had them get use to them squeling and making noise through the night
There cute
Mine were named coco and sally
Give them lots of wood toys they like to chew
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hmmm im not sure about the nutrishare..i aint heard of it
but if its made for guniea pigs, then it would be fine
i have never used vitamin tablets (:
i would say the girls am less smelly & they am both friendly if you train them, like hold them everyday, and stroke them and not be rough (:
and my guinea pig is a girl called m&m, my hamsters belle, so it could be a good name for a guniea pig, lexi, almost any names
if i had a boy, i was going to call him marco, good names are maxi, henry, joey & almost anyname
hope i helped & have fun with your guinea pig!
xx
References :
1. Timothy based pellets are what you are supposed to have.
2. Ask a vet.
3. They both smell equally if you don’t spot-clean bedding daily. Temperment all depends on the guinea pig…
4. Autumn, Summer.
5. Henry is cute!
If you are only getting one piggie, you need to give it hours of attention each day. They get very lonely, very easily. If you wind up getting 2, you need a cage with 10+ sq feet. It is best to get a pair, they will live longer, happier lives.
You can bathe piggies with small animal shampoo (petsmart, petco) once a month. Brush long hair piggies daily with a comb and bristle brush.
If you don’t spot-clean the bedding, change it all together every 3 days.
Good luck <3
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1. Yes, it should be okay.
2. You don’t really need tablets, but you need to give your Piggy some Vitamin C.
3. Females are very nice, and less messier. Males are very messy and get smelly easily.
4-5. http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/namelists/a/namesgp.htm
I suggest for you to get 2 Piggies. They are very social, if you get one, it may become depressed, which will cause it not to eat, and then die.
I hope I helped!
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Owner of 2 Piggies.
Nuts are very good for them and they like eating them. It doesn’t matter what brand you use. They are all the same. Females and males are both pretty smelly, but I have hamster and I know rodents. Male guinea pigs are more aggressive. Female are more friendly. I like Henry for a boy, but for a girl: Sandy Muffin Sunshine Cloud Snow-White.
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Hi there i have 2 guinea pigs =p
1.nutrishare is not bad for your guinea pigs they help them grow and make there immune system alot stronger
2. The vitamin tablet i use is called Oxbound it is a good tablet that gives your guinea pig everything it needs to stay healthy
3. They both dont smell they are both pretty friendly so its really your choice
4.I think a good girl name is Silver or Berty
5. For a boy… Whiskers or Buddy Lol =p
Hopped i have helped!
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1. Nutrishare- Guinea pigs are very strict vegetarians,
seeds are alright for their diet, and give them nutrition
but, be sure that you start this from the first bowl of food to the next, and so on… b/c these pigs dont handle a change in their diet either too well…
2. Vitamins- I cannot prescribe a vitamin but, guinea pigs need alot of vitamin C mainly. So get a brand that has some vitamin C
3. Male or Female-Females are a little bit more skittish…like most animals but they are still very sweet and friendly.The males enjoy mounting each other and they also urinate more often. You choose?
4. F names-
I like angel,Bambi,and tweetie
5. M names-
I like alpha-alpha,chili, and chunky.
References :
Research, and expirience
The food should be alright, the one I used to give my guinea pig had seed things in it.
Make sure you give it fresh stuff like carrots and lettuce. My poor guniea lost its hair because I was feeding it rabbit food (I had a rabbit 2) and I didnt know that rabbit food doesnt have the nutrients for the guinea pig becuase rabbits make their own.
Get him a rabbit friend, they get on really well together. I got my rabbit first and he looked real lonely so I got my guinea pig. he cheered up after that.
Get it in a run on the grass, they like to eat it and also it gives them a chance to rn around.
I used to bath mine and clean the cage out twice a week during summer and once a week during winter. Stops them smelling and also through summerit keeps the blue bottles away… One got into the cage once and laid eggs onto my rabbits bum and they hatched as maggits and went inside him and started to eat him alive. Luckily I saw the maggots so took him straight to the vets.
Hope Ive helped.
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Vitamin tablets, I would say Redoxen is a good brand. Its a vitamin C tablet thats kept my two piggies healthy
They’re five!
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Some people have said "the pet store wouldn’t give it if it was harmful etc" but seriously, think about it? so strangers really care about an animal or are they out to make money… Money.
Gunea pigs should NOT have seeds, nuts or colourful bits in any food. They should have plain pellets, no matter what people say if it isn’t a plain pellet.. change it.
Don’t buy licks, sprays, chews or any other kind of pet shop vitamins, the only vitamin c I’d suggest buying (told by my vet) is human chewable vitamin c.. any brand aslong as they’re broken into 25mg pieces and chewable.
They taste like orange basically..
Males can smell a little more as they have grease glands and they tent to scent the cage.. but females go into heat every month so neither is more friendly, it’s about the guinea pigs personality.. not it’s gender. Guinea pigs from shelters are usually nicer as they have been handled.
Girl names : Blossom, Bella, Sprinkles, Minnie.
Boy: Monty, Romeo, Momo, Harley, Gizmo.
References :
http://www.guineapiggie.com
Wow! Your guinea is going to be sooo happy! I just finished answering two other questions that would help you so i’m going to post them and then continuing answering your question…
here it is…
"(Okay, the biting is called "itching", just to let you know so u don’t freak out.)
Wow! Your piggy is doing very well for being a newbie! Before I got a guinea I read a lot of books on Guinea care and everything related to that and all the books said that you need to leave the guinea pig alone for a while in it’s cage before you start petting it and trying to make it friendly. The first day, you’re supposed to leave it in the room and not go in as much as you can except to put food in it’s bowl and stuff. Then the first week, you can sit in the room and talk to it and maybe even let it smell you and feed it some food, depending on how it’s adjusting. Then move on from there and do what you think is appropriate.
As far as the rumbling goes…here’s what I wrote for a question I answered before this one and I think it’ll apply here nicely…
"when I first got my guinea pig, she did that whenever I would pet her too far down her back and onto her back side. he/she’s trying to tell you that it’s uncomfortable for him/her.
what you need to do is just find how far you can go without him/her doing that. then slowly…i mean gradually and gently…go further and further down until he/she gets used to it.
Pumpkin, my guinea, still does it sometimes. it’s natural for them. it’s their way of showing you that they’re annoyed when you pet their bottom–we all are!
Purring is different than a rumble. Rumble’s will normally be associated with the strut–like you said–and then a quick run to the potty corner.
Distingushing between the two can be tough. Get to know your guinea and you’ll be able to tell the difference in no time. For example, when my brothers run around the house, shooting their Nerf guns, Pumpkin will rumble because it’s a sound she doesn’t like, so she’s letting us know. It’s kinda like when someone says "What was that???" and then get up to looks around. Except guinea pigs can’t talk.
Another example of a purr would be when I come home from school and stroke Pumpkin between the ears and she sits down and purrs. That’s a happy guinea!"
so, about the water problem…when we got her home, my dad just picks up my new Guinea and puts her nose on the bottle end so that some water gets on her mouth and stuff. I though he was crazy and so did my Guinea, Pumpkin, bcz she bit him–the first time and the last she bit someone–and then ran away. But then i did some research and that’s what you’re supposed to do. So, go over to the cage–but wash you hands!!!–and bring her over using a carrot or something. then take the carrot and push on the tip of the bottle so that water comes out and make sure she knows it’s water and see if she’ll lick some off the carrot. then put the carrot down and touch the tip with your finger to show her where the water’s coming from. if she doesn’t drink soon, pick her up like my dad did and bring her to the water bottle and let her face get wet with it…she’ll get it eventually. Besides, it sounds like she’s getting some water from the lettuce already, so don’t freak out (btw, don’t feed her ice burg lettuce bcz it’s bad for her
I used to freak out a lot about Pumpkin but I’ve learned to chill after a couple years. If you have a problem, taker her to the vet. You’re better off safe than sorry!…wow! that was a long answer! Good Luck!"
HERE’S MY ANSWER FOR YOU…
Anyway, So Timothy hay is a bad choice for a youngster. When they’re young, they need the extra fat, calcium, and all that other stuff that you’ll find in Alfalfa Hay. When it gets older, maybe 3 months, mix the Alfalfa hay with Timothy hay so that it’s not getting too much vitamins and fat. Then, at 4 months, do the final switch to Timothy.
1.) okay, so stay away from the sunflower seeds! I used to give my guinea a food with seeds in it but then I stopped bcz every morning she would put it in her mouth and struggle to crack it open while it was in her mouth. and then she wouldn’t let it go even if it took 5 mins! and it freaked me out! so i switched to Vita-Vittles by LM Animal farm and she likes it…
2.) she won’t need vitamin tablets if you give her fresh veggies every morning. I suggest you feed her some of the following items in the morning: carrot, apple slice, broccoli, cherries (cut in half without the seeds), strawberry, peach, pear, watermelon, banana, grape (cut in half!) and some Romaine lettuce in the evening (ice burg is bad for Guinea Pigs!) as a dinner time snack. and do not put anything in the water! she should always have clean water available…
3.) if you want more than one guinea, get a female bcz males tend to fight more. everyone gets females bcz they’re "nicer"–hey, I got a female–but that’s not always true. I mean, you can’t say that girls are nicer
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guinea pig owner for 4 years
Hi and congrats on the new pet!! oK so it looks like you got a good sized cage and it looks like you have everything it needs. To answer your questions:
1. Nutriphase is okay but i would take it back and get plain guinea pig pellets. The seeds added in the food is extra fat that guinea pigs dont need. Seeds are also not supposed to be fed to guinea pigs in the first place.
2. Any vitamins for water with vitamin c are good since guinea pigs cant produce it themselfs. Watch your guinea pig to make sure it drinks because some dont like the color or taste of the vitamin water.
3. Females tend to be less smelly because they do not spray like males. Both are great but i tend to see females more cuddly and fun.
4. Daisy, lily, muffin, cookie, maple, basil, blossom, reese, honey, chocolate, dolly, tulip, sugar, spice, buttons
5. Henry (cute!) Elmo, moe, fred, mac, maxie, teddy, fudge, boo, bugsy, blue
http://funpetnames.com
Tips: Remember to wait a few days until handeling your piggy. He needs to get used to his new cage and enviroment.
Remeber to feed lots of veggies each day with small pieces of fruit for treats.
make sure they have lots of hay available for their chewing needs.
Well good luck and i hoped that helped!
here are some sites with fun things to do with your piggy and good piggy care.
http://guineapigfun.com
http://guineapigcafe.com
http://guinealynx.com
Hope i helped! Good Luck
References :
Guine pig owner
guinea pigs r a handful but there so cute and cuddle but some times scary but when it start to trust u u will love it
References :
if need more help email me
Hi-
It’s great that you are doing research. The food they gave you is not good if it has seeds and nuts in it. The people here who told you that GP’s can have nuts are wrong. With proper care guinea pigs can live up to 8 or 9 years.
Do you have a small petstore in town or even a Petsmart. If so go and look for Oxbow cavy cusine, it is the best around
http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1622
Here is more info on why you need a plain pellet and why you need to be careful with the diet of your guinea pig:
Every cavy needs daily:
Vitamin C
Fresh Water
Quality Pellets
Unlimited Grass Hay
Fresh Vegetables
VITAMIN C: Guinea pigs cannot manufacture their own vitamin C and require 10 to 30 mg/kg daily to prevent scurvy. While many guinea pigs receive adequate vitamin C from fresh vegetables and pellets, you may wish to ensure your cavy gets adequate vitamin C by giving a quarter of a 100 mg chewable or plain vitamin C tablet, or provide a small amount of liquid vitamin C drops to each cavy. Young, ill, nursing and pregnant animals require extra vitamin C.
Do not add vitamin C to the water.
Water is vital to good health but because vitamin C changes the flavor, they may drink less.
Ascorbic acid degrades rapidly once added to water.
Some cavies drink a lot and some very little, so it is impossible to know how much vitamin C your pet is getting.
http://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html
PELLETS: Plain dye free high quality guinea pig pellets (mixes with nuts are considered too rich), formulated with Vitamin C can be provided in a small heavy ceramic bowl to prevent tipping and cleaned daily. Each cavy will eat approximately 1/8 cup of pellets a day when also fed adequate hay and fresh vegetables. Purchase pellets in small quantities and store in a dry cool dark place to preserve the potency of the C (look for a pellet with an expiration date to check for freshness). Look for a pellet that uses stabilized vitamin C and has a "Best If Used By" date to ensure quality. Avoid pellets that use animal byproducts and those whose primary ingredient is corn.
http://www.guinealynx.info/pellets.html
Here are some other great links to read over
http://www.guinealynx.info/housing.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/health.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/companionship.html
One Pig or Two?
Guinea pigs are extremely social, herd animals and thrive in the company of another pig. If you are going to be away for a large part of the day, consider getting a pair of guinea pigs of the same sex. You will end up with a brighter and happier animal.
A few of the advantages of multiple pigs:
MORE EXERCISE: Two or more pigs means space needs to be shared, claimed, or discovered. A little jostling keeps them on their toes. And piggy trains are fun to watch.
BETTER DIET: Sometimes a new pig is unfamiliar with the foods you provide. Watching a resident pig devour a favorite food encourages a new pig to give it a try. Cavies can also learn the mysteries of the water bottle through example. A little friendly competition can be a good thing. Ask Stickifroggy’s pigs (below).
HAPPIER: While not all pigs will find a soul mate, most are very happy to know they are not "The Only Pig In The House". Ill pigs (on antibiotics and non-infectious) benefit greatly from being near their companions.
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm#Introductions
Also look at guineapigcages.com
As far as male or females everyone has a prefrence-I have both. Males need more space. They definitly are friendly though and I have not really seen a difference in male and females as far as how they relate to humans.
Good luck and feel free to PM me with questions
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I rescue guinea pigs and have 6 of my own that I have rescued-they are very spoiled!
Nutrishare is fine although lab blocks are better since the cavy is likely to get a taste of everything instead of choosing just the bits it likes. Females do not mark territory, males do, so they smell a bit more. I breed piggies and i named my first pairs with names that started with ‘a’, the next batch that will be born will all be named with names that start with ‘b’. A good girl name is: opal. A boy name: marquise. You should feed them veggies and fruits and supply them with vitamin c. Cavies like humans have lost the ability to make vitamin c so it needs to be supplied in the diet. If not, it can lead to scurvy which presents as bleeding gums.
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Don’t stress it. Relax. It works.
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Their food should be plain pellets made from a timothy hay base. Oxbow cavy cuisine and Mazuri tend to be very good brands for them. As for their vitamin c do not get supplements it could disuade them from drinking their water or eating their food. The good foods have it added in and Give them vegetables high in vitamin C every day. The best veggie to give them for that is Bell Peppers, red and green are best. As for the smell and friendliness, they are both pretty even so long as you keep the cage clean and give them the care and affection the need to become people friendly. it will take them quite some time to get used to you but dont get discouraged they will come to love you with time. My girls are named Red, Lily, Ariana, and Peppermint.
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