Friday, July 31, 2009

Is my guinea pig okay going to be okay?

I keep my guinea pig in the laundry room and I'm just wondering if the laundry detergent odours will hurt him. (We keep our bleach containers closed and there is no smell. He eats and drinks regularly (a lot! :) and I feed him timothy hay, water, fruits and vegetables and guinea pig pellet food.) I've already had him for 4 months and he is really healthy!
Answers:
Sounds like he's doing well %26 you're feeding him well!
It would be great if you could put him in a place where he gets lots of interaction from you %26 the rest of your family. He might get a bit lonely in the laundry room if he's all by himself for long periods of time. Would you consider adopting a same-sex buddy for him? Pigs do much better when housed in pairs.
Best of luck!
it sounds like your guinea pig has a great home! i don't think any ill effects could be caused by keeping him in the laundry room.
i guess he should be fine but dont you think he should be kept in a room where you go alot or at least the famly room or something so he gets lots of attention.
sounds like he is fine . I would move him while you are doing laundry, but if hes fine after 4 months he will be ok .
if you keep the cats out and dont let the odors escape from the containers you will be fine! he sounds like hes doing great!
good luck!
I'm pretty sure that he'll be fine. But having done alot of research after getting my 2 girls, I've learned (and experienced) that Guinea Pigs have VERY sensitive respitory systems. I would be so afraid of a chemical leaking,a spill or a top just not put on right because some one was in a hurry. The fumes from that kind of stuff would just scare me out of that. There's are home made cages you can make, you can even make a top. ( i have 2 guinea's and made my own cage, i have 4 cats) Not to mention, the sound of the washer and dryers slamming shut would startle me enough to have a heart attack if I were that small, along with other noises the machines make. I guess what i'm saying is that I think is a bad idea.
First of all, did you know that guinea pigs actually require 7 square feet or open cage space, minimum? If you want your guinea pig to be completely healthy, I'd suggest getting or building a cage for it. It's easy, I'm 14 now and I built my guinea pigs' cage when i was 11. It's also fairly inexpensive, and easy to clean. Here's a link:http://www.guineapigcages.com/
Second, guinea pigs have very sensitive respiratory systems, so keeping it in the laundry room is NOT a great idea. He may not show any signs of illness because guinea pigs are prey and, instinctively, do not. So he may actually not be as healthy as you think. Please think of a better location for him.
It's great that you provide your pet with such a great diet. Just please give him more room! Guinea pigs need to be able to run around and get some exercise!! And move the cage to your room or something, away from those fumes.
Good luck to you and your piggie!
He should be fine, just make sure that no-one sprays any sprays. It would be better if you could bring him out into the family area where there is more traffic or you could consider getting another same sex cage mate. How big is your cage? I was just thinking that if your cage was smaller than 7.5sq ft then you could make it bigger and include lot's of toys like toilet rolls stuffed with hay and parsley or a plain cardboard box with a big hole cut out. As he is housed alone and sort of away from the rest of the family be sure to spend lot's of time with him, cuddles and floor time will brighten your piggys day.
Addition:
If your cage is too small for two piggys why not make bigger. Cages like cubes and coroplast are cheap and can be made bigger as time goes on. I understand that this just may not be able to work at this point in time so just try to include your piggy in everything that you do (you know what I mean!!).
you shouldn't keep your guinea pig in the laundry room because if any detergent gets in his/her food it could harm your guinea pig. And another thing too is that the sound of the washer and dryer might scare it and cause stress.Stress can lead to a shorter life.
Guinea pigs do well in living rooms, family rooms, etc. ( out of touch of small children who don't know how to hold them and other dangers, of course.) But if you cannot put him in a place where more people go, he should be alright.
NEW EDIT:
I have my C%26C set up so my cat cannot get in. There are ways you could do this. Go to www.cavycages.com and see ways you could keep your cats out. You should use cable ties instead of connectors, though, because connectors often come apart, and if your cats jumps ontop of the cage, they can fall through. C%26Cs are the only way to create a big enough cage.
The laundry room is the worst place you can keep your guinea pig. It is too hot and too humid, you are going to make them sick.
Any good cage will protect them from the cats. Keep the pigs in your room and keep your door shut.
Go to C%26C cages, it's at cavyspirity.com, and price them. I am a big fan of large cages (10.5 sq. feet for two pigs), but if you don't have the space, or the money, buy or build one a little smaller that will suit you.
Please get those pigs out of the laundry room, and please God tell me your washer and dryer aren't in the garage in the middle of summer. Guinea Pigs cannot regulate their own body temps, and will have a heatstroke if put in direct sunlight and in a temperature above 78 degrees. Please, put them in your room, or give them to a guinea pig rescue in your area so that they don't suffer...

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