Lemur's like, no she didn't just snatch my cucumber and gave some old wood to eat! What does she think I am, a woodpecker?!! Well take that (bite) and that (bigger bite). Lol 😂😂 what a character, the piggies stealing the show as always. Well I got pulled into the apple stick scam too. A complete waste of money, never again! Thanks Saskia!
ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION - In a healthy animal who eats a healthy diet the teeth will not overgrow or keep growing so there is no need for wood sticks to chew on to keep their teeth down. if this was the case we would have to trim their teeth every 2 weeks. If there is an issue in the mouth, like for instance missing bottom or top teeth then YES you will need to keep a very close eye on the growth because in that case the teeth will NOT stop growing and can cause terrible problems. I have done some videos on this subject as well as well as trims on animals with this specific problem. We would also not be able to have guinea pigs in a CandC cage if they had to gnaw on things to keep their teeth down because they would make quick work of the plastic sheet, like a rabbit would. So yes guinea pig teeth CAN overgrow and if there is a misalignment in the mouth and in severe cases will not stop growing. But in a healthy animal with a hay rich diet the teeth do not continuously grow. I am very sorry if I was not more clear in the video.
Dear Saskia, with all my respect I have to express my opinion about the topic you’ve talked about in this video. I was a guinea pig owner for sooo many years, and I want to keep these fluffy furballs again soon. I had a piggy, when I was very little and didn’t know this much about these guys that time. He died in tooth overgrowth. It was very clear and obvious. (Actually the doctor euthanized it, because it was impossible to save him. We couldn’t watch him suffer. I still can’t apologise child me because of not recognizing the problem earlier) After watching this video of yours I’ve read an official veterinarian statement and a study about this (in my own language) and a few articles. Each and every source I found explaind that teeth grow constantly. However, I totally agree, that there’s no need for these sticks. Total waste of money. Buy them a wood pighouse in their cage and let them eat a lot of hay and they’ll be just fine. But if you have a guinea oig, please, check their teeth often. They die very painfully if there’s something wrong with their teeth.
I'm a professional and I just want to correct something regarding the teeth topic: the teeth of guineas keep growing 1 to 1,5 mm per week, ALWAYS! their teeth grind on each other while they eat hay and that is what keeps them at a healthy lenght. if they dont get enough hey (or in some cases if they have other problems), the teeth cant grind on each other enough and they will grow too long, which is dangerous. Its the grinding on each other that shortens their teeth, not the food itself. so stuff like wooden chew sticks or hard bread wouldnt work anyway. Im very happy about the fact that you feed your guineas so well. Im from germany and most of ppl here do it wrong. The teeth problem is mostly cos of wrong nutrition. even when there is enough hay available, they may not eat enough of it when they get too much of bad food like grains, seeds or procecced food etc. they like grains but it is calory dense, it can cause them diabetes and they will choose to not eat as much hey cos the grains make them feel very full. Hay and veggies are most important when it comes to their diet, so its very good how you do it.
You all are hating on scotty he is just helping out gosh. I feel like everyone hates on him every video and i see him saying sorry on alot of videos... Give him a break hes just helping
CozyGuinea Piggies Exactly! He’s a great help and full of very useful information! I don’t care for the comments about him either, it’s rude. But we all know that it’s best to ignore those kinds of people and comments. :)
I'm not mad at scotty or anything and being mean isn't cool. But he does make it hard to hear her. But I'm hard of hearing and I cant hear her over him :(
@@ITIsFunnyDamnIT oooh that's what he was saying? I honestly could only hear him probably because I was focusing on hearing them. I didn't even look at the year either I'm such a flake. Thanks for telling me ❤
Thank you Saskia. I actually bought these Apple branch things for my piggie girls and they looked at me like- what do you want us to do with these??? I have a small rescue for small animals and I took in some pet rats. They LOVE the apple branch things! Sometimes I think these big companies lump all " rodents" into the same basket, and they are all so different. As always, I love your videos. Please keep teaching us!
My guineas love apple branches with the leaves on, they get demolished! I’m drying some out for the winter so hopefully they will like them dried as well as straight from the tree!
My piggies LOVE fresh apple and pear twigs! They never touched those dry packaged sticks though, I bought them ONCE, never again. The fresh small Apple and pear tree twigs are always a big hit though, must be where someone got the idea to dry and package them. They HAVE to be fresh, though, JUST cut or refrigerated in a zip lock to hold in the moisture, and SMALL, 2x thinner than those small sticks in the video, like the most recent growth. My girls actually REALLY love them, they go to town eating ALL the bark off, they'll strip them in one night. So I give them each an apple or pear twig once or twice a week, cut they really like them, only the fresh, same year growth, ones though.
I actually bought that same little chew toy with the bell at the bottom and the hamster on the tag. My girls never touched it, just peed on it a couple times and I tossed it in the trash. It was a cute decoration for about a month, but now with this video I know why they didn’t like it! Thanks for both you and Lemur for showing me!
The camera man needs to STOP YELLING EVERY THING! & let Miss Saskia get a word in edgewise! I'd like to hear what she has to say!!? I never know exactly what to get my Piggy's for treats. So thank you for sharing this with us.
A Rottie To be fair, I don’t think he’s yelling, he’s just really close to the mic. He does talk over her a fair bit though. I like Scotty’s channel and all, but I think he sometimes has difficulty letting others share the “spotlight” when he’s recording for this channel 🤷🏻♀️
I found this annoying as well. I mean he's not yelling but he's also not letting her finish a single sentence. Just made me annoyed an anxious (cause I was just hoping to hear as much of her input as possible before she got interrupted again).
ItIsFunnyDamnIt I agree. I volunteer at another Guinea Pig rescue. Many people come in and treat there pigs like possessions rather than pets. Particularly impulse buyers. I always hate to see good piggies that get returned because their owners lost interest in them.
ItIsFunnyDamnIt Me neither! I love playing and spending time getting to know my piggies and all of the piggies I meet at the rescue. I love how each piggy has their own personality and preferences. I think many people are confused by the idea that small animals are “starter” pets to work up to a cat or dog or that they are a “child’s” pet. Many people fail to see the true value of them. I wish I could own more piggies but sadly I do not have the space to safety accommodate more pigs and still keep within the required guidelines.
ItIsFunnyDamnIt Yea, I’ve spent a lot of time maintaining my pigs that I originally thought I would. So many people really have no idea what they are getting into when they adopt. But I love watching my girls interact with each other. I have one piggy that is very intelligent so it’s interesting to watch her explore and interact with her environment. I hope you are able to purchase more piggies in the future.
What, am I first? Well I would like to say thanks for putting that myth to rest about there teeth constantly growing. You guys are saving us lots of money! Lol😀
@@CapysGardenShop WoW, just because I very much value what Miss Saskia has to say. I am a soulless hater. That seem a bit harsh. I am a relatively new to life with piggys & to be honest Miss Saskia is my most trusted person for piggy advice! After all look @ all the piggys she looks after. Happy Pigmas to you. ; )
I love your videos. I learn something new every time. I’m a new guinea pig mom and sometimes am led astray by the marketing ploys on pet supplies. Thank you guys for making these videos to share your knowledge with the rest of us! ❤️
I have the wooden planks and my 2 don’t touch them but do chew on the wooden house and plastic tunnel from time to time also thank you for these videos as they help me as a new guinea pig own here in the UK x
Once they’ve been given a veggie they never forget they’re not done eating it. XD Thank you for this product review, that’s a relief to know about the teeth chews.
Ive had over weight pigs, i rescued 3 and all of them had belly's that dragged the floor and they were very inactive at the start. I ration nuggets, dont free feed unless a pig is under weight, because they will just eat nuggets constantly and shun hay, which puts on the wright. After a few months of slow loss they got more active and wernt struggling to drag their huge bellys around anymore.
I too would prefer them to eat more hay than pellets because there are unhealthy pellets on the market. Check the ingredients, Corn, Soybean and Wheat are not supposed to be eaten by guinea pigs yet they consume tons of it through their pellets.
One of my piggies was getting fat. He was quite lazy and inactive. Vet said to feed him fewer vegetables. I found that hard to do, but fed fewer carrots as they are sugary. Then he got into eating cucumber, so I fed him up with that rather than the carrots. He didn't lose much weight, but at least he wasn't gaining.
I did pick up those apple sticks for like $2 and my boy will throw them around the cage sometimes. I did get a fresh apple branch from my friend's tree, and my boy LOVED stripping off the bark. So I suppose, if you plan on getting them chew sticks, get them fresh. ;)
I gave mine store bought apple tree branches before, they only chewed a bit and looked like only 1 out of the 4 had interest. But they love fresh mulberry leaves and branches, I leave one in the cage every day as a snack.
Thank you so much for this information! Wow I thought I nearly knew everything there is to know about Guinea Pig care after 20 years with these smal critters. But I didn’t know, that their teeth don’t grow after a certain length and I didn’t know that they stop eating, when they are full (I was always afraid of giving them too much veggies) . Fantastic job Saskia and Scotty. Lots of love from Denmark ❤️
My piggies are known to chew on wood. I buy wood toys now after noticing that they would chew a wooden bridge we bought (they don't care about climbing on it but they sure love chewing it).
I have willow stkicks for my piggy as well as a wooden hiddey. For the plain sticks, he enjoys chewing them apart, especially if I am holding them. However, it is just an occasional thing, like a game.
This was so helpful! We had always heard that we needed to give our guineas chews otherwise we’d have to trim their teeth. And I was stressing over what kind I should get for our girls that wouldn’t be unhealthy or toxic. Especially because so many chew toys have paint on them. Your videos are putting my mind at ease 🙌💕
Another Myth Blown, consider myself mind blown. I even planted a blueberry bush. At least we get fruit. If it was not for your Mallow video, I would have pulled it all up, and not started my silly little channel. Many thanks to you and your amazing knowledge
I always look at my cage and think how boring lol because I don't buy that stuff! My boys do really, really love birch twigs and leaves though!! I don't treat my lawn or trees though so don't worry =) they're happy with krinkle tunnels and log tunnels, hay and cuddle cups! Ooh, and fleece forests! Well duh, and veggies lol
Just to put it out there that i love your content when it’s done outdoors! Such an amazing environment. I’ve been dreaming to meet saskia and the ranch!!! Maybe bring my guinea pig for a chek up BUT I LIVE ALL THE WAY IN MALAYSIA?!
Great video!!!! Only my rescued bait pig sterling likes to chew on apple sticks and he does have “his” stick that if elon his buddy even sniffs it sterling is unimpressed
Oh dang! I didn't know that piggies couldn't chew, my parents wasted money on useless coloured sticks! No wonder they didn't chew it. Thanks for the info!
Wow, Lemur was definitely ready to go back to his hidey! LOL Saskia/Scott, I know you have outlined in past videos the circumstances in which guinea pigs normally bite, and it's usually pretty unaggressive, but it was obvious this time on Saskia's hand that Lemur wasn't playing games. How often do you encounter piggies that bite hard enough to cause a mark or to break the skin? (During normal encounters, of course, not during introductions.)
Well I fell for it. Just bought some of the sticks. At least no I know why they didn’t really want them. I thought chewing was important for their teeth health bc I was under the impression that their teeth would/could grow out of control if they weren’t chewing all the time to keep them short 🤷♀️. Thank you for all the very useful info I get from your videos. Oh how I wish I lived in your area.
I wish I had started watching Saskia and friends' videos before buying things pre-adopting piggies! I've done this ... silly me, and read that piggies constantly need to chew!!
PLEASE NOTE: What Saskia says about people giving bunny-related things to guinea pigs is absolutely TRUE. I bought a tunnel woven from dried water hyacinth that was marketed for bunnies and advertised as safe for guinea pigs. My pig nibbled some of it and DIED two days later form a sudden case of bloat. Be extra careful about what you give your pigs! They like variety and new things, but it's not worht their lives!
My 4 piggies are always chewing on their massive wooden houses)they are seperate 2 by 2( since I have them chew toys they almost didn’t chew on their houses anymore, my piggies are on a healthy diet
When I got my guinea pig from a friend who could no longer give him his best life, his bottom teeth were so long they were digging into the roof of his mouth, all he could eat was watermelon as it was so soft he could just squish it in his mouth. We took him to get them trimmed by the vet and got him a brother, and his teeth have been perfect since. Could you help explain this? Thank you!! Love you guys.
The simple answer is that they are incorrect. Guinea pig teeth do not just reach a certain length then stop, they are constantly growing and will easily overgrow like you have experienced. It's likely that he wasn't fed a proper diet of unlimited hay previously, so his teeth were not able to wear down correctly, resulting in their overgrowth. It's true that chew toys do not really do anything when it comes to wearing down guinea pig teeth, but if you are feeding your pigs a proper diet now, that is most likely the reason why his teeth have stayed at the correct length. Once they were trimmed he was able to eat appropriate foods and the grinding of hay has kept his molars and incisors an acceptable length.
Chloe Williams Yes, that’s very likely, she didn’t seem to have much knowledge as far as guinea pig care. And oh yes, they get lots of hay, they love it so much I can barely keep up! Thank you so much for you answer, greatly appreciated!
I’ve never tried apple orchard sticks because of how crazy expensive they are however, I did try little colored wood sticks because I was told of this myth! All my two piggies did was pee on them, haha! So I agree that these are totally a waste of every cent spent!
Are hay racks money wasters? Every time I have tried to use a hay rack in the past, the piggies have always knocked it down and I remove it so they don’t injure themselves. I guess for them it’s counterintuitive for hay to be in the air rather than on the ground. Also, my guinea pigs weren’t interested in the apple twigs but really liked gnawing on tunnels and baskets made of willow. What accounts for the difference?
Willow or apple sticks are both harmless and individual pigs may prefer one over the other. Hay racks are fine and a personal decision for the care taker. It is nice to keep hay off the ground longer so it doesn't become soiled.
My piggies didn't bother with the hay in their hay racks, so I removed them and put their hay on the floor of their cage. Yes, it does get soiled but I put fresh hay in twice a day. They never bothered with chew toys, but liked hay or rattan type balls.
Neither of my girls will chew on any sort of wood chew. Which I admit I bought but for more as a toy than for use as a chew. They do however like cardboard. They don't totally destroy it, not sure if they're actually consuming any or not either but they'll give all the edges a good nibble!
Finally a guinea pig that bite just like mine now i know it's normal... everyone in there videos always say they don't bite just nibble, no! they bite...
Guinea pigs do not pee everywhere. They pee where they sleep, they pee where they eat, etc. But most guinea pigs prefer not to pee on humans or on floors where they get wet feet. Not peeing on humans is tricky though, because humans are so hard to teach when to listen to their guinea pigs telling them they really really need to go NOW!!
Lol. My male piggie got to that weight. Vet said feed fewer vegetables, although it might have been the carrot as that can be sugary. I only gave recommended amount of pellets, but he didn't eat all of those anyway. He loved his vegetables. He lost a bit of weight, and by the time he died of old age he weighed just over 1kg, which I think is about right for a male. My other male weighed 900g at the end of his life, but he never looked overweight.
@@karenrussell7338 Hmm, maybe it's the carrots in her diet too...but in a cage of 5 pigs, it's hard to put just 1 on a diet. Though if I'm honest I think a main part of Pepper's problem is that she's lazy lol. Even my boy with arthritis runs around and forages more than she does and Pepper's been like that since I adopted her as a young pig 4 years ago.
@@amandah2866 My boy was very lazy, lounging around in the sun all day (if it was sunny). My males were rescued, but had to live in separate cages because they had been injuring each other by fighting. That's why I was able to tweak his diet a little.
@@karenrussell7338 Fair enough. I have a desexed boy who suddenly decided he didn't like one of the girls he'd been living with for 2 years. I had to move him into another cage, I joke he's in guinea pig prison and Pepper is his prison guard lol. Guinea pigs can do such damage when fighting, my poor girl had large bites on her back end.
Dear Saskia: My guinea pig didn't like the sound of the xylophone. Lemur was trying to get away from that afterwards imo and nips were to coerce you to take him away from the xylophone noise. I think that sound may mean danger to them at least some. Never publicly fire your guinea pig. He might get counsel.
I like that he came to you for comfort. I noticed he wasn't going to Scotty for comfort. While I appreciate you are doing these videos to get the word out about these great animals, I'd like it if you would put the piggie first if he comes to you for comfort and needs a break from the set. Can we now get an update on Lemur? I like his markings. Was he adopted yet?
Hello Saskia and Scotty! I was just wondering if you recommend any specific brand of hay for adult guineas? Thanks for all that you do for the piggies!
is mullberry appropriate? the berries and leaves are fully edible (as long as ripe, the milk and berries to young are toxic and halucingenic) so im wondering about the wood
I have provided my piggies with sticks from the yard and they never show any interest. The pen is made with soft pine and they never chew on that either. Nor do they chew on the mesh. The hay seems to be enough. One of them came with a sort of chew toy made of various bits of wood... its been hanging there for years unused.
15 years & not one piggy has ever liked those store treats. They like everything else like the end of the plastic tunnel. However we are noticing a lot of new natural products that our piggies try. Wooden treats never worked, we end up throwing them in the bin soaked in wee.
My guinea pig naturally potty trained himself. I put one of those potty corner things for rabbits and filled it with timothy hay (as a hope for it to be a eating tray), and since then, he only poops and pees in that potty as long as I put the timothy hay in it. Is that weird?
I Never buy those ever!! My Piggies get Hay all Day! Veggies and Occasionally Fruit small amount due to Sugar being bad for them! Oxbow Urine and Vit C Cookies. However I believe I heard you say before the Guinea Pigs teeth continue to grow and its why they need Hay🤔
I bought those apple wood sticks once before but they had no interest at all! They'd rather chew & rattle the cage bars (their way of saying bring the veggies!!)
Hi Saskia. I'm a huge fan! Thank you for sharing all of your vital information. I have a question and not sure where to ask it. I hope you can answer it here. I have 2 skinny pigs. And 3 Guinea pigs. My youngest skinny pig (under 6 months old) has begun shedding what little hair he has. I believe I take good care of him, pellets, fresh veggies, hay and water every day? Should I be worried or is this normal? My other skinny is almost completely bald so never noticed it on him. Please advise. I'm concerned. Thank you.
Some skinnies can still lose some of the few hairs they have in the first 6/7 months after birth. Dont worry about it too much unless you also see the pig scratch and has damaged skin from itching.
Eh, my piggie really likes them for some reason, even though his teeth are fine and he eats a good diet. Not really sure why, but i think he just likes to destroy stuff to be honest. Pet stores charge waaaaay too much for them, but the vet I go to sells them for much cheaper, so whenever we go, I get him some. He's quite a weird piggy tbh, but I love him to death.
Hey Saskia what about guinea pigs teeth that grows sideways because I have to trim my guinea pigs teeth because they grow sideways then he stops eating?
Lemur's like, no she didn't just snatch my cucumber and gave some old wood to eat! What does she think I am, a woodpecker?!! Well take that (bite) and that (bigger bite).
Lol 😂😂 what a character, the piggies stealing the show as always.
Well I got pulled into the apple stick scam too. A complete waste of money, never again! Thanks Saskia!
I got apple orchard sticks for my guinea pigs and they have never touched them.
ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION - In a healthy animal who eats a healthy diet the teeth will not overgrow or keep growing so there is no need for wood sticks to chew on to keep their teeth down. if this was the case we would have to trim their teeth every 2 weeks. If there is an issue in the mouth, like for instance missing bottom or top teeth then YES you will need to keep a very close eye on the growth because in that case the teeth will NOT stop growing and can cause terrible problems. I have done some videos on this subject as well as well as trims on animals with this specific problem. We would also not be able to have guinea pigs in a CandC cage if they had to gnaw on things to keep their teeth down because they would make quick work of the plastic sheet, like a rabbit would. So yes guinea pig teeth CAN overgrow and if there is a misalignment in the mouth and in severe cases will not stop growing. But in a healthy animal with a hay rich diet the teeth do not continuously grow. I am very sorry if I was not more clear in the video.
Dear Saskia,
with all my respect I have to express my opinion about the topic you’ve talked about in this video. I was a guinea pig owner for sooo many years, and I want to keep these fluffy furballs again soon. I had a piggy, when I was very little and didn’t know this much about these guys that time. He died in tooth overgrowth. It was very clear and obvious. (Actually the doctor euthanized it, because it was impossible to save him. We couldn’t watch him suffer. I still can’t apologise child me because of not recognizing the problem earlier) After watching this video of yours I’ve read an official veterinarian statement and a study about this (in my own language) and a few articles. Each and every source I found explaind that teeth grow constantly. However, I totally agree, that there’s no need for these sticks. Total waste of money. Buy them a wood pighouse in their cage and let them eat a lot of hay and they’ll be just fine.
But if you have a guinea oig, please, check their teeth often. They die very painfully if there’s something wrong with their teeth.
I'm a professional and I just want to correct something regarding the teeth topic: the teeth of guineas keep growing 1 to 1,5 mm per week, ALWAYS! their teeth grind on each other while they eat hay and that is what keeps them at a healthy lenght. if they dont get enough hey (or in some cases if they have other problems), the teeth cant grind on each other enough and they will grow too long, which is dangerous.
Its the grinding on each other that shortens their teeth, not the food itself. so stuff like wooden chew sticks or hard bread wouldnt work anyway.
Im very happy about the fact that you feed your guineas so well. Im from germany and most of ppl here do it wrong.
The teeth problem is mostly cos of wrong nutrition. even when there is enough hay available, they may not eat enough of it when they get too much of bad food like grains, seeds or procecced food etc. they like grains but it is calory dense, it can cause them diabetes and they will choose to not eat as much hey cos the grains make them feel very full.
Hay and veggies are most important when it comes to their diet, so its very good how you do it.
You all are hating on scotty he is just helping out gosh. I feel like everyone hates on him every video and i see him saying sorry on alot of videos... Give him a break hes just helping
CozyGuinea Piggies Exactly! He’s a great help and full of very useful information! I don’t care for the comments about him either, it’s rude. But we all know that it’s best to ignore those kinds of people and comments. :)
I'm not mad at scotty or anything and being mean isn't cool. But he does make it hard to hear her. But I'm hard of hearing and I cant hear her over him :(
@@ITIsFunnyDamnIT oooh that's what he was saying? I honestly could only hear him probably because I was focusing on hearing them. I didn't even look at the year either I'm such a flake. Thanks for telling me ❤
ItIsFunnyDamnIt yes he is talking about the dirt bikes but he is talking on every little thing though so yeah
ItIsFunnyDamnIt I literally don’t even have guinea pigs I just love animals?!🤪🤣 soo I was just planning on getting two of them but whatever I guess!
Thank you Saskia. I actually bought these Apple branch things for my piggie girls and they looked at me like- what do you want us to do with these??? I have a small rescue for small animals and I took in some pet rats. They LOVE the apple branch things! Sometimes I think these big companies lump all " rodents" into the same basket, and they are all so different. As always, I love your videos. Please keep teaching us!
There is no thought behind what animals they market a product to. It's pretty ridiculous.
Of my 5 piggies, only my boy likes to chew on wood sticks and he gets bored of them pretty soon.
And we learned just as much from the comments as we do the videos! Thank you for telling us that rats love them, Mare
My guineas love apple branches with the leaves on, they get demolished! I’m drying some out for the winter so hopefully they will like them dried as well as straight from the tree!
My piggies LOVE fresh apple and pear twigs! They never touched those dry packaged sticks though, I bought them ONCE, never again. The fresh small Apple and pear tree twigs are always a big hit though, must be where someone got the idea to dry and package them. They HAVE to be fresh, though, JUST cut or refrigerated in a zip lock to hold in the moisture, and SMALL, 2x thinner than those small sticks in the video, like the most recent growth. My girls actually REALLY love them, they go to town eating ALL the bark off, they'll strip them in one night. So I give them each an apple or pear twig once or twice a week, cut they really like them, only the fresh, same year growth, ones though.
I actually bought that same little chew toy with the bell at the bottom and the hamster on the tag. My girls never touched it, just peed on it a couple times and I tossed it in the trash. It was a cute decoration for about a month, but now with this video I know why they didn’t like it! Thanks for both you and Lemur for showing me!
The camera man needs to STOP YELLING EVERY THING! & let Miss Saskia
get a word in edgewise! I'd like to hear what she has to say!!? I never know
exactly what to get my Piggy's for treats. So thank you for sharing this with us.
A Rottie To be fair, I don’t think he’s yelling, he’s just really close to the mic. He does talk over her a fair bit though. I like Scotty’s channel and all, but I think he sometimes has difficulty letting others share the “spotlight” when he’s recording for this channel 🤷🏻♀️
But its Scotty hè is also a knower🤗🤗😂
Go join the Army you'll know what yelling is.
I found this annoying as well. I mean he's not yelling but he's also not letting her finish a single sentence. Just made me annoyed an anxious (cause I was just hoping to hear as much of her input as possible before she got interrupted again).
Typical feisty Abyssinian! 😂 My Zelda is exactly the same. What a beautiful boy, so much personality 💕
Yes you’re so right, my Abyssinian Maisy is also so sassy and feisty!
This series is really helpful for me, I am about to adopt my first Guinea pigs so this brings a lot of clarity to me!!
MockingStar 345 yeah man the research process before your first pigs is very confusing, good luck with your piggies!
Yep! Two girls!! They are super sweet.
ItIsFunnyDamnIt I agree. I volunteer at another Guinea Pig rescue. Many people come in and treat there pigs like possessions rather than pets. Particularly impulse buyers. I always hate to see good piggies that get returned because their owners lost interest in them.
ItIsFunnyDamnIt Me neither! I love playing and spending time getting to know my piggies and all of the piggies I meet at the rescue. I love how each piggy has their own personality and preferences. I think many people are confused by the idea that small animals are “starter” pets to work up to a cat or dog or that they are a “child’s” pet. Many people fail to see the true value of them. I wish I could own more piggies but sadly I do not have the space to safety accommodate more pigs and still keep within the required guidelines.
ItIsFunnyDamnIt Yea, I’ve spent a lot of time maintaining my pigs that I originally thought I would. So many people really have no idea what they are getting into when they adopt. But I love watching my girls interact with each other. I have one piggy that is very intelligent so it’s interesting to watch her explore and interact with her environment. I hope you are able to purchase more piggies in the future.
What, am I first? Well I would like to say thanks for putting that myth to rest about there teeth constantly growing. You guys are saving us lots of money! Lol😀
Scotty stop talking over Saskia.
Pleeeza STOP!
Scottie we LOVE you!!!!!
@@CapysGardenShop WoW, just because I very much value what Miss Saskia has to say. I am a soulless hater. That seem a bit harsh. I am a relatively new to life with piggys & to be honest Miss Saskia is my most trusted person for piggy advice! After all look @ all the piggys she looks after. Happy Pigmas to you. ; )
Sorry Kelly! Sasuke has a very powerful coffee machine
@@arottie4097 I sorry
I love your videos. I learn something new every time. I’m a new guinea pig mom and sometimes am led astray by the marketing ploys on pet supplies. Thank you guys for making these videos to share your knowledge with the rest of us! ❤️
I have the wooden planks and my 2 don’t touch them but do chew on the wooden house and plastic tunnel from time to time also thank you for these videos as they help me as a new guinea pig own here in the UK x
I pick fresh apple sticks and my piggies love the bark and the buds. I am sure they would turn up their noses at that old dry stuff!
Once they’ve been given a veggie they never forget they’re not done eating it. XD
Thank you for this product review, that’s a relief to know about the teeth chews.
Wow! That pig looks almost identical to my Caramel!
Guinea pigs totally love fresh apple branches/sticks from an untreated tree.
What a cute little guy!
Ive had over weight pigs, i rescued 3 and all of them had belly's that dragged the floor and they were very inactive at the start. I ration nuggets, dont free feed unless a pig is under weight, because they will just eat nuggets constantly and shun hay, which puts on the wright. After a few months of slow loss they got more active and wernt struggling to drag their huge bellys around anymore.
I too would prefer them to eat more hay than pellets because there are unhealthy pellets on the market. Check the ingredients, Corn, Soybean and Wheat are not supposed to be eaten by guinea pigs yet they consume tons of it through their pellets.
One of my piggies was getting fat. He was quite lazy and inactive. Vet said to feed him fewer vegetables. I found that hard to do, but fed fewer carrots as they are sugary. Then he got into eating cucumber, so I fed him up with that rather than the carrots. He didn't lose much weight, but at least he wasn't gaining.
Aww this fella is stealing the show 💗 I found the only use for wooden nibble sticks is to use them as kebab skewers for veggies xxx
This was a super fun video
Thank you Scotty for being an awesome wingman!!!!!
I did pick up those apple sticks for like $2 and my boy will throw them around the cage sometimes.
I did get a fresh apple branch from my friend's tree, and my boy LOVED stripping off the bark. So I suppose, if you plan on getting them chew sticks, get them fresh. ;)
I gave mine store bought apple tree branches before, they only chewed a bit and looked like only 1 out of the 4 had interest.
But they love fresh mulberry leaves and branches, I leave one in the cage every day as a snack.
Fresh young apple tree branches are delicious to my pigs but we take them off the trees in our yard that are fresh and organic. They eat them all up 😋
Thank you so much for this information! Wow I thought I nearly knew everything there is to know about Guinea Pig care after 20 years with these smal critters. But I didn’t know, that their teeth don’t grow after a certain length and I didn’t know that they stop eating, when they are full (I was always afraid of giving them too much veggies) . Fantastic job Saskia and Scotty. Lots of love from Denmark ❤️
My piggies are known to chew on wood. I buy wood toys now after noticing that they would chew a wooden bridge we bought (they don't care about climbing on it but they sure love chewing it).
I have willow stkicks for my piggy as well as a wooden hiddey. For the plain sticks, he enjoys chewing them apart, especially if I am holding them. However, it is just an occasional thing, like a game.
This was so helpful! We had always heard that we needed to give our guineas chews otherwise we’d have to trim their teeth. And I was stressing over what kind I should get for our girls that wouldn’t be unhealthy or toxic. Especially because so many chew toys have paint on them. Your videos are putting my mind at ease 🙌💕
Another Myth Blown, consider myself mind blown. I even planted a blueberry bush. At least we get fruit.
If it was not for your Mallow video, I would have pulled it all up, and not started my silly little channel. Many thanks to you and your amazing knowledge
I always look at my cage and think how boring lol because I don't buy that stuff! My boys do really, really love birch twigs and leaves though!! I don't treat my lawn or trees though so don't worry =) they're happy with krinkle tunnels and log tunnels, hay and cuddle cups! Ooh, and fleece forests! Well duh, and veggies lol
If you think about it - piggies actually do not play with any toys. They just LOVE their food! Wheek ...!!
Umm, Can you say, SPOILED PIGGY'S!! Ha! ;)
When he gets back in the cage area he tells other piggies They still think Im a LeeeeemuRRRR 🐹...💕💕💕love the vids
Just to put it out there that i love your content when it’s done outdoors! Such an amazing environment. I’ve been dreaming to meet saskia and the ranch!!! Maybe bring my guinea pig for a chek up BUT I LIVE ALL THE WAY IN MALAYSIA?!
Aww yes that is quite far. well who knows you may come here one day. ❤
Thank you for sharing this I have been worrying about my girls and I'm glad to hear they dont need to chew stuff.
My piggies don’t care about these wooden sticks either lol but they adoooore willow sticks tho
Yeah! Mine can't get enough when it comes to willow sticks. I find them completely shredded in the morning lol
He was really enjoying his cucumber 🥒 He was 😡 mad lol ❤️. Who buys those bad treats ? Did someone donate them ?
When people surrender their guinea pigs they also give us all their other "stuff"
Great video!!!! Only my rescued bait pig sterling likes to chew on apple sticks and he does have “his” stick that if elon his buddy even sniffs it sterling is unimpressed
Oh dang! I didn't know that piggies couldn't chew, my parents wasted money on useless coloured sticks!
No wonder they didn't chew it.
Thanks for the info!
I cut off some branches from my apple tree and let them dry out, and my Guinea pigs LOVE chewing on them
It was helpful. Thanks I did not know about the weight and the teeth. Thanks.🎄🎄🎄
Wow, Lemur was definitely ready to go back to his hidey! LOL Saskia/Scott, I know you have outlined in past videos the circumstances in which guinea pigs normally bite, and it's usually pretty unaggressive, but it was obvious this time on Saskia's hand that Lemur wasn't playing games. How often do you encounter piggies that bite hard enough to cause a mark or to break the skin? (During normal encounters, of course, not during introductions.)
He's absolutely adorable! What guinea pig isn't! 🥰🥰🥰
Well I fell for it. Just bought some of the sticks. At least no I know why they didn’t really want them. I thought chewing was important for their teeth health bc I was under the impression that their teeth would/could grow out of control if they weren’t chewing all the time to keep them short 🤷♀️. Thank you for all the very useful info I get from your videos. Oh how I wish I lived in your area.
I rescued my guinea pig from a pet store (she was a surrender) I gave her wood chews and all she did was eat the bark
I wish I had started watching Saskia and friends' videos before buying things pre-adopting piggies! I've done this ... silly me, and read that piggies constantly need to chew!!
He was mad after you took Lemur’s cucumber away..lol 🤗
PLEASE NOTE: What Saskia says about people giving bunny-related things to guinea pigs is absolutely TRUE. I bought a tunnel woven from dried water hyacinth that was marketed for bunnies and advertised as safe for guinea pigs. My pig nibbled some of it and DIED two days later form a sudden case of bloat. Be extra careful about what you give your pigs! They like variety and new things, but it's not worht their lives!
Love lemur! Thanks for the info
My pigs like apple tree branches fresh from the tree after I've wash all the moss off, they chew all the bark off
What weight should a piggie (short or long hair- male or female) be? I’m looking into weighing my girls every week to keep tabs.
Our puglets actually liked to chew on hazelnut tree branches and ate the leafs. Maxbe that's for different reasons bit they liked it.
My boys like to chew on their wood hideys. They haven't even had them a week yet I think and they've already almost turned the windows into new doors
Mine have chewed on side of the hidie house and now its balancing.
My 4 piggies are always chewing on their massive wooden houses)they are seperate 2 by 2( since I have them chew toys they almost didn’t chew on their houses anymore, my piggies are on a healthy diet
Lemur is adorable
When I got my guinea pig from a friend who could no longer give him his best life, his bottom teeth were so long they were digging into the roof of his mouth, all he could eat was watermelon as it was so soft he could just squish it in his mouth. We took him to get them trimmed by the vet and got him a brother, and his teeth have been perfect since. Could you help explain this? Thank you!! Love you guys.
The simple answer is that they are incorrect. Guinea pig teeth do not just reach a certain length then stop, they are constantly growing and will easily overgrow like you have experienced. It's likely that he wasn't fed a proper diet of unlimited hay previously, so his teeth were not able to wear down correctly, resulting in their overgrowth.
It's true that chew toys do not really do anything when it comes to wearing down guinea pig teeth, but if you are feeding your pigs a proper diet now, that is most likely the reason why his teeth have stayed at the correct length. Once they were trimmed he was able to eat appropriate foods and the grinding of hay has kept his molars and incisors an acceptable length.
Chloe Williams Yes, that’s very likely, she didn’t seem to have much knowledge as far as guinea pig care. And oh yes, they get lots of hay, they love it so much I can barely keep up! Thank you so much for you answer, greatly appreciated!
Leima is a feisty one 😂😂😂❤🐹😘
One of my guinea pigs looks EXACTLY like leemer (the guinea pig in this video)its CRAZY(my guinea pigs name that looks like this one is called lilly)
I’ve never tried apple orchard sticks because of how crazy expensive they are however, I did try little colored wood sticks because I was told of this myth! All my two piggies did was pee on them, haha! So I agree that these are totally a waste of every cent spent!
Are hay racks money wasters? Every time I have tried to use a hay rack in the past, the piggies have always knocked it down and I remove it so they don’t injure themselves. I guess for them it’s counterintuitive for hay to be in the air rather than on the ground. Also, my guinea pigs weren’t interested in the apple twigs but really liked gnawing on tunnels and baskets made of willow. What accounts for the difference?
Willow or apple sticks are both harmless and individual pigs may prefer one over the other. Hay racks are fine and a personal decision for the care taker. It is nice to keep hay off the ground longer so it doesn't become soiled.
My piggies didn't bother with the hay in their hay racks, so I removed them and put their hay on the floor of their cage. Yes, it does get soiled but I put fresh hay in twice a day. They never bothered with chew toys, but liked hay or rattan type balls.
Thank You For the Info!!!
Neither of my girls will chew on any sort of wood chew. Which I admit I bought but for more as a toy than for use as a chew. They do however like cardboard. They don't totally destroy it, not sure if they're actually consuming any or not either but they'll give all the edges a good nibble!
Finally a guinea pig that bite just like mine now i know it's normal... everyone in there videos always say they don't bite just nibble, no! they bite...
you guys are so informative, I've learnt so much watching your videos ~ thank you x
Guinea pigs do not pee everywhere.
They pee where they sleep, they pee where they eat, etc.
But most guinea pigs prefer not to pee on humans or on floors where they get wet feet.
Not peeing on humans is tricky though, because humans are so hard to teach when to listen to their guinea pigs telling them they really really need to go NOW!!
Geez camera guy Put a sock in it!!!! Sushhhhhhh!!!
My two boys love the apple sticks and chew off the bark. I guess it depends on what each pig prefers. No need to buy if you are on a tight budget.
I've got a guinea pig that looks just like Lemur!
I have a girl guinea pig who weighs 1.3kg, I don't know how she got so fat but that's how much she weighed last week.
Lol. My male piggie got to that weight. Vet said feed fewer vegetables, although it might have been the carrot as that can be sugary. I only gave recommended amount of pellets, but he didn't eat all of those anyway. He loved his vegetables. He lost a bit of weight, and by the time he died of old age he weighed just over 1kg, which I think is about right for a male. My other male weighed 900g at the end of his life, but he never looked overweight.
@@karenrussell7338 Hmm, maybe it's the carrots in her diet too...but in a cage of 5 pigs, it's hard to put just 1 on a diet. Though if I'm honest I think a main part of Pepper's problem is that she's lazy lol. Even my boy with arthritis runs around and forages more than she does and Pepper's been like that since I adopted her as a young pig 4 years ago.
@@amandah2866 My boy was very lazy, lounging around in the sun all day (if it was sunny). My males were rescued, but had to live in separate cages because they had been injuring each other by fighting. That's why I was able to tweak his diet a little.
@@karenrussell7338 Fair enough. I have a desexed boy who suddenly decided he didn't like one of the girls he'd been living with for 2 years. I had to move him into another cage, I joke he's in guinea pig prison and Pepper is his prison guard lol. Guinea pigs can do such damage when fighting, my poor girl had large bites on her back end.
Dear Saskia: My guinea pig didn't like the sound of the xylophone. Lemur was trying to get away from that afterwards imo and nips were to coerce you to take him away from the xylophone noise. I think that sound may mean danger to them at least some. Never publicly fire your guinea pig. He might get counsel.
Guinea pigs have an intense dislike of any loud shrill noises. Always try to keep them away from noise of any kind.
I like that he came to you for comfort. I noticed he wasn't going to Scotty for comfort. While I appreciate you are doing these videos to get the word out about these great animals, I'd like it if you would put the piggie first if he comes to you for comfort and needs a break from the set. Can we now get an update on Lemur? I like his markings. Was he adopted yet?
Yes Lemur was adopted not too long after this video!!! ❤
Thank you for information because I just got genie pigs
My boys, love apple sticks but I agree they need chew hay lot to keep teeth down
He's like lady gimme my cucumber 😂
Hello Saskia and Scotty!
I was just wondering if you recommend any specific brand of hay for adult guineas?
Thanks for all that you do for the piggies!
I think Small Pet Select has a fantastic hay! Here is 15% off your first order. mbsy.co/smallpetselect/37796320
My guinea pigs love chewing and eat those sticks up almost any toy i put in they chew it into pieces
😊👍
is mullberry appropriate? the berries and leaves are fully edible (as long as ripe, the milk and berries to young are toxic and halucingenic) so im wondering about the wood
Yes
My girls will throw those things and it is cute. Plus they also live to chew their wooden hides too🤦🏼♀️.
Sry much enjoyed ! I watch all of your videos !
Would the chew toys be good enrichment at least? I buy mine some from the well kept rabbit every now and then and they will play with them.
I have provided my piggies with sticks from the yard and they never show any interest. The pen is made with soft pine and they never chew on that either. Nor do they chew on the mesh. The hay seems to be enough. One of them came with a sort of chew toy made of various bits of wood... its been hanging there for years unused.
I bought my piggies the sticks to chew on, and they really liked them and nibbled them away. Is that bad?
Not at all. Very unusual though.
Saskia from Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue ok, thanks!
Thank you
15 years & not one piggy has ever liked those store treats.
They like everything else like the end of the plastic tunnel.
However we are noticing a lot of new natural products that our piggies try.
Wooden treats never worked, we end up throwing them in the bin soaked in wee.
tbh some guinea pigs just chew wooden toys for fun even if they have access to hay and thats not neccessarily a bad thing
I have a question: Why does my guinea pig love to chew on things like apple sticks and wood?
I understand they don't NEED wood sticks to chew on, but what wood is SAFE for them to chew on that can be used for building tunnels and hideys?
My guinea pig naturally potty trained himself. I put one of those potty corner things for rabbits and filled it with timothy hay (as a hope for it to be a eating tray), and since then, he only poops and pees in that potty as long as I put the timothy hay in it. Is that weird?
I Never buy those ever!! My Piggies get Hay all Day! Veggies and Occasionally Fruit small amount due to Sugar being bad for them! Oxbow Urine and Vit C Cookies. However I believe I heard you say before the Guinea Pigs teeth continue to grow and its why they need Hay🤔
I bought those apple wood sticks once before but they had no interest at all! They'd rather chew & rattle the cage bars (their way of saying bring the veggies!!)
Hi Saskia. I'm a huge fan! Thank you for sharing all of your vital information. I have a question and not sure where to ask it. I hope you can answer it here. I have 2 skinny pigs. And 3 Guinea pigs. My youngest skinny pig (under 6 months old) has begun shedding what little hair he has. I believe I take good care of him, pellets, fresh veggies, hay and water every day? Should I be worried or is this normal? My other skinny is almost completely bald so never noticed it on him. Please advise. I'm concerned. Thank you.
Some skinnies can still lose some of the few hairs they have in the first 6/7 months after birth. Dont worry about it too much unless you also see the pig scratch and has damaged skin from itching.
Thank you Saskia. You are awesome!
I give mine a bowl of veggies every morningn along with everything else that's needed
Eh, my piggie really likes them for some reason, even though his teeth are fine and he eats a good diet. Not really sure why, but i think he just likes to destroy stuff to be honest. Pet stores charge waaaaay too much for them, but the vet I go to sells them for much cheaper, so whenever we go, I get him some. He's quite a weird piggy tbh, but I love him to death.
My sister's guineapigs love chewing on fruit stick from our parents apple tree....maybe they don't NEED them but they enjoy them...
Any wood chews could go to Champy (spelling/name?) the bunny that was living with the Norcal 700 in the barn.
Lawd can you not let scott video? He always the host lmao
Hey Saskia what about guinea pigs teeth that grows sideways because I have to trim my guinea pigs teeth because they grow sideways then he stops eating?
I have a guinea pig that's a chewer. I had to take the plastic igloo out of their cage so I will be buying some kind of wood for her to chew on.
my guinea pig still loves to destroy those sticks though she'll nibble on it until the outer layer is gone😒😖😵
Thank you for busting this myth!