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alucinor posted:Nope, usually that just means WHERE IS MAH PELLETS. My long-haired malcontent does this CONSTANTLY. I have a food bowl like this one, with pigs on it:  and her favorite thing in life (there aren't many, she hates people, being held, etc) is to stand there in her cage and pick the bowl up by her teeth and then drop it down again. Over and over and over and over and over............
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Jan 12, 2011 16:59
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I was wondering if there's any consensus on regular hay vs. hay cubes for guinea pigs. We are considering getting piggies, but we don't really have space for keeping a bale.
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Jan 13, 2011 05:07
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She stopped doing it after one day, odd. She had plenty of pellets and hay as well.
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Jan 13, 2011 13:41
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Silver Nitrate posted:I was wondering if there's any consensus on regular hay vs. hay cubes for guinea pigs. We are considering getting piggies, but we don't really have space for keeping a bale. Definitely stick with regular hay. Hay cubes are made from leavings and poor quality hay, the strands are shorter also so it doesn't promote chewing. You don't have to order 35-45 pounds of hay at a go, although that's the most economical option; you can keep smaller amounts and refill more often.
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Jan 13, 2011 15:25
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So I have been lurking around this thread, guinea lynx, and the local guinea pig rescue website (wee companions) for YEARS. I finally am in a place in my life where I can care for guinea pigs and I am super, super excited. This weekend I am going to finish putting the cage together. The coroplast is purchased and cut to size, just having a friend bring over a razor blade to score it. I went out today and went to 3 different pet stores to see their selection, prices, and to pick up Oxbow Cavy Cuisine, Timothy Hay, Carefresh bedding, ceramic bowls, water bottles, as well as several things to gnaw on and play with and hide in. Wee Companions is having an adoption event on Jan 22nd and I'm super excited to meet a bunch of piggies and hopefully bring a bonded pair home. I emailed them today to express my interest and my heart is kind of set on these two. http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/18194628 The one on the left looks like a tiny capybara! I have read the advice on all the sites and I think I'm ready... I've even researched and found an exotic animal vet in my area. Is there anything I'm forgetting? Any last tidbits of advice before I barrel headlong into this cuteness? Also, I will post pictures as soon as I can.  I'm not ashamed to say I will be a proud piggy mama.
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Jan 14, 2011 06:02
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Sounds like you're doing a good job so far! The only thing I'd say is don't be upset if the stuff you got them to gnaw on and play with goes completely unused; guinea pigs rarely chew on what you want them to chew on and a lot of "toys" designed for them just freak them out. Best toy/chew ever = empty toilet roll or paper lunch sack stuffed with hay. (Just slit the roll lengthwise if your pigs are young enough that they might get their heads stuck in it. I had one of my girls get freaked out when she was a wee one, attempt to hide in the roll, and then run around the cage in terror with it jammed onto her head while I tried to stop laughing enough to catch her and extract her.) And then there's the rather infamous "shoe buffer" incident that Lynx of Guinea Lynx fame ran into... 
kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 14:01 on Jan 14, 2011 |
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Jan 14, 2011 13:58
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How do you deal with pigs sharing the same cage but having different dietary needs? I've come to the conclusion that the amount of food I put in now makes the two smaller pigs into fat bastards but the large one is a bit on the skinny side, and pigs need a slight chub, right?
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Jan 18, 2011 23:44
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cat with hands posted:How do you deal with pigs sharing the same cage but having different dietary needs? Separate housing is the only long term solution that I've found.  You can try putting up a divider for a half hour, 2-4 times a day, so the thin pig gets some alone time with pellets, and then not leaving pellets in the shared cage the rest of the time, but that usually doesn't result in nearly enough weight gain.
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Jan 19, 2011 02:07
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How skinny are we talking? Pig physiology is just different sometimes; I had one girl that regularly tipped the scales at 1.5 kilos and another who never broke 1 kilogram in her life. You could always take the skinnier pig out for treats if you were really worried - Oxbow makes these vegetable biscuits that pigs seem to love, and one or two of those a day might make the difference. Also, do you have multiple food bowls? If the two younger pigs are crowding out the older one, a second bowl might help.
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Jan 19, 2011 17:08
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Merope posted:However, I've moved to a smaller place, and if I get a pet its cage will be in the same room where I sleep and spend most of my time. The water bottle and and just running around the cage, however, would be incredibly annoying to have in your room. I've had to move them in my room for a night or two once or twice, and it's definitely impeded my sleeping. It's fine if they're one room over, but unless you're a very heavy sleeper, it's probably going to bother you. Also, as the other poster said, the hay can definitely be a nuisance. The cages are also kinda big and typically have open tops, so you don't want to trip over them at night. They're amazing pets, and yes, you're much less likely to lose them if they run around the house. Just find a better spot for the cage, if you can.
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Jan 19, 2011 18:17
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Over the years and the multiple variations on cages that I've made, I've found some good ways to make pig cages quieter: 1) Use fleece for bedding. They have nothing to throw around or run through and the towels/fleece muffle the sound of the running around This is really a great solutions for noise, your wallet, your allergies, pig respiratory systems, and so many other things. 2) Use a water bottle that DOESN'T use a ball bearing and a vacuum seal as its mechanism. There's really nothing noisier than a pig whacking at a water bottle. 3) If your pig likes to move around his food bowl all day, use a heavy ceramic bowl that they can't move.
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Jan 19, 2011 18:37
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kazmeyer posted:How skinny are we talking? Pig physiology is just different sometimes; I had one girl that regularly tipped the scales at 1.5 kilos and another who never broke 1 kilogram in her life. You could always take the skinnier pig out for treats if you were really worried - Oxbow makes these vegetable biscuits that pigs seem to love, and one or two of those a day might make the difference. All three seem to keep roughly the same weight despite one of them being a lot larger. It used to be almost 1.3 kilos for all of them, which was way too much for the smaller ones but just slightly too much for the large one. After taking out the pellets and giving extra fresh greens they now all weigh in at 1.1 kilos. The two smaller ones could probably go down to 1 or .9 and still be in good shape but it's a little on the skinny side for the large one. I only have one (large) hay rack and one food bowl, but sharing is not a problem and the large one is always the boss when it comes to food. He's very social and doesn't take being separated from the rest very well, I don't think dividing the cage is a good solution. I'll try to pick him up and feed him double servings of the "treats" and limit the pellets a little so the smaller ones doesn't gain too much. (Is there any standard for measuring a pigs length? They are like goddam furry accordions)
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Jan 20, 2011 00:20
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Do your smaller pigs (the ones you're worried about weight on) have difficulty getting around? I resolved to start worrying about Parvati (my 1.5 kilo pig) the moment she started showing difficulty getting around or lessened activity, and she never did. I used to have a hay rack made out of bent grids, suspended at one end of the cage, and instead of eating the hay through the bars she would actually jump into the damned thing and graze. I figured as long as she could manage a vertical leap of about 2/3rds of a grid height, she wasn't too fat. (The hilarious thing is from the hay rack it would have been trivial to escape the cage, but because she was a guinea pig, it never occurred to her to even consider the possibility.)
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Jan 20, 2011 14:43
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(I tried searching the forums but didn't find what I was looking for. If this has already been asked before, I apologize.) We currently have two gerbils, Harvey and Howard Phillips Lovecraft, who are around 4 years old. I know they're getting old for gerbils, and while they're still going strong, we are going to want to get more when they go. Harvey and Howard came from a pet store, which I know isn't ideal. They were absolutely an impulse buy but they've been the best pets we've ever owned. For our next batch, we want at least 4 males so we can squeal about gerbil piles. My question is: Are there any gerbil breeders anyone can recommend in Ontario? When the time comes, I will absolutely check the Toronto Humane Society and petfinder, but most of the small animals there are guinea pigs and rats. (Although the THS does have SIX chinchillas for adoption right now!) Both of our current boys are the standard agouti (I think? I'm awful with coat colours/patterns), and I'm selfishly interested in other coat colours (though that would never stop me from adopting another agouti). Anyways, have some pictures to make up for the wall of text. This is Howard, who is not impressed with my taking his picture when he is so sleepy:  Click here for the full 1300x900 image. This is Harvey:  Click here for the full 1024x640 image. This is Lord Wilbur Crawford Tillinghaste III. He's a 3.5 year old, pain-in-the-butt but oh so loveable chin. This is him with a rice cake on his head:  Click here for the full 900x598 image.
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Jan 22, 2011 00:39
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Don't be too surprised if it's longer away than you think. Back in 2004 I had a guy surrender me four gerbils whom he absolutely ADORED, but his company was transferring him overseas and he couldn't take them with him. They were all 4 and a half years old and he was heartbroken - literally crying as he dropped them off with me - that he was "abandoning" them right before they died. He gave me about four boxes of toys, special food, and a dozen pages of instructions about each one's favorite foods and favorite toys and turn ons and whatever the gently caress else. I was like, ok, they got what, 6 months to live? Nope. Three of them lived nearly two more years, one of those fuckers was SEVEN when he finally died. Adorable fun little animals. Quail Butter posted:When the time comes, I will absolutely check the Toronto Humane Society and petfinder, but most of the small animals there are guinea pigs and rats. Petfinder just "upgraded" their admin system, so now there's a glitch with searches unless you use EXACTLY the right search term. For example, you can't just type "gerb" any more, you have to use the full "gerbil". Turns out there's three here, three here, and more than a half-dozen here. So at least now you know that several local groups have them! Of course, these should all be gone by the time you get ready for more, but I'd recommend that you contact all of them, let them know you'll be in the market for gerbs, and can they email you when any come in.
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Jan 22, 2011 02:12
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alucinor posted:I was like, ok, they got what, 6 months to live? Wow this is awesome. I was to understand that their lifespan wasn't great. My 2 gerbils are at ~1 year right now, but they're caged separately, which I understand lowers their lifespan. They visit sometimes, but we can't keep them together due to fighting. Somehow I've avoided having a pet die on me after all these years - they usually have "run away" at some point, never to be seen again - and I'm dreading losing my little guys. Unfortunately, mine were bought from a pet store (one as a gift, another to keep with the first, but that didn't work out). The next ones will be rescued or from a breeder, if we can find one.
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Jan 22, 2011 02:23
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alucinor posted:Don't be too surprised if it's longer away than you think. This is the best thing I've ever heard! I know they've still got a bunch of life left; we feed them well and they haven't slowed down since we first got them. It would be amazing if they made it to 7. And thank you for the links! That's awesome.
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Jan 22, 2011 02:55
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I'm not sure what to do about my mouse. She's been sneezing a lot in her cage, and i've tried both aspen bedding, toilet paper, and paper towels and it all seems to cause it. When she's out of her cage, she tends to sneeze a lot less, but a fair bit (like every few minutes, probably a bit longer). However, I haven't heard any wheezing or chattering (she only chatters/chirps occasionally when I'm holding her in my hands and she wants to go back) and I haven't seen any of the outward signs of a respiratory infection (ooze around the eyes, snot etc.) so i'm really not sure what it is, other than her needing new bedding. Anyone have any idea? I also noticed her scratching her ears (including in them, face, and sides quite a bit at one point earlier, but that might just be a normal thing.) However, it's worth noting she's been sneezing since I had her for weeks now (since late December), and I haven't seen any of the symptoms other than the sneezing during this time. (I figured it could be "new home sneezes" since she's been in my house for two weeks and now my apartment since the fourth). As well, she likes to dart around (quickly moving all over the place with random changes in direction). Sorry to go on and on, i'm just really concerned. Edit: I also clean out her cage at least three times every two weeks, if not more. Her urine is also really smelly, which I don't believe is the norm for a girl. BoomtownRat fucked around with this message at 07:40 on Jan 22, 2011 |
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Jan 22, 2011 06:21
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Quail Butter posted:This is the best thing I've ever heard! I know they've still got a bunch of life left; we feed them well and they haven't slowed down since we first got them. It would be amazing if they made it to 7. When I was a little kid, I bred gerbils for 'science' (aka mom and dad this cardboard maze is very scientific ok) and my one and only breeding pair lived to be about 4ish, I don't remember how old exactly, but I know that they lived with me from when I was 8 until I was 12. The woman I got them from, my 3rd grade science teacher, had bred them for years and had a few that lived to be 7 or beyond, IIRC. There is hope!
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Jan 22, 2011 09:12
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BoomtownRat posted:Anyone have any idea? I also noticed her scratching her ears (including in them, face, and sides quite a bit at one point earlier, but that might just be a normal thing.) I've been wondering the same thing about my mouse. She doesn't sneeze, but she scratches a lot - usually preceded by little jerky fits, like something is nipping her. I've checked her over for mites and she seems clean, and she's done this for as long as I can remember. I've read that sometimes mice just get... spazzy and no one knows why. She's on aspen and she only scratches when she's in her cage. Can mice get like, dandruff, or is scratching like that common in mice? E: here's a badly-lit picture of Odin:  Click here for the full 1200x1600 image. Bagleworm fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Jan 23, 2011 |
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Jan 23, 2011 03:06
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I'm fostering a chinchilla right now who seems to have an issue. He doesn't groom himself. He rolls in dust a little, but not with the same joy the other chins do. We've had his teeth and skin checked, there doesn't seem to be a physical issue, but his fur gets all matted and clumpy and he doesn't do anything about it. He seems sorta depressed, and was basically deemed "unadoptable," so I have him indefinitely. The cage I put him in had a wheel, and he seemed to love it for a few days, but I haven't seen him in it lately. I just groom him every other day to keep him from getting mats. I'm considering bonding him with another "unadoptable" chin I ended up with, who is very human-aggressive. He's fine with other animals, just not a fan of people. Has anyone heard of chinchillas being depressed? Is it possible he just needs a friend?
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Jan 23, 2011 04:27
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It's certainly possible that he's depressed, and/or that a friend would improve his outlook and behavior, but skin and teeth may not be the extent of things to check before ruling out underlying medical causes. Are you weighing him weekly, and if so, how's his weight trending? Has he been checked for a hair ring?
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Jan 23, 2011 16:40
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alucinor posted:It's certainly possible that he's depressed, and/or that a friend would improve his outlook and behavior, but skin and teeth may not be the extent of things to check before ruling out underlying medical causes. Are you weighing him weekly, and if so, how's his weight trending? Has he been checked for a hair ring? I know he had a full vet check at the rescue, and they didn't find anything wrong. I can check his weight and whatnot myself just to be sure though. I really hope he's just a lazy goon and there's nothing seriously wrong with him.
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Jan 24, 2011 05:39
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As long as you feel confident that the vet check was thorough, that's fine then. Just keep an eye on his weight and if he starts trending downwards you know there may be an underlying issue. I just get nervous because I can't tell you how many shelter animals we've pulled who come with records from their vet check stating they are perfectly healthy, but when we get them, we find they have everything from mites to untreated abscessed bite wounds to cancerous tumors to late term pregnancy. I would certainly hope that it's nothing, but I'd also caution you not to discount your instinct when you feel that an animal "just isn't right". Quite a few early warnings can come from that instinct. It's not some hocus-pocus sixth sense or anything, you're just picking up on behavioral changes so subtle that you don't consciously recognize them as cues. A lady I've been working with up here had her chin neutered, and he was on the mend for a couple weeks then started to "be different". Vet looked him over, checked the neuter site, no problems - but the owner persisted in feeling something was different or wrong with him, and ended up going to another vet. Turns out he had a GIANT hair ring. We were baffled as to how the vet could have looked at the neuter site twice in three weeks and not noticed the giant stinky peen hairball.
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Jan 24, 2011 16:19
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I picked up my adopted hamster today! It was a 2 hour drive each way, in the snow to get her, but (unbelievably) she was the only female hammy available anywhere nearby. No name yet, so I'm open to suggestions. The short-list includes "Toto", "Kitty" and "Frak", but I'm not really in love with any of them. She's a total escape-artist and almost got out in the car within about 5 minutes, so I had to keep an eye on her the whole ride home (luckily I wasn't the one driving).  She really likes to sniff through these holes in the wheel and it's disproportionately loud!  Hammy butt! 
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Jan 25, 2011 05:55
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I was told many times that guinea pigs will always fear THE CLAW(TM). Both of my pigs no longer seem to be afraid of me. How unusual is this? I give them about half their daily veggies in treats hand fed to them so both of them often leave their hides and come to look at me when I pass by them. One of them is generally content to let me pet her, even without treats. The other one does not seem afraid even when I have my hand right next to it, though she freaks out if I touch her.
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Jan 25, 2011 08:23
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http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/pet/2178426831.html Saw this tonight while looking at cute animals I can't have. I don't think they look healthy at all, and the person is breeding them. What could I say to this person that could convince them to just hand them over so I can help these poor guys out? I wouldn't pay this person money.
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Jan 25, 2011 09:19
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Diogines posted:I was told many times that guinea pigs will always fear THE CLAW(TM). Both of my pigs no longer seem to be afraid of me. How unusual is this? Well, by fear of THE CLAW we're really talking about when they realize you're trying to pick them up. If your pigs quietly submit to that on a regular basis, then you're in a position to call Ripley's. Most pigs will eventually warm to the veggie-bringer to the point where they'll start watching you intently to see if you have carrots, coming out to get your attention, etc. and if you've done a good job with socialization, they'll start to lose their fear of the hand in or near the cage. Brush against their rump, though, and all of a sudden you're a condor again. The petting, though, is definitely a gold star - not a lot of pigs will tolerate being touched in the cage, because it's a short jump from petting to grabbing. I've only had one pig that would regularly let me stick my hand in the cage and pet her, and she would even stand up against the bars and wheek at me until I did it. Basically, this just shows you're doing a good job as a pig-keeper and you've got one especially personable little pig.
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Jan 25, 2011 17:30
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Awesome Kristin posted:http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/pet/2178426831.html Why did they take a picture of one next to a geode? 
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Jan 25, 2011 20:02
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drat Bananas posted:Why did they take a picture of one next to a geode? I went ahead and emailed them saying if they can't find a suitable home and absolutely need to get rid of them, then I would take them in. The absolute first thing that needs to happen is for them to be separated. They look like they need a diet change and to be brushed a little as well. I also see a ton of plastic and no shelves in that cage! UGH.
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Jan 26, 2011 00:54
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Quail Butter posted:This is Howard, who is not impressed with my taking his picture when he is so sleepy: These two guys got in a pretty bad fight today. I woke up to find Harvey curled up in a corner with his mouth covered in blood and Howard was nowhere to be found . I immediately grabbed Harvey and put him in a backup cage and eventually found Howard in a very similar condition. My Girlfriend, Quail Butter, is taking them to the vet as we speak but I'm really worried about the little guys. Why would they fight? They were best friends...
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Jan 26, 2011 03:42
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KasioDiscoRock posted:I picked up my adopted hamster today! It was a 2 hour drive each way, in the snow to get her, but (unbelievably) she was the only female hammy available anywhere nearby. Aww! How about Pompom, Mishka, Coco?
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Jan 26, 2011 12:44
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gently caress What first looked as a bite mark on the nose of the fighty pig turned out to be a bald spot, upon closer exam all three of them have a spot somewhere of varying size. Hoping it's "only" fungus and not ring worm as well. Anyway, I should start to treat the dry spots right away, correct? Time to raid the drug stores tomorrow for guinea lynx approved medication. I wonder how the hell they got this.
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Jan 27, 2011 00:07
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Moist von Lipwig posted:These two guys got in a pretty bad fight today. I woke up to find Harvey curled up in a corner with his mouth covered in blood and Howard was nowhere to be found There's a more comprehensive thread about these guys here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3384465 But the good news is, they're okay. We just need to keep them separated. Any suggestions for partitioning a 20 gallon terrarium, PI?
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Jan 27, 2011 03:49
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CagedLiberty posted:Aww! It turns out she's a bit of trouble-maker so the name in the lead is currently Ruby; partially from Supernatural (currently mid-season 4), partially a Wizard of Oz reference, and it's also my birthstone. Which leads me to a question already. I have her in a large Habitrail cage, made up of two main rooms and a bunch of little things off it. She keeps chewing the plastic!! The tubes that connect the rooms, but especially the door which she already knows is how she gets out. I know hammies love to chew, so I've got wooden blocks all around the cage but she doesn't seem interested at all. How do I dissuade her from chewing the plastic parts? On the upside, she's the first rodent I've ever had that doesn't immediately pee when I let her run in the ball. She was in it for almost an hour today and didn't pee/poop once! EDIT: Also I could swear I've seen pieces that allow you to attach an aquarium to the habitrail tubes but I can't for the life of me find one anywhere. Am I just making it up or is it a real thing? KasioDiscoRock fucked around with this message at 17:30 on Jan 27, 2011 |
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Jan 27, 2011 04:56
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cat with hands posted:gently caress It's far more likely to be mites than fungus. All pigs have an endemic mite load, just like we have a load of E coli without having an infection. As with E coli, random events (including stressors, changes in weather, etc) can lead to the population growing faster than it's normally able to be kept in check, and suddenly your pig appears to have caught mites out of nowhere. If it's mites, you need ivermec or revolution, not an antifungal. Can you post pictures of the spots?
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Jan 27, 2011 17:58
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Yeah, but I've never seen a case of mites that started on the nose; the ones I've seen have always been either a general thinning of the fur or a bald patch on the back or rump. (It's entirely possible the nose spot is a bite mark or something, and the rest are mites, but yeah, pictures would definitely help with a diagnosis.)
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Jan 27, 2011 20:41
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True that. I have seen cases of mites that appear to start in the whiskery area, especially when the rest of the pig is being bathed regularly but the head is not, so that's what I'm thinking when I hear "nose". But yeah if it's limited to the kissy part of the nose that's less likely.
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Jan 27, 2011 20:57
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I've noticed no excessive scratching or biting, nor is the dry patches sensitive to touch. Will try to get some pictures soon. EDIT: Updated with pictures. Camera is lovely and doesn't have any real ISO or shutter settings, better pictures have to wait until daylight.  Click here for the full 1024x777 image.  Click here for the full 1024x758 image. cat with hands fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Jan 28, 2011 |
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Jan 28, 2011 00:54
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| # ? May 14, 2024 04:28 |
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Interesting guinea pig story to share here, if sad. My parents recently had to put down their 5-6 y.o. guinea pig because he had cancer. Poor folks, they've had an obscene amount of pets with cancers and crazy things like gout/renal failure. In any case, what makes this so odd is that the male pig apparently had BREAST CANCER. Poor lil guy.
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Jan 28, 2011 01:13
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