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Sirotan posted:My vet told me that pigs who have bladder stone removal surgery bounce back quickly and I really only half believed her at the time. But its true. Tonight Fuji was popcorning around in her little cage. She's probably happier being confined in there alone versus living with her two nutcase cage mates. And besides a few hours after bringing her home I haven't seen any blood and she doesn't act like her incision hurts her at all. For a six year old pig it's pretty amazing. That's great news! Personally, I've had really bad luck with removals but it does seem highly dependent on the vet's skill level and familiarity with GP surgeries.
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Jun 6, 2011 14:55
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cat with hands posted:Glad to hear shes ok. I don't know, I think it all comes down to their individual personalities. Most pigs I've had definitely like the company, Fuji has just always been somewhat of a loner who likes her personal space. Then again, one of her cage mates from a ways back (she has been through so many) was her bestest buddy. After she died Fuji never really liked anyone to get into her face. This is compounded by the fact that one of my current pigs is very clingy and my newest is just a spaz in general. But yeah they definitely are more active in groups. Otherwise Fuji would just lay in her house all day and sleep, and maybe get up to eat hay a few times. alucinor posted:That's great news! Personally, I've had really bad luck with removals but it does seem highly dependent on the vet's skill level and familiarity with GP surgeries. I was worried the most about the anesthetic since the last pig I had in for an emergency spay didn't even make it to the actual surgery. My vet told me she has never lost a pig from anesthetic in all the years she has been doing surgery which made me feel a lot better about it (and upset that I must have had some other vet doing it all those years ago that maybe had no clue what they were doing). Just crossing my fingers that no more stones develop.
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Jun 6, 2011 15:56
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We just got a guinea pig at work today! We have animals we keep for education purposes (three snakes, a bearded dragon, and a salamander) and my boss had been on the lookout for a guinea pig. I'm not sure if we will actually have her in any programs though, it doesn't seem to be a piggie kind of thing. She's about four weeks old, got her from an accidental litter posted on craigslist. I showed my boss (the actual owner, I am just the assistant and therefore can only make suggestions for changes) the C&C cage site and she seemed kinda iffy on the idea. Right now the guinea pig is being housed in a 20 gallon long aquarium with a hartz cage liner and some aspen shavings. I've done a bunch of research and am planning on calling some sign places and looking for materials for a C&C cage. What I'm worried about is that we don't really have 7.5 square feet of room available anywhere in the office, and my boss will not want to keep the pig out in the lobby where we would have more room. I will still try to make a bigger cage, but can I make up for some of the lack of space by adding a second level? Does anyone here have a 2 story C&C cage? Also are Hartz cage liners safe? I know hartz is no good as far as dog and cat medicine goes but I'm not the one doing the shopping. Can I or should I keep using cage liners? Are liners/towels better than aspen? Thanks in advance for any advice, I'm not completely in control of the pig accommodations but I can make some difference at least.
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Jun 8, 2011 03:51
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Our cage is coming together! Got to wash the fleece and we get the coroplast when we get the girls. 3 more days! 
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Jun 8, 2011 14:06
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Cassiope posted:We just got a guinea pig at work today! We have animals we keep for education purposes (three snakes, a bearded dragon, and a salamander) and my boss had been on the lookout for a guinea pig. I'm not sure if we will actually have her in any programs though, it doesn't seem to be a piggie kind of thing. That makes me sad, it never fails that places will get "educational" animals and then basically proceed to educate people on how to keep them the worst ways possible. If at all possible, an open cage, even a small one, is going to be better than an aquarium. Aquariums restrict airflow and will cause more short-term health problems like respiratory infections and liver damage. (Tiny cages will cause long term issues as well, but at least we can get him out of the worst of danger). I don't think the cage liners are necessarily bad, but they may end up eating them. I'm not familiar with the product but I'm thinking it's just a plastic sheeting? ideally if you could get her into a cage meeting even the bare minimum and give her a friend she'll be a lot better off and you'll actually be educating people about treating small animals humanely rather than picking them up as "filler" pets because there's a spare aquarium. 
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Jun 8, 2011 19:36
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Okay, I went in today and figured out a way to rearrange the office to fit as big of a cage as I can. I also got my boss to agree to let me make a C&C cage. The biggest area I can do is going to be about 24" by 44" I know it isn't ideal, but it is going to be a whole hell of a lot better than the aquarium (which was always meant as a temporary cage anyway). I'm still hoping I can add a second level, but my boss really doesn't want to because she thinks it will be harder to clean with a second level. She's put me in charge of doing the guinea pig research, so that's good. She's still not wanting to have 2 pigs but if I can find another young one that needs rescue she may fold. Honestly she does have the best of intentions and does want to treat the piggie right. She is planning on doing all the best diet and refuses to touch pine shavings, but she just may not yet realize how important having a friend is.
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Jun 8, 2011 19:43
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Cassiope posted:She's put me in charge of doing the guinea pig research, so that's good. http://www.guinealynx.info/ will help prevent you from ending up as this: Rodent Mortician posted:That makes me sad, it never fails that places will get "educational" animals and then basically proceed to educate people on how to keep them the worst ways possible. Remember, if you don't provide stellar levels of care, people will assume you guys are the ones doing it perfectly and then proceed to do about 30% of what you're doing. If you show off that pig in an aquarium, everyone who sees it will assume that's fine and do exactly that, but worse (like the one surrendered to me in a 5 gal on cedar shavings, for example).
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Jun 9, 2011 02:06
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Awesome, thanks guys. I actually already read all the info on guinealynx. I found the materials and sources for the C&C cage today. I kinda had a knee-jerk reaction to the initial unpreparedness of my boss for the guinea pig and it wasn't fair to her. She really does take extremely good care of the animals in the program currently. The aquarium was never meant to be a permanent cage, and she already has fresh fruits and veggies on hand daily for Petunia (baby piggie). She brought in a pen today for Petunia to have floor time and she is readily accepting my care suggestions. Really I don't work at some sketchy roadside zoo. We take good care of our critters, promise. I have a couple questions now though: 1. Does forced socialization work on guinea pigs like it does on rats? I am assuming the answer is no and it is more likely to traumatize a pig. Right now I am just offering veggies or hay every time I go in to see her, but she does not seem to mind being picked up. I need to do more research on what her noises mean. 2. What brand vitamin C chewable tablets do you use? I read about offering pigs those as supplements but am wary of buying something I'm not 100% sure of. (oops, 3 questions. Is 1/8 thick coroplast fine to use for the cage or do I need to up to 1/2 inch? I can get a 4x8 sheet of 1/8 for $16 but the same size in 1/2 inch is $60!) and for your trouble here is a pic of the little girl 
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Jun 9, 2011 03:48
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Cassiope posted:I have a couple questions now though: What you're doing is fine - the more you handle her and give her treats and reassure her that you're not a hawk, the more tame she'll be, but she may never stop running from the swooping hands of death when you go to pick her up. For more details, find my and Kazmeyer's responses to Diogenes' posts about handling new piggies a few pages upthread. Cassiope posted:2. What brand vitamin C chewable tablets do you use? I read about offering pigs those as supplements but am wary of buying something I'm not 100% sure of. Actually my vets are recommending to NOT supplement vitamin C anymore, except through dietary veggies (choose ones which are low in calcium). Apparently the tablets just have too much mineral filler, and have been linked to increased incidence of bladder stone formation. But she's young, so you can supplement for a while if you want. Oxbow's brand is the best. Cassiope posted:(oops, 3 questions. Is 1/8 thick coroplast fine to use for the cage or do I need to up to 1/2 inch? I can get a 4x8 sheet of 1/8 for $16 but the same size in 1/2 inch is $60!) 1/8" is fine. 1/2" would be overkill. Very cute, keep up the good work! 
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Jun 9, 2011 18:08
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Chin Strap posted:Our cage is coming together! Got to wash the fleece and we get the coroplast when we get the girls. 3 more days! Looking good, I assume there will be towels under that fleece eventually. Also just curious why you opted to not use the grid connectors?
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Jun 9, 2011 18:24
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Is it normal for hamsters to change sleeping habits based on the weather? Ruby is just under a year (I've had her for 6 months) and everything else seems fine; she's still eating, drinking, and runs in her ball, she just seems to be sleeping longer than usual. I haven't changed anything except about 10 days ago I gave her a peanut butter treat block that she'd never had before. It's been pretty hot outside lately, and our A/C was broken for a bit so I could understand her sleeping more then, but now that it's working again the temperature in the house isn't really any different than it was before. Should I be worried?
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Jun 9, 2011 18:59
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Sirotan posted:Looking good, I assume there will be towels under that fleece eventually. Also just curious why you opted to not use the grid connectors? I don't use the grid connectors either - I use zip-ties, because they're easier to put on and take off (the connectors are pure evil), easier to clean, and zip ties mean you can just fold the cage up and move it very, very easily. Chin Strap very clearly said his coro is coming later, but just so nobody else emulates that as a permanent cage: DO NOT try to make a cage like this on a table top without coro under it. It wouldn't take much strength at all for a piggy to push that grid wall out over the edge of the table, making a gap, and then fall through and break a leg or back.
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Jun 9, 2011 19:01
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alucinor posted:I don't use the grid connectors either - I use zip-ties, because they're easier to put on and take off (the connectors are pure evil), easier to clean, and zip ties mean you can just fold the cage up and move it very, very easily. Hmm, never thought about the folding up aspect of it. I've always just used the connectors but that's probably also because I have a two-story cage and I'm not sure it would be solid enough to support the second story without the connectors. Though, I have broken quite a few by pounding them in with a hammer...
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Jun 9, 2011 19:04
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Get our girls tomorrow, and they will be about 10 weeks old at the time. I know that alfalfa shouldn't be fed to older pigs because of calcium, but does that mean we need to make sure to give extra calcium to young pigs? We bought the Oxbow Cavy Cuisine pellets to feed until we feel comfortable going without pellets, but I guess we should've gotten the Cavy Performance... Should we just change their veggie mix to be higher in calcium until they hit 6 months or so? How exactly should we do that?
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Jun 10, 2011 18:39
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Chin Strap posted:Get our girls tomorrow, and they will be about 10 weeks old at the time. I know that alfalfa shouldn't be fed to older pigs because of calcium, but does that mean we need to make sure to give extra calcium to young pigs? We bought the Oxbow Cavy Cuisine pellets to feed until we feel comfortable going without pellets, but I guess we should've gotten the Cavy Performance... Should we just change their veggie mix to be higher in calcium until they hit 6 months or so? How exactly should we do that? Alfalfa pellets and hay are both fine till they are about a year old. You should ALSO feed the timothy hay/pellets, so they have access to both, so your purchases are not wasted. Just go buy a little bag of Performance and a small bale of alfalfa. They don't need uber-extra calcium, it's just that they don't need a very low calcium diet like an adult pig would. Make sure they get some kale, spinach, and parsley every week, and that should give them all the dietary calcium they need. Guinea Lynx has a listing of veggies sorted by nutrient content; you can use that to find other not-low-calcium (again, doesn't need to be HIGH HIGH HIGH) veggies to feed them for the next 6 months or so.
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Jun 10, 2011 22:18
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One more thing, I think I screwed up. I got some fleece, and what I thought were mattress pads for the absorbent part. I gave them to a friend to sew together, and when I get it all back, I notice the matress pads aren't very thick, and there is one side that is water proof (and she sewed the watproof side against the fleece). Am I screwed? Seems like I got a matress cover when I needed a mattress pad... but I don't know what those look like? I tried to get one that didn't say water proof on it, but apparently that wasn't enough... I just want to have a good setup for them that is easy to take care of What substrate should I be using under the fleece exactly, and can someone provide an online link for said substrate that they know is the right thing? Feeling really dumb...
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Jun 11, 2011 03:07
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Yeah the whole point is that whatever is under the fleece is wicking away all the moisture so having something waterproof against the fleece isn't going to work. Just buy bath towels from Target or wherever is cheap and use that under the fleece. Sew one towel to the fleece, and then sew two towels together in the same size as your fleece layer. That way you've got 3 layers of towel total and a layer of fleece, a lot easier to launder it that way versus 2 layers of towels sewn to the fleece. Example: 
Sirotan fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Jun 11, 2011 |
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Jun 11, 2011 03:21
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Can that sort of thing be sewn by hand? I really don't want to bug my friend again and I don't have a sewing machine, but I'd be fine with sewing it by hand, even if it takes a while. I just want to get it right.
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Jun 11, 2011 03:24
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I've seen pictures where people just layer the towels under the fleece, and then clip the fleece to the sides of the choroplast and do no sewing at all. I think it would work it will probably just be a lot more work to wash and then reposition every time you clean the cage. Edit: You COULD sew it by hand I guess but it would take forever. It took me hours and hours to sew my four sets of fleece + towel layers and that was with a sewing machine. A lot of that was due to my irregularly shaped second level though. If you have just the bottom layer making some rectangles shouldn't take long.
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Jun 11, 2011 03:26
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I do that. I don't think it is any significant extra work. I do just as many loads of laundry, I just lay down the towels, lay down the fleece over it and use the weight of the cage to keep it all in place. Putting down the fresh layers takes a minute at most. It has been months and my pigs have never managed to separate the layers. Wouldn't sewing make it harder to clean? Less exposed surface area in the washing machine and all that.
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Jun 11, 2011 05:13
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Eh, toss it in the wash with detergent and a little bleach, there's nothing particularly difficult about washing it. Sometimes I might have to hang it after drying because the thick layers aren't 100% dry. With a two-story cage I don't really have the ability to use the cage's weight to weight down anything. I guess its just a matter of preference, I think sewing it together just looks nice imho. I'm sure the pigs don't care one way or the other.
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Jun 11, 2011 05:19
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I think i might just use binder clips. Seems like a nice compromise. Just sucks I wasted my friends time having her sew things together that wont work. Now I have to buy a seam ripper to pull it apart to salvage the fleece There seem to be a lot of people on guineapigcages trying uhaul moving blankets as a substrate and liking it. I may give that a shot since I'm right nearby one.
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Jun 11, 2011 12:44
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They need to start breeding these guys in America.
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Jun 11, 2011 15:32
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Just make sure you clip everything together well. There are few things more foul than a pig that has burrowed between layers of wet towels and fleece. Some pigs will never think of trying to dig down into the fleece, but if you have one that will, you don't want that surprise. Trust me. And what the heck is that, a Dachshamster?
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Jun 11, 2011 16:04
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kazmeyer posted:And what the heck is that, a Dachshamster? Apparently a European Hamster. They get up to 10" big. I want one!
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Jun 11, 2011 23:03
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TLG James posted:Apparently a European Hamster. They get up to 10" big. My grandmother said she saw a ton of them being sold in the meat market in Turkey. Apparently they're eaten in much the same way that guinea pigs are in South America.
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Jun 13, 2011 01:44
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So we got our girls on Saturday, and we got 50% more pigs than planned. The story of the pigs we got is as follows: the parents were bought from a pet store by the original owners, and they sexed them as both females. Of course the pet store screwed up and one was actually male. The female got pregnant, gave birth to two girls, and immediately got pregnant again the next day (why the owners hadn't separated I don't know). When they found she was pregnant a second time they gave the whole lot away to the rescue. On the same day we saw our original two girls for the first time, the mom was ready to give birth to the second litter. So now three weeks later when we came to pick our girls up, the new litter was 3 weeks old, and that is old enough to be weaned. So since we were planning on getting a third eventually anyway, we figured we might as well get another sister from the same family. So meet Rapture (because she was born on the same day as the apocalypse that didn't happen), who is 3 weeks old:  She's so tiny and cute and social, but eats like crazy and poops way more than the other two. And the original sisters, who are now 10 weeks old. Edy:  Heidi:  All three of them eating some breakfast:  And finally the finished cage. We keep the lid on to protect the pigs from the kitty, but the kitty seems to be mainly disinterested, so we only put the lid on when we sleep or leave the house.  We love them so far just starting to learn how to best do maintenance on everything.
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Jun 13, 2011 12:10
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Chin Strap posted:I think i might just use binder clips. Seems like a nice compromise. Don't do this! I did, and my derpy little pig got his foot caught in it. He dislocated his growth plate and had to spend 6 weeks on extreme bed rest. It sucked. On a positive note, he was so small the x-rays were taken with dental film, so it saved me lots of money. They were also very cute.
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Jun 14, 2011 02:35
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Chin Strap posted:Soooooo tiny and cute! 
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Jun 14, 2011 04:55
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A few days in and the pigs are doing well. The cat alternates from being scared as poo poo of them, to looking like she wants to hunt them Thankfully the lid is there. Although I found today she can reach her paw in there. Her nails are clipped and she can't swipe that fast with the lid in the way, but I still am going to put mesh on top the cage so she doesn't do that Is there a way to properly introduce them that will result in kitty calming down? Will it just take time? I let the cat sniff them while I am holding them, but beyond that I don't know what to do...
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Jun 15, 2011 20:01
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Chin Strap posted:A few days in and the pigs are doing well. The cat alternates from being scared as poo poo of them, to looking like she wants to hunt them Rather than mesh, replace the lid shelves with the "super slider" or "linen closet" kind of shelving. The bar spacing is much narrower - like 1/2" or less - which should prevent kitty paws from entering. You can even use that around the sides. Mesh, she could just tear off and reach through anyhow if she was really determined. Make sure you add some binder clips or carabiners to actually hold the lid down, so she doesn't learn to lift the lid! Chin Strap posted:Is there a way to properly introduce them that will result in kitty calming down? Will it just take time? I let the cat sniff them while I am holding them, but beyond that I don't know what to do... Not really. Cats is predators and pigs is prey. All you can do is never leave them alone unsupervised, and if she's really prey-oriented, never have them out without the cat exiled from the room.
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Jun 15, 2011 20:17
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alucinor posted:Rather than mesh, replace the lid shelves with the "super slider" or "linen closet" kind of shelving. The bar spacing is much narrower - like 1/2" or less - which should prevent kitty paws from entering. You can even use that around the sides. Mesh, she could just tear off and reach through anyhow if she was really determined. Coroplast is high enough that there isn't a worry about the sides. And I'm pretty sure I got the narrowest bars for the lid I could, but I'll look again. quote:Not really. Cats is predators and pigs is prey. All you can do is never leave them alone unsupervised, and if she's really prey-oriented, never have them out without the cat exiled from the room. I'm hoping she mellows out eventually but I knew it would take a while. I hope it happens eventually. Just makes me sad
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Jun 15, 2011 20:22
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Found the narrower shelving and got some, now kitty can't get her paws in. I hope thats enough for her to lose interest for a while.
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Jun 16, 2011 11:24
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Sorry for the triple post. So far they live 24/7 in their tunnel, all 23 of them. Don't use the cuddle cub or the pigloo even. I know they are by nature timid creatures, and that this is a new and scary environment, but will they eventually calm down a bit and come out of their tunnel for more than just food?
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Jun 16, 2011 20:36
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Chin Strap posted:Sorry for the triple post. Yes. Give it 6-8 weeks minimum. One thing that helps is EVERY time you walk past the cage, throw in a spring of parsley or pinch of pellets or some other high-value treat.
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Jun 16, 2011 22:03
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Chin Strap posted:Sorry for the triple post. I ended up adopting a timid piggie a few months ago. At first she almost never left her pigloo, but I ended up covering part of the top with a towel, and she came out a lot more. Maybe consider draping a towel over a corner or over a small section where the tunnel is? She almost instantly seemed happier with the extra coverage.
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Jun 16, 2011 22:04
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Thanks all. Here's two more pics of Rapture during lap time. She is by far the bravest and most sociable compared to her older sisters. She explores the cage, eats from your hand, all with no issues. 
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Jun 17, 2011 00:21
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Sooner or later you will want to start holding them on towels because you will be peed on, its just a matter of time....
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Jun 17, 2011 00:59
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Sirotan posted:Sooner or later you will want to start holding them on towels because you will be peed on, its just a matter of time.... Thats what the blue blanket was for, but it had creeped down a bit while I was trying to take the pictures. Still need more spare towels in general though... does goodwill sell towels?
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Jun 17, 2011 01:35
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Yes. And they change their 50% color on Sunday mornings so if you get there while all the good people of the world are still in church/bed, you can get all the half-off towels.
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Jun 17, 2011 01:56
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