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Sirotan posted:Logistics mostly. I think a 12+ hour plane ride would be incredibly stressful on a pig. There would also be language issues when it came to interacting with vets, that's assuming exotics vets would even be available to me. Availability of pig food, trying to find a place to live that would allow pets.... etc etc. I have thought about it extensively, I just think it would be a logistical nightmare and I'd be pretty concerned about their health during the trip. I may move abroad for work next year and was really excited to see that the logistics would be the only issue- most airlines are cool with sending pigs. Pet passports were no big deal for guinea pigs. Although I am a little concerned, one of my boars tried to chew on my face, and when I moved him back, he started making his "I'm hungry!" wheek. I've created a monster! 
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Sep 26, 2011 02:20
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Pigs have been good, but all of a sudden today they started being really demanding for food. They've gotten their standard amounts, and plenty of hay, even some pellets, but every time we walk by or get up from the couch they go crazy for more food. We think they may also be a little thistier, but not sure. We weighed them all tonight and Rapture and Edy were down an ounce from when we weighed them on saturday, and Heidi half an ounce. Peeing and pooping seem normal. Is there anything to be worrying about? Anything to keep an eye on?
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Sep 27, 2011 03:12
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Probably it's nothing, but worth keeping an eye on all the same. Minor fluctuations in weight and behavior changes aren't a big deal, but sustained patterns of weight loss are a danger sign. Wheeking isn't always about food, it can be about attention. And noise in the cage can be a few different things. My girls always tended to get noisier when it was somebody's time of the month; one pig acting aggressive can agitate an entire herd, causing them to make a lot more noise than usual. Are you hearing normal wheeking, or is it more of a low-to-high volume squeal? Any chattering or rumbling noises? I'd just keep an eye on behavior, see if you notice anything else out of the ordinary, and watch their next weigh-in. EDIT: One thought, check the water bottles and make sure there's not a blockage or anything. kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Sep 27, 2011 |
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Sep 27, 2011 05:05
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kazmeyer posted:Probably it's nothing, but worth keeping an eye on all the same. Minor fluctuations in weight and behavior changes aren't a big deal, but sustained patterns of weight loss are a danger sign. It is their normal "mealtime" wheeking, but really loud and super often. No more chattering or purring than normal. Good idea with the water bottle, but no blockage found. We'll see how they are today, and maybe reweigh them tonight to make sure they aren't going down more.
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Sep 27, 2011 12:41
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My mice arrived  
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Sep 28, 2011 09:48
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This pig has decided that since romaine lettuce comes in a plastic bag from Target, that every crinkling sound must signal mealtime. Here she is eating cucumber slices.
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Sep 28, 2011 16:54
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Naffer posted:This pig has decided that since romaine lettuce comes in a plastic bag from Target, that every crinkling sound must signal mealtime. Standard guinea pig behavior. I remember once my Kali got loose during floor time, managed to find a gap in the playpen walls I put down, and ran under the microwave cart. I tried for about ten minutes to coax her out (she was an exceptionally timid pig) before it struck me. I grabbed a plastic bag, crinkled it, and she ran out, all covered in dust and wheeking.
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Sep 28, 2011 23:17
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I've posted before about my dumbass buddy who got her pigs pregnant? Thirteen guinea pigs later, she believes me that maybe she ought to get them fixed. The only vet in town that will spay/neuter guinea pigs is the same vet that sees my bunnies, so I know the office pretty well. They have an exotics registered vet there. She saves up the scratch to get her oldest pig's nuts lopped off, and takes him in. Apparently the vet gave the pig a vitamin c shot, likely because she doesn't feed bell pepper and the pigs "won't eat" their vitamin c tablets. I've heard second hand from my husband that apparently there's necrotic flesh around the shot site (?!?) and that she's taken the pig to another, non-exotic vet for overnight observation. I guess what I'm asking, thread, is: what the gently caress? If it were me, I'd march my pig back into the first vet and yell, but I have a hard time believing that they hosed the shot up anyway.
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Sep 29, 2011 05:08
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I assume there's more than one male, though, right? Is she aware of the fact that male guinea pigs can be sexually active at three weeks of age? There are plenty of pellets on the market that contain vitamin C, but I'm guessing she's probably feeding them some horrible Hartz pellet or something.
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Sep 29, 2011 08:36
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Apparently my guinea pig has decided in the past week that her absolute favorite spot to hang out is in her hay thing, which is made out of bending one of those c+c wire mesh squares. No amount of adjusting the height it's hung or the angle of the bend seems to dissuade her from climbing up in there. My concerns are that she's standing on exposed wire mesh, which can't be good for her feet, even if she's on top of some hay and that she's obviously peeing on the hay, making it wet. Trying to keep it full isn't working because it seems like she's just pulling out the hay for her to fit up there. Any advice or ideas? Not sure if this is making sense or not.
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Sep 30, 2011 00:22
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Try turning it so it's standing upright on the short end (making it an angled wall as tall as the cage itself) and binder clip it so it's barricading off one corner of the cage. Then stuff the hay down the open top into that corner. She looses a little floorspace but she can't get in there without considerable effort. Alternatively, there's tons of stuff in the hardware store that makes good mangers. My favorite is the closetmaid sauce packet holder. It's about $4, clips easily onto the grids, and holds a good bit of hay: 
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Sep 30, 2011 00:53
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I'd be careful about switching to something smaller like that; I did the same thing when my Parvati took to jumping in the hay rack and got some weird little narrow Rubbermaid kitchen thing to stuff hay in. Twenty minutes later, I found Parvati perched incredibly precariously on top of this tiny little rack eating the hay. If you've got a dedicated hay rack sitter, it can be a bit of a nightmare trying to get her to stop, so evaluate any new hay rack you try for the possibility of injury. These days I just order hay in bulk and toss it into the cage in handfuls. They get to dig and play in it and eat all they want. More waste and a little more mess, but it's worth it for me not to have to worry about it.
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Sep 30, 2011 04:07
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I planted some "cat grass" in a pot in order to get my cat to eat that instead of the hay she gets obsessed by every now and then. Well the cat doesn't like it, but it is piggie crack it turns out. It is sweet oat grass, so I know it has to be an occasional treat. Is there any sort of grass I could grow in a pot that I could give a little more often as a treat? I know too much would be bad because of the excess water, but just a little bit as something we can feed them during lap time.
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Sep 30, 2011 14:34
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kazmeyer posted:I'd be careful about switching to something smaller like that; I did the same thing when my Parvati took to jumping in the hay rack and got some weird little narrow Rubbermaid kitchen thing to stuff hay in. Twenty minutes later, I found Parvati perched incredibly precariously on top of this tiny little rack eating the hay. Also this. I hang my little mangers very low - the bottom almost touching the bedding - which seems to be less of an issue for my jumpers. Chin Strap posted:I planted some "cat grass" in a pot in order to get my cat to eat that instead of the hay she gets obsessed by every now and then. Well the cat doesn't like it, but it is piggie crack it turns out. According to this, oat grass hay has about the same nutritional composition as bluegrass or early timothy, so it should be fine for everyday treats.
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Sep 30, 2011 14:41
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alucinor posted:
Awesome. I read on some message board people were saying occasional treat, but I think what they were meaning is that "grass is not a replacement for hay" which I know. It will only be a little amount every day.
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Sep 30, 2011 14:49
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Chin Strap posted:Awesome. I read on some message board people were saying occasional treat, but I think what they were meaning is that "grass is not a replacement for hay" which I know. It will only be a little amount every day. Honestly, if you could grow enough for it to replace hay, it likely could be a replacement, but the issue is twofold: 1.) you'll probably never be able to grow enough to provide it in the same quantities 2.) you'd have to gradually work them up to eating that much greenery or they'd basically founder/die from diarrhea. It's doable with work, (and arguably maybe better given the additional moisture and their proclivity towards stone formation), but probably not very practical for most folks.
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Sep 30, 2011 15:29
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When I upgraded my cage for the first time, I took the old 2x4 C&C cage out on the deck, filled it with potting soil, and planted bluegrass, cilantro, parsley, and a bunch of other edible stuff. Made an excellent playpen/buffet for the girls, although for the first half-dozen times I put them in it, they'd go into vapor lock at all the greenery, sit in one spot, and eat everything within reach of their mouths. I'd end up with five little bald patches in the lawn every time.
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Sep 30, 2011 17:53
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Does anyone have a suggestion for a good not leaky water bottle? My chinchilla's is getting kinda old and is starting to leak, so I'm on the hunt for a replacement. He's currently got one of those glass SuperPet ones.
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Oct 3, 2011 04:24
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Boy Named Sue posted:Our male guinea pig, Roscoe, is ready to wield Mjolnir and slay some Frost Giants in the name of Odin! His name isnt Thor???? 
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Oct 6, 2011 19:20
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I was on vacation and my mom bought my pigs a new toy while she was watching after them. Someone enjoys it:
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Oct 7, 2011 23:18
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Tomorrow my pigs will get their first taste of 25 pounds of KleenMama's bluegrass hay, will this spoil them against regular hay?
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Oct 8, 2011 06:05
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Bastard Tetris posted:Tomorrow my pigs will get their first taste of 25 pounds of KleenMama's bluegrass hay, will this spoil them against regular hay? Absolutely. You throw crappy Kaytee timothy in there after this and they're going to look at you like you're trying to poison them. KM's bluegrass is unbelievable compared to pretty much everything out there. (Oxbow isn't bad sometimes, but they're way too susceptible to drought conditions. I've gotten some real junk from them before.)
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Oct 8, 2011 06:20
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They always get Oxbow, but I figured I'd make a switch. We're trying hay lofts but they seem to just love having it spread everywhere so all three can find hay at the same time without having wacky rumble sessions with each other.
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Oct 8, 2011 18:05
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My ladyfriend and I went to the Virginia State Fair last weekend and decided to check out the animals.  What's that, they have guinea pigs?  Wait, why are there rabbits in with the pigs?  Wait, why are they selling cages that are less than 2 square feet? Salt lick?! Guinea Pigs don't get salt licks!  WHY ARE ALL THE PIGS ON BARE WIRE FLOORS >_<  Oh look, it's a hidey house with one entrance (that is far too small), made out of plywood...full of nutritious glue! So yeah, gently caress guinea pig breeders...  We order all our pigs through the mail 
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Oct 9, 2011 00:14
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Yeah, guinea pig breeders are almost universally horrifying.
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Oct 9, 2011 01:42
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Wow, I used to go to the VA State Fair every year, and I never saw guinea pigs there. There were always a few questionable rabbit breeders, but the majority were pretty good as far as I could tell.
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Oct 9, 2011 02:43
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Yeah that's pretty much every rabbit and guinea pig breeder who's set up I've ever seen. Actually a little cleaner than most. You know you can't have "giant" cages because they're too hard to clean. 
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Oct 9, 2011 02:54
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Rodent Mortician posted:Yeah that's pretty much every rabbit and guinea pig breeder who's set up I've ever seen. Actually a little cleaner than most. You know you can't have "giant" cages because they're too hard to clean. And you don't want to let your pigs out of the cage, because they might poop on the floor. Compared to almost every other animal, guinea pigs and rabbits have such laughably neat little poops. When you see them, you just think, that is not a poop it is too uniformly shaped. 
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Oct 9, 2011 16:09
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My pigs like to stomp on their poops, I'm beginning to think they're doing it on purpose.
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Oct 10, 2011 00:57
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Boy Named Sue posted:Our male guinea pig, Roscoe, is ready to wield Mjolnir and slay some Frost Giants in the name of Odin! Care to share what breed he is? I just got my second pig and he looks like a much, much younger version of your guy.
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Oct 14, 2011 12:35
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 "Waddup." Three of the four mice (Kinkajou, Tosca and Mozart) are coming along nicely in their relationship with me. Those three will climb onto my hand, take mealworms from me, explore my arms and lap without too much worry, etc. The other one, Flower, won't come to me unless she haaaas to, and although she's getting less and less nippy she's still a little poo poo. Fuckin' rodents.
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Oct 16, 2011 13:06
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This week, my gerbils have decided not to grace me with a view of their activities. They kicked all of the shavings to the front of the tank and pushed their toys to the back, creating a ridiculous wall that blocks my view of everything. What did I do to deserve this? What are you hiding?  Fraction posted:
That's a beautiful mouse! Do they all have such big, round ears? I've never seen a mouse quite like that. Huge Liability fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Oct 16, 2011 |
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Oct 16, 2011 21:26
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Huge Liability posted:This week, my gerbils have decided not to grace me with a view of their activities. They kicked all of the shavings to the front of the tank and pushed their toys to the back, creating a ridiculous wall that blocks my view of everything. What did I do to deserve this? What are you hiding? Your gerbils probably don't want no stinkin' humans intruding on their Gerbil Antics. Oh yeah, all of mine have those gorgeous dumbo-like ears. They're from a show breeder - and fancy mice show breeders (in the UK at least) aim for really big ol' ears and thick tails. I love them! I don't think I could get a 'pet' type mouse after seeing these girls and their gorgeous ears. Here's a photo that best shows those ears off: 
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Oct 16, 2011 21:45
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Fraction posted:Here's a photo that best shows those ears off:  Y'all must get great reception for your satellite tv out there.
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Oct 16, 2011 22:25
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Skittle Wood posted:Care to share what breed he is? I just got my second pig and he looks like a much, much younger version of your guy. That's an American or English. The most common breeds: American or English - short, smooth hair. Crested - as American, but has a small whorl or "divot" on top of the head, looks like the pig ran into something. Abyssinian - Whorls of hair all over the body, looks like the pig has a permanent case of bed-head. Peruvian - Long mostly straight hair all over the body, including over the face, pig looks like a mop head. Also known as "for fucks sake you've got poop in your fur again?" Silkie - Long mostly straight hair, but only on the back part of the pig (you can see the face). Texel - Like a Silkie, but curly hair. Teddy or Rex - Short, wiry hair all over the body, like a full-pig 'fro. Skinny or Baldwin - Mostly hairless pig, originally bred for lab experiments. Himalayan - Coloring and coat similar to a Siamese cat. (Saw these in a pet store once, under a sign that said "RARE ALBINO SIAMESE GUINEA PIGS". Managed not to beat the clerk to death.) There are some other minor variations, but those comprise the vast majority of the pigs you'll run into.
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Oct 17, 2011 11:02
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My two female guinea pigs are acting very oddly. No weight fluctuations, eating, drinking, pooping normally, their diet is normal and unchanged. I just watched them both make a rumbling noise(not wheeking), they do not seem afraid or alarmed. While rumbling, they are shaking their butts and slowly circling around each other. They didn't fight, they have NEVER fought and seem to always get along great. They did not seem freaked out when I came over, they kept doing it as I quietly watched. What the hell did I just see? Are my two female guinea pigs giving each other some sort of mating display? Edit: Googling says that the rumbling noise is done by males and sometimes females when they are aroused. Are my guinea pigs lessing out? Diogines fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Oct 18, 2011 |
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Oct 18, 2011 00:49
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Diogines posted:My two female guinea pigs are acting very oddly. No weight fluctuations, eating, drinking, pooping normally, their diet is normal and unchanged. My two girl pigs do this too. It's hysterical when they try to full on mount each other because Ella is only 6 months and 600g and Daphne is 2 years and 1025g. When Ella was even smaller (like 3 month old) and she would try and mount Daphne it looked like she was riding her side-saddle, like a horse. When I laughed at them, they both stopped and looked at me as if to say "What? What's so funny?".
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Oct 18, 2011 02:51
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Rumbling and humping generally occur under two sets of circumstances. Either when two pigs are introduced for the first time and have to establish dominance, or when it's someone's "time of the month". In the latter case, it's usually a one-way experience, though. My guess would be your beta pig is being hormonal and getting feisty with your alpha, and she's responding by trying to assert her dominance. It should probably clear up in a couple of days and as long as they don't start getting into furballs you can just let them be. However, it could also be the beta trying to take over from the alpha, which usually doesn't happen unless something major occurs in the cage, like the alpha becoming ill. Just to be safe, keep a closer eye on the alpha for the time being to make sure she's not showing any odd symptoms. (By far, the first explanation is the most likely one, but better safe than sorry.) Just be glad you don't have boars. Their dominance displays typically end with your having to scrub guinea pig splooge out of someone's fur.
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Oct 18, 2011 21:09
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Serella posted:
You aren't kidding  I could get reception for the whole block with these ears: (From a fortnight or so ago but taking photos is getting harder now it's getting colder and the mice are more happy to sleep then explore.)
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Oct 18, 2011 21:17
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I just introduced a new guinea pig last night (I know I'm posting at an odd hour, I mean the 18th). There's been no fighting, but the oldest is following the new guy almost constantly and he whines every time. Is this cause for separation? I'm just worried that he may be feeling crowded even though there's enough space.
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Oct 19, 2011 12:52
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