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Bone posted:
More tubes! My parents, both grandmothers, plus some of their neighbours save up cardboard tubes after I mentioned that our gerbils love to chew them. You can never have too many tubes.
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Oct 26, 2012 15:05
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What else should I add to make it more fun for them?
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So I have 2 gerbils, one which is kinda bitey but is pretty good at being social towards people, which isn't a big problem to me, but the other gerbil I'm having a little trouble with. Basically, I have a hell of a time trying to get her out of the aquarium. This is pretty strange to me because she is not shy at all, if you put your hand in the aquarium, she'll be the first to sniff and touch it, however, she will not give you the chance to pick her up by walking on top of your hand like my other gerbil does. She is also quite adventerous when she gets out, as she'll climb all over you and stuff. So my question is; is there anyway to make her more comfortable with being picked up, or this just normal gerbil behaviour? I really hate trying to pick her up with almost any means (I never pick her up by the tail though.) One last thing is that she doesn't really mind being in your hand either after you pick her up weirdly enough.
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Oct 30, 2012 06:41
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My hamsters and guinea pigs both have had the same issue. I'm pretty sure it's just a reactive "oh god my feet are off the ground I'm gonna die" thing that some of them have worse than others. Even my rats have it to some degree but as soon as you plop them on a shoulder, they're calm as can be.
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Oct 30, 2012 13:51
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Pew! Pew! posted:My hamsters and guinea pigs both have had the same issue. I'm pretty sure it's just a reactive "oh god my feet are off the ground I'm gonna die" thing that some of them have worse than others. Even my rats have it to some degree but as soon as you plop them on a shoulder, they're calm as can be. Yeah, that's a typical response to The HANDS. Rodents don't like being picked up, as it tends to mean they're about to become dinner for something in the wild.
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Oct 30, 2012 13:55
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Zetsubou posted:So I have 2 gerbils, one which is kinda bitey but is pretty good at being social towards people, which isn't a big problem to me, but the other gerbil I'm having a little trouble with. Basically, I have a hell of a time trying to get her out of the aquarium. This is pretty strange to me because she is not shy at all, if you put your hand in the aquarium, she'll be the first to sniff and touch it, however, she will not give you the chance to pick her up by walking on top of your hand like my other gerbil does. She is also quite adventerous when she gets out, as she'll climb all over you and stuff. So my question is; is there anyway to make her more comfortable with being picked up, or this just normal gerbil behaviour? I really hate trying to pick her up with almost any means (I never pick her up by the tail though.) One last thing is that she doesn't really mind being in your hand either after you pick her up weirdly enough. If it ends up being anything like it was with a hamster, I think the answer is just patience and plying them with food that they can't resist, haha. My hamster's pretty strong-willed too, though, and even still doesn't really like being picked up against his will, but he will come out onto my hand when he wants to come out and run around. (He also never sits still once he's out of his cage, though.)
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Oct 30, 2012 16:09
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Is it bad to give my gerbils things like used pop tart boxes to chew? I dont know if the ink would be bad for them or anything.
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Oct 30, 2012 18:35
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Zetsubou posted:So I have 2 gerbils, one which is kinda bitey but is pretty good at being social towards people, which isn't a big problem to me, but the other gerbil I'm having a little trouble with. Basically, I have a hell of a time trying to get her out of the aquarium. This is pretty strange to me because she is not shy at all, if you put your hand in the aquarium, she'll be the first to sniff and touch it, however, she will not give you the chance to pick her up by walking on top of your hand like my other gerbil does. She is also quite adventerous when she gets out, as she'll climb all over you and stuff. So my question is; is there anyway to make her more comfortable with being picked up, or this just normal gerbil behaviour? I really hate trying to pick her up with almost any means (I never pick her up by the tail though.) One last thing is that she doesn't really mind being in your hand either after you pick her up weirdly enough. Most small critters hate being picked up because DEATH FROM ABOVE  . Instead, try luring her into a small basket or wide pvc tube to transport her out of the tank. It's what lots of guinea pig people use since piggies run when you try to pick them up.
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Oct 30, 2012 18:43
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Will gerbils overeat? I feed them a tablespoon of food each per day, which was recommended by the ASPCA (or something similar), but they usually just eat a couple bites then bury the rest. They probably only ever eat about 1/3 of the food I give them, then just leave the rest hidden in one corner of the cage. Right now I'm giving them a mix that doesn't have anything like sunflower seeds in it, so they don't seem to be eating just certain ingredients and ignoring all the rest, either. By the time I replace their bedding every other week, there's almost a whole handful of uneaten food back in there. Should I not be feeding them when they have a good stockpile going, or is it safe to just keep giving them the recommended amount and not worry about them getting all fat?
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Oct 31, 2012 21:28
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MacGyvers_Mullet posted:Will gerbils overeat? I feed them a tablespoon of food each per day, which was recommended by the ASPCA (or something similar), but they usually just eat a couple bites then bury the rest. They probably only ever eat about 1/3 of the food I give them, then just leave the rest hidden in one corner of the cage. Right now I'm giving them a mix that doesn't have anything like sunflower seeds in it, so they don't seem to be eating just certain ingredients and ignoring all the rest, either. I don't think there's any need to ration normal food and veggies. But sunflower seeds and stuff like that? Yup. Else they become fattyfats. It also depends on the gerbil I guess. Last three I had living in the same aquarium with the access to same foods, one became a mouthbreather, one stayed normal and one was pretty much aiming for supermodel level beauty ideals.
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Nov 1, 2012 06:47
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Just double checking, chinchillas can't get fleas, correct? Fosterdog came in with fleas (better than my tick-ocalypse of a few months back...), I'm trying to do damage control.
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Nov 2, 2012 01:22
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Just double checking, chinchillas can't get fleas, correct? I was always told that they couldn't. And mine never have despite my dogs picking them up from time to time.
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Nov 2, 2012 01:47
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Caught Cubs Posting
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Tonight we lost our chinchilla Felicia. She was the first rescue that we adopted, about 8 years ago. Through adopting her we got involved with the local chinchilla rescue, and met many other chins and chin owners. Felicia was surrendered to the rescue by the San Francisco animal shelter, who had her turned in by someone who found her in a dumpster at a BART station. She was filthy, malnourished, and had two badly healed broken back legs. No one knows how she came to be in such a state, but despite all of this she was perhaps the sweetest chinnie I have ever known. She couldn't jump so we had to retrofit her cage with ramps, and she would hop around from level to level. She was a bit temperamental with other chinnies, probably compensating for her injury and limited mobility, but we found an older chin named Celeste who quickly became her best bud and cage mate. Celeste would grow to be quite protective of Felicia and would scold us if we took her out for too long. Felicia contracted an infection yesterday and didn't survive long. As is often the case with these little critters, they hide illness so by the time we realized something was wrong it was too late to do anything. Farewell little one, you will be missed.
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Nov 4, 2012 09:11
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furushotakeru posted:Sadness Goondolences, furu.  How's your other Chinnie coping with the loss? Give her lots of scritches and attention.
Neddy Seagoon fucked around with this message at 10:04 on Nov 4, 2012 |
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Nov 4, 2012 09:52
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I had a robo hamster who hated being picked up, but eventually trained him to scoot into the TP tubes in there. Then I'd securely cover both ends with my hands and put him in a play, bonding, etc area). He was REALLY skittish but I'd just put some food in the tube every day so he'd often be in there anyways. Furu first off, I'm so sorry about your chinnie. She gives me hope that my bub will someday find a cagemate (but even if not, he has a stuffed baby). He wasn't abused to broken bones but he lived his life terrified and injured ("oh look the outside cats are sticking their paws in! this is cute he can just stay outside! Oops I threw him against a wall!"). Basically what I'm trying to articulate is I know how hard it is to help these guys. Cage modifications, plus all the extra socialization, all the bites received, searching online for behaviour modification and toys. You did a great job! Just think of how far she went in those years. Think of her popcorn attempts and how happy she was to eat her hay one little piece at a time. I looked through your posts and holy poo poo you do such great work for the chinnies.  I know my posts get too long and embarrassing in PI but I just want all of you to know how great you treat your critters.
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Nov 4, 2012 14:15
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Thanks for the thoughts. I just felt like writing about her and this seemed like an appropriate place to remember her.
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Nov 4, 2012 19:29
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Almost lost a pig to digestion issues over the past weeks as the black one started to lose weight at a rapid pace. Teeth was fine, just poor appetite and inability to put on/keep weight. No impaction. Avoided a lot of his normal favorite foods altogether. I changed up the diet and made sure there was a surplus of everything. The other pigs were fine and packing on weight like crazy. Stools got worse and worse, from soft pellets to diarrhea. Vet prescribed medicine did nothing and feeding him caecal pellets from the healthy ones didn't seem to reverse his condition. Even though I'm not sure that I could get him enough considering how difficult they are to 'harvest'. At best it temporarily made him pass solid mini pellets (solid but tiny, like mouse droppings) before reverting back to loose stools. At this point he has very little energy, lowered body temperature and he's pretty much just skin and bones. Labored breathing and no 'voice'. Still eating though, just barely enough to hang on. It's heart breaking to see him just waste away and I'm getting desperate.  Then it hits me, whats the easy, natural way to cure diarrhea and stabilize the gut in humans? Eating charcoal! Since guinea pigs are also carbon based life forms I figure it's worth a shot. I burn three wooden matchsticks, break off the sulfur tops and mash the ashes together with half a slice of orange. I was a bit worried that he wouldn't touch it but he happily eats it all up. I do one more feeding like that in the evening and BAM!, normal poop the morning after!  It's been a few days now and his energy and appetite is back to normal. Slowly putting on weight again and passing pellets normally. While I can't really recommend this treatment, as the local vet wasn't experienced enough with piggies to do a proper diagnosis, it worked when all else failed. Thank you army survival training, you saved my guinea pig. 
cat with hands fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Nov 6, 2012 |
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Nov 6, 2012 14:31
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I think this place is actively trying to dissuade me from adopting the drat pigs that I want, and by that I mean this place is actively trying to dissuade me to the point of saying "you can't have these two"quote:Thank you for your responses. I see that you are interested in Sally and Woolsey. This a a high maintanence pair, especially with Woolsey who has to be groomed often and is not very good about it. Would you consider adopting another pair? Or you could make your own pair. Are your roommates ok with having the guinea pigs? Fucks sake. I said I've had long hair pets in the past (true) and I really want a bonded pair to avoid any potential conflicts. They're really making it hard to not just say "to hell with it" and get them somewhere else. If there weren't health and bonding concerns I would have given up by now.
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Nov 6, 2012 16:58
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Saint Darwin posted:I think this place is actively trying to dissuade me from adopting the drat pigs that I want, and by that I mean this place is actively trying to dissuade me to the point of saying "you can't have these two" I can kind of see why they'd bring it up, because pigs are normally fairly easy to groom (being lazy potatoes), but if they, as experienced fosters, think it's hard to do, he may be a nightmare to deal with. It's a kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. Mention it: They're dissauding me from the pigs I want, this is so hard, they must not want people to adopt pigs. Don't mention it: This pig is impossible to groom and he's gross. That's what I get for getting rescue animals, they're all broken, difficult, blah blah, they lied to me.
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Nov 6, 2012 17:21
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Fair enough. From the wording I'm almost thinking that there's something with the pigs beyond just the need to brush one every time I pick it up. I'm not against going with another set (or making a set if two somehow get along extraordinarily well), but look at these guys. Now that I think about it, actually, this was only one of the pairs I suggested. Looking at their site it looks like all of the others are gone. I'll send a follow-up email trying to clarify this. He apparently really, really hates being brushed and squeals and squeals. I was hoping for an already bonded pair since they will be coming together, but I'm asking how the other pigs do with each other. edit: VVV Yeh, those are all things I assumed would be a problem. If they can get me a pair who will be friends for life, that's fine. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Nov 6, 2012 |
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Nov 6, 2012 19:49
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It's not just brushing. A pig with fur as long as Woolsey seems to have tends to get the edges very wet with urine, or bits of hay knotted in. They need more frequent baths, as well as frequent trims to keep the hair short enough that it doesn't drag on the ground/get peed on. This may not be trivial - I've cut a pig's skin during a haircut before, and he wasn't even flailing that much. The fur can knot into a mat in a fairly short period of time (a couple days) which then has to be shaved off at skin level, and is even better when it knots around a poop... I would NEVER willingly take in another long haired pig. Take from that what you will, but I would absolutely pick another pair if it were me.
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Nov 6, 2012 20:17
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i had a long-haired pig a lot time ago, we got her when she was a baby so we thought she was short haired then the hair kept growing till it was about 6 inches long all over. Her hair always got super matted in the back and after a while we just kept her hair trimmed to a more manageable length. It's not like we were going to show her or anything and she seemed to appreciate the shorter hair, especially in the summer. If he's a squirmy pig then obviously getting scissors next to him would be a very bad idea, but my pig was very docile and generally gave no shits about anything and would happily take a nap in our laps while we hacked away at her hair.
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Nov 7, 2012 02:25
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It also sounds from the description like they may be ultra skittish given their background. I had some nearly ferals like that that just absolutely sucked. They'd thrash the entire time you held them and were incredibly easy to drop. I lived in fear I'd break one of their dumb legs.
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Nov 7, 2012 02:32
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Hey small animal thread? Is nature's miracle safe to use to clean up a mouse aquarium or should I stick with water?
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Nov 8, 2012 23:44
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I use enzymatic cleaner to clean my mice and rat cages and have had no problems.  It gets rid of the smell of male mice better than anything else.
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Nov 8, 2012 23:48
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I just wanted to post a warning about those of you who keep mice or rats in terrarium / vivarium / aquarium type setups - I bought a sneezy mouse from a petshop where she was kept in a glass enclosure, however after a few weeks with me she was still sneezing and coughing and 'clucking'. I brought her to a vet who gave her a course of Baytril and Metacam, and she cleared up. So I put her in with my other recently-adopted mouse Minnie. They both began sneezing and clucking, so off to the vet again. After some examination, the vet said they were very congested, and asked was I keeping them in an aquarium. Turns out if your mouse is prone to chest problems, these types of enclosures make the problem much much worse, due to ammonia and dust building up and air not being able to circulate to the bottom of the enclosure correctly. For proper air circulation, cages are best. And if one of your mice is prone to it, by the time they're in full blown snot-mode, the rest of the mice will catch it too. I'm guessing this might not be as much of an issue if you're getting quality mice from good breeders, but the ammonia build up will still cause some probems. Other small furries aren't affected for some reason, just mice and rats. So we're on another course of Baytril and Metacam - Holly is cleared up (the carrier) but Minnie is still very congested so we're off to the vet again for another course  Of course, it's almost impossible to find a big cage with bars close enough together that my mice won't go asplorin', so in the meantime I'm cleaning out the cage every day, and leaving the lid off.
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Nov 12, 2012 22:17
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How often are you cleaning the tank, and what were you cleaning it with? How big is it? Ammonia build up is barely a thing for mice compared to rats. Mosttttt mice breeders use racks with tubs or tanks, and they don't really have issues. I never had a single issue with four fat breeder mice in a 3ft tank, and I don't have any issues now with my stinky boy in a Mini Duna cage.
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Nov 12, 2012 22:20
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Cleaning it bi-weekly, with warm water and a tiny bit of Beaphar Cage Clean, and spot cleaning it daily. It's 2 foot by 1.5 x 1.5, and has always only housed two female mice. The first two mice I had never had any problems with it at all, they were put to sleep due to tumours at just over two years old But since I got the slightly wheezy mouse, she's had issues. I'm going to guess that the vast majority of mice will be fine in this set up, and won't have issues, just if people do have wheezy mice that these type of enclosures aren't ideal. I'm sure if you're able to get healthy mice then they'll be fine, but mice don't seem to be a popular pet here really, any I've found in shops have been not great - Holly was very malnourished as well as wheezy, and she was the healthiest of the lot.
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Nov 12, 2012 22:47
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With a twice weekly cage clean in such an expansive space, there is no way that there is any ammonia build up there*. How long have you had the wheezy mouse? What substrate is she on? *I had four mice in a 3ft/1ft/1.5ft tank, and they were big girls. The only time it smelled even remotely was if I shoved my head right in, on cleaning day (once a week).
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Nov 13, 2012 00:47
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That actually reminds me - I once cared for a rat with an advanced URI and it had a very distinct, awful smell and really coarse fur. Can that translate to mice too?
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Nov 13, 2012 01:25
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Kuro didn't make it. He was pooping normally and putting on weight but this morning I found him flat on his stomach in the cage. Looked like he had just keeled over when eating, maybe heart failure? He drew his final breaths in my hands. I'm sorry your life was short and you didn't get to die fat. At least you got to live with your brother and didn't get fed to a snake when you got too old for the petting zoo. Death is inevitable but it might have been delayed in this case if I had a more experienced vet within reasonable distance that could have spotted any problems ahead of time. There's talk about one opening up nearby that will have expertise outside just cats and dogs.
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Nov 13, 2012 12:24
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Fraction posted:With a twice weekly cage clean in such an expansive space, there is no way that there is any ammonia build up there*. How long have you had the wheezy mouse? What substrate is she on? Sorry, to clear up, prior to the vet visit it was once weekly, but they would pee in the back corner (behind their sleeping area) so there may have been some fumes building up there. I've had the wheezy mouse six months, but she wasn't always in there as she was quarantined due to being wheezy. The substrate is kitchen towels, and Petlife Safebed shredded paper. Sorry, it was just what my vet warned me about, and since she's a small furry specialist vet I assumed she'd know more than me, I thought I'd share what she recommended
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Nov 13, 2012 18:40
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One thing I've always said, if you can't stand seeing a pet die horribly, don't get guinea pigs. We've had over a dozen of them over the years and not a single one has died peacefully except the first two. One pooped its intestines out somehow, one started screaming until it died with a rictus on its face, one got a sore on one foot that got infected because it kept literally sitting in where it just peed and after we had to amputate the leg it wouldn't stop chewing itself until it got another infection and died, one died while chewing on its cage bars so we had to pry its rigor mortis'd mouth open to get it off the cage, one was sitting in my sister's lap all happy and chewing a carrot when he suddenly had convulsions for ten minutes and died. Guinea pigs die real bad. Real bad.
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Nov 14, 2012 08:50
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Silverfish posted:Sorry, to clear up, prior to the vet visit it was once weekly, but they would pee in the back corner (behind their sleeping area) so there may have been some fumes building up there. I've had the wheezy mouse six months, but she wasn't always in there as she was quarantined due to being wheezy. I didn't mean to make you feel bad about sharing! If she's a specialist she undoubtedly knows more than me, too. It's just a weird thing
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Nov 14, 2012 08:58
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Heard back from the adoption site, they approved my application and the adoption day is Sunday. Gotta get the drat cage finished, I haven't figured out the top yet.
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Nov 14, 2012 16:58
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Saint Darwin posted:Heard back from the adoption site, they approved my application and the adoption day is Sunday. Gotta get the drat cage finished, I haven't figured out the top yet. Congrats! Which two are you getting, the same ones you wanted? You're doing a shelf cage, right? just lay two shelves butt to butt (the part that would go against the wall) with both lips facing down. Loosely zip tie in about 4 places. Set over the cage and flip one half backwards for access.  (my hosting)
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Nov 14, 2012 17:11
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I don't know which 2 I'm getting; the way they operate is that the pigs have to choose you, anyway. I just want 2 who will be best buddies for life so I'll have to see. Yeh, that's the kind of top I need to get, I get paid tomorrow and I shall hit up the home depot.
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Nov 14, 2012 17:20
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Captain Invictus posted:Guinea pigs die real bad. Real bad. It's like nature doesn't have an exit plan for them beyond getting eaten... Got some closure today as I made him a kick rear end funeral pyre at sundown down by the beach. Had a beer and watched the stars as the fire burnt out before putting the remaining bones and ashes in a small grave. I have to say that taking care of his remains in this way brought a nice sense of finality to everything. Guess putting a body in a grave or getting handed a box of ashes is more abstract. I miss the little bugger terribly though, more than any pet I've had before.
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Nov 15, 2012 00:47
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I guess I just got lucky with my piggies. I've had 5 pigs over the years and none died in a horrific fashion. Three died of old age at around 7-8, one died during neutering surgery because he had some sort of heart defect and the anesthesia killed him (or so the vet told us), and one died of a URI. All went peacefully with no blood/screaming/other nastiness.
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Nov 15, 2012 04:26
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One of the animals I'm watching over Thanksgiving is a little female guinea pig. She's very affectionate and sweet with her family, but she's wary of strangers. All I'm being asked to do is put hay and fresh water in her cage when I go over to check on the cats, but I'm wondering if there's anything I can offer her that would be an awesome bribe to show that I'm cool. Someone dumped her in the bushes at an apartment complex, poor thing. Is there a sure-fire guinea pig treat I can give her?
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Nov 15, 2012 04:54
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| # ? May 15, 2024 00:24 |
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RazorBunny posted:One of the animals I'm watching over Thanksgiving is a little female guinea pig. She's very affectionate and sweet with her family, but she's wary of strangers. All I'm being asked to do is put hay and fresh water in her cage when I go over to check on the cats, but I'm wondering if there's anything I can offer her that would be an awesome bribe to show that I'm cool. My pigs absolutely love little paper bags, lunch bag size or a bit bigger. Whenever I get one from ordering take-out I'll fold down the top so it won't collapse, fill it up with a little bit of hay and then stand it on end in the pig cage. My pigs love to knock it over, run in and outside of it, sleep inside of it, eat the hay and of course eat the bag. It gets pretty nasty after a day or so, but they have a lot of fun with it during that time.
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Nov 15, 2012 13:05
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