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you need to break the spring in there, it's too powerful for their little tongues to push back.
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Feb 6, 2010 05:36
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Blacknose posted:I've watched them spend ages failing to get any water out of it. It has a really weird design which doesn't use a ball but rather a small rod that pushes in and I guess they've just never seen one before. I tried one of these and even my full grown bunnies couldn't figure it out. I returned it the next day and picked up the traditional ball release bottles. Bear still can't figure it out and instead uses a bowl. 
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Feb 7, 2010 02:17
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I recommend petco brand water bottles, they're quite fantastic. :3
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Feb 7, 2010 03:26
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Our pigs probably had running water at the zoo and couldn't figure out how to use ball release water bottles. Turns out they just needed a bit of extra motivation. We filled up the bottles with half water and half tomato juice, the natural kind with no extra salt or sugar. EDIT:It was of course quickly but gradually phased out until there was nothing but pure water in the bottles. cat with hands fucked around with this message at 12:39 on Feb 7, 2010 |
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Feb 7, 2010 12:34
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 CP is the best football fan ever. 
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Feb 8, 2010 03:53
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Gotta stop reading this thread. The boyfriend is never going to let me get a hamster but you guys are making me want one so bad. 
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Feb 8, 2010 17:03
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For some reason it's been a ridiculously hard time trying to find a pair of decent Russian dwarfs. They've either been too old, treated badly, wrong coat, or plain wrong breed. They're supposed to be the most common of the drawfs! 
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Feb 9, 2010 19:00
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Megalodon posted:Gotta stop reading this thread. The boyfriend is never going to let me get a hamster but you guys are making me want one so bad. What's wrong with hammies? They're so easy to take care of!
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Feb 9, 2010 20:10
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I may have convinced a currently pet-less acquaintance to enter the Cult of the Cavy. She MIGHT be interested in adopting Rocco. This would be perfect, as I would be able to fuss over him and buy him vegetables and design his C&C cage and make sure he's being taken care of and visit him, but I wouldn't have to keep him safe from my various predators or make sure that he has space even if we have to move to NYC in a year and a half. Even if she wouldn't completely spoil the gently caress out of him like I would, I feel like with my meddling, she could be in the top 10-15% of guinea pig owners. (if guinea pig owners are anything like ferret owners, I know that's not saying much, but still)
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Feb 10, 2010 03:47
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maplecheese posted:I may have convinced a currently pet-less acquaintance to enter the Cult of the Cavy. She MIGHT be interested in adopting Rocco. This would be perfect, as I would be able to fuss over him and buy him vegetables and design his C&C cage and make sure he's being taken care of and visit him, but I wouldn't have to keep him safe from my various predators or make sure that he has space even if we have to move to NYC in a year and a half. Even if she wouldn't completely spoil the gently caress out of him like I would, I feel like with my meddling, she could be in the top 10-15% of guinea pig owners. (if guinea pig owners are anything like ferret owners, I know that's not saying much, but still) If you're talking C&C cages, she's already ahead of the game by a considerable margin. Most guinea pigs spend their lives in godawful pet-store cages and never have any real freedom to move around. Good on you.
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Feb 10, 2010 08:28
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kazmeyer posted:If you're talking C&C cages, she's already ahead of the game by a considerable margin. Most guinea pigs spend their lives in godawful pet-store cages and never have any real freedom to move around. Good on you. Is there any way to active pigs? Mine doesn't seem interested in getting any exercise despite having plenty of space.
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Feb 10, 2010 10:15
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cat with hands posted:Is there any way to active pigs? Mine doesn't seem interested in getting any exercise despite having plenty of space. Well, pigs are usually most active when they're young, but I've had even 5 year old sows start a stampede now and again. The best thing you can do to encourage exercise is give them as unobstructed a track as possible around the outside of the cage. This will encourage them to run laps, which they'll do at odd hours and whenever they get the notion. Another good exercise is floor time, if you can block off a section of a room and let them just explore around, they'll get plenty of exercise checking out all the unfamiliar terrain. They also might pee on your carpet, so be prepared to deal with that. And the more pigs you have, the more exercise they'll get, just from interacting with each other. But occasionally one will just randomly feel the need for speed, and that will sometimes set the others off. There's few sights funnier than five guinea pigs, all lined up nose to tail, trotting around the living room until one gets spooked and they scatter like a bunch of neighborhood kids that just broke a window at the creepiest house on the block.
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Feb 10, 2010 11:22
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kazmeyer posted:Well, pigs are usually most active when they're young, but I've had even 5 year old sows start a stampede now and again. The best thing you can do to encourage exercise is give them as unobstructed a track as possible around the outside of the cage. This will encourage them to run laps, which they'll do at odd hours and whenever they get the notion. Plenty of floor time, but they tend to just hang around the cage anyway. Maybe they're just lazy because of the cold.
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Feb 10, 2010 15:17
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I've found that just about any animal will come running at the sound of the treat bag
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Feb 10, 2010 17:14
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cat with hands posted:Plenty of floor time, but they tend to just hang around the cage anyway. Maybe they're just lazy because of the cold. That could kind of be a factor, guinea pigs like it in the 65-75 degree range, and I noticed the few times I managed to let the thermostat slip a few degrees below that they really didn't want to do anything but huddle in their pigloos and not move.
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Feb 10, 2010 22:24
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kazmeyer posted:That could kind of be a factor, guinea pigs like it in the 65-75 degree range, and I noticed the few times I managed to let the thermostat slip a few degrees below that they really didn't want to do anything but huddle in their pigloos and not move. That might be it then, it's about 16 celcius inside right now.
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Feb 10, 2010 22:40
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Well, it's been an interesting day. I brought my camera in to the SPCA to take better pictures of Rocco. Unfortunately, when I went into the other room to check on the rats, a guy who - according to security camera footage - had been wandering around checking the place out for a while apparently managed to find where I'd hidden it, stuff it into his jacket pocket, and leave. I really, really hate humans sometimes. BUT. Just as I was getting ready to storm off home, miserable, a family came in to see Rocco. They'd been interested in getting a pair of guinea pigs that was already bonded, but their daughter just fell in love with Rocco's PetFinder profile... and then when they came in, he was the only one left unadopted! Apparently they'd been coming in and out for quite a while, while I was reviewing security camera footage, in order to see if he was willing to come out of his hide so they could see him. They didn't have vegetables, though, so he didn't... but then I showed up, and I took him out of the cage so they could see him, and let the kids touch him after they'd sanitized their hands. And let them feed him the dill that I brought. The parents and I talked for a long time about guinea pig stuff. They seemed to have REALLY done their research. They were already planning to build him a big C&C cage BEFORE I even mentioned anything. They haven't owned guinea pigs before, but one of the daughter's friends has some, so they're familiar with what's required for their care and housing. We discussed where to get cubes and coroplast locally, which herbs and vegetables Rocco likes best, the advantages of different substrates, the best vet/source for good pellets and hay... everything. I am 99.9% sure that they will adopt him. And while I'm kind of sad that he's not being adopted by a friend who'll let me visit all the time, I also feel like this family is going to be his forever home, and will be able to put more time and effort and money into his care than almost ANYBODY who could possibly have taken him. So here, taken by the cell phone camera that is now my ONLY camera, is a picture of the very lucky Rocco with the adorable little girl that's almost certainly going to be feeding him veggies very soon. 
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Feb 12, 2010 02:32
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We just added a second story to our Guinea Pig cage, and we want to keep the hay and water up there. They seem to be unfamiliar with the idea of a ramp. Why wouldn't they be? We put them up top, and they stay there, we show them the ramp, we kind of drag them up and down it, but they only ever stay on whatever story we leave them. Any ideas on how to make them understand they can come and go from the second story as they please?
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Feb 12, 2010 04:07
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End of Life Guy posted:We just added a second story to our Guinea Pig cage, and we want to keep the hay and water up there. They seem to be unfamiliar with the idea of a ramp. Why wouldn't they be? I have a two-story cage. Put some carrots or other foods on the ramp and coax them up it. It will take them a little while but they will figure it out. I would make sure they have access to water on the first floor as well while they are getting used to it though.
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Feb 12, 2010 04:33
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Maplecheese, that sounds great. Pretty much the mention of C&C seals the deal - if anyone's done that much research, especially on their own without being evangelized at, they're going to be a decent home. As for ramps - what's it made out of and how steep is it? It's easy to forget that a vertical distance of just over a foot is like two stories to a guinea pig; they might be freaked out if they don't feel safe enough on the ramp to use it. The ones made out of bent grids that have their own little railing seem to be the most successful, and make sure the slope's as gradual as possible.
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Feb 12, 2010 07:07
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We tried the bath trick with Milo and Jasper today; we gave them each a bath, then plopped them down near each other, still wet. We then kinda nudged them near each other but still kept them on opposite sides of the room, and then tried to distract them with some food. They were distracted for a bit, but pretty soon Milo noticed Jasper and started running at him. They got close and started teeth chattering like crazy. I was more prepared this time, and as soon as Milo lunged for Jasper, I dropped my hand quickly before they could make contact. It was a good thing I was wearing a thick glove, because in his guinea rage Milo took a bite at my hand pretty hard. We really like Milo and would love for these piggies to get along... is there any hope at this point or is it time to move on? I suppose next we may try to adopt a young male guinea pig and see if Jasper takes to him a bit better. I've heard the age difference can be helpful in these situations. I'm also considering getting him neutered so we can get him a female friend, but I'm pretty reluctant to do so.
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Feb 15, 2010 03:05
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Well, there is one more technique I've heard used, but it's kind of extreme. I don't advise it, I'm just posting it out of historical interest. One of the rescuers in Atlanta was stuck with a situation. She had two sows who absolutely had to live with each other, because everyone else had bonded and she didn't have any space. She tried everything she could think of, but they just wouldn't get along. So finally she took them into the bathroom and plopped them down in the tub. At the first sign of fighting, she flipped the shower on, started flailing her hands around and gibbering like a madwoman. The pigs freaked out, forgot about the fight, and just cowered. She shut everything down and watched them. More aggression, more water, more noise. After a while, they stopped chattering at each other. Primarily because they were huddled at the far end of the tub, giving her the stinkeye. They bonded together - against her. Neither one of them ever really took to her or enjoyed being handled from that point forward, but they lived together in harmony. Have you seen what they do if they can see each other but not get at each other? Put them on either side of a divider, perhaps, and see if they settle down, show interest, or try to kamikaze through the bars. How many introductions have you tried, and how much time have they spent in each other's presence? I don't think you're SOL just yet, but the fact that they keep going at each other is kind of worrisome.
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Feb 15, 2010 03:50
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kazmeyer posted:Have you seen what they do if they can see each other but not get at each other? Put them on either side of a divider, perhaps, and see if they settle down, show interest, or try to kamikaze through the bars. How many introductions have you tried, and how much time have they spent in each other's presence? I don't think you're SOL just yet, but the fact that they keep going at each other is kind of worrisome.
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Feb 15, 2010 04:25
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Imaduck posted:We moved their cages next to each other a few hours ago. At first, they were a bit agitated, but once they realized they couldn't reach each other, they just ignored it. If I go to grab one however, and he sees the other, they'll start the teeth chattering all over again. At this point, Milo (the new pig) seems to be the aggressive one. I'm thinking maybe try this for a few more days, and then one more meeting perhaps. Any suggestions are highly appreciated. Definitely give this a shot. If they spend more time being able to see, hear and smell each other without being able to go at it, they might get used to each other's presence enough to make integration a possibility. Maybe try shaking the veggie bag to get them out, agitated, and in sight of one another but focused on something else, and observe how they behave. You might also try swapping bits of cage furniture between the two cages, to sort of let them get used to the other's smell. Hang in there, I really hope you can still pull this one off. 
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Feb 15, 2010 05:02
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Finally got two Russian dwarfs, both guys. They're adorable They don't seem to be running too much on the wheel though. One of them is quite fat so it seemed like he couldn't fit on the small 4.5" silent wheel, but after getting a bigger 5.5" which should fit either of them they still don't show too much interest in running. Is there anything that I can do to induce them to exercise?
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Feb 15, 2010 05:39
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Lumi posted:Finally got two Russian dwarfs, both guys. They're adorable Jack poo poo. They'll figure it out on their own if they want to, if not, they'll be fat. You can get a small ball (get a 4 inch, the fives will be too big for them to move) and see if they will run in that.
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Feb 15, 2010 05:56
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I love guinea pigs and hamsters and all, but this thread needs more chinchillas. This is my baby, Loki-- he's about 4 months old and we've had him for a month. Loki is a mosaic chinchilla that we got from a breeder.  This is my favorite picture of Apollo enjoying a Christmas wreathe. Apollo is also a mosaic. We rescued him from some crazy lady on Craigslist. He's mostly very gentle and calm, but HATES to be held, and can get bitey. We had gotten Loki to be a friend for Apollo but so far they haven't been getting along. I think the main problem stems from Apollo thinking Loki is a coy female, and Loki not much liking being mistaken for a woman.  Our original chinchilla, Hermes, being a dust ball. I'm not really sure there's anything cuter than watching a chin take a dust bath. This darkish grey is the standard color that most chinchillas are if they aren't mutants like my others. Hermes died very unfortunately a few months after we had him (complications from a surgery to remove a bladder stone). I've had birds and gerbils and a guinea pig, but I don't think I've ever been so crushed by the death of a pet before this. Chinchillas are great little friends that learn your schedule and are there to greet you when you toddle out of bed or come home from work in the evening. Most crave socialization. They have a vivid curiosity and get up to some hilarious antics. Someone said on the first page that chinchillas seem aloof, but that is probably because they saw them in the day when they were sleepy (not to mention the ones in most pet stores are probably bored out of their minds). My Loki is a blur of activity and gets into everything when we let him out of his cage for his daily playtime. I'm no chinchilla expert by any means, having only been an owner for about 6 months, however I've done a lot of research and am more than happy to answer any questions people might have.
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Feb 17, 2010 06:06
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Slight update on the Milo / Jasper introductions: We put there cages next to each other last week. We also switched their pigloos and other things back and forth between the cages throughout the week so they'd get used to each other's smells. Now when we pick them up and they see the other's cage, they don't start getting to feisty. Last night we took them to the living room and placed them near each other. They didn't immediately run at one another and start fighting, so that was an improvement. We were able to distract them with food as well, which we weren't able to do before, so that's good. Eventually, when they got close enough, they started chattering at each other nonstop. I went ahead and got a little water spray bottle and sprayed them when they started chattering, which seemed to work in that they instantly became more mad at the bottle than at the other pig. They still seem a bit aggressive towards each other, and after what happened the first time, I'm trying to be pretty cautious. I figure hostilities may improve after a few more sessions like this, so we'll see what happens.
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Feb 22, 2010 19:37
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Any tips/tricks for trimming guinea pig nails? I've only ever done it on an 80lb dog before who wouldn't fight too much. I don't seem to have enough hands to do everything needed with these guys.
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Feb 23, 2010 23:00
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Blackmage Yapo posted:Any tips/tricks for trimming guinea pig nails? I've only ever done it on an 80lb dog before who wouldn't fight too much. I don't seem to have enough hands to do everything needed with these guys. Bribe them with carrots. Then when they are munching you launch a sneak attack. That will work for about two or three toes and then they will wise up.
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Feb 23, 2010 23:07
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Sirotan posted:Bribe them with carrots. Then when they are munching you launch a sneak attack. And scream like you are murdering them.
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Feb 23, 2010 23:48
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Serella posted:And scream like you are murdering them. It's hilarious.
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Feb 24, 2010 00:50
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More chinchilla love (and hate ) My Girlfriend and I are having an issue. See we got Pompeii, the little baby, the Christmas before last (he's a few months over a year). Then last november-ish a very good friends ex girlfriend moved to L.A. and couldn't take her Chinchilla, so we read and apparently given some time two Chinchillas who weren't raised together could get along, especially if they're female and male. So we adopted the older female, she's about a year older than pompeii. We've been trying to get them to be friends, so we can get them the hell out of these pre-made cages and I can build them a super loving sweet cage that they can share. So we let them out at least once a week to hang out and run around our living room, but she always shows some aggression. She'll jump on pompeii and bite tufts of hair out. At first they would sniff each other then jump away quickly, we figured they just needed to get used to each other, but then she started biting him...It's been about 4 months now and we can't get them to warm up to each other. Pompeii is sweet and nice, he's a cute little baby, but Ava (the older female, we didn't get to name her) is only sweet and nice to my girlfriend and I, and rarely if ever pompeii. Obligatory pictures: Ava playing on our snowboards  Ava checking out Pompeii's cage during play time  Pompeii   I really need to get these two Chinchillas in love, so I can build them ONE sweet rear end cage to live in. I only planned on using these 'starter cages' for a little while, as Ava is a little too big for it (for my liking anyway), and Pompeii is getting there...
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Feb 24, 2010 03:11
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Spaying her will reduce any hormonal driven aggression/territoriality. But you need to find a REALLY good vet. Is Pompeii neutered?
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Feb 24, 2010 15:41
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Neither of them have been spayed/neutered. Well we're not 100% on Ava, but knowing her previous owner she hasn't been. She has also sprayed urine at Pompeii on two known occasions.
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Feb 24, 2010 16:40
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Blackmage Yapo posted:Any tips/tricks for trimming guinea pig nails? I've only ever done it on an 80lb dog before who wouldn't fight too much. I don't seem to have enough hands to do everything needed with these guys. If you've got an extra pair of hands around, press them into service. Otherwise, I find that a nice strong grip on the body and lifting them to get at the toes but not actually picking them up off the surface helps - they tend to feel more secure if their back feet are still in contact with the ground. Don't pull on their feet, and don't hold their limbs too tightly, as they can dislocate something if they freak out; I place my left hand underneath the belly and kind of guide each leg that I'm working on through my fingers. Most of all, be patient. You'll eventually learn to read when your pig's going to freak out on you, but until then go slow. 90% of the time, overclips are caused by the pig trying to get away at the wrong moment. If you do draw blood, styptic powder or flour will stop the bleeding. Take it slow, try to avoid cutting too short, and offer veggies immediately afterward. The more pain-free sessions they have followed by snacks, the less they'll loathe toenail time. They'll probably never like it, to be honest, but it should make things easier in future. Oh - and when you're first starting out you might want to wear a glove on that hand. Most of the bites I've endured have come as a result of bad toenail sessions.
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Feb 25, 2010 08:47
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Woe is me. I have cubes, I have coroplast, I have Carefress. I just can't find any Guinea Pigs for adoption. The local SPCA had some, but they got snapped up pretty fast. Anyone know of small animal rescues in Saskatchewan, Canada? The only Canadian pigs that show up on Petfinder are in BC. They are super cute, but not within feasible acquisition distance. I'll keep waiting for the time I can feed parsley and bell peppers to some mini house buffalo. 
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Feb 28, 2010 02:09
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Maybe try posting that you're looking for pigs on GuineaLynx? They have an entire forum devoted to cavy placement, and if there's any bunch of people who are expert at getting homeless pigs into homes it's them. Back in 2002, a breeder in Hollister, California got shut down, and there were something like 140 horribly abused pigs that needed homes. They ended up renting an RV and organizing a cross-country piggy train, adopting them out to people in at least a dozen different states. If they see you've done your homework and are willing to give a good home to pigs in need, they'll bust rear end to find you some pigs, believe me.
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Feb 28, 2010 06:55
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kazmeyer posted:They ended up renting an RV and organizing a cross-country piggy train, adopting them out to people in at least a dozen different states. This is the most thing I've ever heard in my life.
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Feb 28, 2010 18:49
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RizieN posted:I really need to get these two Chinchillas in love, so I can build them ONE sweet rear end cage to live in. I only planned on using these 'starter cages' for a little while, as Ava is a little too big for it (for my liking anyway), and Pompeii is getting there... My chins, Apollo and Loki, aren't getting along either (they are both male) Also, spaying or neutering small rodents is *extremely* risky, and surgery is not something I am eager to do after the tragedy with Hermes :/ Funnily enough I have that exact same cage as you do, and was holding out the same hope that I could get them into one nice big Ferret Nation cage or something similar. Still haven't given up, but we are going to give them a break from introductions and try a different approach in a couple of weeks.
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Mar 1, 2010 06:59
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