any guinea pig money saving tips?

Wol2

Hello - welcome to the wonderful world of piggies..they really are on of the best pets you can get...but contrary to popular belief...they need a lot of attention if they are to live to a ripe old age of 6-8 years.

I currently have 11 and have had piggies for many many years...

First..please make sure you have identified a piggie-savvy vet...they are few and far between. If you PM me the area where you live, i will find the nearest one for you

The two main reference sites are:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/index.php
http://www.guinealynx.info/

Please spend a lot of time on these sites as they are invaluable especially in view of the lack of piggie-vet specialists.

FOOD: You need to be aware of the Ca:Phosporous ratio of foods you give them and how much Vit c they have. I feed my pigs on dried food and veggies and they still get Vit C deficiency every winter unless I supplement with standard chewable Vit C tables ground in water to give them each 50mg per day for a few weeks during winter as a booster.

Cage litter: I personally put wood shavings on the bottom of the cage, (cedar = no, rest = [poss OK) then newspaper, then BARLEY straw - this is soft unlike the normal straw bales. Then I add MEADOW hay for them to eat. Never had probs from this formula.
However, I recently tried megasorb and it is brilliant from my point of view - BUT...many of my piggies have started getting respiratory problems so we are now back on the wood shavings (dust-extracted)

Always get your hay/straw from a reputable provider. Make sure it is not damp when you put it in the cage.

Veggie Food: Touche.....I have never had a piggie eat peppers...unfortunately mine like spinach best (which has the wrong Ca:PO4 ratio for them). The purpose of veggies is to give them the supplemental Vit C they require (which isn;t present in the dried food as it ages) and the fibre to keep their guts moving .. Piggies need to eat continously (to keep their guts moving) and they can get this roughage from the hay. Hay is the most important food stuff you can give them after the dried food (provided that you suplement Vit c). Veggies provide variety and extra vitamins - carrots, spring greens, corn, celery, apples, romaine lettuce, kale, cabbage, spinach, french parsley, english parsley, ...and most importantly...wild dandelions picked far away from a road...and long fresh grass...
Piggies are terribly fussy...one pig's treat is another pig's worst nightmare!!

OK here endeth the first epistle..;)...I can comment on pairings and introductions...and most diseases problems...( I am a microbiologist) .. please PM me if you have any questions...or need further info...


Once again..welcome to the wonderful world of piggies..

xx

amy104

I agree - piggies can be incredibly fussy. Mine love yellow pepper, as do all my buns, but that doesn't go for all piggies. Brocolli and Kale are quite high for vit c but they do also contain alot of calcuim which you need to watch out for. You could try something like rommaine lettuce (NEVER feed Iceburg) as that is about middle range for both. I have never had a vit c defficiency with any of my piggies but if you do ever need to suppliment them it should be noted vit c should never be added to water - asorbic acid degrades rapidly once added to water so you will lose the effect.

pug_in_a_bed

anyone had any success with a litter tray arrangement with pigs?

am thinking of getting one of those high sided corner trays, as with three pigs who do everything at the end of the cage where they sleep, that's a lot of wet and damp, so am changing that ends bedding every day as obviously I dont want them sleeping in a damp smelly area:rolleyes:

amy104

I use litter trays in all my hutches. The rabbits are brilliant and only ever use their trays, the Guinea Pigs haven't quite got the hang of it yet.

pug_in_a_bed

did you make of buy them, if so what kind do you use?

snowman2_2

I have never heard of a litter trained G-Pig but good luck!!

pug_in_a_bed

well ill have a go anyway! they sit with me on the couch in the evening and you can always tell when they need a whizz so if i can time it right and get them in the tray then they may catch on.
fingers crossed!

Sweetcorn-Teeth

i heard that if you put there droppings in the litter tray/area it will encourage them to go there

top_drawer_2

hi,

I believe the time may have come that I have to give my two a manicure! They're nails seem quite long especially the hind legs. I enquired awhile ago into a vet doing it and it was £12 each!! I can't really afford that, afterall it will need doing again in a few weeks and it takes literally a minute!

I have seen that Wilko's sell nail clippers suitable for small animals but I am a little wary of doing it, has anyone any advice? How will I go about keeping them still??

Thanks

Jen

Fire_Fox

The vet nurse can clip nails cheaper than the vet themselves, get them to show you how to hold them and how far to cut. If you cut too short you can cut into the living part of the nail which is painful. Perhaps just pay to have one piggie done and then do the other yourself?