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Post by rarnold18 on Oct 27, 2010 16:41:38 GMT -5
Yeah, so today I was talked into bringing two cavy's home, they were about to be turned into the local animal control, the family was evicted and left them behind....joy! So tell me all about them, because I don't know anything!! How to tell age How to tell sex What type of food is better for them (they were being fed walmart brand rabbit food) Is there any type of bedding to avoid I know they eat veggies and have already had a couple carrots any I should avoid Do they need a salt/mineral lick or a block of wood to chew on
feel free to write a book, these guys are skinny and their nails are so long they are curling into their feet so all info is greatly appreciated!
Thanks Rose
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Post by Kerit on Oct 27, 2010 16:56:35 GMT -5
www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.htmlMy pig was almost nine when she passed away this year. I would love another, but my husband is hilariously (in my opinion, anyway) allergic to them, and we just don't have the space. When it comes to food, the right amount of fresh veggies is important. For pellets, Oxbow brand food is great... don't fall for the cereal-type kibbles like Kaytee Rainbow. And they need as much Timothy hay (not alfalfa) as they want. You can clip their nails. I wrapped my piggers up in a towel and had somebody else hold her while I clipped.
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Post by 1 on Oct 27, 2010 17:04:25 GMT -5
They are singing sweet hearts:) Clean their shelter often as it can realy stink, they love things like carroites spinich a...... ok, i don't remember, i don't even remember that guinys name any more, sorry.
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Post by littleweasels on Oct 27, 2010 22:26:04 GMT -5
Guinea lynx, guinea pig cages and cavy spirit are all great guinea pig websites. You need to get them a guinea pig food. Oxbow and kleenmama (online) are the best. Sweet meadow is also good. If you cannot find those Mazuri 5664 (I think thats the right kind) is acceptable. Assuming they are adults they need a timothy based pellets and a grass hay like timothy hay, orchard grass, oat, bluegrass and there are some others. They need at least 1 cup of veggies, per pig, every day. Heres a veggies chart. www.guineapigcages.com/forum/diet-nutrition/22156-read-me-guinea-pig-nutrition-charts-poisonous-plants-list.htmlGood daily staples are romaine, red leaf, green leaf, escarole, chicory, cilantro, zuchini and green, yellow or orange bell pepper. They should have a rotation of ther veggies. Dont use cedar or air dried pine bedding. Aspen, kiln dried pine, carefresh, fleece and some other are safe. I use fleece and I LOVE it. Do not give them a salt or mineral lick. They do not need them and will cause problems over time. They do not NEED wood or anything to chew on. Hay keeps their teeth trim but they do like to chew on things. My pigs like cardboard boxes and apple tree twigs. Heres how I clip my pigs nails. www.guinealynx.info/nails.htmlHere's how to sex them. www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htmIf they are a male and female obvoiusly you need to separate them immediately. How much do they weigh and are they male or female. I can help you determine how old they are by how much they weigh. My female pigs weigh between 35-45oz. How big is their cage? Guinea pigs need big cages to get exercise and if they have a small cage you need to give them floor time every day. If you plan on keeping them you will need a big cage, at least 7.5 square feet. C&C cages are the best. Do not use wheels, exersice balls or harnesses/leashes. They injure guinea pigs backs and feet. I think I covered everything. They also need a place to hide and again assuming they are adults they only need 1/8 cup of pellets, per pig. I just noticed you said they were skinny. In that case you can feed them unlimited pellets.
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Post by rarnold18 on Oct 28, 2010 7:22:36 GMT -5
Can cavies be litter box trained? It looks like they are both female, one is white with light brown spots and her fur is super silky, the other is calico I guess...but her fur is awfuly coarse, is this because of the food they were being fed or should I be looking deeper at maybe a parasite? I've given her a good look over but haven't seen anything out of the ordinary no scaly skin or flakes, no red spots or signs of irratation. I have alfalfa cubes on hand (no binders, just plain old alfalfa) for mil's rabbits can I give them those? They seem to be terrifie right now, we reach in and they complain or at least I think it's complaining compared to the clip I heard last night... they've been really quiet and hide in the corner of the cage, and only move around if I reach in to pet them or pick them up. I'm sure they're pretty traumatized, when I went to the apartment to get them, they were being kept in a closet, in a cage, and by the looks of it they were kept in there normally...their cage was filthy as was the closet they were being kept in. I wasn't allowed to take the cage with me, only the piggies, a bag of clean bedding and a bag of rabbit food... I've already trashed the rabbit food because lord knows what was living in that bag, and the bag of bedding is being kept outside for the same reason,... I DON'T do bugs (I know Florida is the wrong state for me in that respect!) I did read the bag and it is kiln dried pine is that ok? I have made them a little tent in the corner of the cage with a square of fleece so they have a place to hide. Right now the cage they are in is small, I know that, and they do need a bigger cage, but that will have to come in the next month or so, unfortunatly... so how long to I wait for them to be comfortable with us so I can let them down on the floor for some exersice? As I said they seem terrified, and I feel horrible for them, but know that even though they are in a smaller cage that they are used to, that their bedding is clean, they have clean water, and they are getting appropriate food and veggies....
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Post by littleweasels on Oct 28, 2010 14:25:19 GMT -5
I forgot to say, thank you for taking them. Since her fur is rough and theres no skin irritation or flaky skin she probably has scurvy. Guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin c and she was probably not given veggies and was given rabbit pellets which have no extra vitamin c. Give her, and the other pig, 1/8 of a green bell pepper every day, along with other veggies, to make sure they get enough vitamin c. This talkes about scurvy. www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.htmlPigs can be somewhat litter trained. My pigs will pee about 85% of the time in their litter pan but they rarely poo in it. Put their hay in the litter pan to encourage them to use it. They like to eat and do their buisness at the same time. They also like to pee and poo in their hiding spots. For now you can give them alfalfa cubes. If they are adults they need a grass hay. They need a loose hay. Cubed hay does not grind their molars very well. Kild dried pine is safe to use. Guinea pigs are prey animals so they are scared of everything and will run when you take them out. Out of my 5 pigs, 2 of them will let me pick them up. I have had 3 of them for 2 years and the other 2 for a year. It takes time for them to warm up to you. They probably are traumatized right now which doesnt help. Since they are traumatized give them a few days to get used to their new home before floor time. They are probably happy to be in a clean cage with water and food. You should bring them to a cavy savy vet. They were kept in deplorable conditions and it sounds like one pig has scurvy. They should have a check up.
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Post by rarnold18 on Oct 28, 2010 17:05:33 GMT -5
"cavy savy" lol! I love the way that sounds! We're working on getting them to a vet, it may take a couple weeks unfortunatly....everything seems to go wrong at once you know? I really wasn't expecting to add piggies to my "Ark" especially when I just rescued yet another ferret, Gypsy, from Animal Control...she's not in the greatest of shape, super skinny and her coat is dry, brittle and coarse too... Can cavy's eat citrus fruits? My sister has an orange and a lime tree in her yard and well they're free! Either way I'll be headed to the grocery store tonight to get some veggies...do they eat spinich?
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Post by littleweasels on Oct 28, 2010 18:27:04 GMT -5
Fruits should be limited to 1-2 times a week. Oranges and other citrus fruits can cause sores around their mouths so only feed a small slice. I dont feed my pigs spinach. You can but only a few leaves per pig once a week. Its very high in vitamin a and oxalates. I dont know if they can eat limes. I have never heard of anyone feeding them to their pigs. I would just not feed them. And I know what you mean when you say everything goes wrong at once. If you give them plenty of veggies including green bell peppers every day, if they are eating, drinking, pooping normally they should be fine for a couple of weeks.
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Post by rarnold18 on Oct 28, 2010 19:32:25 GMT -5
I have some peppers on hand for a new receipe that I want to try so I cut one up and gave the girls a slice each... "tribble" ate hers right away but "callie" wasn't too intrested and she's the one that needs it the most as it's her hair that's coarse... I got their nails trimmed down a bit, Callie's were so long that they curled, Tribble's weren't too bad. They are both loving the carrots that I gave them so they are eating really good, the poo is there too..so much that I'll be cleaning their cage tomorrow...they are pooping up a storm! ( Their water intake is good too and since yesterday they'e gone through 1/4-1/2 of the water bottle I gave them. I'm thinking that a good balanced diet will do wonders for Callie.
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Post by Kerit on Oct 28, 2010 20:01:28 GMT -5
Lemons and limes should be okay in small doses. Just the fruit though, no rind. They definitely need the Vitamin C.
My pig had no interest in litter training. Her hay rack and water bottle were hung right next to each other, and she spent most of her time sitting underneath them. So, we put a corner litter box there, and just changed that out more often than the rest of the cage. And yes, they are poop machines...
They tend to startle easily, as you've noticed, so try not to swoop down and pick them up from above. Try to scoop underneath them with both hands. Avoid touching their hind end... they take that as a threat. Mine loved to be rubbed on her nose and ears and chin, which is a friendly gesture.
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Post by littleweasels on Oct 28, 2010 20:10:13 GMT -5
lol they do poop A LOT. Keep offering bell pepper and other veggies. She will eventually eat them and start to love them. You can also give her oxbow vitamin c tablets for a while to make sure she gets enough vitamin c. Guinea pigs need 10-30 mg of vitamin c daily but Callie should be getting more since she probably has scurvy.
Lemons and limes are on the guinea lynx chart. Green bell peppers have more vitamin c them lemons and limes. Red bell peppers have twice the amount of vitamin c then green bell peppers. Red peppers are higher in sugar and should only be fed 3-4 times a week.
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Post by rarnold18 on Oct 28, 2010 22:18:19 GMT -5
cool beans! I really appreciate ya'll helping me out with this. They have a furever home here and will be loved and taken care of properly... All of my furbabies get the best that I can afford, hence the dogs and ferret get raw and the stubborn nonwanting to switch cats get fed Acana Prarie.... It's kinda weird to have prey animals in the house though... Tribble and Callie must sense it and have got to be terrified! I caught Sh1tty kitty sitting on thier cage today and quickly removed him...poor little fur balls. Callie is calico colored ( I know really original) and Tribble...well my Dad is a trekkie and I've always loved the original "trouble with tribbles" episode and she makes a weird purring noise just like the tribbles on Star Trek! I just checked in on them and the green peppers are now gone, I never made it to the grocery store but I have a pretty good stock pile of fresh veggies in the fridge. I guess it will be trial and error to see what they like the best... Can they get 2 or 3 main veggies daily and then different ones once or twice a week, ya know the balance over time or do they need a definite variety daily...like a piggie salad daily? I'll weigh them tomorrow, I'll have the scale out to weigh Gypsy too, that way I'll be able to get a good idea of exactly what mg's they both need of everything they need.
I admit that I was and still am pretty unprepared for these two, but I'm doing research (that I know should of been done before taking them but they were very unexpected) and I will do my best to do right by them, and really really appreciate all the help, tips and hints ya'll are giving me! Thank-you so much!!!
Rose
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Post by littleweasels on Oct 28, 2010 23:42:17 GMT -5
They need 3-4 daily staples and at least 3-5 rotating veggies. I feed my pigs 3 lettuces every day. They usually get romaine, butter lettuce, red leaf, green leaf, escarole and chicory. They get colantro and green bell pepper every day and 2 other veggies every day like broccoli, green beans, carrots, podded peas, tomatoes, yams and squash. Hope that makes sense. The more variety the better.
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Post by rarnold18 on Oct 29, 2010 11:51:30 GMT -5
Yes it does, just like our raw eating fuzz the more variety the better! Thanks a bunch, they seem to be enjoying the veggies that they have gotten...do they eat potatoes?
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Post by littleweasels on Oct 29, 2010 12:13:58 GMT -5
As far as I know, potatoes are toxic. Sweet potatoes can be fed a couple times a month.
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