Other living arraingments

[booogirl]

HI, I'm a newbie so if I sound weird, please forgive.

We adopted a piggie from a lady with a day care for preschoolers- he was housed outdoors in a small cage and probably dropped a lot...
SHE got him from someone who abandoned him ..
So "Slash" is timid and gun shy. (My son named him after a Pokenmon character, not the singer from Guns N Roses). I have never bought a friend in my life and believe that there are already too many loving pets without homes, so we "adopt" our family.

We didn't like the idea of a cage- he is family...I am a retired Animal Control Officer and Humane Society graduate....
so.....since he is not a climber/jumper, we have a kiddie pool of hard plastic in our dining room on the floor (when the weather permits no drafts) or on the dining table (when drafts are a problem).
No top, no boxing him in. He can see everything, and keep an eye on us all, and be a member of the family (he gets dinner greens when it's salad time for us as well!). I took the old cage apart to make 2 curved walls to hold the water bottle and feeder box for his kibble, and then he has a bowl for snackies and a hay rack for his fresh greens....

I read and read all kinds of posts, but couldn't find anyone else using this approach for a piggie house (cage is an ugly word in our family). When we find the right friend for Slash, we plan to get him a buddy- and a bigger pool. It's perfect for running (round edges), hard plastic is easy to clean or move (we use the carefresh gray-- the white shows up the urine as gross!), and is a once piece situation so I never worry about my piggie getting his little toes hurt in a crevice.

He's been happy in this pool since the day we did it- but I just hadn't seen this solution before and wonder if I am missing something or have overlooked some horrible thing that will hurt our dear Slash..
any thoughts?

Booogirl, mom to furry people as much as the smooth ones.

[VoodooJoint]

Nice to have you join our forum. We always enjoy others that understand the animal overpopulation problem and "common neglect" caused by pet store recommended housing, feeding and care.

There is nothing about the kiddie pool that will harm your new companion. Many people simply choose not to use them as their round shape is hard to fit into the house and their wideness can make it hard to catch them when they run from you.

Also the sides are often taller then our C&C housing and they can't see out quite as well.

If the pool works for you then stick with it. If you decide you want something that fits in your home better, can be built to always be up off the floor and provides loads of options for multiple levels and improvements you will find lots of ideas here on the site and we are here to help if you desire.

Now let's go over what you are feeding. I know you want the best and it can be confusing what to feed so here are the basics your GP should get:
-Plain pellets. No seads, nuts or colored bits. Not only are they too fatty they are a choking hazard. The best brands are Oxbow Cavy Cuisine Http://oxbowhay.com or KM's Pellets http://kmshayloft.com

-Unlimited Timothy Hay. Very important for tooth maintainance and gut health

-Fresh Veggies at least a cup a day per GP. There is a great list here for safe veggies http://www.guinealynx.info/fave.html

-Fresh water. Do not add anything to the water. Vitamin drops are useless and can be dangerous.

-Avoid store bought treats. Seed sticks are unhealthy and dangerous, yogurt drops are not healthy. Your best bet for treats are extra veggies or fruit.

[booogirl]

Thank yo for the great thoughts.... we have Downtown Feed and Grain (and HAY!) right near us, and darling piggy has been well fed....his wide tastes in veggies always make us smile.
BIG hugs and thanks

[jackrussellgirl]

Make sure you don't feed alfalfa hay. As for the cage thing, I have seen people using them. I have a cage simply because I also have a dog and I want to make sure they are safe from the dog.
There are 2 ideas for pool "houses" on this site.
Link to pro-breeding website removed.
Glad to hear you rescue. I agree, there are too many animals out there in need of good homes!

[KPIGGY]

Hi and welcome.

[jdomans]

Yes the pool thing is great but being round does make it difficult to fit anywhere. Also for us fleece users we would then have to make everything with round corners. I am assuming you are using shavings. Kiln or heat dried the bag should say.
Welcome to the group and just take sometime to read back posts and learn as much as you can.

[Trixie-1406]

Hello and welcome! I got my piggie for Mom's Day. I am jealous- I WISH I had enough room for the pool idea that is great!! I find my cage getting smaller every day, so we're gong to remodel again really soon!!! I think the issue with that is just room for it.....have a great day