Um...help the noob?

[babybunny]

Originally Posted by Almi_

You and I both know they were rhetorical questions meant to imply that I have done something wrong. No one sincerely asks questions like that out of curiosity or anything.

So just because I rescue small rodents, that means it's wrong for me to buy an animal from a pet store, and it's okay for everyone else to? Do you give this treatment to every single person that buys a cavy from a pet store? How many people here can say they've never bought an animal from a pet store? I'd like to know. I think it's something we are all guilty of, so I don't see any point in targeting me.

Firstly, you should not assume that people are implying anything. Just as we don't know you, you don't know us. Hence, why questions were asked.

There are many of us who have purchased from pet stores including me. I would have never known the evils of the pet abuse and neglect that my purchasing a pet from there supports if it wasn't for this board. I hadn't even any inkling of knowledge that GPs were available for adoptions.

This is why I still can't even understand why you would support such a thing, with your knowledge as a rescuer and former pet store employee. I think that's why there are more questions directed at you then a "normal offender". I can't speak for any one else but please know I am not judging you, I am just honestly confused as to why you would do that and defend it.

Regardless of why and how, I am glad that you are here trying to make the best life for your baby by gleaning from the vast knowledge available here. Good luck with her.

[JarBax]

Welcome!

Going WAYYY back up this page, you mentioned that there are no other rescues around for 80 miles. I really wish mine were closer - I travelled over 160 to adopt two of our piggies, and they were worth every single mile!

Originally Posted by Almi_

The only thing I don't like about the way they take care of their animals is the animals in back that don't have wheels or toys.

I shop mostly at PetSmart. The PetSmart here is a good store from what I can tell and its employees do their best. You're right, the corporation sucks because of its live animal sales and "chain breeders," but the employees here make sure the animals are treated humanely. I really have no other alternative. I have to feed and house my animals somehow.

I also buy hay and pellets etc online - and buy separate quality pellets from my vet to mix with the more pricey cavy cuisine. I buy my hay from our 'local' rescue - and would rather they got my hard earned cash 100 times over, than any petshop which sells animals! There are alternatives to feeding and housing your animals from petstores!

Whilst I have no doubt that some employees in some stores work their best to look after the animals in the store (if not in the back room), it is imperative to look beyond, to think about where the animals have come from in the first place, and to wonder about their treatment there. Is each creature treated individually, with respect and dignity, or as a commodity - something for which there is a need to supply and for which the gain is purely financial?

I'm not telling you anything new though - you already know why it 'sucks'! There are ways for you to help 'rescue' animals - by boycotting petstores altogether, you are making a stand against the live animal sales and chain breeders if you let them know why you've stopped buying from them. It may just not be the straight ahead route you'd first consider, but it is a valid step in truly helping animals who have no say in helping themselves.

Like anything worthwhile, it can take a bit of time to mull over and digest before taking action - but please don't be put off by people's passion, keep reading up as much as you can, ask as many questions as you can and enjoy your gorgeous new guinea, Ginger (and friend when you find her!)

[Almi_]

Originally Posted by TX_2_Pigs

True that many of these same veggies (the ones highlighted in yellow on Ly's chart) have fairly similar benefits nutritionally but variety is for its own sake. I wouldn't care much for having to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches everyday, all day, without the option of anything different and I doubt you would either. It gives different looks, flavors, and textures.

We are not referring to the cages in "cube feet" it is cube "grids", each individual panel. And yes each grid is 14" which is why Wicked said that the minimum for two is 28" (2 grids) by 42" (3 grids) or the better option of 56" (4 grids).

Honestly if you are in the US then your best bet will be a C&C cage because you will spend less than you would for that plastic rabbit tray you are looking at and be able to make it so much larger for the same or less money.

Okay, that's what I was thinking. I can change things week to week then, for variety, but still make sure they are getting the correct nutrients every day. This is what I wanted to know - thank you.

Rofl, okay, cube feet, grids, whatever. You know what I mean. It's not really fair that I can't use a 3 x 2.5 foot cage because everyone measures cavy cages in "14-inch feet." I mean, where do the standards come from, anyway?

Not really, I think I'd probably spend about the same. I just don't know where I can get cloroplast. So I'll either be finding something that fits in the cubes, or I'll just use something in place of the cubes. Not a big deal, I'll figure something out.

Besides that, I'm also looking for something that will either fit in a space that I have or stack on top of or below some of my other cages. Don't get me wrong, if I need to find space for a very large cage I can, I would just like to avoid it.

Originally Posted by crazywiggy

If you can't find animals needing homes in your area you may be able to adopt some from further afield - I know some people will organise "piggie trains" to transport piggies across the country to new homes.

You alone could make a huge difference with the large number of animals you own / look after. If you suddenly stop shopping at Petsmart, then contact them to tell them why, how many pets you have etc. they will see they are losing a small fortune losing you as a customer.

Anyway.... on to other things....

For food etc I would recommend looking at ordering supplies online. I was wary at first but now I buy all my pets things on the net - I have found a great supplier who even donates money to a guinea pig rescue every time I order. You wil probably have to pay for delivery but it saves you the time and effort (and fuel) of going to a store. With so many animals to care for ordering online might actually work out better for you.

For food I personally recommend Oxbow (I haven't tried Kleenmamas as I can't get it in the UK). My pigs love it and I'm happy knowing it is actually good for them. I believe you can but pellets in bulk to save money then freeze some so they lst you longer. This could help lower the costs of ordering online.

Cages - obviously mose of the people on this site have c+c cages, so we tend to talk in grid measurements, rather than inches or feet. eg. a 2x3 cage is 2x3 grids (28 x 42).
On the homepage it gives minimum cage sizes in both grids and sq feet. The minimum for a pair of (female) piggies is 7.5 sq feet, so this should be big enough - regardless of whether you use grids or something else. Just be aware that this minimum is for the inner, usable dimensions - not the total external measurements.
Obviously as with all animal cages - bigger is always better. If you can go above the minimums your pigs will thank you for it!

Anyway, hope this helped a bit. Oh.... and your piggie is very cute!

I actually did find a few female pigs for adoption on CL, but thank you.

It's really hard to turn down a good discount when you care for as many as I do...

What do you reccommend for general pet sites to order off of? I've ordered some stuff off Petdiscounters before, but that was because they carried stuff (I just got a bunch of toys and hides) that the pet stores here didn't (and it was dirt cheap). But I also spent over $50, so shipping was cheap too. I'm not always going to be able to spend that much on stuff at a time. =/

I may look into ordering stuff in bulk online, thank you. I'll have to look around for some good sites.

Okay, the rabbit cage tray I wanted to get measures exactly 7.5 square feet (3 x 2.5 feet...like I've said several times now), so that is what I'll use if I don't figure something else out.

Thanks, I think she's cute too.

[Almi_]

Originally Posted by JarBax

Welcome!

Going WAYYY back up this page, you mentioned that there are no other rescues around for 80 miles. I really wish mine were closer - I travelled over 160 to adopt two of our piggies, and they were worth every single mile!

I also buy hay and pellets etc online - and buy separate quality pellets from my vet to mix with the more pricey cavy cuisine. I buy my hay from our 'local' rescue - and would rather they got my hard earned cash 100 times over, than any petshop which sells animals! There are alternatives to feeding and housing your animals from petstores!

Whilst I have no doubt that some employees in some stores work their best to look after the animals in the store (if not in the back room), it is imperative to look beyond, to think about where the animals have come from in the first place, and to wonder about their treatment there. Is each creature treated individually, with respect and dignity, or as a commodity - something for which there is a need to supply and for which the gain is purely financial?

I'm not telling you anything new though - you already know why it 'sucks'! There are ways for you to help 'rescue' animals - by boycotting petstores altogether, you are making a stand against the live animal sales and chain breeders if you let them know why you've stopped buying from them. It may just not be the straight ahead route you'd first consider, but it is a valid step in truly helping animals who have no say in helping themselves.

Like anything worthwhile, it can take a bit of time to mull over and digest before taking action - but please don't be put off by people's passion, keep reading up as much as you can, ask as many questions as you can and enjoy your gorgeous new guinea, Ginger (and friend when you find her!)

Thank you for your post. I will definitely think about what you have said.

Just keep in mind it's a little hard to not shop at pet stores when both I and my girlfriend work at them. =P

I also want to say that I don't think pet stores make so much off of their animals, but instead off of the products for the animals that they sell. Most of the time, more expensive animals (like gouldian finches, for example) stay in the store long enough to the point where the pet store doesn't make any more profit off of them than they do a $10 hamster. In fact, they probably make more profit off the hamsters simply because they'll sell a dozen hamsters before they'll sell that gouldian. An exception to this is the pet store I work at, where they sell puppies like they're going out of style.

Yeah, I don't really remember what my point was with that...oh, well. Just something that occurred to me after working at pet stores.

[Almi_]

Okay, so I've been thinking about what I want to do for her caging today.

We just got a folding table to seat guests for Easter...it is...72" x 30"? Yeah. I was thinking of just using that instead of cloroplast since I use fleece anyway, and then maybe getting a set of cubes. So if I used the entire space of the table, the cage would be 28" x 70". This is assuming I used zip ties and not connectors; I would think the connectors would take up too much space and it would cause the cage to hang off the table.

Thoughts?

Also, like I said, I did find a CL listing for two female pigs. Since I'm too lazy to describe it, here is a link: CLICK.

I've asked for pictures of them as well as more information on them. I'm hoping to get them, and I'm also hoping the person will hold them for a month for me so I can treat Ginger for mites first. I'm pretty sure she has them; I need to get her weight tomorrow so I can start treating her.

Oh, by the way, I made her a better temporary cage out of a small pet playpen. I do have two of them (one from Wal-Mart and a smaller Crittertrail one) that I could put together, but I just used the larger one as a "test cage," and because I only have pieces of fleece that will fit that amount of space right now.

It measures 27" x 27" and is on half of the table I'm thinking of using.




Oh, and also, I have two more of those puzzle cube hides (they're on clearance for $3 at Petco =P). When I get another pig or two, I want to use them, since they only seem big enough for one adult pig. Should I connect all of them together, or have them separate? Does it matter? I would think the piggies would want to snuggle up, but maybe they want their alone time, too. Perhaps I will connect two together and have one separate.


ONEEE more edit. I've decided to order hay and pellets from Kleenmama's Hayloft. =D

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Those pens are not that stable and my pigs jumped over them when I used it once. If your pig gets spooked and runs, she can fall off the table. And fleece alone isn't that absorbent. Your table may get stained or smelly.

Yes, to pet stores, the animals are "loss leaders". They treat them as merchandise to get people to buy their more pricier items. They get them for dirt cheap from pet mills or backyard breeders yet they still lose money on them.

They make money off impulse buys and return customers. People come in just to look at the cute wittle animals and maybe buy a hamster off the bat. They buy the cage, bedding, toys, carrier, food, cage accessories, etc. They return later for more food and more bedding.

If you are buying supplies from them then you are helping this cycle.

By the way, if you are measuring the outside of the rabbit cage, then your measurements are off.

[Ghostwheel]

Your piggie might be a Merino. (See this link to compare)
XXXXXXXXXXX

I have to disagree about what a Rescue is. If an animal is ill, and you take it and help it to get better and give it a good home or find a good home for it, you just rescued it. I don't care if you got it from a pet store. My opinion. One of my adoptees is a rescue from a pet store (not my rescue, but my Rescue's rescue) Poor thing has a neurological disorder and is most likely now blind from mistreatment. Sweetest pig I ever had. I am grateful my Rescue decided to remove it from it's environment, however she got it.

But that is beside the point since Almi originally said the piggie was not even part of his/her Rescue, but a pet to learn more about them. Personally (and again, it is my opinion) I give Kudos for taking the time.

One piece of advice I wish someone had given me with my last pig, if your pig starts drinking too much water (ours went through a half bottle a day!), take them to the vet ASAP and make sure your exotics vet REALLY knows about guinea pigs (I went through two who were supposedly good, and were really quite clueless).

Good Luck.

[Ghostwheel]

Just looked at your temporary cage.

Possible issue:
Nothing to keep the piggie from pushing the cage over the edge of the table.
Possible Solutions:
Put it on the floor
Put it on a wood board, drill holes in the board and zip tie the cage parts to the board. Cover the wood with a plastic tablecloth, curtain, etc then layer towels, newspaper or puppy pads, then fleece. Only good for temporary.

If you cannot find Coroplast, you can use the bottom of a huge underbed bin, and put cubes around that. Watch out for sharp edges, though.

If your pig is a jumper, you might need to zip tie another set on top of your existing set, or make a top to go across (nothing they can chew that would be bad for them, like polyester or plastic netting-in a pinch, you can use chicken wire if you file the edges really well.) Make a long skinny cage and use other temporary cage sections over the top. Medium binder clips are great for holding wire cage parts together.

I use towels folded up under my fleece. I change the towels every two days and the fleece every four days. I have four sets of towels and two of fleece, so I wash every six days or so.

My pigs prefer a long skinny cage rather than a square type. They can run back and forth better.

Hope it helps.

[PiggieMamaKelly]

When you are using grids, it's good to use connectors at least in the corners or else you will have nothing to keep it in a "square" shape. Connectors are nice because they are actually quite strong and keep all the lines straight. Zip ties are great for re-inforcing though, especially because there is never enough connectors for the job.

And if you use the whole top surface of the table you might find you have poops all over the floor (unless you were planning to pull up the side of the fleece to form a sort of wall). When I just did cubes on fleece I needed about 6 inches on each side for stray poops. And keep in mind females sometimes squirt pee backwards a few inches.

[wiggley_narco]

I'm very glad that you are ordering hay/food from KM's! I just did as well and am waiting on it to arrive.

Your piggy is incredibly cute, and I can tell you are trying to do what's best for her... everyone has to learn, ya know?

I think you've gotten the idea by now how passionate about piggies our members are (including myself), so I won't bother with all the rest. Hahaha.

Good luck!

[wiggley_narco]

Originally Posted by Ghostwheel

Your piggie might be a Merino. (See this link to compare)
XXXXXXXXXX

I have to disagree about what a Rescue is. If an animal is ill, and you take it and help it to get better and give it a good home or find a good home for it, you just rescued it. I don't care if you got it from a pet store. My opinion. One of my adoptees is a rescue from a pet store (not my rescue, but my Rescue's rescue) Poor thing has a neurological disorder and is most likely now blind from mistreatment. Sweetest pig I ever had. I am grateful my Rescue decided to remove it from it's environment, however she got it.

But that is beside the point since Almi originally said the piggie was not even part of his/her Rescue, but a pet to learn more about them. Personally (and again, it is my opinion) I give Kudos for taking the time.

One piece of advice I wish someone had given me with my last pig, if your pig starts drinking too much water (ours went through a half bottle a day!), take them to the vet ASAP and make sure your exotics vet REALLY knows about guinea pigs (I went through two who were supposedly good, and were really quite clueless).

Good Luck.

Are these your pigs?

[TX_2_Pigs]

Originally Posted by Almi_

Not really, I think I'd probably spend about the same. I just don't know where I can get cloroplast.

Try looking at sign shops. That is the most common place to find it. And with elections being over, maybe you can get some old campaign signs. I have seen ones that were full 8x10 sheets.

Originally Posted by Almi_

Besides that, I'm also looking for something that will either fit in a space that I have or stack on top of or below some of my other cages.

Well that is certainly the beauty of these cages. You can make them fit however you need to.

Originally Posted by Almi_

Okay, the rabbit cage tray I wanted to get measures exactly 7.5 square feet (3 x 2.5 feet...like I've said several times now), so that is what I'll use if I don't figure something else out.

If those are the inside usable measurements then that will be fine. You may have to overlap grids though to make them fit around it. A sheet of coroplast should only cost you around $20 so if the rabbit tray costs more than that I wouldn't get it.

Your temporary cage looks just fine but as someone mentioned you may need to keep an eye out for her trying to climb out. With the panels being so short, it is pretty easy for them to do. Maybe take that extra one you have and add to the top. Also maybe set something heavy on the outsides of the panels to keep her from pushing them around. If you aren't already, you should put something absorbent under your fleece.

I would just leave those blocks separate. My pigs like to rearrange the furniture and if you have them joined together they won't be so easily moved.

[Ziggy&Herald]

You have a TEXEL baby. They have long curly hair that is tight ringlets even on their belly. That is the kind I have, his name is ZIGGY. They require lots more care with their fur than other breeds. It is recommended you don't brush it out. Just mist it with water like you would do with a peson who has tight curls. I use CareFresh bedding and it is always getting cought up in it. Since he will have long hair, if it is a male, you have to watch his hair getting cought inside his penis area. I have ho pull the hair out of their everyday it seems like. While im posting this if anyone has any suggestions on this with other long hair breeds please post! Yesterday after his bath and nail clipping I trimmed the hair around the area and it seems to have worked though. Anyway, I went off subject. To me he does look like a Texel baby They're great and you dont see very many!

[babybunny]

Just a note, I haven't seen an under the bed storage bin that is big enough for one pig, let alone two. You could put a shower curtain on the table first, put you absorbent material down and then the fleece and that should work if you can't find Coroplast. As suggested already, you will probably need to get regular grids or some how make the current ones stable (bricks perhaps).

Also, as far as "misting" a texel, I am no expert or even owned one, but it would seem that could be a recipe for a URI.