Information

[CavySpirit]

The Cavy Cages site and forum has been online for six years now! We continue to grow and spread the word about the proper way to house and care for guinea pigs. This growing community must remain relentless in our pursuit of enlightening the general public about these issues. All the rescue efforts in the world cannot fix the problem of lack of education, caring and awareness. The problems need to be prevented rather than cured.

As the owner of this site, I have tried my level best to keep this site ad and commercial free over the years, but I now need to add some discrete mechanisms to stem the red ink from my bank account. I'd be happy to get the red ink from a river to a creek. Cavy Spirit has had to seriously cut back on rescue efforts because our resources are all bone dry. It seems that the burden always ends up falling on just a few people on a regular basis.

As the cavy cages website has grown in size, resources and members, I've had to up the level of server resources required to run it. I now pay $100 a month, just in hardware support. I also do my level best to keep us current on software applications so that we are all secure on our information. It all takes time, effort and money.

Your support is greatly appreciated. I so value everyone who becomes a role model in their circle of family and friends and spreads the word about the cages, adoption and animal welfare.

If you can contribute financially, I would appreciate that as well.

Below are the new categories of membership:

Cavy Cager: New member

Cavy Slave: Full member

• After 30 days of membership AND 10 posts.
• Ability to give Thanks and Groans on posts.

Cavy Star: Donation of $10 a year.

• Access to a private forum for contributors.
• Animated gifs allowed, 100x100 size.
• More photo storage capacity.
• Larger Inbox for Private Messages: 100
• Title of Cavy Star as recognition.

Cavy Champion: Donation of $10 a month.

• Access to a private forum for contributors.
• Animated gifs allowed, 120x120 size.
• More photo storage capacity.
• Larger Inbox for Private Messages: 200
• Title/Group of Cavy Champion as recognition.
• Able to change title to whatever you want!

You can donate by clicking on Paid Subscription in your User Profile. I'm currently using PayPal.

[Ly&Pigs]

This forum is run by a guinea pig rescue and is a rescue-friendly board.
Intentional breeding and/or showing "how-to" discussions are not welcome in this forum.
We now have an Impaction System (Infraction System). If you violate any of the rules you will either be issued "Wheeks" (Warnings) or "Poo's" (Points). You can learn more about that system by clicking the link below. http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...-new-post.html

In case you missed the paragraph at the top of the Post New Thread page:
Please use proper English, NO CHAT-SPEAK, spell out your words (for example, do NOT use "u" for "you"), use proper punctuation and capitalize the beginning of each sentence. In this international forum, please use slang with restraint. Easy to read and understand posts get faster and better replies. This ALSO means: no "i" for "I", no "2" for "to", no "2" for "too", "2" means "two"--thank you very much.

The moderators thank you all for making an effort in this world of chat speak and chat short-hand or whatever it is they are calling it these days. This forum is for us old fogies who prefer plain English.

If you see someone NOT using this board's proper posting etiquette, please don't jump on them. The administrator and moderators will catch it and either issue a wheek or poo impaction notice. Some people have been getting very offended at the way they are being jumped on for this.

Please don't overuse LOL. If you find a post you consider so funny that you cannot help but laugh then its fine but use it in moderation. Don't end all your sentences with LOL or emoticons.

Please do not post all in CAPITALS, bold, italics or COLORS. It makes the posts very hard to read. You will no longer find fancy fonts as they were removed. Long posts should be broken up into seperate paragraphs to make them easier to read.

Smilies Rule: Smilies are a privilege, not a right. We do not want to see 3 or more smilies in every post. In fact, we still expect you to refrain from using them. They are NOT punctuation. Also please refrain from using symbols that are used to represent smilies. If you occasionally want to use a smilie, we have many to choose from. Smilies should only be used in approximately 10% of your posts. Abuse will result in impactions issued.

If you are quoting someone else's post, PLEASE put it in italics or use the quote feature to set if off so people can see that you are quoting something and only quote just what you need to. So many posts are filled with quotes that don't necessarily need to be.

If you don't have one already, most people should invest in a dictionary to keep next to their computer. Spelling is essential to writing. If you are bad at spelling, it makes it that much harder for others to try to figure out what you wrote. If you are using Internet Explorer, there is a spell checking software you can download from the posting block to help you with your spelling. Just click on the right side where it has ABC.

It's understandable if English isn't your first language. That's usually pretty clear from some posts. But if it is, then you are expected to sound like it is. At least try to use proper capitalization and punctuation even if your native language isn't english.

Please post in the appropriate forum. Examples: if your questions relates to cozies, put it in accessories, if you post relates to how to make a cage, put it in cage chat. Also, refrain from posting the same post in multiple forums. If duplicate posts are found, they will be removed and poo points may be given. Please read this thread to know where your posts belong: http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/about-guinea-pigs/30421-please-read.html

Teresa has instituted the policy of moving controversial and heated discussions to the kitchen forum. If you don't like it there, don't read it. It's as simple as that. The rest of the forum stays nice and friendly that way.

Flouncing threads and posts are forbidden. A flounce is where a user feels that they have had enough of the forum and, rather than simply leaving quietly, decide to post a long public message detailing their reasons, usually in a new thread so as to get the maximum number of replies. A flounce thread may get deleted and the poster is issued an impaction.

The goal of this forum is to provide people who want more info on bettering their cage environment a place to get ideas and information and a place for those who have already done it to show off, exchange, and get additional ideas. It's grown into more than that, but the mission of this site and forum is virtually accomplished by a person's first visit to the site in general. The forum is just there for backup. So, it's also become a place where cavy people can 'commune' but it's not just another pretty forum. It's one that's willing to stand up to the tough issues. Tough love I guess.

I'd like a few members to tone down their responses, but it usually only goes over the line when provoked by the clueless. Then it's usually fair game anyway.

Please, don't swear, curse or use vulgar words on the forum. The really bad ones are *** out. Unlike some other forums, such as GL, we have a higher population of young people. I expect people to use language that they would use in front of their own kids. For some people, I guess that includes curse words, but it shouldn't.

Racial slurs against members, calling members or moderators or calling the forum, Nazi's or Hitler-like may result (no warnings will be issued) in the minimum of a weeks banning and possibly a permanent banning.

Please use tact when posting. Tact is defined as "consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offence" and "Acute sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending". Those are two good definitions of what we all should be doing whenever possible.

Things can get a bit high spirited around here sometimes. At the end of the day, message boards exist so that several different opinions can be sought in an environment where others can add in with their views at any stage. There isn't always a right or a wrong answer to questions or problems, often just an opportunity for advice and opinions which the person can listen to or ignore as they see fit.

If everyone can just contribute without having a go at what others have said or the way they've said it, I'm sure it'll make a much nicer atmosphere for us all!

If anyone has comments about rudeness or name-calling. You can report the post to the moderators by clicking the Exclamation Point Icon (!) at the top of a post. If we feel a warning needs to be made--be it in public or private--we will deal with it. Do NOT retaliate and do not jump on the person.

If you are under the age of 18, please do NOT post your age on the forum for internet security reasons. If you do post your age and you are under 18, it will be removed and you will be issued a poo point.

Signatures- We do not allow signatures of any type on our forum. A signature can be anything from signing your username, real name, pigs (or other pets) names or a line of emoticons/smilies or other pictures at the bottom of your post.

Avatars- Only Cavy Stars, Cavy Champions, and Moderators are allowed to have animated avatars. If you fall under a different category and have an animated avatar, it will be removed without notification. You're avatar also must be guinea pig related.

Multiple Accounts- You are allowed only ONE account per member on this forum. If you are a Cavy Cager or Cavy Slave and found to have multiple accounts, all your accounts may be banned without notice and you will not be allowed to rejoin. If you are a Cavy Star or Cavy Champion and have multiple accounts, all your accounts except your primary account will be merged and you will be issued a stern warning not to create any more accounts. Repeat offenders in the Cavy Star or Cavy Champion categories may end being banned.

Last but certainly not least, if you are BANNED from the guinea pig cages forum under a temporary ban, signing up under a new name to post while your old name is banned will automatically earn you a permanent ban from the forum. There was a reason why you earned a temporary ban and if you just take it, it's over relatively soon and you can come back and post. If you are BANNED permanently, that means don't come back. Everytime you TRY to rejoin or even manage to sneak past us and rejoin, you will be caught and banned again.

If everyone will just take the time to use the above rules and comments when posting, it will make the forum a much better environment for everyone. Yes, there will always be heated discussions. Yes, there will always be people who don't get along. But in the best interest of us all and our pets we want to have the BEST forum out there when it comes to our cavies' environments.

The full listing of our rules can be found in the Policies and Guidelines Forum.

[CavySpirit]

Get to a Vet NOW!

Guinea pigs (or cavies) are somewhat fragile and illnesses can debilitate them quickly, often within one day. In advance, find a vet who knows a lot about guinea pigs and how to treat them, because a delay in proper care can be fatal.

Guinea pigs are prey animals, and as such, instinctually mask their symptoms to prevent being cut from the herd and left to die. By the time YOU NOTICE something wrong, your guinea pig has likely already been sick for a couple of weeks. You usually have no time at all to waste in seeking proper treatment.

For EMERGENCY medical information, visit this page:
Guinea Lynx Emergency Medical Guide.

For EMERGENCY medical help on the internet,
visit the related Emergency and Medical Forum
on the Guinea Lynx Forums.
You'll need to register to post there.

DO NOT ASSUME that ANY vet can or will or should see your guinea pig. The average cat and/or dog vet has little to no experience or knowledge of guinea pigs.

For help in finding COMPETENT guinea pig VET see:
Finding a Vet.

For other health and care info,
BOOKMARK THIS SITE: GuineaLynx.Info

Do not rely on this forum for immediate and even proper care info. It is not moderated for that and that is not the purpose of this forum or site.

[CavySpirit]

Some COMMON Questions:


What are the best foods to feed? . . . Check here

How do I sex my guinea pig? . . . CavySpirit.com/sexing.htm

Why shouldn't I breed my guinea pig(s)? . . . CavySpirit.com/breeding.htm

What do I do if my guinea pig is pregnant? . . . GuineaLynx.info/breeding.html

I'm allergic to guinea pig or hay? . . . CavySpirit.com/allergies.htm

Yikes, my guinea pig bites! . . . CavySpirit.com/biting.htm

One pig or two? . . . CavySpirit.com/sociallife.htm

How do I introduce a 2nd guinea pig? . . . CavySpirit.com/sociallife.htm



Additional resources:
www.cavyspirit.com
www.guinealynx.info