My piggies need a new home

[brunettegal1965]

I have 3 girl piggies that need a new home that live in Sacramento, CA. We have had them since they were 2 months old and they are now a year old. One is all white, one is all dark brown, and the other one is a ginger color. Our lives have gotten very busy and we just can't give them the attention we used to . We love our girls very much and came to the sad decision of letting them go to a home where they can be loved and cared for the way they should . All their belongings (cage, etc) will go with them. Hubby wanted to take them to the SPCA , but I won't let that happen. I hope someone can help in giving them a new home. They have been together all their life and I would hate to split them up, but I understand that could happen. If someone can help me, I will gladly give them to a gentle and loving home. Please email me at brunettegal1965@yahoo.com if interested.

[brunettegal1965]

Hi All,
I had to post this response about my GP's because hubby was pushing me to part with our 3 girls since our lives have become very busy. I worked on him for a while explaining to him that since there are three of them, as long as we keep them fed, cleaned and watered, they will be fine. I have been doing this and my kids and I have been taking turns giving them affection and giving them floor time too. It hasn't been a lot, but we are trying. As long as my husband sees this, he's ok with us keeping them. YEAH!!!!!! I am extremely happy with not having to re-home them.

[nonamian_girl]

That's great news . I'm sure as long as you change their bedding when needed and supply them with proper nutrition and medical care, that's all they need to be happy.

[SandyF]

I'm really glad it's working out. It's always nice to see people trying to make some adjustments in order to keep a pet, rather than opting to rehome as a first choice. Good for you! And good luck.

[brunettegal1965]

It's time for a nail clipping for my girls. I was thankful that we did not need to part with our girls due to our busy schedules. I want to thank all of you that have helped me in convincing hubby to let us keep them. In the past, I would take them to the nearest pet store and they would clip all three of my girls nails, front and back, $21 for all of them. Now I'm trying again to give them more time and I have the nail clippers for them. They are kitten ones for their delicate nails. I thought that I'd try to clip their lil nails myself and save the money, but more importantly, handle them more too. I'm a little nervous at doing this so I'd like to know if anyone can give me suggestions on doing this. Madison (I call her Maddy) loves to kiss me when I hold her, but doesn't like me touching her feet. Ginger is the smallest and most curious one and she is ok with touching her front paws but not the back. Hydee is quite the active one and doesnt like to sit still. I hope someone can please give me suggestions on doing this, or should I just stick with the pet store?

[nonamian_girl]

Well, I think the most important part in nail clipping is how you hold the pigs. Usually what I do is sit down, and hold them with my left hand so that they're facing away from me. I hold them so that their back feet are resting on my legs and their front paws are resting on my hand and index finger. That way somehow I can get them to stick their paws out so that they spread them apart a bit and it's easier to get at the nails. Hope that makes sense!

[JarBax]

I just clipped Mary and Marbles nails this morning. I try and do it fortnightly. It's not a job I like. Probably because the pigs don't like it. I sit with them facing the left first, and start with the back right foot, then the right. Then turn the pig around and do the left side. Mary pulls her feet away, but Marble is a star (though she doesn't like it - she freezes). Both have several dark nails to deal with - so I do them last, and try to take off about the same as I did on the nails where I can see the quick.

If you do a search, I think there are quite a few threads on nail clipping.

[SandyF]

When my eyes were better, I would set the piggie in my lap with his back up against my chest in a "sitting up" position. I used my left hand for support of the pig, and the right hand did the clipping. They generally don't like having their feet held, but often works better if you can just clip the free-dangling foot (instead of gripping the foot). I like the scissor type of clipper best.

Now that I have lousy eyesight and need bifocals but refuse to get them (it would be an admission of my old age; LOL), I now set a pig on the kitchen counter in a "sit up" position, and lean down and clip the nails that way. A little more awkward, but it works.

Just clip the very tips to start with; the "quick" of the nail will start to recede as you start to trim on a regular basis. I trim nails every 3-4 weeks. Once they (and you) get used to it, it's really not that big of a deal.

Yikes $21 to trim 3 guinea pigs? Definitely learn to do it yourself. You'll not only save money, but it'll be less stressful on the pigs.

[brunettegal1965]

I have to apologize for not changing the title before. I am not used to this site, but I have found it very useful and very friendly . I will try the method that was mentioned about holding my girls on my lap up against me so that they cant back up any further . I will also give them a treat to munch on to keep them busy . I agree, $21 is a lot for trimming their nails and since they need it regularly, I want to do this. I am a little nervous about cutting the quick , so I will get the styptic pencil just in case. I'd rather be cautious and have it on hand and it work out ok and not need it. I'm sure all your suggestions will work. Again, thank you all so very much . I will take some pigtures soon and share them with you. I love seeing all the other pigtures too. Everyone has such wonderful cavies.

[Emmett]

I find it easier to trim their nails if someone else is holding them. Have the other person hold the piggy to their chest with one hand cupping its rump. You or the other person can hold onto each foot while you trim the nails.

[Coopdog]

I find it's much easier if you also offer a favorite treat while clipping. My hubby will hold Louise and feed her a carrot while I clip. She doesn't even notice what I'm doing, but boy does she squirm if he runs out of carrot!

[brunettegal1965]

I finally trimmed my girls nails last night, yeah!!! I took the advice that I was given from this site. I first I picked up our oldest girl, Maddie, and had some carrots ready. I sat on my bed with my legs close to my chest and laid her on a towel (for no accidents!) and pet her for a few minutes. Then I turned her backside to me and gave her a carrot. Once she saw that carrot, she went straight for it and it took me only a few moments to clip all her nails. Our middle girl, Hydee, was a little cautious when I touched her feet, but she still let me do that because she was eating her carrots. I felt so much better about doing this by that time and then I my daughter brought our youngest, Ginger, to me. She was not going to fall for the carrot trick. She watched every move I made and would not stay still. I finally had to have my daughter help me and get her attention away from me. It took a lot of patience, but after about 20 minutes, we finally got all of her nails trimmed. Phew!!! Now that I have done this the first time, it should get easier in time. I'm going to try to do this more often so they get used to it from me.

[Coopdog]

Congratulations! Job well done. And yes, it does get easier each time, but don't freak out if you get the quick every once in a while. I've missed a couple of times, but it seems to bother me MUCH more than it bothers Louise. She just gives a tiny squeek and goes right on eating her carrot!

[brunettegal1965]

Hi All,

I finally had time to take pictures of my girls and it took so many tries. They are not camera friendly !!! I don't know how to add them. I see so many pictures added here to share. Can I get some guidance to do this please so I can share too?

[fourbwabbys]

Load them onto Free Image and Video Hosting - Photo Image Hosting Site : Photobucket.com or PictureTrail: Online Photo Sharing, Image Hosting, Online Photo Albums and copy the URL of the pictures into the box that pops up when you hit the "insert image" button in the post.

[brunettegal1965]

A big thank you to fourbwabbys directions, I managed to get three pigtures on here of my girls. I hope you like them.

Here are all three after I cleaned their cage and added fresh hay and alfalfa cubes...


Here is Maddie blocking the hay wheel, not wanting to share......



This one is on Hydee and Ginger dining on hay.......

[fashion victim]

Learning to cut them yourself is a huge money-saving solution... my vet charges 12 dollars to cut any animal's nails *frown* even a teeny-tiny baby bunnie's!

[nonamian_girl]

Aw, your piggies are so cute, what a nice variety of colours from one to the other.

[brunettegal1965]

thank you nonamian_girl. I find myself giving my girls more attention now. One question, is tomatoes ok for piggies ? I haven't tried them yet, but wondering.......... I also added a little more space for them. I have a 2X5 size cage and my girls have plenty of room cause they run around so much. I'm thinking of adding a second story too. I had a store bought cage that I haven't used for a long time, so I took a grid out of the cage and the door from the store bought one and attached it with cable ties and use it for their kitchen!! They love it. They hop into it with absolutely no problem. I also have a few toys in their home. There are 2 quaker oats containers and they seem to really love them. I have bought other toys but they just dont touch them. It seems that when I come home from work, my dog greets me, but the girls start wheeking very loud as if to say, welcome home mom!! I greet my dog (golden retreiver) with a bone and then after I say hi to the family, I go see the girls and make sure their water bottles are full of fresh water and give them carrots or some kind of treat. Is this bad of me and am I spoiling them ? I'm so glad that I convinced hubby to let me keep them. I love all my animals. It's also getting time to trim their nails again! Man, they grow fast!!!!!!!!

[Lyndsay]

What I have found works for me with XZander and Smudgee as they have had me cut their nails since I've gotten them. I learned with XZander that instead of pulling his foot out to the side or up, I get him to relax it backwards so he is standing on three paws.