Help with callouses?

[jbargent]

I have two guinea pigs, and they both have small callouses, mainly on their front feet. I took them to the vet, who said GPs get these from stepping in something wet. She gave me a solution (Germi-Stat 4%) to scrub their feet with once a week. I've decided to do this twice a week instead. Unfortunately, they don't seem to be getting much better.

I can't accomadate a larger cage but I do change it every three days. I use Carefresh with hay on top, which I add more to daily.

Any suggestions? Any input would be much appreciated.

[PixieStix]

I'm not sure about the callouses, but hay isn't very absorbent. If it's covering the cage, it may be the source of wetness.

[jbargent]

Actually, it was the vet who suggested that I put hay on top of the Carefresh. =(

[Toadies]

One of my boys had a callous on his foot when I got him. When my vet gased him (to take a blood sample), she simply clipped it off. Because I keep them in better conditions than they were in prior to my getting them, it hasn't returned. I use towels and fleece now, but I have used CareFresh, Yesterday's News (the soft (not) stuff), aspen shavings, newsprint and plain towels. The fleece does the best job of keeping them dry. If you could manage that, it might help.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Do you mean foot spurs Guinea Lynx :: Cavy Feet and Foot Problems ?

[Percy's Mom]

Pigs like to play in piles of hay, but all is does is stay wet and can easily mold in a short period of time. How large is their cage? If it is large enough to put the top to a case of paper on one end and give them a pile of hay to play in, they pigs will be happy, and their feet are likely to stay much drier.

[jbargent]

Toadies: If you think that fleece is best, I'm certainly willing to try that. Do you purchase your fleece at a fabric store? Do you change it every day or more often? And can you put it in the washer/dryer? Thanks so much.

[jbargent]

Percy's Mom: Could you explain what you mean by "a case of paper"? Sorry. Thanks for your reply.

[jbargent]

rabbitsncavyluv: No, it's not a foot spur or anything serious like that. (Thank God) It's just like humans get: rough callouses on the bottom of the feet, like thick skin.

[Toadies]

I shop fabric sales and I rummage through the remnant bins. Since fleece doesn't fray at the edges, it's easy to stitch 2 peices together. I also use towels underneath to absorb the urine. I change the fleece and towels every 5-7 days (I have two boars), I just sweep up poos, hay and veggies in between time. They wash very easily. There is a thread on this sight, I think that it's called "The Fleece Project", that tells you how to prepare the fleece to make it work well for the piggies. I have also found that fleece dries fairly fast just hanging up, so if you have a little space, it saves dryer time and dimes. Alot of the cages photos show fleece on the floor. It's fun picking out the colors and patterns for the piggers. Have fun.

[jbargent]

Thanks so much for your help!

The only last question I have is how do I make sure my GPs don't just dig up the fleece and towels? I have a traditional, plastic bottom cage.

[PixieStix]

I use bricks/heavy objects (their food bowl, wooden houses) around the edges to hold down the fleece. Others trim their fleece too large and fold it over the edge of the plastic cage bottom and clip it with clothes pegs/binder clips, if that makes sense.

[Percy's Mom]

Sorry about the confusion on that. If you go to an office supply store (or perhaps into the supply room at work), packs of copy paper usually come 10 or 12 in a cardboard box. The lid that lifts off of that box is perfect for the pigs to play in.