Help from Iloilo

[PurpleYuki]

I recently bought a Guinea Pig here in Iloilo and I've been having the hardest time.

No hay anywhere! Can anyone suggest what I can feed him in lieu of hay? I've been feeding him pellets and vegetables, but I hear that hay is essential to their diet.

I took my cavy to the vet for a check up and the Doctor gave me multivitamins (LC-VIT) to give him. Isn't this bad for them? I don't know who to follow, my vet or the stuff I've been reading on the internet.

As for the cage, I had one made based on the pics I saw on Guinea Pig Cages. I've been using old newspapers and wood shavings as bedding. Is this okay?

I'd like to add that pet stores here have been treating their Guinea Pigs badly. They keep them in small wire cages and they can't even get the breeds right. I want to buy them all and save them but I can only take care of 1 at the moment.

Please help. Thanks

[bpatters]

Welcome to the forum!

You might try a farmers' supply store to see if they have hay, or can suggest anywhere that you might get it. Oxbow also sells its products internationally, but that would probably be very expensive.

You're probably better off following the vitamin recommendations from here and GuineaLynx than from a vet who doesn't know anything about guinea pigs.

Some kinds of wood shavings are ok and others aren't -- do a search on this site to see what the recommendations are.

Pictures of your piggy?

[brindyzoeycandy]

If you can find the right kind of grass, you can feed your pig that.

I probably wouldn't feed the multivitamins. If they are getting a good variety of vegetables it probably isn't need. What type of pellets are you feeding?

Newspaper isn't very absorbent. Like bpatters said, some type of wood shavings are okay to use. Cedar isn't. A lot of pine isn't, only kiln-dried is okay to use. The best is going to be aspen.

Please don't purchase your piggies from there - it won't equal rescuing. I'm not sure how animal care is where you live, but the best thing to do would be to get in touch with the authorities.

[Cogni]

Iloilo--wow. I know that is in the Philippines but I don't know where. I worked on the Kapampangan language for a while, before I got into African languages. What is your native language(s)? Tagalog, or one of the others?
Can you get fresh cut grass from a farmer? Wherever they supply horses, you should be able to find grass or hay that is good for your cavies too.

[Domino & Bedhead]

Hay is absolutely crucial to their diet. You can buy hay online, not sure what the shipping might be but certainly worth doing some research on. Checking with a farmer is also a great idea and their hay is cheap if it's the right kind. Good luck with your search. :-)

[PurpleYuki]

Unfortunately, there are no adoption services available here in my area. As for the authorities, they aren't really doing anything about it (I have reported pet abuse before).

I'm not sure what kind of wood I'm using. It doesn't give off any scent and the pet shop people said that its what other owners are using.

I'm feeding my cavy guinea pig pellets.

I'll be scouring markets out of town this weekend to see if I can find some hay. If I can't find any I'll try the online option as a last resort ( It's quite expensive).

Thanks everyone. I live in a small island in the Philippines and most of the things recommended aren't really available. I really appreciate all the suggestions.

@Cogni

Iloilo is in the Visayas region, right in the middle of the country. Our main language is Ilonggo, but everyone speaks and understands Tagalog.

[1frankie7]

What brand of guinea pig pellets are you feeding him?


Welcome to GPC!!!! I would absolutely LOVE to see pics of your piggy!

[Cogni]

Can you visit a farm? Surely there must be farms on your island.
Also, can you take a sharp scissors and snip a pile of grass for them? There should be some kind of grass growing in your region. Fresh grass will help until you find a source of hay. Maybe a farmer will even be able to cut long fresh grass for you. Our member in Brazil gets fresh grass from a farmer instead of hay and it is actually better than hay nutritionally. Most of us, however, do not have a source of properly grown and cut long grass or a way to store it.