Help ... new and want to make sure I'm doing right!

[Faith & Edwena]

Hi Guys

Would really appreciate your help! I have just got two female piggies from a well known uk rescue centre. They had suspected mites so have had two treatments of ivomec by the vet at the centre.
I have done loads of reading on here but just need to make sure that what I am doing is correct for my girls.

I have them in a large hutch in our porch which is double glazed (there is a rad in there but not switched on as I know piggies can get too hot) The bedding consists of puppy training pads in both the sleeping and kitchen area. In the sleeping area I have carefresh on top of the puppy pad and then vet bed on top of that(looks more cosy to me then fleece). They have a large igloo in there as well as a tunnel and shredded natural jay cloth type animal bedding to keep them warm. Their hay is fed ad lib via a hay rack, they get fed Super Guinnea Excell and also veg twice a day (broclie, carrot, spring green, cabbage leaves - mixure varied each meal time to ensure varied vitamin intake and reduce boredom) They come out for floor time grooming and cuddles every day as well.

These are the first piggies I have ever owned (I'm 33) and I can't beleive how lovely they are ) Hence I want to make sure that I am doing every thing right. (Unfortunately I would not feel confident with a C&C Cage as I also have a dog, a border collie which luckily does not pay much attention to the girls but I'm not taking any risks!) In the summer I plan for them to go out in a run in the garden on nice days and sleep in their hutch in the porch at night.

My questions are:
1) Is the bedding I am using ok? Is there a cheaper or better alternative that is not messy (being that they are in our porch) The puppy pads have a plastic backing to stop the urine going into the wood of the hutch - is this ok? they have not chewed it yet - are they likely to?
2) The rescue centre did not give them any fruit and veg - only the super excell which I know has Vit C in it and hay - but was it enough? One of the piggies is quite a bit thinner then the other one and is always the first at the veg. Do you think she is thinner as her metabolism needs fresh veg more? (I have only had them three days) - I have been monitoring their faeces and all fine
3) By not having fresh veg every day whilst they were at the centre (I believe they were there for some time) going to cause any future health problems??
4) Do you think it would be worth while getting my vet to check them over even though they are from a well known rescue?

Sorry this is such an essay and I have rambled quite abit - would just like some confidence in what I am doing

Thanks in advance for any help

[Elaine]

Just dropped in to say hi, i`m new to and also from the uk.
i`m as worried as you and have asked for advice on what to do as one of my piggies is pregnant!
(take a look at my thread: help!...i`m worried..)

as for your bedding query i wud say the puppy pads are not an ideal bedding choice with the plastic backing, but i may be wrong and i`m sure someone who`s a lot more experienced with g,pigs will let u know for sure. Hay and wood shavings is what i use and have never had a problem, along with newspaper lining the bottom of the cage is a good source of heat, i keep my g,pigs in my hallway.
again about the puppy pads, i was thinkin of using them when ive got their run out in my l,room to avoid all the wee gettin everywhere, and feel confident to use them then as i will be there at all times.

nice to meet u anyway, and hope u find all the answers to your questions. i hope someone gets back to me sooon aaarggh!


Elaine.

[crazywiggy]

Hi there, welcome to the forums and congrats on adopting your piggies!

It's really great to hear you adopted and are doing your research. You've done well to find this site - you will find everything you ever needed to know about piggies on here, we're always happy to help.

I'm glad you said they've been properly treated for mites, so they should be pest free now. I would recommend finding a cavy-savvy vet now, so that you know someone reliable in case they ever get ill. I think it would be worth getting them checked out just in case.
A lot of people recommend weighing your piggies regularly too, so you can see if they start gaining or losing unusual amounts of weight.

Can you clarify about your porch? I assume this is an indoor room? If so your piggies should be fine as long as there are no drafts and the temperature is fairly stable.

Your piggies should enjoy munching on the lawn in nice weather, but we don't recommend you leave them out there. There are far too many risks - pests, predators, humans etc. Your piggies should only be outside when you can supervise them.

Hutches can be a problem. Firstly, they are impossible to keep clean because the wood absorbs urine. If you are going to continue using a hutch I would suggest putting something waterproof on the floor (eg coroplast - called correx in the UK) just so it is more hygienic. The other problem is that most hutches are far too small. Can you measure the inside dimensions of your hutch and tell us how big it is? 2 Guinea pigs need at least 7.5 sq feet of floor space, preferably more.

Your bedding sounds ok, but I think you need something over the puppy pads in the main area. Aleternatives are all care fresh, aspen or the fleece method. I love using fleece (over towels or mattress pads) - I think you could use vet bed in place of the fleece but you would still need something absorbant underneath it. Check out the fleece study in the stickies (bedding section) for more info.

Hopefully your piggies shouldn't have any problems as a result of not getting veggies, although it is worth keeping a look out for signs of scurvy. Just start feeding them a proper diet now and they should be fine. I don;t know if your food is any good (someone else might be able to tell you). If not you can order Oxbow online.

Check out all the sticky threads for loads of great info. Enjoy your piggies!

[Faith & Edwena]

Hi Crazywiggy

Thanks for all the great advice.

Yes our porch is just like another room - certainly more draft free and stable temperature then a shed or garage (double glazed windows / doors and insulated). I am not sure on the dimentions of the hutch - it is certainly bigger then what they were being kept in at the rescue centre and as an estimate is probably equal to a 2 1/4 x 3 1/2 C&C cage. I am not totally happy with it so I am currently exploring different options of perhaps building a run infront of the hutch (there is already a low ramp to allow the piggies access without falling and hurting themselves) or changing their living arrangements to something more suitable.

I agree about the vet bed in the kitchen area as well - I had a spare peice for when the bedroom bit was being washed - so have put that on top of the puppy pad in the kitchen area now and will buy some more for washing time. Will also try and sort out some old towels to put between the puppy pads and the vet bed.

Will weigh both of them when they come out for their floor time later and monitor their weight from now on.

Thanks again for your help ... I shall continue searching this site for ideas etc

[crazywiggy]

Glad I could help.

It does sound like your cage is a bit on the small side. Attaching a run might work, but bear in mind the minimum requirements are to enable space for running laps and popcorning. You could always build a big run-style cage then raise the hutch off the floor and add a proper ramp, so it would be like a loft and the pigs would have the whole run of the space underneath.

You could purchase a ready made run from a pet supplies place, or build your own.
If you want to build you could make a basic wood frame with wire mesh walls (I did this for an old rabbit pen) or use grids if you can find them. Obviously you would need something down under it to protect the floors - like correx or lino.