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extensiblecow

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:eek:ptimist: I've just joined Cavy Cages' Forum !
And I am new to GPs ! Never lived with, looked after, nor care for GPs till March this year when I adopted Ginger and Wiggley !
I've kept their original names in honour of the previous owner who had done such a great job in raising them.
I think they are matured boys judging from their size. The previous owner couldn't remember how long they had them - the boys were such great joy to be with that it seemed forever !
I inherited a standard pet shop plastic cage where I keep the boys in door (especially now that it's getting really cold), and a huge 2-storey wooden cage (raised) that sits in the backyard. The wooden cage needs abit of doing up, eg draft-proof, ramp patching etc.
I am looking to buy Cubes and Coroplast to make a bigger indoor cage for the boys !
 
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SW <3 Guineas

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Those are really great photos and WOW stunning boys :D !!!

Welcome to the cavy forum, you'll definately find alot of information here! Just a quick hint, make sure their is lots of room in the indoor cage when you make it because boars can be a little agressive when they are to confined.
 

floey

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Yeah and with a larger indoor cage their personality and quirky characters will come shining through!
 

extensiblecow

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Managed to find cubes / grid storage blocks and built the boys a 2x4 cage. I bought enough to build a 2x5 but my home isn't big enough ! House needs some renovation but in the meantime, 2x4 is better than the standard pet shop plastic cage they came in with when I first adopted them in March.

Still let them out for floor time every other evening if not every evening, depending on how early I get home from work !

Cage has bare essentials, food bowl, water bottle, toys (cat toys), newspapers with plastic lining, fleece mat with towels, pigloo (1, need to get more), boxes for hiding, hay, humburger stuffed toy and treat ball.

Sometimes, my partner's daughter's GP (also a boy, called Saoirse) will visit and have a little play with the boys.

Will post picture of cage soon ...
 

littlemissjoey

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Hey there. Your boys are gorgeous.
 

extensiblecow

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Before - standard pet shop cage

The standard pet shop cage given along with the boys when I adopted them.
 

extensiblecow

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Present - Cubes cage

2x4 grid cubes cage. House is not big enough to have a 2x5 cage :expressio
GP furnitues and interiors not done up yet.
Thought I move them into this new cage before someone develops cramps in their tiny toes or feet...
Furnitures and interiors are work in progress.
 

extensiblecow

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Dinner during floortime

Dinner during floortime.
Usually feed them during floortime while I clean their cage.
Though the boys chomp down fast, they tend to take awhile to finish the bowl of vegetables. So I usually leave their dinner in the cage.
I try as much as possible to provide fresh greens - even vegetables prices have inflated in Sydney over the months due to high oil prices :weepy: .
I do not go all out to get fresh greens for them, they eat what I eat normally. I am aware that my boys eat better than some humans in Third World Countries - I do try my best to strike a balance.
 
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extensiblecow

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Floortime on patio

Weekend morning routine.
I let the boys out on the patio the whole morning to get some sun*and fresh air.
It is Winter now in Sydney, by the time I get home after work, it is cold and dark and the boys are hungry. After their dinner, they usually laze around in their cage, or Ginger will sometimes join me at the lounge room where I surf the internet while I watch my favourite drama series. Not sure if Ginger follows the dramas I watch ... lol

[*Where I live, it's leafy. There are lots of trees, and I mean tall and big ones too around the house. We don't get much sun during the day except in the morning.]
 

extensiblecow

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Pet bed / cuddle cup

I bought this pet bed / cuddle cup for the boys from Reject for A$15.
I think it's supposed to be for small dogs and cats.
But the boys like it very much !
Once they are in there, they just won't want to move !
Wonder where the poos and pee will go ... :D
 

PiggieMom

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Their new cage looks good. Maybe you could try and grow some veggies to offset the cost. I know I'm looking at growing bell peppers, parsley and cilantro in pots on my porch. I lov their bed. I made my boys a simular one and they love it too.
 

extensiblecow

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PiggieMom said:
Their new cage looks good. Maybe you could try and grow some veggies to offset the cost. I know I'm looking at growing bell peppers, parsley and cilantro in pots on my porch. I lov their bed. I made my boys a simular one and they love it too.

Thanks ! That's a great idea (re: growing veggies) ! Must start to develop green fingers ... most of my plants end up dying :weepy: makes me sad !

I did think of making them a bed ... but decided to get one from the shop. By the time I get the materials (still not sure what to stuff it with, cotton ? I am having troubles finding washable stuffings), and up my sewing skills, it'll be Summer ... and boys may freeze to death ! :melodrama
 

PiggieMom

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I had left over material from making their cage bedding. I made it out a foam mattress pad and wrapped it in fleece. It sort of fell apart in the washer though. I have to make better stiches when I fix it.
 

extensiblecow

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Oh my...
I went to Spotlight at Birkenhead, Sydney and found only stuffing meant for arts and crafts (eg teddy bears, pillows - not meant for wash). The "cotton" used will disintegrate in the washing machine !

I am considering using old towels as the padding.
 

jdomans

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Everything looks so good. What I do for 'beds' (i call them cushions) is sew a waterproof pad, towel, and fleece all together. I have them tucked in across the back wall where everyone hangs out. They catch a lot of pee and during the week I will toss them in the wash and put clean ones down. It makes a huge difference in the ammonia smell.

DSCF1771.jpg
 

floey

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Extensiblecow: You can get this material called "Wadding" from Spotlight, it comes on those big rolls where they cut the length you need. Don't get the cotton wadding that comes in seperately packaged bags, they cost a lot.
The ones on the big rolls work just as well and is the same stuff but alot alot cheaper!

You can fold the wadding up to make it thicker, then wrap fleece around and just stitch it together. I've chucked mine in the washing machine many times and its still good!
 

fairysari

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If you're growing veggies, I suggest cilantro. I planted some, as well as some lettuce and chard, and some flowers (not for the pigs) a few weeks ago, and the cilantro seems to be doing best of all. Oat grass or wheat grass (cat grass) is also really easy to grow, and grows really quickly, and is pretty good for your pigs. I think it's my pigs favourite thing to eat.
 

floey

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fairysari- How do you grow Oat Grass? I'm currently growing wheat grass, but it's so cold here in Aust that it's been nearly 1.5 weeks but still not full length yet!
What seeds would I be looking for to grow Oat Grass? And does it need soil? The wheat grass I'm currently growing doesn't need soil! Very convenient!
 

fairysari

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I just bought a packet of Catgrass (oats) at Wal-mart, and planted them in a little pot of soil. I put one indoors and one outdoors, and the one indoors by the window seemed to grow quicker. It was a hot spell, I think, when I planted them, maybe around 30C outside, and inside would have been a few degrees cooler. Here is a link to the brand and type of seeds I got, though I'm fairly sure it's a Canadian company, it might give you an idea of what to look for: (broken link removed)

When it got tall enough I just put the pot next to the cage, and the pigs ate it through the grids. I tried growing it in newspaper outside on the balcony in a shallow tray, but it didn't work, so I'd suggest soil. I've also bought the packs of catgrass that you just add water too, but it is cheaper to buy the seeds, if the goal is saving money.

Give the wheatgrass a few more days. Two weeks and it should be pretty tall.
 
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floey

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I see, I'll have a look around for it, thanks!
 
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