New Cavy Owner :)

Piggy_ · May 14, 2013

Hi everyone,

I adopted my first two piggies mid Jan of this year, and have become more and more smitten with them every day. I love all their cute personality quirks, their awesome noises, their crazy popcorning and their love of food! My guinea pigs are a 2 year old abyssinian and her 1 year old daughter. I offered to adopt them from their previous owner when she moved to Australia, from an unfortunately all-too-common NZ piggy lifestyle of living permanently outdoors in a leaky hutch with only food being grass poking up through the wires of the bottom of their cage. When I adopted them, I had only a basic knowledge about their care and what I was told from their previous owner (as she seemed very confident that they were living a healthy happy life). After an extensive amount of online research I can now confirm they are have constant access to fresh grass, hay, pellets (although I am still struggling to work out what makes a pellet mix good/bad), and are kept indoors unless the temperature is within their comfort zone and the weather is okay. When they're outside, they in a predator proof, weather-proof, insulated chicken coop with two levels, each 1.8 x 0.8m. Despite reading that guinea pigs should not be allowed outdoors, they popcorn like crazy whenever I pop them in their hutch, so I feel like I shouldn't deny them something that brings them so much pleasure.

Sorry for the long introduction, I'm still trying to work out the best lifestyle for my pigs (after being told such misguided information initially) so any advice/feedback is welcome

To any other New Zealanders: I am desperate for C&C cubes, which I have read much about but never seen here! Has anyone worked out a place they're sold or thought of another alternative? Their indoor cage is on the small size (imo, I would like something closer to the size of their outdoor hutch!) but I haven't found anything bigger than the standard pet store cage which is about 1m x 0.5m.

koalamissy · May 14, 2013

Welcome to the family!!! I have yet to adopt my piggies. I wish I could help you with the cage situation, but I'm not in New Zealand. Good luck with your piggies and we would love to see pigtures of them when you get a chance.

MochaAndMoo · May 14, 2013

Welcome aboard!
@RodentCuddles is a New-Zealander, she is also ordering whole bunch of cubes. Lately, we have actually had quite a large number of New Zealanders joining.

Despite reading that guinea pigs should not be allowed outdoors, they popcorn like crazy whenever I pop them in their hutch, so I feel like I shouldn't deny them something that brings them so much pleasure.

Guinea pigs shouldn't live outside, but that doesn't mean they can't have time outside. My girls love their outside time!

Just make sure you don't leave them outside in harsh weather like wind or extreme heat.

pellets (although I am still struggling to work out what makes a pellet mix good/bad)

It is extremely hard to find good quality pellets in NZ, make sure you avoid pellets with any colourful bits or seeds.
Also, we love pigtures! I'd love to see some pigtures of your girls

Piggy_ · May 14, 2013

I didn't think to post pictures! It's late here and they're all comfy in their snuggle sacks so I definitely will when I get a chance over the coming few days. I'm only up due to an assignment I have due but have left till the last minute

Hence procrastination by joining the forum and reading all the new threads

Piggy_ · May 14, 2013

Yeah, definitely, whenever they're outside I check the NZ website almost obsessively to see what the temperature and forecast is! Luckily though, here it's almost winter and daylight temperatures are between 16-22 degrees celcius. I read that their comfort zone is 18-22, so this is (almost) perfect for them. They have snuggle sacks and fleece bedding in the enclosed + ventilated upstairs area in case they feel a little chilly at the 16 degree end of the range. Unfortunately every single pellet option has colourful bits, even something called "exact" which is supposed to provide 100% of their daily requirements (and is only made up of colourful pieces), and almost every option has seeds, I just try to pick them out (but then, am I picking out the nutritious parts?). I'm also annoyed at New Zealand pellet producers because everything is for "rabbits and guinea pigs" which are completely different animals, so how can you feed them the same pellets??

But it's good to hear more NZers are joining, maybe we can all have awesome C&C cages and be as educated about guinea pigs as it seems the rest of the world is, one day!

Edit: This is in reply to "MochaAndMoo"

MochaAndMoo · May 14, 2013

Piggy_ said:
Yeah, definitely, whenever they're outside I check the NZ website almost obsessively to see what the temperature and forecast is! Luckily though, here it's almost winter and daylight temperatures are between 16-22 degrees celcius. I read that their comfort zone is 18-22, so this is (almost) perfect for them. They have snuggle sacks and fleece bedding in the enclosed + ventilated upstairs area in case they feel a little chilly at the 16 degree end of the range. Unfortunately every single pellet option has colourful bits, even something called "exact" which is supposed to provide 100% of their daily requirements (and is only made up of colourful pieces), and almost every option has seeds, I just try to pick them out (but then, am I picking out the nutritious parts?). I'm also annoyed at New Zealand pellet producers because everything is for "rabbits and guinea pigs" which are completely different animals, so how can you feed them the same pellets??

But it's good to hear more NZers are joining, maybe we can all have awesome C&C cages and be as educated about guinea pigs as it seems the rest of the world is, one day!

Edit: This is in reply to "MochaAndMoo"

Seeds are a major chocking hazard for pigs, and those colourful pieces are just sugary junk. RodentCuddles knows of the very few choices of good pellets, she might be able to help you out.
The "Rabbit and Guinea Pig pellets" are useless, how can you have a pellet that gives proper vitamins and minerals to two different animals with completely different nutritional needs? Plus if they are for rabbits they can't be fortified in vitamin C, plus rabbit pellets can also contain a type on antibiotics which is potentially lethal for pigs.
And I too am very happy to see NZers joining

, but I have also realized that the number of breeders in NZ is getting higher every year and there is currently only one known Guinea pig Rescue in NZ.

RodentCuddles · May 14, 2013

Welcome!
Yes, hopefully by the end of this week we'll have finally ordered a HUGE...I mean HUGE...Order of C&C girds and connectors making people in NZ able to create C&C cages once again. Kmart did stock them in 2008 hence why I've been able to grab them up when ever they're on trademe so we can keep the pigs in the rescue and my own 7 darlings in c&c cages. We're looking at around *price isn't approx yet* $50 for a box of 16 grids and how ever many connectors come with them...at $50 it's only really $3 a gird and you have to think about the whole shipping that much weight here!!...Hehe, Plus it goes to a good cause..the only current piggy rescue in the whole of NZ!!

I recommend Little Chintas guinea pig pellets but if you have the money *it's way to expensive for a tiny bag which would run out in a day with the 16+ pigs we have at most times!* then lynfield vets stocks Oxbow guinea pig pellets which is what the rest of world sees as one of the best.
They are the only two healthy and safe guinea pig pellets I know of in NZ atm.

We use a pellet free diet which works well for us though in the beggining it was a bit hard making sure they got the right amount of vitamins and nutrition but now we've found it and everyone is happy and the pigs are nice and healthy! Apart from some who get rescued!

ETA: No idea if you already know about my rescue and our facebook page but if not feel free to help spread the word!
https://www.facebook.com/CavyCareRescue

RodentCuddles · May 14, 2013

I should also note...that I don't know where you live but when they're outside and you're not watching there is the risk of dogs and cats and also depending on where you live stoats...we had a lady once contact us as they'd done every right *by the nz breeders site which I don't agree with for housing, feeding and breeding* but that morning their two guinea pigs got killed by stoats and they'd thought in NZ it was totally safe to keep them outside..but honestly we've seen so many sick guinea pigs come in and the ones who live inside are usually healthier and more social with people unlike the ones who come from outside who usually have fungal infections, mites, and are skinny.

So please please be aware. Around 7 years ago i got 3 of my rabbits killed by dogs. No one near us owned dogs but they were stray ones....I was horrified. But we got our rabbits bodies unlike the people down the road...It was around a year or so later and their baby rabbits got taken away by the dogs to which I'd rather not know what happened next.

Piggy_ · May 15, 2013

MochaAndMoo said:
The "Rabbit and Guinea Pig pellets" are useless, how can you have a pellet that gives proper vitamins and minerals to two different animals with completely different nutritional needs? Plus if they are for rabbits they can't be fortified in vitamin C, plus rabbit pellets can also contain a type on antibiotics which is potentially lethal for pigs.

Exactly my thinking! I'm currently feeding a "Rabbit and Guinea Pig" pellet, but I looked at the ingredients and it seems tailored more to guinea pigs (with coated vitamin C) so perhaps in this case it is a guinea pig pellet that wouldn't be that good for rabbits?

RodentCuddles said:
Welcome!
Yes, hopefully by the end of this week we'll have finally ordered a HUGE...I mean HUGE...Order of C&C girds and connectors making people in NZ able to create C&C cages once again. Kmart did stock them in 2008 hence why I've been able to grab them up when ever they're on trademe so we can keep the pigs in the rescue and my own 7 darlings in c&c cages. We're looking at around *price isn't approx yet* $50 for a box of 16 grids and how ever many connectors come with them...at $50 it's only really $3 a gird and you have to think about the whole shipping that much weight here!!...Hehe, Plus it goes to a good cause..the only current piggy rescue in the whole of NZ!!

I recommend Little Chintas guinea pig pellets but if you have the money *it's way to expensive for a tiny bag which would run out in a day with the 16+ pigs we have at most times!* then lynfield vets stocks Oxbow guinea pig pellets which is what the rest of world sees as one of the best.
They are the only two healthy and safe guinea pig pellets I know of in NZ atm.

We use a pellet free diet which works well for us though in the beggining it was a bit hard making sure they got the right amount of vitamins and nutrition but now we've found it and everyone is happy and the pigs are nice and healthy! Apart from some who get rescued!

ETA: No idea if you already know about my rescue and our facebook page but if not feel free to help spread the word!
https://www.facebook.com/CavyCareRescue

Wow, that would be cool! Yeah $3 per square is definitely reasonable- I can't help but think that there MUST be a better option here than shipping them half way around the world from the US though :/ I haven't had the chance yet, but I was thinking of approaching one of the chain stores that stock them overseas and seeing if they would ship some to NZ. Apparently Bunnings in Australia stocks them, and they MUST ship things backwards and forth, so surely they could add in some cubes for us the next time they bring something across the ditch?

Thanks for the warning about predators, I try to make sure I'm keeping an eye on them when they're outside, but predators is one of the reasons I bought a chicken coop instead of a rabbit/guinea hutch... it's designed for 4 laying hens to live their lives in, so I reasoned it must be pretty predator proof. But I'm sure an incredibly determined predator could find some way in given time and the right opportunity, so I'm very wary when they're out... but like I said, I don't think I could keep them permanently indoors, they have so much fun doing laps, popcorning, dashing up and down the ramp, hiding in the grass, and racing each other to find their favourite lawn plants (clover and dandelion).

And thanks, I will pop into Lynfield vets and grab some oxbow pellets next time I'm the area. Finally something where I can actually trust the ingredients!

Last but not least.... my piggies:

In the pic they are enjoying all of their favourite veges in an avocado box: ensue piggy mess and then dispose of the crime scene

RodentCuddles · May 15, 2013

Piggy_ said:
Wow, that would be cool! Yeah $3 per square is definitely reasonable- I can't help but think that there MUST be a better option here than shipping them half way around the world from the US though :/ I haven't had the chance yet, but I was thinking of approaching one of the chain stores that stock them overseas and seeing if they would ship some to NZ. Apparently Bunnings in Australia stocks them, and they MUST ship things backwards and forth, so surely they could add in some cubes for us the next time they bring something across the ditch?

We're not getting the girds from the US...we're getting them from the factory that makes which is the the cheapest way to go as we then don't have to buy them off other companies. Even shipping across the ditch would cost alot, you'd also have to pay for the shipping from the factory to Aus, Bunnings would need to get some money from it...it's just easier to order from the source then go though and get added cost.

Is that a BEW (black eyed white) piggy I spy?...Hmm...might need to pig-nap her...I already have a blue eyed piggy but hehe....

Piggy_ · May 15, 2013

RodentCuddles said:
We're not getting the girds from the US...we're getting them from the factory that makes which is the the cheapest way to go as we then don't have to buy them off other companies. Even shipping across the ditch would cost alot, you'd also have to pay for the shipping from the factory to Aus, Bunnings would need to get some money from it...it's just easier to order from the source then go though and get added cost.

Is that a BEW (black eyed white) piggy I spy?...Hmm...might need to pig-nap her...I already have a blue eyed piggy but hehe....

Oh really? I guess I just assumed they were coming from the US since you mentioned shipping would be a lot. Where is the factory that makes them located? And yeah that does make sense, not going through any other company, I just never realised there was a factory dedicated to the cubes. But awesome that there is! Hopefully you can make a decent amount of money from them, especially if you advertise that they can be used as indoor small animal cages. I have a large L-shaped desk in my room that I would be very keen to build a cage on.

Hehe, yes her eyes are black... But no, stay back, she's mine!

Besides, didn't you mention you have 7 pigs already (how on earth do you keep on top of all the feeding/cleaning/playing as well as the rescue pigs??)?

RodentCuddles · May 15, 2013

The factory isn't in NZ....in NZ it would cost around $12 per gird to be made *not including us getting any money*.
They're really sold as storage cubes, so we'll be able to sell them for piggy cages, rabbit cages and storage cubes!

Haha, yes I have 7 pigs already. I have my trio of boys *whom are amazing* and my mini herd of three girls and a de-sexed boy....though out of all of them my Trixie girl is my favorite..I mention her alot. Her life was going to be ended if I didn't step in...and she's amazing..she knows her name..I'll have her out and where ever she is as soon as I call her name she comes running up and goes where ever my hand is. I mean my boys do tricks *up/beg and paw* but she is so much like me..even though I had two of my boys two years before her I feel her and I connect the most!

We also have 2 boys in the rescue *though a pair is getting surrendered on Saturday* and two female pigs and two single females pigs...I've never meet a pig that was like the other and man over the past few years I've had a few pop in and out my life!
It's amazing the horrible states some pigs get rescued in..but its so wonderful to be part of their getting better and being able to help them find a good home. We've only had one pig die but she died a week after being adopted out from a parasite *which made me stress so much..turned out it was the adopties pigs who gave it to her*....she died after 19 hours from the first sign...she spent 7 of those hours at the vets. We have her ashes here and have yet to let them go. She wasn't even a year old.

Varcoda · May 15, 2013

:O your girls are beautiful!
if you haven't ordered the grids yet, you could also build one from wire closet shelving

Piggy_ · May 15, 2013

RodentCuddles said:
The factory isn't in NZ....in NZ it would cost around $12 per gird to be made *not including us getting any money*.
They're really sold as storage cubes, so we'll be able to sell them for piggy cages, rabbit cages and storage cubes!

Haha, yes I have 7 pigs already. I have my trio of boys *whom are amazing* and my mini herd of three girls and a de-sexed boy....though out of all of them my Trixie girl is my favorite..I mention her alot. Her life was going to be ended if I didn't step in...and she's amazing..she knows her name..I'll have her out and where ever she is as soon as I call her name she comes running up and goes where ever my hand is. I mean my boys do tricks *up/beg and paw* but she is so much like me..even though I had two of my boys two years before her I feel her and I connect the most!

We also have 2 boys in the rescue *though a pair is getting surrendered on Saturday* and two female pigs and two single females pigs...I've never meet a pig that was like the other and man over the past few years I've had a few pop in and out my life!
It's amazing the horrible states some pigs get rescued in..but its so wonderful to be part of their getting better and being able to help them find a good home. We've only had one pig die but she died a week after being adopted out from a parasite *which made me stress so much..turned out it was the adopties pigs who gave it to her*....she died after 19 hours from the first sign...she spent 7 of those hours at the vets. We have her ashes here and have yet to let them go. She wasn't even a year old.

Aww that's so sad to hear

In that situation there's really nothing more you or the new owner could have done, especially if her heard weren't showing symptoms! Terrible that the vet couldn't save her

I can only imagine the condition some of them come in; I volunteer at the SPCA in the small animal area (with the buns, piggies, rats, mice etc) and some of the animals are in a pretty heart-breaking state when they come in. It's really rewarding doing my part for those animals too, even if it's just a fraction of the amount you do for neglected guinea pigs. How long have you been operating as a guinea pig rescue? Also, I totally understand where you're coming from with Trixie- I have to admit my favourite is BB, the black pig in the photo, she is so playful and silly, and her antics make me laugh every day! She also always runs up to me when I stick my hand in their cage which I think is so sweet (probably just hoping for treats though!)

.

@Varcoda: Thanks so much for the compliment

And for your suggestion! I considered wire closet shelving, but one large enough would still be around $80 (to my knowledge) and the shape is fixed so I wouldn't be able to manipulate the cage to fit the furniture in the house, but definitely something I'll use as a back-up option. Another option I was thinking of was a plastic kids paddling pool (or sandbox?), which would be very cheap, large, and you can get them in a variety of shapes and sizes. But nothing seems to be as convenient as the cubes, darn. So I'm taking my time to see what options I can come up with- if you have any more ideas I'd be happy to have the input!

bpatters · May 15, 2013

Most of the factories that make grids are in Asia -- Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea, etc. So much closer to Piggy_ than the U.S.

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