hi, i just had to share my beautiful pig!

[jackiem]

Im new. I think I have the best looking pig ever (i bet we all do). I just wanted to share him with other pig lovers like me .to see pics of him go to http://community.webshots.com/user/jackiemaddox

 

[MetallichicA]

Welcome to the forum - you have a beautiful piggy!

Please, though, don't use the leash on him, it can cause injuries to his back!

 

[PiggieMom]

I second the warning on the leash.

He is beautiful (though mine are more so )! I love this picture: http://community.webshots.com/photo/548583427/2491376730083362780LSmnVZ

Too cute.

 

[TipiDancer]

I second the warning on the leash.

He is beautiful (though mine are more so )! I love this picture: http://community.webshots.com/photo/548583427/2491376730083362780LSmnVZ

Too cute.

Haha, that picture made my laugh! Your piggy looks adorable! I bet he is a happy one too!

 

[jackiem]

why? we have only used it twice and it never seemed to bother him. How could it hurt him =(

 

[jackiem]

I know I love that picture too. I crack up everytime I see it. I took his picture right as he was about to yawn and he came out looking crazy =D Thank you very much for your comments everyone.

 

[Percy's Mom]

If you have a relatively calm pig, you may stay lucky and never have a problem with the leash. However, a pig's bag is not meant to arch, and if he should get scared or startled and jumps, the harness and leash will keep him from getting away, and his back will bend in a way that could cause spinal injuries. For the same reason, the back not constructed to arch, wheels and balls should also be avoided with guinea pigs.

 

[jackiem]

oh, ok. That makes sense. Hes very very calm though so I think Id like to keep using it. I do know now that if he did start to get wild to not tug on it or anything. thank you for your concern, I wont use it very often and I will be cautious. I do have another question... just now I heard Darwin choking. I turn around and hes over his food dish chocking!!! he coughed for awhile then he finally cleared his throat. But what if he didnt. Would there be anything I can do, like a piggy himlec or anything?????

 

[TipiDancer]

What kind of food do you feed him? Tell us everything that is in the food dish. That may explain choking.

 

[Percy's Mom]

Sometimes pigs just eat too fast and have to cough to clear their throats. It would be helpful to know what you're feeding though.

 

[jackiem]

I usualy feed him special pig pellets in one bowl and fruits and veggirs in another. This time I did feed him something different, it was a new blend of pellets and other stuff (?) I dont know the name of it. the pet store said they feed it to thier pigs and they love it and its good for him. I just thought itd be nice to give him some extra varity. I really dont think it was the food though, every once in a blue moon he'll choke out of no where. wierd? if I can prevent it thats great, but id like to know if thered be something I could do if he did happen to choke again .

 

[jackiem]

percys mom, thats probally what it was. He is a porker =)
it just scares me that one day he wont be able to clear his throat and I wont know how to help him.

 

[TipiDancer]

Well, as long as there are no seeds, corn, colored, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or mini cinna stix. It should be fine

 

[Percy's Mom]

The pet store sold you that to make money. The other "stuff" in the pellets is like giving a little kid junk food. Those extra bits and pieces are high in fat, low in nutrition, and are notorious for making a pig choke or sticking to their teeth. Stay with a good quality plain pellet (Oxbow, KMs, or Mazuri) and give him variety in different veggies and occasional fruits.

I don't think there's anything like a piggy Hiemlich. If he's coughing, whatever got stuck will come up. You might want to check and see if anything stuck to his teeth though.

 

[jackiem]

thanks guys! yeah, theres no seeds in it and I go to that pet store all the time and are friends with many of the people so I dont think they scammed me plus it was one of their cheaper pellets(even cheaper then the one I normally bought). I totally understand your reasoning though, your right lots of stores will do that. I dont remember the name of the food but I checked the nutrition facts first before I bought it. I will however stick to his old food though just to be safe, I didnt buy too much of that other stuff anyway. thanks though for you concerns. I really wish there was a piggy hiemlich though. oh well.

 

[Percy's Mom]

If you could tell us the brands of the two foods, and possibly the ingredient lists, we could give you information on the pros and cons of each of them. Most of the time, even if pet store employees have the best intentions, they usually don't know a whole heck of a lot about the animals or the products that are sold for them.

 

[jackiem]

I understand, but almost all the employees that work in the small animal section at the pet store I go to all have tones of piggies of their own and love the ones they sell. I guess I got lucky with the right pet store.

 

[TipiDancer]

Can you tell us what is in the food? Look on the ingredients of the bag.

 

[jackiem]

it didnt come in a bag. you poored it in a seperate bag yourself. the food he usually eats is KAYTEE Forti-Diet, its just pellets and not mixed with anything.

 

[Percy's Mom]

I know it seems like I'm harping on this, but the forum is very anti-petstore (at least anti the one's that sell animals). As good of intentions as your friends have, and as much as you might think they love their own animals and the ones they sell, if they are telling you that a guinea pig feed that has things other than plain pellets in it is good for your pig, they don't know much about guinea pigs. Unfortunately, a lot of the books that are published have very outdated, and in a lot of cases incorrect, information in them.

Because their are a ton of threads already started throughout the forum on why we are anti-petstore and pro-adoption, I'm not going to address that again here at this time.