Posted by madi on March 25, 2003 at 04:16:53:
In Reply to: Re: Some questions, rescue piggie! posted by PatG on March 06, 2003 at 21:32:55:
Thanks Pat
This is a bit confusing though, because :
1. All the piggy food you get to buy in Europe is a seed-mix. There are some pellets, but my piggies don't like them. When I got them and asked what they should eat, everyone told me they should get seeds as the main course and fruit and vegetables as a desert. We never had any problems with teeth or gums.
2. Vitamin C in the water was recommended by our vet, and they don't get it all the time, just once a week.
It would be nice if you could give me some more information on this subjects.
Also interesting : I keep them in a tank (I personally hate cages), but it is open and very large, and only 25 cm high.
Also another question : are there any toys for piggies (except the colored wooden bits, which they completely ignore) ? I would like to offer them some toys, because they like to play a lot - there's always something going on in their tank (that's probably why they are not fat).
Madi
:Madi,
:You might want to check out some feeding references. As far as I've been told and read, seeds are no good for pigs. They are
:not only fattenting for the pigs, they can also get stuck in their gums (knew of one that died because a shell was causing pain and it stopped eating) and don't know of any foods that have corn, etc. in it. Also, Vitamin C is not generally recommended in the water, the content breaks down very fast and you can't be sure how much they are getting. Vitamin C is better offered in Veggies high in Vit. C such as: cilantro, red/green/orange peppers, parsley, spinach (limited), Here is a good site for food references:
:http://www.angeyswebdesigns.com/shoppinglist.htm (wish I could link that for you), Cavyspirit.com, guinealynx.com, cavyspirit.com. If you visit Caviesgalore.com the first subject in the forum is the "shopping list" which extensively has a full list of all the food do/don't/requirements for piggies.
:Good luck with your new piggies, so nice you were able to adopt them from a rescue.
:Pat
:
::I am new around here, and am the proud owner of 2 recued piggies (4 and 4,5 years old),but I can also give you some tips :
::about the growth (and also the nails) you should definitely talk to a vet. It is very important that the nails sould not get too long.
::Also about the vitamin C thing - it is also important, and I have my own method about that. I put one 5 CC vial of vitamin C in their water once a week. Although it has a terrible taste, they really enjoy it and drink the whole thing like it's some juice or something.
::Also very important about the food is that they should not get only vegetables and fruit, there are pellets available, or, as I do it, give them a mix of grains : oats, whey, corn, sunflower seeds, peas. That should help also with the teeth-issue.
::Good luck
::madi
::
:::I just recently took in a guinea pig for a friend of mine who had been ignoring it almost completely and decided to finally give it up... and I really dont know the first thing about them. (I keep snakes, lizards, horses, dogs, cats, birds.. but not guinea pigs :D)
:::I just wanted to ask a coulpe things.
:::What is better for caging? A wire cage (like a rabbit would have?) or an aquarium type cage with bedding. I have both.. but I really don't know which is better. Right now he's in an aquarium with bedding that I change once a week (with a spot cleaning daily).
:::His teeth seem a little overgrown. What type of toy should I get him? I'm thinking.. maybe a wood block from a pet store or something, that's flavored and safe for a pig? Will he use it?
:::His nails are VERY VERY overgrown.. almost curling back up into his paw. I've been trimming them every couple of days. But he's a black guinea pig.. I cant see in his nails where the cuticle (sp?) is so that I don't make his nails bleed. I've been trimming as much as I feel I can.. and it doesnt help a lot, they seem to grow just as fast as I trim them.
:::He also has a small growth on the side of a foot. I don't know what it is... almost looks like the pads of his paw has grown up to the side of his paw. It's brown, and mushy to the touch.. but he doesn't like you touching it.
:::Anyways.. I hope this all makes sense, any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
:::-Randilyn
::
::
:
::I am new around here, and am the proud owner of 2 recued piggies (4 and 4,5 years old),but I can also give you some tips :
::about the growth (and also the nails) you should definitely talk to a vet. It is very important that the nails sould not get too long.
::Also about the vitamin C thing - it is also important, and I have my own method about that. I put one 5 CC vial of vitamin C in their water once a week. Although it has a terrible taste, they really enjoy it and drink the whole thing like it's some juice or something.
::Also very important about the food is that they should not get only vegetables and fruit, there are pellets available, or, as I do it, give them a mix of grains : oats, whey, corn, sunflower seeds, peas. That should help also with the teeth-issue.
::Good luck
::madi
::
