Worst Guinea Pig carer in the world or the unluckiest?

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Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:18 am


We put a couple of pads in the huts that pretty much cover the space. We have quite a few pads (fleece covered with absorbent center) & change them out daily. With your setup, they might burrow under them? Worth a try. We got them here:


https://www.sewing4acause.com/cossetedp ... ads1BKoval
Don't know if it's ok to post that link in this part of the forum.

GreysGuineaPigs

Post   » Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:22 am


That gave me the cutest image of like a guinea pig Roomba! LOL! On top of useful, I guarantee Rory would have a ball chasing something like that around for days on end; her living cagemates aren't near as energetic as she is!

The vet suggested it after I had reactions to a couple of different bedding options with my hamsters, including Carefresh paper bedding...which I have no clue what was in there besides paper to set me off, but it was bad. Maggie's previous owner used that cedar bedding (which I now know is bad for them anyway), and I'm highly allergic to cedar and pine so that was obviously a no-go. I knew going in with the guinea pigs I would need alternative bedding options for them, so I called up the vet before ever getting the girls. At the time the vet had heard great things about GuineaDad's beds, which were marketed towards being anti-allergy....well good news is I'm not allergic, but I definitely did not expect to run into the problems I've had with their beds considering how popular they seem.

Thank you for that!! The wood pellets and eviro tile is such a smart idea! I'll have to look into those, I'd never even heard of the Envirotiles before seeing that link. I've tried putting down things like an extra towel covered in fleece in her sleeping area (it's the same corner all the time), but she likes to chew everything. Once she found a way to get the fleece up, she started pulling strings from the towel and trying to eat them. So with her GI issues, I didn't want to take the chance of her getting to the towel while I was away from home and sitting there all day eating string and then getting a blockage or something, because with her that's about how our luck runs! So maybe something like that will be a little harder for her to try to pull apart!!

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:12 pm


Our 3 girls continue to do well (touchwood) since we stopped them using the pockets. Its a shame as they do like to burrow but not worth the issues we were having.

Chunky is 1,126g, Nala is 1,035g and Suzi is 802g (she did shoot up to 842g last week from 797g but dropped down again this week but the overall trend is still up)

I noticed that in some of the Guineadad promo videos they now have the pockets tucked back on some of their. I asked them about making ones without pockets but they said they had no plans to do so.

We use 13 x 13 potty pads for areas where they seem to like to pee and poop and move the liners around daily until it is time to switch them out . They also seem to use the cuddle cups as a bathroom so we wash those (and the Potty pads) pretty regularly but they can go in on a normal hot wash. We tend to do a longer pre-soak and rinse cycle for the Guinedads as they have to be washed at low temperature.

For the most part we are happy with the Guinedads but in hind sight if we hadn't already invested in a bunch of them (six 2x3s, two 2x1s, one 2x2 and one for the Midwest Habitat) we might have gone with ones that could be hot washed although they were a little bulkier and pricier.

The pads that Bookfan linked to look good, they are more reasonably priced than the ones we got and I believe Windespirit who makes them is a GuineaLynxer so knows her stuff.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Wed Dec 05, 2018 3:33 pm


Yes, she's a GuineaLynxer.

The 3 pigs above and the hammy are adorable.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Dec 05, 2018 10:20 pm


Years ago she led a picture and chocolate giftathon for me. I have cut back on chocolate and will only look at the stuff that is "good" for you these days.

GreysGuineaPigs

Post   » Thu Dec 06, 2018 12:16 am


Sorry Bookfan, I guess I didn't refresh and didn't see your message earlier! That is a good idea, I didn't realize they made special potty pads! I don't know why I didn't think of it, I've baught bottlle drip pads for the same concept. *facepalm* I'd much rather have something like that that I can do in a quicker hot wash for daily washing, then only have to do the GuineaDad soak 1-2x a week! With the setup I have for her cage, she'd probably be able to burrow some, but honestly using them couldn't hurt. Any improvement would be greatly appreciated at this point!

rjespicer, I do the pre-soak as well, it's the only way they seem to really come clean on the cold to me. That is one thing I wish I had thought about before investing in so many GuineaDads...I don't love the idea of not being able to run it through hot water. It's probably a mental thing, but it just feels like it's so much more sanitizing if they can get washed on hot water!

Now that I know about the potty pads, maybe I can help cut down on continuous cycles of cage liner laundry. Thank you all for all the information! It's greatly appreciated!

rjespicer

Post   » Thu Dec 06, 2018 3:27 pm


Lynx, as my Nan used to say " A little of what you fancy does you good". She woudl have cream, butter, Chocolate, Full fat milk etc and lived to the ripe old age of

The ones Windespirit make can be warm washed. The ones we got from GPMarket can be hot washed but are 2-3 times the price for the potty pads.

If I had the time and could remember what I was taught by my Nan and Mum and in Home Ec lessons at school I would probably try making my own. I havent used a sewing machine in years and I am not hand sewing them ;)

rjespicer

Post   » Thu Dec 06, 2018 4:26 pm


A bit too quick on the submit button, I meant to say "Ripe old age of 90" although she might have made it to 100 if she had cut back on what she called her "Naughties"

Samurai

Post   » Thu Dec 06, 2018 6:17 pm


How do you post a new thread on this website? I’m brand new and need advice but can’t figure it out.

rjespicer

Post   » Thu Dec 06, 2018 6:20 pm


Go to the forum you want to post in and scroll down to the bottom of the thread list and it is a button on the left

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Dec 06, 2018 7:58 pm


Yeah, it isn't obvious. I tried to change the location but the new software is inscrutable.

GPIG

Post   » Fri Dec 07, 2018 1:09 am


rjspicer, my Grandmother used to say, everything in moderation. She lived into her 90s also. What she loved most was the butter and cream from over in your original neck of the woods, the British Isles.

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