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antipodi
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Joined: 25 Jan 2006
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Wed Mar 22, 2006 12:15 am
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 Cavy Care ..Dos and Donts
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Cavy Care ..Dos and Donts
Do offer a complete and balanced diet. It is very important for your cavy to have fresh alfalfa or timothy based pellets fortified with Vitamin C, unlimited Timothy Hay and a wide variety of fresh fruit and veggies EVERY day.
Do provide a safe cage and plenty of floor time. It is very important that your cavy cage has a smooth bottom and good ventilation. It should be very spacious so the little ones can get some running time even while they are in their home. They definitely need to get out for some serious floor time while you are able to supervise them in a cavy proofed area.
Do keep them in the main living area of your home. Cavies should not be kept in a child's bedroom or any other isolated area of your home. They should be considered part of the family and integrated with the family activity area. This also allows for adult supervision in case your cavy starts to show signs or symptoms of illness. You are much more likely to notice the changes more quickly which will allow for early treatment.
Do handle them gently and speak to them softly. Cavies are shy by nature and are much more comfortable with softer tones. They are not designed for climbing or much jumping and therefore are most comfortable when all their limbs are supported. It is best to hold them up to your chest or let them rest on the length of your forearm. When held away from your body they will thrash and flail about which can cause severe spinal injuries.
Do give them lots of love! You just cannot look at a cavy and not see love and want to cuddle with them. They are of the most gentle and submissive creatures around. Please appreciate their personalities and treat them with tender loving care!
Do think about rehoming before breeding. Aside from it being a risk to your sows life each and every time she is impregnated, the world is overpopulated with animals that don't have homes. Each time you create more lives and think you are doing good by finding homes for them, you are taking a potential home away from a pig sitting in a shelter without a home.
Do Not ever use cedar chips for bedding. There is a wide variety of safe bedding available for your cavy. Some of the most acceptable are Aspen, Carefresh, Yesterday's News etc. Cedar chips contain aromatic hydrocarbons which are quite toxic to small animals. Research has proven this to be the cause of respiratory infections as well as elevated enzymes in their liver. Constant exposure over a long period of time, will ultimately result in the death of your cavy. Although this product is packaged and sold for small animals, it is not safe for any of them. Avoid using it at all costs!
Do Not ever house your cavy outdoors. While a shady afternoon outdoors is a fun time for any little critter, cavies are not tolerant to heat. They suffer from heatstroke at temperatures between 80 to 85 degrees. While this may seem comfortable for most humans, it is too hot for our cavy friends. As long as you are supervising, it is fine to let them out into the grass (assuming you do not use any toxic chemicals) during the cool hours, but pay close attention and bring them in once the weather warms up to 80 degrees. In addition to the heat, they are vulnerable to being attacked by feral cats, owls, etc. so be sure to never leave them outside without supervision.
Do Not ever self medicate your cavy. Unlike many small animals, cavies are very sensitive to a variety of antibiotics. Be sure to use only the meds prescribed by an experienced cavy veterinarian. Many vets are not even aware of their sensitivity to certain medications so be sure your vet is well experienced with cavies before you offer the medications they prescribe. You can always double check the meds on Guinealynx.com before administering them.
Do Not ever use the large running balls sold in pet stores. These balls are labeled as toys for guinea pigs; however, they are very dangerous for them. Guinea pigs have long backs with short legs. Their backs bend backward in these balls resulting in spinal injury.
Do Not follow the advice given by any pet store employees about how to care for your cavy. Double check any advice you are given with either your experienced veterinarian or with a cavy expert. Many pet store owners do not know the proper care guidelines for the small animals that they sell and they surely do not require their employees to learn about the animals either. They rarely give accurate advice about nutrition or behavior.
Do Not ever make a cavy live alone. They are incredibly social critters and thrive with a cagemate. In nature they live in large herds. They adjust to new environments much more quickly and with less stress when they have a buddy to lean on. Having two instead of just one does not require much more time or money on your part, but will make a world of difference to your little critter. It is just a myth that they will not bond as quickly with their owner if they have a cagemate. It is exactly the opposite. They bond much more quickly because they have the security and support of a cagemate and are not as afraid of everything in their environment. Just BE SURE you select two of the same gender or a neutered male with female. Please always keep your cavies in NON-BREEDING pairs.
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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Juliemarie
Joined: 04 Feb 2006
Posts: 56
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Location: Australia
Fri Mar 24, 2006 11:19 pm
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Can I just say, I dont think you can find Timothy hay in Australia.
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antipodi
Site Admin
Joined: 25 Jan 2006
Posts: 1141
Karma: +6 (6)
Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:55 am
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Thanx for pointing this out , sadly we are different all over the world and in Australia we just have bags of hay ...I suppose Timothy hay is a brand name ..correct me if I'm wrong...The above article is part of a vet report , as are many of the care sheets and it is good we pick up the differences from country to country...
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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Juliemarie
Joined: 04 Feb 2006
Posts: 56
Karma: 0 (0)
Location: Australia
Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:07 pm
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No it isn't a brand, I think it is an actual type of hay. We just dont seem to have it, unfortunately.
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antipodi
Site Admin
Joined: 25 Jan 2006
Posts: 1141
Karma: +6 (6)
Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:27 am
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Thanx for that info Juliemarie ...I'll look it up on the web and try and get as much info as possible and post it here .
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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curiousorange
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Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 40
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Fri Apr 14, 2006 7:16 am
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Hi antipodi! I'd just like to say that that's some really sound advice there! Great job!
Can I just add something? I had a really bad experience with the little plastic pigloos, the little plastic houses for guinea pigs. I don't know if they sell them in Australia, but here, they seem to be in all the pet shops. It says on the label they are suitable for guinea pigs, but they are not. Here's why I say this: Guinea Pigs will often chew on the plastic. It becomes brittle and sharp, and they could cut themselves if they run past it and it scrapes their skin.
Also, it can be good for any animal to swallow plastic, and it can seriously damage the guinea pig's gut. This could potentilally kill the guinea pigs. As I say, I had a very sad and bad experience with these little plastic houses.
Please avoid any plastic at all, instead, get the guinea pigs card board boxes to play with and wooden fiddlestix. They are safe to chew on and the guinea pigs love them just fine.
Love Gem.xXx 
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antipodi
Site Admin
Joined: 25 Jan 2006
Posts: 1141
Karma: +6 (6)
Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:26 am
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Thats interesting I know about chewing and they do sell those Pigaloos here ...I use plastic plumbing pipes the seem to right so far ..but after what you sa ..I'll keep an eye on them ..I only have a few and I take them out and share them so they are not always in one cage....
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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