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KonMari DeathMetal
Dec 20, 2009
Dears goons, my current girlfriend has convinced me that it is a good idea to get a couple of guinea pigs and I am terrified. She has kept pigs for years and I've only done fish as a kid so this a whole new ball game for me. She is going to help me out and teach me how to care for them but I'm still worried I'll gently caress this up.

I've already bought my cubes and going to get coroplast in the next couple of days, followed by some pigs. Someone please put my mind at ease at let me know im doing a good thing :ohdear:

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alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender
Are you getting them from a rescue? If so, that will help make sure they aren't pregnant, sick, mis-sexed, or mite-infested, like most pigs from craigslist/pet stores tend to be.

Do you already have a kitchen scale to do their weekly weighings?

Have you already located both a regular and an emergency/after hours exotics vet who sees guinea pigs?

I'm currently giving sub-cu fluids and critical care to an 8 year old who is experiencing bloat and stasis, so making sure you're prepared for medical issues comes most readily to my mind right now.

SubbyMinx
Dec 30, 2009

alucinor posted:

Are you getting them from a rescue? If so, that will help make sure they aren't pregnant, sick, mis-sexed, or mite-infested, like most pigs from craigslist/pet stores tend to be.

Do you already have a kitchen scale to do their weekly weighings?

Have you already located both a regular and an emergency/after hours exotics vet who sees guinea pigs?

I'm currently giving sub-cu fluids and critical care to an 8 year old who is experiencing bloat and stasis, so making sure you're prepared for medical issues comes most readily to my mind right now.

I get the distinct impression that guinea-pig culture in the US is *very* different to here in the UK. I've never been advised to weigh my pig (when I had one), most vets will see pigs, and pets stores always sell healthy animals. (private sales are different, obviously)

KonMari DeathMetal
Dec 20, 2009
I will be going with the rescue route, there is also a regular and emergency exotic vet in the area and I do have a kitchen scale for weigh ins.

I have been doing the research suggested in this thread and I can think resource wise I am prepared as I can be, its just a mental thing now.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

SubbyMinx posted:

I get the distinct impression that guinea-pig culture in the US is *very* different to here in the UK.

Incredibly different. If kungfu_hammer is in the UK, the vet and pet store thing probably don't apply (although there's still lots of UK pigs in rescue who need homes!)

The weighing issue should apply all around, although it's a bit of a new concept (last 8 or 10 years, really). Quite simply, weight loss is THE very first sign of illness. So if you weigh weekly, you've got a better chance of spotting illness before it gets too serious. I spotted Chester's illness on Sunday because his weight was down from last week; but only last night did he start showing symptoms, and so I've had four days to diagnose and treat that I otherwise would not have had.

SubbyMinx
Dec 30, 2009

alucinor posted:

Incredibly different. If kungfu_hammer is in the UK, the vet and pet store thing probably don't apply (although there's still lots of UK pigs in rescue who need homes!)

The weighing issue should apply all around, although it's a bit of a new concept (last 8 or 10 years, really). Quite simply, weight loss is THE very first sign of illness. So if you weigh weekly, you've got a better chance of spotting illness before it gets too serious. I spotted Chester's illness on Sunday because his weight was down from last week; but only last night did he start showing symptoms, and so I've had four days to diagnose and treat that I otherwise would not have had.

I shall remember this when I get myself a piggie again! My last one just suddenly went. I popped in one morning before school to feed and water him, and he was a cold lump. :( I was a very sad little girlie. I should really dig out some pictures of him.

kazmeyer
Jul 26, 2001

'Cause we're the good guys.

SubbyMinx posted:

I get the distinct impression that guinea-pig culture in the US is *very* different to here in the UK. I've never been advised to weigh my pig (when I had one), most vets will see pigs, and pets stores always sell healthy animals. (private sales are different, obviously)

Yeah it's definitely different. Pet stores here in the US are awful when it comes to the animals, and not just from a breeding standpoint; about 95% of the things in pet stores that are marketed directly at guinea pigs are junk at best and actively dangerous or harmful at worst.

The thing in the UK that's always baffled me, though, is keeping them outside like livestock. Guinea pigs need more protection than that; we're talking about a species whose only defense against predators is to breed quicker than they can be eaten (perhaps defeating their predators by giving them heart disease and lifestyle-based illnesses). They really aren't up to dealing with all that Mother Nature can throw at them.

RazorBunny
May 23, 2007

Sometimes I feel like this.

kazmeyer posted:

The thing in the UK that's always baffled me, though, is keeping them outside like livestock. Guinea pigs need more protection than that; we're talking about a species whose only defense against predators is to breed quicker than they can be eaten (perhaps defeating their predators by giving them heart disease and lifestyle-based illnesses). They really aren't up to dealing with all that Mother Nature can throw at them.

Well, there aren't a lot of things in the UK that would eat them anyway, are there?

I would have thought that the weather wouldn't agree with them, but then I remembered that they originated in the Andes.

I suppose the proof is in the pudding - do they die a lot being kept outdoors?

Rodent Mortician
Mar 17, 2009

SQUEAK.

RazorBunny posted:

Well, there aren't a lot of things in the UK that would eat them anyway, are there?

I would have thought that the weather wouldn't agree with them, but then I remembered that they originated in the Andes.

I suppose the proof is in the pudding - do they die a lot being kept outdoors?

That's a hard thing to discuss because there's no scientific data, but I see a disproportionate amount of "my guinea pig was eaten by a dog/got loose/died/etc" posts from the UK/Europe area. The UK does have dogs and cats and birds of prey, as well as foxes (Guinealynx has a hilarious picture of someone who caught a fox pissing by their guinea pig run). I've seen a couple of reports of rodents (I'd assume rats?) attacking guinea pigs in sheds. The weather doesn't agree with them, but it's not really the cold you have to worry about -- it's the heat.

I think it's just one of those things where if they do die outside it tends to elicit a "Well, that's nature for it, just look at the miracle of nature all eating my pets and poo poo" instead of "Holy poo poo, my guinea pig wouldn't have been ripped to shreds if it was in my house".

Here's a news story from today from an educational facility that had it's guinea pig enclosure breached by a fox. The tone of the facility is basically "Well, foxes just get animals occasionally, but we wish they wouldn't kill a dozen at the time!" You'd think a facility constantly having animals dragged off by foxes would consider some indoor space or better fences or something, but they kind of go back to the "Awww, look at nature :unsmith:" approach.

SubbyMinx
Dec 30, 2009
Foxes are kind of the only major predator because they'll actually dig under and into a pig's run. Cats are a pain and will sometimes scare a pig, but never have the effort to dig to one. Getting loose can come from poorly made cages as much as anything else. Cats toying with a hutch can open a door, then the pig can escape later (this happened to my first pig, 2 weeks after I got him). The secret is to make sure your hutch is cat-proof... sliding bolts work very nicely.

My pig always used to go into the greenhouse over winter, and had the shade of his hutch during the summer (as well as lots of open run space). You say that heat is the problem, so what would you say is too hot for a piggie? (you seem to be the expert here) Bare in mind that British weather is mostly rain, and the temperature only ever hits about 25 Celcius, if that.

I think it's mostly just a cultural difference. House guinea-pigs and house rabbits are very rare over here. Possibly because if you have a house big enough for one, you usually have the garden space too? I think we Brits also have a strange sense that it's "cruel" to keep an "outdoors" pet indoors. For example, house cats are a massive rarity over here!

Rodent Mortician
Mar 17, 2009

SQUEAK.
We have gotten in guinea pigs having heat issues in temperatures as low as 75 degrees (23 Celsius). These are usually animals that got abandoned outside to "run free" in the wild. The problem is, even if it usually only gets to 25, it only has to hit 27-28 for one day to wipe out your herd. People will even put them out for a day in the sun, providing shade in part of the pen, assuming that they'll move to the shade when they get hot. They won't, pigs are not that bright, they'd stand there and let you chainsaw them in half if there was food available. They will stand in the sun and eat grass until they collapse.

I see more problems from cats trying to attack guinea pigs from outside of the cage than digging in. Because of the bacteria that cats carry, scratches or bites can become infected quickly (see: wildlife rehabilitators and their bitching about outside cats).

To be honest, I kind of roll my eyes at the people who "don't have space" for a guinea pig cage. Our last house was 900 square feet. Tiny. Including my fosters, I often had 10-14 guinea pigs in my house at any given time, each pair having at least 7.5 square feet. We've got other foster homes that have one bedroom apartments and have no trouble accommodating a cage large enough for two guinea pigs to have plenty of room.

It is more of a cultural thing, and there's really not much you can do to change it. The bigger problem (as I see it) is that all of these uncontrollable factors tend to bring down the overall lifespan of the animals. Then people see a three year old guinea pig become ill and don't want to bother with vet care because "they all die around three anyway", without seeing that often these mitigating factors contribute to the shortened lifespan. Heck, just seeing the animals more often gives you a higher chance of noticing their more subtle signs of illness.

Honestly, if one of my pigs dies at three, I assume they've got a congenital abnormality, because it's really rare that ours pass before 5, and it's fairly normal to see them hitting the 7-9 mark. I also see this a lot with rabbits. When I discuss keeping them indoors, they often defend themselves with a statement similar to "well all my other rabbits have lived to be five!" when a more typical lifespan of a healthy houserabbit is 10-12 years (depending on the breed and size).

SubbyMinx
Dec 30, 2009
If it makes you feel any better, I think you've converted one UK goon, at least. Any future pigs/rabbits I have will have access to the garden (for grassy noms!), but will be free to run around inside as well :)

killerwhat
May 13, 2010

kungfu_hammer posted:

Dears goons, my current girlfriend has convinced me that it is a good idea to get a couple of guinea pigs and I am terrified. She has kept pigs for years and I've only done fish as a kid so this a whole new ball game for me. She is going to help me out and teach me how to care for them but I'm still worried I'll gently caress this up.

I've already bought my cubes and going to get coroplast in the next couple of days, followed by some pigs. Someone please put my mind at ease at let me know im doing a good thing :ohdear:

My boyfriend was in this position when we got our hamster, that's partly why we got her. After the first couple of days worrying about holding her too tightly, or not feeding her right, or losing her behind the sofa - he realised how easy they are to care for, and completely relaxed. After that he fell in love with her and is now a pet convert!

Sadly this story doesn't have a happy ending. He found her last Saturday lying dead in the cage, I think she had a heart attack. We had only had her for 6 weeks, so she was less than 4 months old. I've never had a pet die on me like that before, either it was really bad luck or more likely she had some congenital problems. She was from a normal pet shop so maybe their breeder isn't very good, I don't know. We'd had a look online for UK hamster breeders but they seem to be hard to find compared to breeders for rarer pets.

Anyway, we were devastated. She was the best hamster, so beautiful as well. But even this hasn't put my boyfriend off, now we are going to take a while looking for a new one. Don't worry about getting piggies, they'll be great and it will be fine! Though they are the stupidest things.

I wanted to post some pictures of Samus here, but waffleimages isn't working, so I'll just link a video of her instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywqr_MTts5k

She was guilt-tripping me about playing with her one morning while I was trying to get ready for work, so I went and found an egg box to put in her cage. Hilarious watching her seesawing around on it.

Amorphous Blob
Jun 26, 2009

by Lowtax

(and can't post for 2 years!)

I've been wondering this for a while, and PI should be a good place to ask. Should I get a second piggy to keep my current one company? I've got a pretty big cage which used to house three pigs, and the pig I have now is about a year old. He used to have a friend that he got along very well with, but he was four at the time and passed away a while ago. Any advice?

Rodent Mortician
Mar 17, 2009

SQUEAK.

Amorphous Blob posted:

I've been wondering this for a while, and PI should be a good place to ask. Should I get a second piggy to keep my current one company? I've got a pretty big cage which used to house three pigs, and the pig I have now is about a year old. He used to have a friend that he got along very well with, but he was four at the time and passed away a while ago. Any advice?

Guinea pigs are social creatures, and generally introductions are not that difficult. The big thing is finding another guinea pig that yours gets along with. If there's a rescue in your state, I'd contact them about adopting, since they'll be able to help you with introductions and you won't be stuck with two single guinea pigs if your first attempt doesn't work out.

kazmeyer
Jul 26, 2001

'Cause we're the good guys.

Amorphous Blob posted:

I've been wondering this for a while, and PI should be a good place to ask. Should I get a second piggy to keep my current one company? I've got a pretty big cage which used to house three pigs, and the pig I have now is about a year old. He used to have a friend that he got along very well with, but he was four at the time and passed away a while ago. Any advice?

Is that pretty big as in pet-store cage terms, or pretty big as in really pretty big? If it's big enough to house multiple pigs according to guineapigcages.com, there's absolutely no reason not to bring home a new friend. Guinea pigs do so much better when they've got someone to socialize with, you really get to see a lot more of their personality come out and they're less likely to be needy and loud.

Amorphous Blob
Jun 26, 2009

by Lowtax

(and can't post for 2 years!)

It's a big cage, but it's not gigantic. I'll have to measure it later. And I should probably adopt, right? What should I ask them about the pig? I know mite checking is important, but not much else aside from making sure it's a male like my current pig.

ohnoitsphil
Mar 30, 2005

It says Flomax! Thats prostate medicine you guys!!!
I have a guinea pig medical question.

My girlfriend called me at work this morning to let me know that our 4 yo pig Porkchop was acting like he couldn't stay balanced. He was absolutely fine last night around 8ish when I was feeding him hay and fruit. I did some googling and it seems like he might have an ear infection or a vitamin deficiency. He has been eating fine, lots of pellets, hay, and fruits/veggies so I don't think it could be scurvy or another deficiency. Are there any other symptoms of an ear infection?

My girlfriend works at a dog/cat vet clinic and her boss said to bring our pig in with her today. I made her promise not to let the doctor give our pig anything because they do not have small animal experience.

Again, my girlfriend says the only symptoms are Porkchop being unsteady when he gets up and swaying slightly while standing, she also said he isn't getting excited about treats, although he did eat his hay last night.

Sirotan
Oct 17, 2006

Sirotan is a seal.


ohnoitsphil posted:

I have a guinea pig medical question.

I have a 5 year old pig who about 3 weeks ago started walk around her cage very unsteadily one morning and when I took her out she just flopped down on her side and got very limp. She also didn't want to eat. She was bloated and in the early stages of gut stasis. She had been perfectly fine just 12 hours before.

I've had plenty of pigs in the past go into gut stasis but never saw them act unsteady like she did. If its only an ear infection they will still show interest in food. If your pig isn't eating this is extremely serious and you will need to get them to an exotics-knowledgeable vet immediately.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

ohnoitsphil posted:

I have a guinea pig medical question.

Exotics vet, stat. Ear infections are really rare. The two most common medical problems with pigs are bladder stones and molar overgrowth. So the two things your girlfriend's boss can possibly do to help are a) x ray to check for bladder stones, and b) use an otoscope to check the molars for points, spurs, or tongue entrapment.

Have you been weighing the pig regularly? Has his weight changed at all between now and the last time he was weighed? The amount of weight loss will tell you whether this has been a hidden but ongoing problem, or something sudden.

ohnoitsphil
Mar 30, 2005

It says Flomax! Thats prostate medicine you guys!!!
Thanks for the advice guys, I contacted the emergency vet closest to me and they said they don't take exotic pets so we have to wait until morning. Porkchop is eating (snatched celery from me like a madman) and drinking but only a little. He is pooping normally but not urinating at all. His dizziness from this morning seems to be gone and now he is just being lethargic. I think he must have a bladder stone or a bladder infection. We tried letting him sit on a warm washcloth hoping we could encourage him to pee but it didn't help.

The dog/cat vet that my gf works for took an x-ray of him, but it looked like he might have some fluid in his abdomen because she could not make out any bladder stones.

edit: I know we should be weighing him often but the last time we weighed him was in March and he was 2lb 7.5oz and today he was 2lb 3.5 oz.

ohnoitsphil fucked around with this message at 03:32 on May 18, 2010

Lady Hardcastle
Sep 24, 2007
I've been internalising a really complicated situation in my head
I don't know if there are any mouse experts in this thread, but if there are, I could really use some help.

One of my mice (Harvie) is sick or hurt I think. She hasn't moved much in the last 2 days, her coat (fur?) is looking dull and scaley, she is long haired and usually has a really nice soft coat. She usually makes a half hearted effort to avoid me when I put my hand in but this time she barely moved a muscle. She keeps squinting when she looks out of the house that she's in. I did pick her up and she feels a wee bit cold and when I stroke her left side towards her hind leg, she flinches and raises her left hind foot up. So I've come to the amateur conclusion that she's hurt herself somehow. She isn't moving much, just hunched up in a little ball. This is totally out of character since she is usually incredibly active (hyperactive most of the time), lots of jumping and climbing on the cage walls and roof.

Is a broken or hurt mouse leg treatable? or will my stupid NZ vet just laugh at me and tell me to feed it to my cat :(

For reference the other 2 mice are fine as normal. It is a bit cold here at the moment, so I thought she might just be cold, but given the leg thing and the fact the others are doing fine, I'm not convinced its just the cold.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

ohnoitsphil posted:

edit: I know we should be weighing him often but the last time we weighed him was in March and he was 2lb 7.5oz and today he was 2lb 3.5 oz.

That's a fairly significant weight change in 2 months; I'd be highly concerned.

Stones should show up like shotgun pellets on x-ray; even a non-exotics vet should recognize them. It could still be bladder sludge which it's possible could be confusing to distinguish from other structures.

Is celery a regular part of his diet? What other veggies do you feed regularly? Do you choose veggies to balance the calcium/phosphorus ratios and oxalate levels? While he's ill, I'd feed extra vitamin c in the form of red bell peppers (low in calcium and oxalates but super high in C). They're also very wet which helps if he's not drinking enough.

Keep us posted!

ohnoitsphil
Mar 30, 2005

It says Flomax! Thats prostate medicine you guys!!!

alucinor posted:

That's a fairly significant weight change in 2 months; I'd be highly concerned.

Stones should show up like shotgun pellets on x-ray; even a non-exotics vet should recognize them. It could still be bladder sludge which it's possible could be confusing to distinguish from other structures.

Is celery a regular part of his diet? What other veggies do you feed regularly? Do you choose veggies to balance the calcium/phosphorus ratios and oxalate levels? While he's ill, I'd feed extra vitamin c in the form of red bell peppers (low in calcium and oxalates but super high in C). They're also very wet which helps if he's not drinking enough.

Keep us posted!

I feel bad that I didn't even know about that part of their diet. Fortunately, looking at the chart, the stuff my pigs eat is all close to a 1:1 ratio or balances each other out like celery and tomatoes.

Just got back from an exotics vet, no visible stones on x-ray or ultrasound. We had to go to work so we left Porkchop with the vet and he is going to catheter him and test the urine to see what may be the problem. Porkchop actually peed a little bit during the night and there was no blood in it so the vet thinks it is only a partial blockage. He is only eating sparingly though so hopefully the vet will give him some vitamins or something.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender

ohnoitsphil posted:

I feel bad that I didn't even know about that part of their diet.

Almost nobody does, which is why I hype it up at every opportunity. :) Don't worry, there's still time. I've gotten pigs who ate terrible diets for 4-5 years, who ended up living 7-8 years after switching to a good diet.

Don't forget to check your pellet brand for hidden calcium, too. Any alfalfa content is a no-no.

Did the vet check the molars for points and malocclusion? That's the second most common reason for weight loss that I see in pigs. He basically just needs to get in the mouth with an otoscope and at least rule it out.

Does the vet have access to Critical Care? It's a handfeeding formula by Oxbow which is really good to keep their guts moving. If you can't get any, you can grind some pellets and mix them with water or OJ to make a mash. Critical Care is much easier to syringe feed than pellet mush, though.

Mayor_McCheese
Apr 26, 2010

I declare the McRib to be awesome!!!

chinchilla posted:

Yeah, we took her to the pet store and they helped us figure it out. Thanks though, and many goondolences for your hamster.

Be careful with the pet store sexing. I was told my first rabbit was a male when in fact it was a female. If I had known this, I would have had her fixed right away due to the inevitable cervical cancer they are predestined to develop. They may work there, but that doesn't mean they know about the animals.

My 2 male chinchillas are obviously male. You can see everything. And if you're lucky, you'll have the luxury of catching one giving himself a blow job, to clean the fur off, of course.

Your chilly is cute as hell BTW.

ohnoitsphil
Mar 30, 2005

It says Flomax! Thats prostate medicine you guys!!!
I picked up Porkchop from the vet this afternoon and they diagnosed him with a bladder infection and prescribed an antibiotic. I'm not sure if that is the correct diagnosis because his condition went drastically downhill. He would only drink a little and spit out food that I gave him. Unfortunately Porkchop could not fight anymore and he passed a few hours ago.

Thank you again for the diet advice. I hope that Porkchop's illness was not the result of a mineral imbalance in his diet. I will be making some changes to my other pig's diet.

alucinor
May 21, 2003



Taco Defender
I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you getting a necropsy done to look for an underlying cause?

I feel for you. I lost two pigs last week - my 7 year old hyperthyroid pig had a probable heart attack last Tuesday, and one of my 8 year old boars died Friday after a week of intractable stasis; I got him out of stasis but then he couldn't breathe. Necropsy revealed tons of nodules in the lungs consistent with lymphoma.

I suspect it probably wasn't a bladder infection; UTIs and URIs are pretty rare except in breeder mills where the husbandry is very bad. Unfortunately, infections are the easiest of the differentials to treat, so that's what vets usually start with. But antibiotics upset the GI system, which makes them very risky for a pig already having trouble eating. The vet who saw my 8 year old first thought it was an upper respiratory infection and wanted to put him on antibiotics; fortunately (?) I've been down that road and knew it wouldn't work unless we could get him out of stasis first.

I'm down to eight pigs now, my lowest number since 2005. :( And two more at the vet today; one with lumps on his neck (lymphoma?), one with ovarian problems (cysts or cancer) which will probably require a spay, at least.

Imaduck
Apr 16, 2007

the magnetorotational instability turns me on

Amorphous Blob posted:

It's a big cage, but it's not gigantic. I'll have to measure it later. And I should probably adopt, right? What should I ask them about the pig? I know mite checking is important, but not much else aside from making sure it's a male like my current pig.
Pretty much any cage you get at a pet store isn't big enough for one pig, let alone two. The best option seems to be building your own from the design at guineapigcages.com, which is actually relatively cheap and easy.

Adopting is the best option for sure. Not only does it lower the risk of mis-sexing and/or getting a pregnant or sick animal, but it also keeps you from supporting the pretty terrible pet store system in the US. That being said, you still should be super cautious when getting a new pig; quarantine it for several weeks, if possible (this will require multiple cages), and never introduce two pigs until you're absolutely sure of their genders ( http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm ).

The introduction process can be tricky. Read through these guides:
http://www.guinealynx.info/companionship.html
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm
http://www.guinealynx.info/records/viewtopic.php?t=37

It's important that you try and pick a friend for your piggy that will have the best chance of getting along with him/her. If it's a female, get another female. If it's a neutered male, get a female. If he's not neutered and he's an adult, consider getting a baby male.

This is a very important thing to do for your pig, so best of luck! Post here some more with any updates or questions.

Death Bear
Apr 1, 2010
I don't own a chinchilla of my own, but I take care of my sister's a lot. Meet Sifl.





The other day he made the saddest sound and one I'd never heard before. My sister gave him a treat to chew on and he scurried up to the top of his cage with his prize. Suddenly, after a few minutes of chewing, he dropped it and it fell to the bottom of his cage. He looked down at it for a second and then made a long whine, almost like he couldn't believe he dropped it.

I love chinchilla noises though, especially when he calls for other chinchillas. He sounds like a squeaky toy. :3: He needs a buddy to play with though.

Death Bear fucked around with this message at 19:19 on May 23, 2010

Serella
Apr 24, 2008

Is that what you're posting?

Part-Time Robot posted:

I don't own a chinchilla of my own, but I take care of my sister's a lot. Meet Sifl.





The other day he made the saddest sound and one I'd never heard before. My sister gave him a treat to chew on and he scurried up to the top of his cage with his prize. Suddenly, after a few minutes of chewing, he dropped it and it fell to the bottom of his cage. He looked down at it for a second and then made a long whine, almost like he couldn't believe he dropped it.

I love chinchilla noises though, especially when he calls for other chinchillas. He sounds like a squeaky toy. :3: He needs a buddy to play with though.

Videos of his cute calls would be very appreciated. Chins are literally just a little ball of cute. :3:

Blackish Sheep
Feb 3, 2007

Even cartoon me doesn't know what's going on.
This may sound like a stupid question, but I'm preparing some toys for a pair of mice I'm planning to get sometime this week and I was wondering if Sculpey is actually non-toxic. It says so on the packaging but I want to make sure my little meese won't get sick if they decide to nibble on it.

I've also made some hemp rope climbs, a hammock out of an old shirt sleeve, and oven sanitized a piece of drift wood for them. Any other suggestions for toys?

Edit: Yeah, I'm extremely cheap.

Blackish Sheep fucked around with this message at 02:48 on May 24, 2010

Damn Bananas
Jul 1, 2007

You humans bore me
It probably goes without saying, but anything and everything cardboard you might throw away, throw in their cage! TP/paper towel rolls are a staple, I like tissue boxes, packaged food boxes egg cartons (the holes are great) etc.
Just make sure to get any plastic films or whatever off of it first, and don't use any boxes that held toxic things like cleaners obviously.

And omg that chinchilla is so freaking cute. I've never touched one before, but I REALLY REALLY want to.

Crash BandiCute
Nov 8, 2004

Dona Nobis Pacem

Blackish Sheep posted:

This may sound like a stupid question, but I'm preparing some toys for a pair of mice I'm planning to get sometime this week and I was wondering if Sculpey is actually non-toxic. It says so on the packaging but I want to make sure my little meese won't get sick if they decide to nibble on it.

I've also made some hemp rope climbs, a hammock out of an old shirt sleeve, and oven sanitized a piece of drift wood for them. Any other suggestions for toys?

Edit: Yeah, I'm extremely cheap.

These are probably the best toys for them, regardless of cost! There are so many rodent toys out there that are held together by glue, which I wouldn't want my hamsters to chew up.

Further to the above suggestion, even a piece of toilet paper or tissue itself can be fun for them to shred and use as bedding. Hide treats amongst their toys for them to find.

Blackmage Yapo
Mar 27, 2008

Odin You Sad I Have
All The SPP
Quick guinea pig question.

My smaller piggie seems to be drinking more and more water as time goes on. Originally they would drink like one bottle a day, now I have to refill it 2-3 times. We have had the AC on at 70-72 through this whole time period, and I don't see them having any other problems. Are they just getting thirstier as time goes on or do I need to be on the lookout for something?

lesbian at Evergreen
Aug 9, 2006



Artie will sit still for half the time required to take a picture while trying to shoo him away from errant cords.

Sirotan
Oct 17, 2006

Sirotan is a seal.


Blackmage Yapo posted:

Quick guinea pig question.

My smaller piggie seems to be drinking more and more water as time goes on. Originally they would drink like one bottle a day, now I have to refill it 2-3 times. We have had the AC on at 70-72 through this whole time period, and I don't see them having any other problems. Are they just getting thirstier as time goes on or do I need to be on the lookout for something?

It could be a sign of a more serious issue or its possible that they are just playing with the bottle. I'm going to assume you use the ball bearing type water bottles. Those things leak so easily and with any touch from a pig they can just run right out into the bottom of your cage. Think about putting a small dish underneath the water bottle to catch any drips.

My pigs used to chew on the ends of those water bottles to the point that they had put a hole in the vacuum and it would just leak constantly. I was buying a new water bottle every couple of months. I was ready to recommend you what I use now, but a google search tells me that product is discontinued which really makes me sad. Its this: https://bunnyrabbit.com/equipmentpix/WaterBuddyAll.jpg It was called a Water Buddy and it has a lever inside the spout that when touched by their mouth, water will come out. It will never drip since its not sealed by vacuum. Of course they do still play with it, but a small food bowl underneath the spout takes care of that. According to someone on https://www.guineapigcages.com Lixit is making a similar model that can be found in Petco. You might want to check that out.

Blackmage Yapo
Mar 27, 2008

Odin You Sad I Have
All The SPP
Yeah, on further inspection they are drinking a bit more, but the bedding under thier bottle is substantially wetter than it should be. Our Petco has gently caress-all for rodent stuff, but I'll see if they have anything like that. Just waitin for the new Petsmart to open up so I have more options that that or walmart when I need something in a hurry.

Rodent Mortician
Mar 17, 2009

SQUEAK.
Just know that some pigs absolutely won't use the lever bottles, and I have anecdotally heard of pigs getting their tongues hurt by having them pinched (they ain't that smart). You may just want to try a different brand of bottle if that one tends to leak. I've have good luck with the Lixit bottles, and whatever the brand is that makes the fancy glass bottles.

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Sirotan
Oct 17, 2006

Sirotan is a seal.


Paging all guinea pig people to this thread STAT: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3309903

Its so sad. :( Please help overrun it with pictures of your cute pigs.

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