I'm so sorry to hear that. Orko is a little cutie thoughThere is a thread on here about one of my piggies.I can no longer have piggies due to allergies. Luckily I have Orko so he makes up for that.
Piggies
- Thread starter Riven
- Start date
R
RainbowBrite
In the other pets section you can read about my piggy Sophie.I'm so sorry to hear that. Orko is a little cutie though
Hi all,
It's been a while since I've updated this thread as I have been very busy.
I have managed to get Autumn to lose a little bit of weight which has helped her breathing massively. I have noticed that she has not only a much shorter face but much smaller nostrils too compared to the other pigs (excluding Blossom who she was adopted with so I assume they are related in some way), They both start struggling in the heat long before the other pigs so I assume this is why. During the horribly humid heatwave we had in June, both Blossom and Autumn struggled which was awful. They seem much better now, but I am dreading the 40C heatwave we're due this month that everyone is on about.
Apollo struggled a bit with the humidity in June and ended up with a slight resp infection which he is now over, Jupiter chipped a tooth in the past few months which worried me a bit as I didn't know if he had chipped it or if he had a problem with his back teeth, Slated incisors can be a sign that things may be overgrown/painful in the back, leading to uneven wear. As both incisors and molars on guinea pigs are open rooted, they continue to grow. Unlike hamster teeth in which only the front teeth are open rooted and the back teeth are closed so they don't grow. It has since rectified itself and his front teeth are all lined up properly and you wouldn't have known anything had happened,
Mia's IC seems to be settling down now, with only the odd flare here and there. The last flare was when we had all the thunder mid June. We ended up having it a couple of times a day for 5 days. She had a long spell of nothing before that which is really good and long may it continue, I don't like seeing her in pain, even if I know why because I can't fix it, only manage it.
Basil has got a fungal stripe on his nose which is a mild self limiting fungal infection that happens to be resistant to a lot of anti-fungal treatments. It appeared out the blue and doesn't bother him at all. He's been checked over at the vets and it's just a case of keeping an eye on it.
I hope that's it for now as between them and the dogs the vet fund is looking pretty sad.
On a better note, last month Autumn, Blossom, Basil and Cyril turned 2!! Plus I have been doing a lot of foraging for various plants to feed the pigs (in small amounts) and also taking a bit extra here and there to dry so they have some for the winter. So far I have managed to dry almost 2kg which I'm pretty happy with. I am hoping to dry another kilo so hopefully that will last the 8 of them through the winter.
It's been a while since I've updated this thread as I have been very busy.
I have managed to get Autumn to lose a little bit of weight which has helped her breathing massively. I have noticed that she has not only a much shorter face but much smaller nostrils too compared to the other pigs (excluding Blossom who she was adopted with so I assume they are related in some way), They both start struggling in the heat long before the other pigs so I assume this is why. During the horribly humid heatwave we had in June, both Blossom and Autumn struggled which was awful. They seem much better now, but I am dreading the 40C heatwave we're due this month that everyone is on about.
Apollo struggled a bit with the humidity in June and ended up with a slight resp infection which he is now over, Jupiter chipped a tooth in the past few months which worried me a bit as I didn't know if he had chipped it or if he had a problem with his back teeth, Slated incisors can be a sign that things may be overgrown/painful in the back, leading to uneven wear. As both incisors and molars on guinea pigs are open rooted, they continue to grow. Unlike hamster teeth in which only the front teeth are open rooted and the back teeth are closed so they don't grow. It has since rectified itself and his front teeth are all lined up properly and you wouldn't have known anything had happened,
Mia's IC seems to be settling down now, with only the odd flare here and there. The last flare was when we had all the thunder mid June. We ended up having it a couple of times a day for 5 days. She had a long spell of nothing before that which is really good and long may it continue, I don't like seeing her in pain, even if I know why because I can't fix it, only manage it.
Basil has got a fungal stripe on his nose which is a mild self limiting fungal infection that happens to be resistant to a lot of anti-fungal treatments. It appeared out the blue and doesn't bother him at all. He's been checked over at the vets and it's just a case of keeping an eye on it.
I hope that's it for now as between them and the dogs the vet fund is looking pretty sad.
On a better note, last month Autumn, Blossom, Basil and Cyril turned 2!! Plus I have been doing a lot of foraging for various plants to feed the pigs (in small amounts) and also taking a bit extra here and there to dry so they have some for the winter. So far I have managed to dry almost 2kg which I'm pretty happy with. I am hoping to dry another kilo so hopefully that will last the 8 of them through the winter.
R
RainbowBrite
It is really nice to get an update on the piggies. I can understand why you are dreading the heatwave.
Happy birthday to Autumn, Blossom, Basil and Cyril!
They are going to love the plants you have foraged.
Happy birthday to Autumn, Blossom, Basil and Cyril!
They are going to love the plants you have foraged.
Piggies say 'wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek' (thank you both).
Yes I'm trying to get everything ready in advance. I have frozen bottles, cool pods, spare towels, fans and the vets number memorised just in case they're needed. This weekend is meant to get up to 28C which isn't ideal. The others don't have any problems until its over 305. like the heatwave we had last year.
Yes I'm trying to get everything ready in advance. I have frozen bottles, cool pods, spare towels, fans and the vets number memorised just in case they're needed. This weekend is meant to get up to 28C which isn't ideal. The others don't have any problems until its over 305. like the heatwave we had last year.
R
RainbowBrite
You are very organised. I found ice pods so helpful in the hot weather. I hope they are wrong about the weather and it stays cool.
I hope so too.
Last year I almost lost 4 of the pigs and the rats too. Now I have a mental checklist for what to prep for hot weather. I don't know if it's because I am more aware or maybe because of their age (4 of the pigs are 4 next year and will be considered seniors), I want to make sure that I do everything I can to make it as bearable for them as I can.
On top of this I have 2 dogs. One of which is brachycephalic and the other with what I suspect to be the start of tracheal collapse which is common in small breed dogs, especially the toy breeds. They too have cooling pads and a paddling pool which they can use if needed. But it is such a worry all the time.
During hot periods I like to make sure I have a few different water sources around the garden for the wildlife too.
Last year I almost lost 4 of the pigs and the rats too. Now I have a mental checklist for what to prep for hot weather. I don't know if it's because I am more aware or maybe because of their age (4 of the pigs are 4 next year and will be considered seniors), I want to make sure that I do everything I can to make it as bearable for them as I can.
On top of this I have 2 dogs. One of which is brachycephalic and the other with what I suspect to be the start of tracheal collapse which is common in small breed dogs, especially the toy breeds. They too have cooling pads and a paddling pool which they can use if needed. But it is such a worry all the time.
During hot periods I like to make sure I have a few different water sources around the garden for the wildlife too.
R
RainbowBrite
That must have been such a frightening time for you. Piggies do not seem to do very well in the heat but you have taken all the right steps to ensure they are kept cool.
Sorry to hear you are worried about your dogs too. It is so lovely you think of wildlife in the hot weather as well as your own little ones.
Sorry to hear you are worried about your dogs too. It is so lovely you think of wildlife in the hot weather as well as your own little ones.
M
Member ID2
Happy belated Birthday piggies!!
M
Member ID2
Yes, i remember that traumatic time last summer when you nearly lost piggies and rats.
We have large ceiling fans in most rooms and they work well by cooling the whole room. Maybe worthwhile looking into.
We have large ceiling fans in most rooms and they work well by cooling the whole room. Maybe worthwhile looking into.
I always put water out. I don't do food though as I worry about it going off in the heat. I have a lot of shrubs and whatnot for shelter and a 'wildlife' area which is quite nice. It attracts a lot of bugs and some of them are safe for the pigs to eat too. I have a few packets of autumn seeds to plant which will be different for me as its somewhat a dead area through autumn and winter.
Yes Maz, the dogs have their own paddling pool. Ideally they do need a new one as they have damaged it (it was second hand to begin with anyway and cost less than £5 which isn't too bad).
Pigs say thanks Beryl. They had some fresh raspberry leaves from the garden as well as some sticky weed (goose grass) as well as a few other forage bits. They have no idea what day it is but I do like to mark the occasion, especially as they have had a poor start in life.
Yes Maz, the dogs have their own paddling pool. Ideally they do need a new one as they have damaged it (it was second hand to begin with anyway and cost less than £5 which isn't too bad).
Pigs say thanks Beryl. They had some fresh raspberry leaves from the garden as well as some sticky weed (goose grass) as well as a few other forage bits. They have no idea what day it is but I do like to mark the occasion, especially as they have had a poor start in life.
Lovely to read an update on the piggies, happy belated birthdays too Sorry to hear they are not so good in the heat wt their conditions, although it's not been as hot as last year, the humidity has been pretty bad which must be really hard for them. Some sticky weed (goose grass) sounds fab 
Sorry to hear they are not so good in the heat wt their conditions, although it's not been as hot as last year, the humidity has been pretty bad which must be really hard for them. Some sticky weed (goose grass) sounds fab It was a really stressful time Beryl, After it started to cool down I did sit and cry tears of relief, It was hard on everyone and everything and I am grateful that myself, loved ones and animals made it through. I did think I was going to lose a few, I do like the sound of ceiling fans. I have been looking at portable AC units but they are so expensive, Then you have the price of electic on top of all that, but hopefully that will be coming down soon, as well as food...we'll see.
I'm glad everyone has enjoyed the update on the pigs. I will have to start a thread on the dogs as a lot has happened there too. Autumn and Blossom have both struggled in the humidity and suprisingly so has Apollo. He's doing much better now though. I have a dehumidifier in the room which will ho0pefully help as the humidity is meant increase as well over the coming days. They were going to go back out into the shed but I know that with it being 28C out it'll be over 30C in the shed and I don't think it will be worth taking them in and out every dawn/dusk.
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You got my brain working there for an invention. Instead of using electricity for ceiling fans - they could be piggy powered
Or even hamster wheel powered. I then realised the flaw in that - that the piggies would be too hot to run around to get the fans working.
F
Frida
I like the idea of a thread for your dogs 
Unless you have it attached to a battery. Then they could power it during the night when it's cooler and fill up the battery for the day(s) ahead.You got my brain working there for an invention. Instead of using electricity for ceiling fans - they could be piggy powered
