|
Post by SiLamb on Jul 21, 2014 0:13:35 GMT
hmmm...I didn't think about this till now, where I keep them, is near where my laundry room is. In my laundry room I have a scented deodorizer. I wonder. The other is down the hall is my kitchen which I sometimes light a candle in. Another is one of his cages is near the master bath where hubby puts on his cologne. Thanks for the suggestion. Once I take him off Benedryl, I'll test that out.
As to linens, I use detergent without any dyes or perfumes. Plus they had those linens at my friend's house too.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jul 21, 2014 16:50:53 GMT
If your husband wears cologne, that could bother him. Try a real odor neutralizing spray such as vinegar and water or Citrus Magic, instead of the plug-ins. Natural odors don't usually bother pigs, but chemical versions of perfumes do. Definitely no scent in the detergent, as they live too close to their bedding to get away from it.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Jul 21, 2014 17:16:41 GMT
That is interesting, I was considering getting some plug ins. I do not have any perfume at the moment but when I do I buy from Dolma which is avegan perfume maker. I adore Chanel No 5 but firstly I cannot afford it anymore and and more importantly I am not where they stand regarding testing on animals. This has given me something to think about though. Thanks huns.
Hugs JO xx
|
|
|
Post by SiLamb on Jul 22, 2014 3:07:28 GMT
It's been 3 full days on Benedryl. Weasley isn't as congested as he was before, but he is still a little congested. I'm thinking about upping his dosage to 1 ml twice a day or .5 ml 4 times a day. Thoughts???
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jul 22, 2014 19:09:15 GMT
I think you reach an overdose point, so perhaps it's better to let him be a bit congested, than to give him too much. Also look for the Chlor Trimeton. For now, give him the maximum dose, but no more.
Jo, pigs can take natural smells. I ground up some Rosemary and used it as a room scent. Light and nice. They would raise their noses and sniff the air. They also like citrus. Any chemical version of a scent can cause a lot of respiratory problems.
|
|
|
Post by SiLamb on Jul 23, 2014 1:12:06 GMT
Thanks 3piggles. I'll look for the Chlor Trimeton.
|
|
|
Post by faafaa on Jul 23, 2014 1:50:07 GMT
I know you have been rolling some ideas around in your head about what could be bothering poor Weasley. Have you narrowed it down any?
Sent from my SCH-I435 using proboards
|
|
|
Post by SiLamb on Jul 23, 2014 14:34:11 GMT
faafaa, well we have cut out the candles, scented melted oils and cologne and he is still sneezing. Part of me wonders if my friend just didn't notice Weasley sneezing. I don't know. I'm at a complete loss.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jul 23, 2014 15:25:59 GMT
Even if he has a chronic condition, cutting out every possible irritant will help. Giving him enough allergy medicine to keep his nasal passages open may be the best you can do. If he can breathe, even if he sneezes, he should be okay.
|
|
|
Post by SiLamb on Jul 23, 2014 17:09:21 GMT
Thanks Piggles. He can breathe. He can choke a bit when eating (like we do when we are congested and can't breath through the nose really well so we mouth breath and then struggle breathing when we are eating). He is presently able to nose breath (saw his cute nose working).
So I noticed something this morning...here is what happened. Every morning I move the piggies to The Burrow (aka the kitchen bathroom) for free range floor time for the day. As I move the piggies I give them some nibbles on carrots and with Weasley I give him his morning Benedryl.
So he is there laying on my chest eating his carrot. I then interupt the carrot eating with the Benedryl and then he resumes eating the carrot. After a bit, I remove the carrot and just let him hang out on my chest. Total elapsed time is 22 minutes per piggie. Near the end of Weasley's time I start to hear his nasal breathing sounding congested.
So here are my questions.... 1. Is the benedryl causing dried congestion to loosen up? (I really don't think this is true...if I remember about personally taking Benedryl, it dried me up) 2. Is it the carrots causing the congestion? 3. Is it me causing the congestion? I'm not wearing perfumes today. I use an olive oil body soap and a shampoo that helps me keep my not so natural red hair color. My clothes are washed in dye free, fragrance free soap but I do use fabric softener. (I use the same for their bedding but no fabric softener.)
So I'm going to experiment and not give him carrots. But his kibble might contain a bit of carrots, so I'll have to check into that.
|
|
|
Post by faafaa on Jul 23, 2014 17:26:51 GMT
I think withholding the carrot for a bit is a great place to start! Does your hubby use the same soaps and shampoos as you? If not, then that might be a good way to test that theory. As far as food, I haven't a clue what you feed, but is it just pellets? I think I read somewhere that it is best to give them a diet that is just pellets, not with all that other stuff (think hamster food) mixed in. I could be totally confused though!
|
|
|
Post by SiLamb on Jul 24, 2014 14:38:36 GMT
Thanks, faafaa.
I feed them something that includes other bits besides pellets. Hmmm...they would be disappointed if I went to just pellets. They get excited when they get more pellets because it has the extra bits. I'll have to look into that. I did increase the ratio of pellets to the other bits by mixing in a bag of just pellets because I thought they needed more pellets than other stuff. I'll do research and if you aren't confused, I can wean them off of the other bits by continually gradually increasing more and more the pellets to other bit ratio.
I'll keep you posted how the carrot removal works. I gave him a celery stalk last night instead of carrots. He really liked that, so I think I'll do training with celery for him right now.
Hubby uses different hair soap than me but we mostly use the same body soap. Typically it is Oil of Olay but I had this one bar of olive oil soap that we are using right now.
I really appreciate the advice!
|
|
|
Post by faafaa on Jul 24, 2014 14:47:47 GMT
I just hope you can figure it out. Its so troublesome when something isn't right with our babies!
Sent from my SCH-I435 using proboards
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jul 24, 2014 17:37:35 GMT
Years ago I did an evaluation of all the brands of pellets and hay available here. Pellets: Lowest in calcium, Timothy hay first on ingredients list, least amount of breakage or crushing resulting in pellets becoming dust, best values for vitamins. Oxbow Cavy Cuisine won hands down over any other brand. Silamb, Timothy pellets only, no extra bits. Give the extra bits as treats.
Hay: Western Timothy from Oxbow for prebagged hay. Best bought from a feed store not a chain pet or department store. Chains keep the bags in huge warehouses, and it's often moldy by the time it gets to the shelves. Best of the best: Kleenmama @kmshayloft.com. A bit pricey, but fabulous quality. Also Small Pet Select (.com).
Hay should smell fresh when you open the bag. Pellets should gave a minimum of pellet dust at the bottom of the container.
Keeping calcium low is important to prevent stones, which cause the pigs terrible pain, and can be very expensive in vet bills.
Silamb, check the pellet bowl for pellet dust. If he inhales that, he will definitely sneeze. Also, use a plant misting bottle to very lightly mist the whole cage. See if that cuts down on the particles in the air, and helps him breathe. if he has a chronic nasal condition the way my Molly did, that's the first place to make a change.
|
|
|
Post by SiLamb on Jul 24, 2014 19:55:56 GMT
Years ago I did an evaluation of all the brands of pellets and hay available here. Pellets: Lowest in calcium, Timothy hay first on ingredients list, least amount of breakage or crushing resulting in pellets becoming dust, best values for vitamins. Oxbow Cavy Cuisine won hands down over any other brand. Silamb, Timothy pellets only, no extra bits. Give the extra bits as treats. Hay: Western Timothy from Oxbow for prebagged hay. Best bought from a feed store not a chain pet or department store. Chains keep the bags in huge warehouses, and it's often moldy by the time it gets to the shelves. Best of the best: Kleenmama @kmshayloft.com. A bit pricey, but fabulous quality. Also Small Pet Select (.com). Hay should smell fresh when you open the bag. Pellets should gave a minimum of pellet dust at the bottom of the container. Keeping calcium low is important to prevent stones, which cause the pigs terrible pain, and can be very expensive in vet bills. Silamb, check the pellet bowl for pellet dust. If he inhales that, he will definitely sneeze. Also, use a plant misting bottle to very lightly mist the whole cage. See if that cuts down on the particles in the air, and helps him breathe. if he has a chronic nasal condition the way my Molly did, that's the first place to make a change. 3piggles, I've been reading and researching what you have learned. I calculated out that if I bought the current kibble and hay from Wal-mart and compared it with the 20lb 2nd cutting Timothy Hay + 10 lb kibble from SmallPetSelect.com, It only costs $2.76 more to get from Small Pet Select. That's pretty cool. It's worth the small amount to get the better quality. Next I went to KMSHayLoft.com. Here I can get better pricing on the items, but the killer is the shipping. SmallPetSelect.com has free shipping on orders $40 or more. I inspected what I have been getting from Wal-Mart. Kibble: The first ingredient is Alfalfa and not Timothy. It doesn't tell me the maximum calcium either. I'm not sure if this particular kibble leaves behind dust because I'm mixing it with kibble I had been using. On the hole, I don't recall ever seeing much dust in the kibble dish. Hay: They Hay always smells freshly cut and is very green. The piggies go nuts when they hear the hay bag being rustled and immediately run for the hay bin to eat the newest addition of hay. I did notice that they leave more hay behind than with other brands, but they then use the rejected hay as a type of bedding, so that's okay. I see no evidence of mold. So following your advice, I'm going to place an order for both hay and kibble from Small Pet Select. Thank you for your help. Maybe these will help Weasley with his congestion and Lord willing prevent them from getting kidney stones.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jul 24, 2014 20:42:55 GMT
It actually costs almost 4 times as much to ship the hay as to buy the hay, to here from KMShayloft! However, if you consider the per pound cost of buying the top hay and pellets, put a value on your time, even minimum wage, and the cost of gas/wear and tear on the car to get to the store, it's about the same per pound cost. Once we get our clutter under control, and it is a lot of clutter, I'm hoping to have space for the big box, again.
|
|
|
Post by SiLamb on Jul 24, 2014 20:44:38 GMT
I was reading the guinea pig care guide from Small Pet Select and it reminded me that young guinea pigs should eat alfalfa hay. My boys where both born in February of this year and I believe they are abyssinian. One person on Guinea Pig Cages said, "In my experience, most are fully grown around 12-15 months. It is said that Abys mature later than some other breeds, and that also has been my experience. " In this case having food with alfalfa listed first seems the way to go until they get older.
Thoughts?
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Jul 24, 2014 20:54:45 GMT
10-12 months is the scientifically approved time for puberty to end and adulthood to begin. Animals, just like people, all mature in temperament in their own time, and not according to a scientific schedule. It's a bit hard to pin point it anyway, as puberty is technically a sexual maturity aspect. Since boars as young as 3 weeks old can impregnate sows,I'm not sure exactly what the difference is for pigs, except for temperment.
I see no reason why Abys should mature at any different rate. I had an aby girl, and she was no different than the short hair girl. Did the writer say why that would be the case?
|
|
|
Post by SiLamb on Jul 24, 2014 21:00:49 GMT
|
|
|
Post by cookie72 on Jul 25, 2014 5:18:54 GMT
I've always fed my girls Oxbow pellets and timothy hay. From all I read Oxbow is the best you can get. When they were young I fed them the Essentials young guinea pig food. I can't remember for exactly how long as it was a long time ago, but I seem to think it was about 10-12 months. Then I switched them to the adult formula. Now I feed them the Oxbow Natural Science adult guinea pig pellets. Since yours are only in the 6 month range, I'd say maybe go with the young guinea pig formula for a few months.
|
|