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Post by bazookagoof on Feb 17, 2016 1:28:03 GMT
You can keep a jar or watering can near the cage, and just empty the water into that, then take it around and water the plants with it, once you have enough. I hate wasting anything, especially water, so I have a watering can for any excess water, in the main living area, too I used to just dump the bottle contents into the plants, but I almost drowned them a couple of times, so decided to just put it in the watering can That's an even BETTER idea. Just a short update- Theodore's next vet appointment is in two weeks (the earliest I could get) so unless he gets worse, no new reports until the end of the month. On an unrelated note, I gave Theodore a wicker ball to play with about three weeks ago and he hasn't touched it. This morning I moved it to Oscar's cage and before I left for work I saw him chasing it around his cage, pushing it with his nose. When I came home from work he had already demolished it. Jeepers! It's odd; Theodore used to like the ball, but now he doesn't. I'm trying to find various objects to catch his interest. He ignores his cardboard tube, too. He seems to like those small chew blocks of wood, so it's not as if he's lost interest in everything, he just seems picky lately about what toys he likes.
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 17, 2016 13:20:29 GMT
I've never had my pigs take much interest in any toys, just in major things they could use. The chew log: www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+20836+20841+29397&pcatid=29397 has been a favorite of all of my pigs. It's heavy enough to stay in position while they chew on it, big enough for them to use as a tunnel, and has an opening on the top to let in enough light that the tunnel aspect isn't scary. Piggies do not like long, dark tunnels. These chew tubes are acceptable as long as they are anchored in some way that they don't roll when the pigs chew on them or run through them: www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=14596I think the aspect of being able to move it when they want, and not have it move when they don't want, is why they like cardboard box houses so much. They can chew on all the edges, which is a major plus for piggies, hide in it, play through it, sleep in it, and it doesn't move unless they want it to. I've tried jingle ball toys, those wicker balls, chew blocks that sit in the cage, chew blocks that hang on the side of the cage, and none of them worked. Balled up pieces of paper were a hit, as were paper bags. I think the pigs like both the noise the paper makes, and the fun of playing with or in it, and being able to chew it all they want. I'm glad the wicker toy didn't go to waste, but I wouldn't worry if Theodore doesn't take to those. He may have simply outgrown that level of interest, and moved on to another one. Try just balling up a piece of paper, and see if he does anything with that.
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Post by bazookagoof on Feb 22, 2016 3:41:22 GMT
I've noticed that Theodore isn't a fan of bedding inside his pigloo; every time I clean out his cage there is no bedding at all inside where the pigloo sits.
Deciding to roll with it, when I cleaned out his cage today I simply left a spot open with no fresh bedding and plopped his pigloo in the middle of it. Just a few layers of newspapers, that's all.
Oscar likes to find a corner of newspaper under his fresh bedding and pull it up, chewing off a small corner. Sometimes this results in a huge mess!
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 22, 2016 14:58:57 GMT
Newspaper isn't absorbent, so if he pees in the pigloo, he will lie in it. Just watch him for signs of urine scald from lying in the urine, or put a folded towel/wash cloth over the newspaper. He probably doesn't like the feel of the bedding moving under him, when he walks, and will enjoy a more solid base under foot in his pigloo Also try balling up pieces of newspaper, and letting them chew them or play with them. Paper bags are also great fun for them, because they can chew the edges, make a lot of great paper noises, and when done, we can toss the bags and give them another one. The bags don't have to be big, either. Even a regular sandwich bag is great, and you can buy those at the super market for very little.
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Post by Bean on Feb 24, 2016 11:02:07 GMT
We rarely buy toys (we just use cardboard tubes stuffed with hay and other cardboard creations!) but do buy these balls as our lot all love them - the buns always do too! The rattan ball at the top seems to be most satisfying to destroy! They love throwing them around with their teeth too, it's funny to watch. As they get destroyed, we poke bits of hay in or hide a few veg in to keep them busy. The more complicated of the cardboard ball designs on this page works well too as you can shove different hays, grasses and veg in it. Food is a good motivator to start tossing things around (and it keeps the kids quiet for a while making the balls!). I think sometimes a pig who isn't initially interested in a new entertainment offering, can have their interest roused by seeing another pig play with it - competition can make them do/eat all sorts of things they wouldn't try alone. Poppy was quite a serious pig but has discovered her inner numpty (albeit it in a more restrained way than some of the others!), so perhaps if Theodore and Oscar enjoy some time together when the weather is nicer, he will take a liking to the more frivolous things that might not interest him now. Mounds of hay make great entertainment here, and I also occasionally shred a load of newspaper and put it in the cages as they love making tunnels through it and hiding away in them. Doesn't take long before it gets wee-soaked and has to come out, but they certainly get their fun from it! I actually went to a pet shop the other day and was goggling at all the expensive toys and felt very dubious about whether my lot would like them as much as the stuff we give them now - most of which goes in the compost bin after they've had their fun so is much greener too (and if they've weed on the cardboard, even better as it's a great compost accelerant!). I've no idea what my point is anymore - I'm just wittering, so will shut up!
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 24, 2016 14:16:34 GMT
I love those cardboard box balls. It's a great way to use cardboard boxes that are too small for piggy houses Nothing beats a pile of hay for my herd, and never has. The sheer joy they show in tunneling in it, tossing it about, bulldozing it around and even sleeping in it is wonderful to watch
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Post by shades on Feb 24, 2016 14:42:36 GMT
We rarely buy toys (we just use cardboard tubes stuffed with hay and other cardboard creations!) but do buy these balls as our lot all love them - the buns always do too! The rattan ball at the top seems to be most satisfying to destroy! They love throwing them around with their teeth too, it's funny to watch. As they get destroyed, we poke bits of hay in or hide a few veg in to keep them busy. The more complicated of the cardboard ball designs on this page works well too as you can shove different hays, grasses and veg in it. Food is a good motivator to start tossing things around (and it keeps the kids quiet for a while making the balls!). These cardboard balls are great.
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Post by bazookagoof on Feb 25, 2016 2:23:02 GMT
Newspaper isn't absorbent, so if he pees in the pigloo, he will lie in it. Just watch him for signs of urine scald from lying in the urine, or put a folded towel/wash cloth over the newspaper. He probably doesn't like the feel of the bedding moving under him, when he walks, and will enjoy a more solid base under foot in his pigloo 3piggles, I just cleaned out his cage and checked the area where the pigloo normally sits- dry as a bone! I was planning to place an old towel or rag there instead of bedding, but it may not be necessary. To be certain, I will keep checking this area. His next cage cleaning is on Sunday.
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Post by bazookagoof on Feb 25, 2016 2:28:29 GMT
I've no idea what my point is anymore - I'm just wittering, so will shut up! Keep on wittering, Bean- it shows that you care. (Seriously, I've seen some other boards waste away to ghost towns simply because the Admin stopped showing up. A shame, really. )
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 25, 2016 15:20:20 GMT
We were on a self-destructive forum, and I joined one that never took of. It just died away. I know what you mean about caring
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 25, 2016 20:40:55 GMT
A forum I loved called Absolutely Crabulous (for hermit crabs) died a death no matter what I did to try and keep it going. The two main ladies decided they didn't want to do it anymore and I knew from that point what was going to happen. I was and still am very sad about it.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by Bean on Feb 26, 2016 10:29:00 GMT
Absolutely Crabulous, I love the name! I'm sorry it petered out, so many lovely forums do.
For all the forums that have given me grief over my piggy years, it's all been good fun overall. Even the places where there's been strife, I've ended up meeting some lovely people. Probably my younger, more opinionated and fiery self even kind of enjoyed a bit of drama from time to time. But not now, thank you!
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 26, 2016 14:03:15 GMT
A lot of former forum members think they can just start their own forums, and run the forum they way they want. It's not that easy. It takes some dedicated people spending a lot of time to get it running and keep it running. It also takes time to get a core group of members who will keep the forum active. One person can't do it alone.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 27, 2016 20:25:43 GMT
That I can well believe love.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by bazookagoof on Feb 27, 2016 20:33:03 GMT
There was a board I was on years ago where the Admin made all his real-life buddies into moderators; the problem was that many of them didn't like each other and often there would be fights breaking out between the mods!
It was a volatile board, to say the least! Eventually the Admin didn't want to invest any more time, and posting dwindled to nothing. Years later I got an e-mail from the Admin stating that he was pulling the plug. As I hadn't been to the board in about four years, I couldn't have cared less. Back on topic: Theodore got his follow up with the vet and more or less has a clean bill of health. The vet says there is no reason for him to have any more meds, even though he has a slight wheeze. His eyes are clear, and he isn't sneezing. I'm continuing to administer Vitamin C on his lettuce, and his usual helping of fresh veggies should keep him on the road to recovery. We can bring him back if things don't improve, so I guess things are okay.
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Post by 3piggles on Feb 28, 2016 19:18:38 GMT
That's a good report from the vet It sounds as if Theodore is 90% better, and the C should help a lot. I hope he doesn't need to go back on the meds
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Post by jolovespiggies on Feb 28, 2016 21:18:09 GMT
I have seen some real nastiness on bards in the past, this one is so lovely.
Glad to hear the great news. What a relief for you love.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by bazookagoof on Mar 16, 2016 2:03:11 GMT
I've never seen a guinea pig that gets bored with his selection of treats the way Theodore does- he used to love peppers; I just noticed that when I give him his hay for the night, the pepper I gave him hours ago for his afternoon snack is still there, along with the pepper I gave him in the morning! (He's chewed both of them slightly.)
Now it's down to just a leaf of Romaine lettuce and a small carrot. Occasionally, a tiny slice of watermelon. He gets a slice of cucumber, although he's never thrilled with it. (He ignores it when I leave for work, but when I come home he's eaten it during the time I'm away.)
He's getting cheaper to feed, I suppose. Oscar, on the other hand, continues to devour whatever I give him.
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 16, 2016 14:00:18 GMT
I love the "Really???" looks they give us when we give them a treat they don't want Check the Guinealynx list of acceptable veggies/fruits: www.guinealynx.info/chart.html I advise you try him with small pieces of what you are likely to eat. Buying extra veggies for the pigs costs a lot of money after a while. If he gets bored with veggies that quickly, you'll need a long list of options to cycle through Just because he gives up on a veggie doesn't mean he won't want it again, at a later date. Good luck!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 16, 2016 21:02:11 GMT
Our two can be like that Baz love. Strangely enough I too put pepper in there for them the other day and they left it. They have also gone off banana so today for a treat I put some apple in and that seems to have gone. I have sometimes paid for things that they may like, things which are quite expensive and as you say Pigglers love, yu get the "Really" look. I think that is the case with banana, they had it two days running and really wanted something different LOL!! Talk about spoilt Hugs JO xx
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