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Post by 3piggles on Aug 16, 2016 19:58:17 GMT
I think peace has finally returned to Pigloo City. Noodles got her rumble strut going this morning. Oodles ignored her. She decided that wasn't good enough, and started her mounting and chasing, and Oodles sprayed Noodles in her face. Noodles was not a happy camper! She ran off to get herself cleaned up, and has been a very good sister to Oodles ever since. They are back to doing most things together, including ganging up on me for treats It's nice to have some peace and quiet again Spraying a predator in the face with urine is a main guinea pig defense against predators and other annoying pest like overly aggressive guinea pigs. I'm surprised it took her as long as it did to finally put a stop to Noodles' constant pestering, but at least she's finally done it. This was also the first time I've seen a pig do it, and seen the victims reaction. It seems to be a very useful defense!
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Post by Bean on Aug 21, 2016 21:42:34 GMT
Glad things have calmed down - if Oodles can learn not to react, she'll soon find she has an easier life than when she's acting like a musical instrument that Noodles can play!
Good work with the wee spray, Oodles! It works brilliantly and it does make me chuckle seeing them stop, all confused after they've been jetted and shake themselves off! I've had females do it to one other but mainly females doing it to pestery chaps.
Rocky does it to Josh when he's pestering her and needs a firm message to back off. Cadders is too much of a gentleman to make a nuisance of himself with Poppy (plus he's a bit hen pecked too, so wouldn't dare!).
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 22, 2016 14:28:17 GMT
Found the girls both sleeping in the save house, yesterday. I've also seen them both on the same loft, without Oodles having a meltdown. It's good to see them getting along, and also good to record such things in this chronicle, so I can read about it when I think they're never going to get along again I cleaned Pigloo City Tuesday, and Noodles went on a popcorning binge. First she popcorned all over one end, then all the way down to the other end. Is the always calm, always cool boss pig. She was like a cat on catnip Oodles was watching her as if she were nuts, lol It was great to watch. Not much beats a happy piggy We're having a drought, and while it's not as bad as in some other parts of the country, the water levels are low enough that the sulfur in the water is really starting to smell. I had been filling the piggy water bottles ever few days. But I found that by the end of the first or part way through the second day, the water in the bottles really smelled awful, and and it was getting really slimy. We also fill a pitcher with the same water, put lemon slices in it, and keep it in the fridge. The water in the fridge doesn't stink or get slimy. Two possibilities; the cold in the fridge, or the lemon in the water in the fridge. Since I couldn't refridgerate the piggy water, I tried the lemon. It worked. No more smell or slime. I'm just wondering if it's working as a diuretic, as it does for us. Might be flushing out their systems, but I hope it's not doing them any harm. I fill the piggy water bottles from the filtered cold water tap on the fridge door, so I'm not sure what else can be done to improve the quality of the water. If anyone has any proven suggestions, I'm open to trying something else to keep the water from stinking. I have considered getting smaller water bottles, so I don't waste as much water if I have to toss it every day. I can't even put the water in the watering can, the smell is so strong.
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 22, 2016 14:29:01 GMT
Found the girls both sleeping in the save house, yesterday. I've also seen them both on the same loft, without Oodles having a meltdown. It's good to see them getting along, and also good to record such things in this chronicle, so I can read about it when I think they're never going to get along again I cleaned Pigloo City Tuesday, and Noodles went on a popcorning binge. First she popcorned all over one end, then all the way down to the other end. Is the always calm, always cool boss pig. She was like a cat on catnip Oodles was watching her as if she were nuts, lol It was great to watch. Not much beats a happy piggy We're having a drought, and while it's not as bad as in some other parts of the country, the water levels are low enough that the sulfur in the water is really starting to smell. I had been filling the piggy water bottles ever few days. But I found that by the end of the first or part way through the second day, the water in the bottles really smelled awful, and and it was getting really slimy. We also fill a pitcher with the same water, put lemon slices in it, and keep it in the fridge. The water in the fridge doesn't stink or get slimy. Two possibilities; the cold in the fridge, or the lemon in the water in the fridge. Since I couldn't refridgerate the piggy water, I tried the lemon. It worked. No more smell or slime. I'm just wondering if it's working as a diuretic, as it does for us. Might be flushing out their systems, but I hope it's not doing them any harm. I fill the piggy water bottles from the filtered cold water tap on the fridge door, so I'm not sure what else can be done to improve the quality of the water. If anyone has any proven suggestions, I'm open to trying something else to keep the water from stinking. I have considered getting smaller water bottles, so I don't waste as much water if I have to toss it every day. I can't even put the water in the watering can, the smell is so strong.
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Post by Bean on Sept 23, 2016 9:11:24 GMT
Ah, glad they seem to be getting along much better - or even just that they are capable of it for periods of time. I hope you took a picture to stick above the cage to help you power through any future squabbles!
I do so love popcorning - even Pops, who is quite a serious pig (who lived on her own for the first few years of her life) and also older so less daft, forgets herself sometimes and throws herself about in a sort of restrained craziness kind of way! Cads does it more and she usually just glares at him like 'What *are* you doing?' so it's sweet when she has a go too. Josh and Rocky are both as daft as brushes and full of beans, so they just set one another off in popcorning frenzies all the time, flinging all the hay and bedding around!
The water problem sounds unappetising! Does boiling then cooling help? If their water consumption isn't changing, I'd be surprised if a bit of lemon was doing any harm, but that's just an uneducated guess! Maybe it's the fact it's open in the fridge that's making the sulphur evaporate from it? You could try adding water that's been pre-aired and see if that helps.
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 23, 2016 15:40:44 GMT
The lemon water in the fridge is sealed in a pitcher. It's a really cool pitcher with different things that go in the center to diffuse tea, hold slices of fruit, or cool it really quickly. So that's not it. It might be that we drink our water faster than the girls do, but I don't know if the girls slow down on their drinking once the water starts to go bad, so it just seems as if they don't drink it fast enough.
I never thought of the boil and cool approach, which just might work. I make extra water in the electric coffee pot, and recycle what I don't use. It smells better the more times it's heated. I can heat water in the microwave, so I don't have to heat up the house in the summer time. I'll give it a try!
I've been meaning to do some research into the effects of oregano. The abusive overuse of antibiotics to make livestock grow bigger has created resistance to antibiotics in humans who eat the meat/poultry/fish. To stop that, many places are claiming they're putting illness-fighting oregano in the animals water. Anyone know anything about the alleged illness-preventing properties of oregano?
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Post by Bean on Sept 24, 2016 8:03:09 GMT
I've heard nothing about that but will stay tuned for your findings when you have a dig! Nature certainly gives us plenty of good stuff, so you never know (until they prove something anyway!).
Hope the boiling helps. Is it totally safe to drink no matter how much it honks, or is there a level where they suggest you switch to bottled water or boiling it, if the problem persists?
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 25, 2016 20:46:15 GMT
I don't know if it was safe to drink, but I'm letting the boiling water cool, and am trying that. I'll let you know how it works. The lemon definitely kept the honk at bay, but I did have my concerns about diuretic effect. Answered the oregano question: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266259.php I may start using it myself
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Post by Bean on Sept 26, 2016 7:10:44 GMT
Gosh, it it does 1/20th of those claims, it'd be pretty amazing!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Sept 26, 2016 8:06:36 GMT
I am sorry about your water problem Piggles love, I drink a lot of water so I can imagine what a pain it is for you and the piggies, Sometimes our water will come through tasting a little odd but it is very unusual. I can really understand your concern for your piggies though.
Hugs Jo xxx
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 26, 2016 18:57:40 GMT
I was a bit amazed myself. One thing these articles never really say is how much we have to ingest, and in what form we have to ingest it. There seem to be a lot of super foods, but when it turns out we have to eat a head of broccoli a day or 12 tomatoes a day, it really doesn't make much sense to consider them real super foods. I was thinking of putting it in the guinea pig water. Maybe it would fight off UTI's, URI's, stones and other things, if they'll drink the water with oregano in it. I think I would need to steep the oregano like tea, then cool the water. Something else to try
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 29, 2016 18:25:49 GMT
Bean, so far, boiling the water seems to have worked. I boiled a pot of water, let it cool, filled one water bottle, and before I got to filling the other water bottle, Vic tossed the water in the sink! I specifically told him why I was keeping the water, and he totally forgot. I did boil another batch, and fill the other bottle. I also found that despite the lemon wedges, the water for us in the fridge also takes on a nasty taste, so we just can't keep refilling the pitcher. We have to toss it after a few days. Not only did the girls do superbly getting their nails clipped, they got to dry off snuggled in the basket the realtor gave us as a gift. I have fleece pads in the bottom, so they were quite happy. Got a lot of piggy snuggles, and a lot of purrs from them, so I don't think they suffered as much as they'd like me to think they did
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Post by Bean on Sept 30, 2016 8:52:47 GMT
Glad the boiling helps - funny about Vic throwing the water away before you got a chance to use it ha! Are you due significant rainfall anytime soon?
That's good the girls have been pampered and enjoyed a snuggle in their new basket!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Sept 30, 2016 9:16:59 GMT
Wwe always pamper ours when they have had their claws done. Little Merley is so frightened he just freezes but as soon as he is home again with a treat, he is fine.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 30, 2016 20:07:01 GMT
These two girls are the first ones who actually want to get out of the sink and snuggle with me. I don't know if they just want to get out of the sink, or if they really want to snuggle, but they are two clever little ones, so they would definitely try to play me They really did enjoy their basket, and that was nice to see
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Post by jolovespiggies on Oct 1, 2016 17:08:18 GMT
Ha ha Piggles love, they all have us wrapped around their little toesies, that's for sure lol!
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Oct 3, 2016 9:15:08 GMT
My boys hate any depth of water will try to leap up on me to be rescued! They look very hurt when I prevent them from coming up to me! Luckily they've only needed to see water a few times in their lives as I don't think they'll ever do more than tolerate it.
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 18, 2016 18:25:31 GMT
Since the weather is getting colder, I have the fleece back on Pigloo City. There are about 4 inches of open space between each end of the fleece, and the loft. It has become zoomies central, from one end of the cage to the other, I watch the piggy bump running under the fleece. They also pull the fleece into the cage, and wrap up in it. I go by the cage and pet the piggy bumps. They don't move, just enjoy being petted through the fleece:
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Post by jolovespiggies on Nov 19, 2016 15:38:16 GMT
That looks great Piggles love, I bet they think it is great fun.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Nov 21, 2016 11:27:47 GMT
Looks lovely and seasonal and lots of fun for them too! I have some fleece pegged up at one end of the cage and they love to hide under it, jump on it, sleep on it, pull it off and play under it - endless fun!
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