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Post by weesilvie on Feb 28, 2009 23:35:45 GMT
Hi 3piggles - I got the hay racks from www.zooplus.co.uk. I think they're a German company and cover most of Europe so don't know what availability in the US would be like with shipping charges and exchange rates and stuff. They're about £6 for me to buy in the UK. I'm sure you could try emailing them. I've never actually tried other hay racks for my pigs but I am so taken with these ones that I don't want to! I think it gives them good exercise too because the pigs can reach up to get hay out of them and they can jump up into them to sleep in them too (although I'm sure that's not what they were designed for!)
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Post by piggiepop on Mar 4, 2009 20:51:10 GMT
Those are great hay racks and your piggies are looking great!
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Post by Pigjes on Mar 5, 2009 6:59:48 GMT
I order from zooplus too, mostly to get hay and pellets.
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 5, 2009 19:36:45 GMT
Wow, they have some nice hay racks. I'll check around over here and see if anyone carries anything like it. Thanks.
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Post by weesilvie on Mar 11, 2009 20:24:12 GMT
Still only slight progress on the introductions - the girls are fine but Rory is continuing to behave like a teenage hoodie! They're all fine until he starts, and then they all get grumpy, but he doesn't give up, he keeps on pushing them! One day... We all went to vet yesterday too to get toenails clipped. She was very taken with Winnie! They all got a clean bill of health anyway, which is fab, especially as I've heard a few sneezes over the past week (you know how it is, you watch them for ages and nothing happens and then as soon as you turn away, theres' a sneeze so you still don't know who it is!) I did point out to the vet a wee spot just at the front end of Bingo's ear. I thought it was like a freckle or birthmark or something as it grows a tiny sprout of white hair when the rest of her is brown. You wouldn't even notice it if you weren't poking around in her fur and looking. The vet said it was a 'Tric******oma'. She was having trouble pronouncing it! I should have asked her to write it down. But she said it was quite like a freckle or mole in that it is nothing to worry about unless it changes at all. So I'll be keeping a very close eye it! Can anyone enlighten me on what the word is so I can look it up?
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Post by newpig on Mar 11, 2009 20:52:40 GMT
That's a new one on me so will be interested to hear what anyone comes up with. Hope it stays just as it is.
Hope the intros improve and that Rory can join in with the rest of the herd.
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Post by weesilvie on Mar 11, 2009 22:22:42 GMT
Slightly worrying as it ends in '-oma' but the vet said it didn't appear to be bothering her, these things are benign and although it might ooze a wee bit of brown gunk (a tiny scab did come away when she was looking at it), then it shouldn't be anything to worry about. So I'll try not to worry! Will have a look and see if GuineaLynx has anything - anywhere else you'd suggest I look?
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Post by weesilvie on Mar 11, 2009 22:43:13 GMT
Just looked on GL and found it - Trichofolliculoma. It's under Medical Reference > Lumps. (Don't look it up if you're squeamish or just about to have your tea - there are some brutal photos!) It has reassured me some more as it seems to echo just what the vet said, although the example pig seems to have had a lump whereas Bingo's is just a spot at the moment
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Post by weesilvie on Apr 1, 2009 21:36:08 GMT
Hello all Excuse the absence - my dad has had a bit of a health scare so my mind has been elsewhere. Happily he seems to be well on the mend now though. And I think I have reached breakthrough with the introductions! I had them all out on Sunday and Woolly finally submitted to Rory but Bingo remained defiant. Today when I had them all out, it seemed that Bingo and Rory were agreeing to disagree and to just about tolerate each other - there were no fights whatsoever, just a few nips and squeaks and chatters and rumbles. Eureka! I won't be around enough to take the divider out of the cage next week - I want to do it when I have the whole of the rest of the day to keep an eye on them - but I will the following week. I can't wait, I'm really excited - we've waited so long for this moment!
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Post by piggiepop on Apr 2, 2009 1:14:00 GMT
Welcome back and glad your dad is on the mend.
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Post by Pigjes on Apr 2, 2009 7:01:16 GMT
Thanks for the update!
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Post by newpig on Apr 2, 2009 18:10:40 GMT
Sorry to hear about your Dad's health scare.
Good news that there have been some positive signs with the intros. Good luck when the time comes to take the divider out.
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Post by weesilvie on Apr 14, 2009 21:30:47 GMT
I am now very happy to report that I took the divider out of their cage last week and have had no ill effects - in fact I seem to now have a reasonably contented herd - yeeeeyyyy! They can still be a bit tetchy with each other, but then can't we all... I am so pleased that our perseverence and all your encouragement has finally paid off - and also that I've been able to document it all here so that others can take heart if they're having similar 'issues'. I know there's never any guarantees with introductions but at least my experience shows that patience and perseverence can pay off if the circumstances are right! ;D My next challenges will be to persuade the Big Pigs to lose the odd ounce in weight and also to try taking them outside on the lawn at a suitable moment. Looking foreard to the summer!
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Post by Val Amirault-Vale on Apr 14, 2009 21:52:04 GMT
Oh that is wonderful!! I'm glad to see you back! It's really nice having a well balanced herd of piggies isn't it! Good job for sticking to it and making it happen for your piggies. Looking forward to more updates from you.
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Post by weesilvie on Apr 22, 2009 22:08:12 GMT
Thanks Val, I'm loving it now they're all together! I think they're enjoying it too. I love watching them - it's great to see their individual characters next to each other. Winnie, having arrived as the shyest pig on earth (I only ever saw her at mealtimes for the first week, and even then when she thought I wasn't looking!), is now the squeakiest pig on earth - and a bit of a vandal! She squeaks most of the time, especially when there's food around, she's always in the middle of everything and is a bit of a vandal! She knocks all the hayracks over and doesn't bother with the 'doors' on the pigloos, she just shoves herself out from anywhere underneath them. Rory spends his whole life rumbling and annoying the girls - but I think they don't mind really! Woolly and Bingo, the Big Pigs, are just nice solid pigs (in more ways than one....) - they munch, they squeak, they wheek, they run around happily - do all the things pigs are supposed to do, really! And they're slightly grumpy old ladies with the Wee Pigs!! I caught Woolly chirping last night! And yes, I'm back - but the good weather and lighter nights mean that there are so many more draws on my time so I have less to spend at the computer, so I'm afraid my appearances over the summer may be a bit sporadic - but rest assured I continue to think of you all when I'm not here!
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Post by newpig on Apr 23, 2009 13:18:15 GMT
Good to hear that they are all doing so well now. They all sound very healthy, happy and content.
Did you ever figure a way to give them lawn time?
Hope when you do get time to log in you bring some pics with you (that was a very subtle hint for photos by the way).
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Post by weesilvie on Apr 23, 2009 17:19:34 GMT
Very subtle indeed, Newpig! Will do my best. For lawn time, I will need to have 'feed and weeded' the lawn - there's probably not much of a percentage of grass left in it at the moment! And then obviously wait a while until the chemicals are gone (a month, is that right?). And build them an outdoor pig castle! Looking forward to that bit. So it will be a while before they will go outside. But I am still growing grass on the windowsill for them so they get a handful about once a week!
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 23, 2009 22:52:47 GMT
That's great about the pigs all being together finally. It has to be such a relief to have them getting along. I'm glad your dad is okay. I hope it wasn't too serious a problem.
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Post by Val Amirault-Vale on Apr 24, 2009 5:04:10 GMT
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Post by weesilvie on May 4, 2009 15:44:02 GMT
Even the unsubtle hints wouldn't have stopped me posting more pics - i just love sharing my pigs with folk who are interested! The happy herd, together at last - yey! Oh, the indignity! A grumpy Bingo is weighed while the others watch on - and probably snigger! Woolly, making short work of some green stuff This is my favourite picture of the day, especially as my favourite part of a guinea pig is their ears! Bingo checks out the hay Pretending to be camera shy, Winnie and Bingo hide behind the hay rack Rory, munching (and probably rumbling!) - he looks lopsided in this pic but he's really not! And Winnie, just a wee cutie! And finally, a sneakie Wee Silvie - keeping an eye on the pigs from her favourite blanket Enjoy! It's now time to feed the mob.
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