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Post by anawilliam on Jan 4, 2023 15:44:35 GMT
They are so cute!
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Post by 3piggles on May 26, 2023 19:27:44 GMT
Squeak says hello 🤗
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Post by bazookagoof on May 27, 2023 0:08:31 GMT
So nice to see pics of everyone else's herds.
(Hello, Squeak!)
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Post by Bean on May 27, 2023 6:16:51 GMT
Cute!
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Post by 3piggles on May 27, 2023 19:46:04 GMT
Mine will pose in the most perfect poses, until I get out the camera, then there isn't a pig in site I was lucky to get that picture, as I was trying to get a picture of her looking out from under the loft skirt, being really cute. But no-o-o, she had to move
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Post by 3piggles on Aug 6, 2023 13:50:59 GMT
I've been using fiberglass screen in the cage to separate the hay and poos from the pellets bedding. The pigs don't eat the screen, but they do chew it when it gets in the way of the hay they're eating. I've been researching coconut fiber mats, and bought one big enough to cover the pellet bedding completely. I will clean Pigloo City in the next couple of days, and replace the screen with the coconut fiber mat. It should let liquid go through to the pellets underneath, and be easy to clean. I cut it to fit Pigloo City, and it's soft, so not going to injure any delicate feet. It's more expensive than the screen, but it's natural fiber, and about 1/4" thick, so it should last quite a while.
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Post by Bean on Aug 12, 2023 7:59:36 GMT
I'm interested to hear how this works out, hope it does the trick. I'd have assumed coconut fibre was absorbent rather than wicking, but don't know much about it.
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Post by 3piggles on Aug 12, 2023 18:08:48 GMT
Since it's used in landscaping, it can't absorb water, or it would rot all the plants around it. I've also used it in wire hanging planters, outdoors, and watched the water drip right through though it. The pellet bedding underneath is super absorbent, so I doubt any liquid will stay in the fiber mat very long. The girls are definitely liking the solidness of the new lofts. The old ones were starting to sound like kids jumping on a really bad mattress and box spring. Rock solid, now I will rebuild the cage one of these days. I do it once a year or 18 months, just to make sure the board under all the bedding is solid, etc., I'd like to change the channels that hold the Plexiglass so they're mitered on the ends. The corners let too much stuff fall through, since the pellets break down to granules that fit through the small openings. I don't know if I mentioned that we planted Fennel in the garden this year, and the girls have been getting fresh fennel every day. It's not the kind you get in the supermarket with a big white bulb and long green fronds, but the girls love it
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Post by Bean on Aug 13, 2023 8:04:51 GMT
So you can put it in between plants on top of the soil to save yourself lots of weeding?! It sounds promising as a bedding cover. Glad the girls are appreciating the loft adjustments. I'm sure they will be interested in whatever other tweaks you make in the future!
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Post by 3piggles on Aug 13, 2023 22:46:04 GMT
I haven't seen it used as weed block, but plan to try it. Our psycho neighbor is still pulling weird stuff. She's put up a row of solar lights allegedly right on the boundary line. No point in trying to mow back there, so best to cover the really nice grass with the coconut fiber, and figure out what to do with it later. I'll let you know if it works as a weed block.
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 31, 2023 11:40:47 GMT
Had the girls out for snuggles, yesterday. Not something we do a lot, but they both really enjoyed it, and purred and percolated the whole time. It was nice to get them out when we weren't going to do nails or check for something else, and to just have a snuggle session <3 The coconut mat is very successful. We replaced the used one with a clean one, and blasted the old one with the garden hose. Once dry, it was ready to roll up and save for the next mat swap Never did put it on the other side of the backyard fence. Vic didn't want to do that.
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Post by Bean on Nov 1, 2023 9:23:20 GMT
Glad the coconut mat is working so well. And that you and the girls enjoyed some snuggles. It's nice to have time with them that isn't about snipping or prodding!
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 1, 2023 22:45:40 GMT
Pip has a lump behind one ear. She's had it for quite a while. It doesn't hurt her if we poke it or wiggle it. It's not impeding her quality of life at all. She's still a happy, active, vocal girl. I'm reluctant to get anything done about it, which is why she's had it for quite a while. Taking pets to the vet is a major upheaval in their lives, even if nothing bad happens like a painful shot. If it's a cyst, which I expect it is, it will be lanced, will probably leak all over here, and will require a certain amount of tending(interference in her life) that I know she won't appreciate. I know it could get bad, which is why we watch it and her closely. The vet is an hour drive away, each way. Squeak would go with her, but wouldn't be with her during any procedure. Vic and I have discussed this many times, and I keep erring on leaving her alone until I see a negative change in her.
I'd like some opinions, please.
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Post by Bean on Nov 2, 2023 8:33:50 GMT
How big is it and does it move around with her skin or does it feel like it's attached to something? And is it quite smooth, soft and round or harder and irregular in shape? Is it growing or had it reached a certain size and stayed the same?
I've had my share (well my guinea pigs have!) of lipomas, cysts, abscesses and tumours over the years. You say Pip's fine in herself and not bothered by it, so if there weren't any potentially worrying features (such as feeling hard/irregular and attached, being around the neck area, growing quickly or making the skin sore) I'd be inclined to watch and wait too. Messing around with it could create a whole lot of new problems Pip doesn't have now.
If it's a sebaceous cyst, you'll probably just come in one morning and find her with a load of goo over her ear, and you can clean that up as well as anyone else. If it's soft then it could well be a lipoma (fatty lump) and you'd only have that removed if it actually bothered her anyway.
I'm sure you'll notice if it does become a genuine concern, and needs medical attention. But I think you can trust your instinct here.
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 2, 2023 18:21:42 GMT
No, there's nothing noteworthy about the lump, and she doesn't seem the least bit bothered by it. I've taken pigs to the vet enough to know no matter how well the visit goes, just taking them radically out of their comfort zone is not good for them. I will watch it. We pet it as if it's just the hair behind her ear. No problems.
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Post by bazookagoof on Nov 2, 2023 23:28:49 GMT
I don't know enough to make a decent educated comment, but what Bean said makes a lot of sense to me, so count me in as agreed with her statement, for what it's worth.
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