Guinea Pig Connection

6 Reasons Why A Water Bottle Will Make A Pet Stop Drinking

The near-80-degree weather in Connecticut yesterday and forecasted for today is making small pet owners start shifting their thinking to "summer mode." Hydration is always important for animals, but when temperatures start climbing above 70 degrees and higher humidity starts kicking in, hydration becomes exponentially more important.

So, it's essential to keep water bottles in top condition. Some of the reasons a water bottle can discourage a guinea pig (or any small animal) from drinking include:

• The bottle isn’t cleaned frequently and/or properly. A buildup of “backwash particles” (commonly from the food pellets that small animals eat) gunks up the drinking spout and the bottle. Regular rinsing of both with hot water, and frequent cleaning with water bottle brushes (available at most pet stores for $1.99 to $2.49) will prevent this buildup. 
• The bottle was washed with detergent and water, leaving a residue that puts an icky taste in the water. Water bottles should be washed or soaked in hot water only; hot water and a bottle brush will more than adequately clean bottles.
• The water isn’t changed frequently enough, causing the water and the inside of the bottle to get a little slimy (thus giving the water a bad taste).
• The water bottle was filled with water that was too cold. Really cold water has a habit of jamming up, or “freezing,” the ball bearing in drinking spouts.
• The rubber ring inside the bottle cover could be degrading. Some of the old bottles had black rings instead of clear ones; when they start degrading, they put an undesirable taste in the water. If your water bottle has a black ring in it, rinse the ring and dry it with a white cloth. If you see a black smudge on the towel, it’s time to replace the bottle.
• If you have hard water, it could be leaving residue in the drinking spout; as this residue builds up, it interferes with the ball bearing in the spout. (Also, if you have hard water, there’s a good bet your animals don’t like drinking it any more than you do.)

In the weeks between now and the real start of summer, give your water bottles a thorough once-over to make sure they're operating properly and are free of buildup. If something is amiss or the bottle is showing clear signs of age, toss it in the recycling bin and buy a replacement. Your guinea pigs will thank you!

Related Posts

• A Better Bottle Brush
• Why Water Bottles Need Frequent Cleaning
• Cleaning Water Bottles

 

10 Ways Guinea Pig Owners Can Help Mother Earth

Today, April 22, is Earth Day -- a day for each of us to reflect on how we can better care for Mother Earth and help ensure the healthy survival of all the species who live here. This year, Earth Day organizers are coordinating an effort called "A Billion Acts of Green," and are "encouraging people to observe Earth Day 2011 by pledging online to do something small but sustainable in their own lives to improve the planet's health." In the words of one spokesman, "Millions of people doing small, individual acts can add up to real change."

So I've done a quick inventory of things that guinea pig owners do routinely, and where there would be opportunity for us to change a habit or two...or more.

1. Use paper towels made from recycled materials. Seventh Generation and Marcal Small Steps brands are easily found in many major grocery stores and general retailers like Target.
2. Use trash bags made from recycled materials. This appears to be a growing category, and Seventh Generation and GoodSense/EarthSense are among the first brands I'm aware of seeing widely available.
3. Use eco-friendly laundry detergent for cozy cups, fleece sacks, fleece pads, play area towels, and so on. Seventh Generation laundry detergents are easily found in major grocery stores, and Method products are easily found at Target. Mrs. Meyer's Scent Free detergent and Ecover products are stocked in natural food stores. (Admittedly, these products are a little more expensive, requiring you to watch for sales or check online for coupons, but even swapping out a couple bottles of your usual detergent in a year will help.)
4. Recycle the plastic bags that hay and cage bedding like CareFresh comes in. Plastic bag recycling bins are found at grocery stores, some general retailers, and sometimes special bins at municipal landfills.
5. Buy larger sizes of hay and food pellets. For example, buying a 10-pound bag of Oxbow Cavy Cuisine instead of two 5-pound bags puts one less bag in the landfill.
6. Buy bulk bundles of paper towels and trash bags. One 3-pack of paper towels means 2 less plastic wrappers are being thrown out.
7. Recycle the cardboard boxes that bulk orders of hay are shipped in.
8. Compost used CareFresh bedding and old fruits and vegetables instead of sending them to the landfill. (This is difficult for apartment and condo dwellers, but if you own a house with a yard and want to learn more about composting, check out this resource for starters.)
9. In good weather, line dry cozy cups, fleece sacks, fleece pads, tunnels, towels, and so on. A large load of these items typically takes 50-60 minutes to dry in a clothes dryer (unless you have one of those high-efficiency dryers).
10. Replace paper towels for cage cleaning with microfiber cloths, microfiber sponges, and reusable synthetic or natural sponges. Companies like The Fuller Brush Company, 3M, Don Aslett, and others are expanding product offerings in this category. (If you decide to try microfiber cloths, don't overlook sources like QVC who frequently sell bulk packs of high-quality cloths at insanely good prices.)

Whew! Okay, so I've come up with 10 ideas. Can you suggest more? Please share in the Comments section!

Guinea Pigs Don't Need Yogurt Drops

When I used to do info/exhibit tables at pet stores for the rescue, invariably someone would say to me, "I’m trying to find different snacks that I can feed to my guinea pigs during playtime. I'm wondering if these fruit-flavored yogurt drops are any good. They sound like they'd be yummy."

Most commercial treats sold for guinea pigs are equivalent to junk food for humans. These treats are often full of fat and sugar and, in the case of yogurt drops, excess calcium. Giving these treats on a regular basis fills guinea pigs up with empty calories, leaving less room for the basic, nutritious foods that they need on a daily basis.

Feeding too many commercial treats becomes detrimental to a pig’s health, and the results aren’t limited to extra weight. Products containing excess calcium — such as those with dairy ingredients — lead to the development of stones and crystals that, in turn, lead to dangerous blockages.

The dairy-based treats, in particular, must be avoided as dairy is not something guinea pigs need or should have. I know several families where guinea pigs developed difficult cases of GI stasis as a result of being overfed yogurt drops (3 or more a day, every day, for weeks); the treatment, which included multiple vet visits and medication, was expensive. Once cured, the families and the pigs went through short-but-difficult retraining periods in which the pigs were broken of their junk-food habits and switched to healthy diets.

There are many options for healthy snacks:

• Occasional bits of apple or halved and seedless grapes are easy to hand feed, as are chunks of fresh melon (e.g., honeydew, cantaloupe, Crenshaw, seedless watermelon) and seedless orange wedges (Clementine oranges were favorites of several of my own guinea pigs).
• Get veggies that you wouldn’t feed on a regular basis because they’re more expensive: Belgian endive, radicchio, frisee, curly endive (a.k.a. chicory), yellow or orange sweet bell peppers, and packaged baby romaine or spring mix. (These same ingredients can add life to your own salads.)
• During the spring and summer, fresh clean grass — untouched by pesticides, lawn-growth enhancers, and the bathroom trips of the family dog — is also a great treat.
• Feed a different kind of hay than what is always on hand in the cage, such as orchard grass hay, mountain grass hay, bluegrass hay, and others.

You can find a list of favorite guinea pig foods on Guinea Lynx, which will suggest some additional options.

Older Pig, Younger Pig: When A Good Pair Falls Apart

Oh boy, how many of us have been in Diana's shoes?

"I have two male guinea pigs...father and son and they have lived together since the son was born. Kiko (the father) is around 2 years old while Ringo (the son) isn't one yet. They have lived together with no problems. Lately they have become very strange, chattering their teeth at one another. Ringo chases Kiko around the cage and throws himself at Kiko. Kiko...has become very scared and hides wherever he can. He has been tired and sleepy most of the time, while before he was very active and generally good humoured. I'm not sure whats going on. I've separated them because I'm scared that when I'm not there something bad will happen and I can't help them."

Diana did the right thing by separating her boys. Ringo is relentless and Kiko is miserable and showing signs of depression (i.e., hiding, lethargy). But what happened?

One word: Hormones

After months of being a dutiful young son learning from his dad how to be a big boy, Ringo is individuating from his father. His hormones are surging and he's thinking he'd like to be alpha male now -- and he's basically wrestling with his father to claim that title. Although the seemingly gentle-natured Kiko apparently isn't putting up a fight,  Ringo seems determined to keep hammering on this point. He's behaving like a bully now, and Kiko is clearly feeling victimized.

You can keep them separated for a short time and try reintroducing them a little later. Maybe they'll restore harmony, maybe you'll see the pattern repeat. (I suspect the latter will prove true. If you do end up having to permanently separate them, keeping them in side-by-side cages or side-by-side partitioned areas in a very large C&C cage should give both pigs enough company and socialization to keep them from getting lonely or depressed.

Related Topics

• Should These Guinea Pigs Remain Together?
• Will My Male Guinea Pigs Ever Bond?

Post-Operative Precautions In A Guinea Pig Colony

So you have a small colony of guinea pigs that gets along just swell. Then you find out that one of them needs surgery, and post-op care is going to require a temporary separation. You wring your hands and fret that this might be the end of colony harmony.

Such is the position Scott finds himself in. He recently wrote to me, asking:

"I have three male Guinea Pigs, they all seem to get along well. The oldest is the more dominant one. We have a huge pen with lots of room to run and huts, tunnels, lots of places to hide. We use fleece so we don't have to worry about newspaper or a lot of shavings. My older Male has Cancer and has to have surgery. The Dr says there is a 90% chance of getting it all....I want to know how long I can keep him separate from the others before they might try to re-herd themselves. The Dr tells me he needs to be alone after surgery but for how long? I don't question their ability to do surgery, but I think I know my animals' behavior pretty well. I think the sooner the better. The other two don't really bother him any way. What is a good but minimal time frame to put him back?"

I've used three veterinary groups in the last 12 years, and the common rule of thumb has been that the post-op pig needed to be separated at least until the follow-up visit that occurs 7-14 days after the surgery.

• The patient needs time, space, and quiet to sleep off the remaining effects of anesthesia, and to begin the process of healing from the trauma of surgery (because surgery is physically traumatic, whether you're a guinea pig or a human).
• Stitches and sutures need time to heal/close. The patient doesn't need an invitation to be rowdy with his pals, nor does he need to be hassled by roommates who want their turn in a pigloo or a cozy cup.
• You need to monitor the patient to make sure he's eating (hay, food, veggies), drinking water, and peeing and pooping normally. All of these are critical to watch in the post-op period, and are difficult to observe and quantify with the needed accuracy if you have the patient mixed back in with his herd. If eating, hydration, and/or elimination are off, you need to be able to intervene quickly (e.g., syringe feeding, vet visit, etc.) and communicate effectively with your vet.
  

You can maintain your pigs' connection with each other during the recovery period by putting your post-op piggy either in a cage that's right next to his regular home or, if your colony is in a large enough C&C cage, in a 2x2 area partitioned off from the rest of the cage. This way, they can continue to socialize, see and smell each other, and generally remain in touch with the current pecking order. Put their food dishes or their hay racks near the divider to encourage interaction and proximity.

It's crucial that you give your older pig room to rest and heal, and not needlessly stress him by rushing his recovery. If the bond in your herd is that good, you likely have no reason to worry about a temporary separation. They may prove the truth of the old adage that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Moving On Without Minerva

"And can it be that in a world so full and busy,
the loss of one small creature
makes a void in any heart, so wide and deep,
that nothing but the width and depth of vast eternity
can fill it up?"
(Charles Dickens)

 

When I first visited Cindy's house in 2005, I was most struck by a small, special-needs guinea pig named Minerva -- and the obvious and tight bond that had formed between her and Cindy. When we launched the rescue's first real Web site later that year, it seemed logical to crown Minerva...from several dozen worthy candidates...as the rescue's mascot and post her photo at the top of every page.

Born on February 1, 2005, Minerva and her mother and siblings came from a home that had 20 guinea pigs. The authorities had forced her owner to turn all the pigs over to the Animal Refuge League shelter in Westbrook, Maine. Because the shelter was filled to capacity, Minerva and 14 of the other guinea pigs came to Cindy because they were in danger of being put to sleep. Minerva was just two weeks old when she arrived and was understandably scared, but with Cindy's patience and TLC, Minerva learned to trust humans and became an extremely personable guinea pig.

Tragically, Minerva had a condition called micropthalmia, a genetic defect due to inbreeding. The condition left Minerva blind, and susceptible to recurring infections. Where others might have given up on her, Cindy and the vets at Pieper Olson vet hospital tried a "Hail Mary": surgery to remove her eyeballs and stitch her eyelids closed.

Miraculously, Minerva pulled through the surgery and the post-op recovery, and grew to be a big girl with a lot of attitude, a strong will, and a ton of personality. An affectionate piggy with all, she clearly favored Cindy over all humans and seemed to radiate joy and light when Cindy picked her up and carried her around.

Finding Minerva a roommate was no easy task. Her attitude clearly stated: "I may be blind, but I'm not going to let just anyone in my cage." On her own, she did just fine navigating around her C&C cage, and knew just where her food, water, hay, pigloo, cozy cup, and treats were. Knowing that a roommate could enrich Minerva's life, Cindy patiently tried multiple matches. Minerva ultimately accepted Gracie (another special-needs pig with paralyzed back legs) and happy-go-lucky Pogo (a neutered male happy to have a couple of girlfriends).

This tightly knit trio lived together happily for years, hamming it up for visitors and photographers alike. Minerva seemed to always be aware of a camera's presence before it made a sound, and quickly struck a pose, like Madonna "vogue-ing" in a video. She always seemed to have a smile on her face, as you can see in the photo here and the other photos on our Web site. Together, Minerva, Gracie, and Pogo gave us some of the best guinea pig photos we've seen anywhere.

Gracie and Pogo passed on first, and Minerva -- now elderly -- accepted Tally and Summit as her new roommates. Unfortunately, the effects of old age began to take a toll on Minerva and for the first time in a very, very long time, she and Cindy resumed the old routine of vet visits as everyone worked to cure her or, at least, make her comfortable.

On February 17, 2011, we lost Minerva. While every loss riddles Cindy's heart with more holes, losing Minerva...her partner and her touchstone...was a devastating blow -- and giving Cindy time to grieve in peace seemed the kindest thing to do. (And, honestly, it's taken me a while to get through writing this without crying.)

More than 800 guinea pigs have been helped by this rescue in 7 years of operation, and we have many sanctuary pigs right now with stories that would qualify them to pick up the mantle of Rescue Mascot. But that title will forever be Minerva's. She is why we continue doing this work: A guinea pig who needed a second chance and someone kind enough and wise enough to fight for her.

Rest in peace, sweet girl. We hope you're happy romping in Heaven's lettuce patch with Gracie and Pogo. Holding that picture in our minds softens the grief of missing you.

Guinea Pigs Don't Need Another Noise To Be Afraid Of

When I first heard about The Pet Corrector spray, I knew it was just a matter of time until someone asked me about its applicability to guinea pigs. Sure enough, the questions have come in from some folks wondering if they could use it to resolve some "behavior issues" in their guinea pigs.

If you haven't heard about this product, it's a spray made for dog training, to deal with barking, stealing, and aggression. According to its Web site, the spray "emits a loud HISS sound which is a natural deterrent (geese, snakes, and possums are some examples of animals in nature who use this)." Somewhere on the Web I saw a video in which a product reviewer successfully used it with barking dogs of all sizes, and found some additional hilarious applications for everything from stopping arguments in meetings at work to stopping people from stealing food off your plate.

The folks asking me about this product were trying to interrupt guinea pigs who were pestering their roommates either out of boredom or out of an alpha-pig desire to dominate or bully cagemates. Neither of these are issues that can be resolved with a spray. And for a species that hears far better than it sees, a spray that mimics the sound of one of this species' predators in the wild (snakes) just creates fear and stress at a guinea pig's most primal level.

To be clear, the manufacturers aren't marketing Pet Corrector for any other purpose than dog training. But the questions have started, and we've seen enough over the years to know that people like to get "creative" and try to inappropriately adapt products for larger animals to use for smaller creatures. And while some "aversion therapies" might work for some problems in some animals, other problems -- such as boredom and dominance issues among guinea pigs -- need to be dealt with at the root level, not the symptom level.

If you are having these issues with your guinea pigs, please check out these related posts of ours:

• My Guinea Pig Is Chewing Her Roommate's Hair!
• Should These Guinea Pigs Remain Together?
• Will My Male Guinea Pigs Ever Bond?

A Trophy Won't Win You Points With A Guinea Pig

Roxy Sorkin must have one particularly brassy guinea pig.

In his acceptance speech at last night's Academy Awards ceremony, Aaron Sorkin (who won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar^TM for "The Social Network") called out the little devil on the international broadcast. He finished his pithy, eloquent, and refreshingly humble speech with the comment: "Roxy Sorkin, your father just won the Academy Award. I’m going to have to insist on some respect from your guinea pig." The comment -- an admission of being stymied (if not bested) by a 2-1/2 pound furball -- only added to Sorkin's likability as he walked off stage.

Anyone who has lived with guinea pigs for any length of time can chuckle at the comment and make a few guesses about what Roxy's guinea pig must be doing to "disrespect" her father. Run away when he comes to the cage. Chews on his fingers. Chews on his shirt. Fidgets incessantly while he tries to sit with it. Poops on him. Pees on him. Sasses at him for a snack. A myriad of possible behaviors.

The misconception about guinea pigs is that they're simple creatures, that all you have to do is feed them and you're in like Flynn. But guinea pigs are not won over by superficial gestures. They cannot be schmoozed. Because they are prey animals, which makes them anxious and fearful by default, they're slow to trust. It takes time, calm effort, and gentleness to form a bond with them. It's a process that cannot be rushed.

Guinea pigs are actually a lot like horses in this regard. In her book "Inner Peace for Busy People," Joan Borysenko relates a story about an equine experience program she participated in. During the program, she learned that "...horses were like mirrors that showed you who you really were....[they] respond to our energy, mirroring our emotions and intentions." They pick up on frustration, impatience, anxiety, irritation, aloofness -- emotional turmoil of any kind -- and respond accordingly. "Horses are very sensitive to energy," Borysenko writes. "They respond to peaceful clarity of intention."

If you're trying to connect with a guinea pig, and it's not progressing to your expected timetable, frustration inevitably rises. Frustration begets more frustration. And, if you don't do a course correction and try something new, frustration begets irritation -- and the guinea pig will respond to neither favorably. It matters not to a guinea pig that you're formidable in the board room, hypnotically persuasive in a sales presentation, or capable of successfully pitching a screenplay in a town drowning in screenplay pitches. Success with human beings does not necessarily beget success with guinea pigs (though I contend that the reverse is true).

The beauty of guinea pigs (all animals, really) is that quality time with them forces you to get out of your head, snap out of your mood, slow down, and be fully present with them. And when you think about it, these are all things you need to do in any relationship in order for it to be successful. For Sorkin, who makes his living in a fast-paced and uber-connected industry, his daughter's guinea pig may well be The Universe's way of planting a reminder in his life to stay grounded and stay present in spite of the insanity and busy-ness swirling around him.

It's been said that daughters keep their fathers humble (maybe even moreso than their wives). Sorkin's comment at last night's ceremony suggests that there's a guinea pig in his life doing the same thing. And that, I think, is a good thing. 

Moving Pets To Higher Ground

Well, a storm is nothing new in Connecticut this winter, but this time Mother Nature is throwing rain at us instead of snow. Ordinarily, folks would say, "Hey, great! Precipitation we don't have to shovel!"

Except that this time we're having heavy rain (1.5 inches in one day is considered a lot) + temperatures near 50 degrees + snowmelt (many of us still have a couple of feet of snow on the ground).

All of this is adding up to flooding concerns for tomorrow (Friday). The newscasts tonight were full of interviews with fire departments and public works officials warning folks of basement flooding. (The first floor of a home that sits at the bottom of even a small slope, never mind a hill, could have a dicey day if there's too much rain and snowmelt and not enough drainage routes outside the home.)

And if that's not enough, NBC Connecticut is saying that "another soaking rain, with even higher flooding concerns, arrives on Monday." One interviewee, as well as the meteorologists, have said that the flood risk is so high (because of the snowmelt) that even folks who have never had problems with flooding could have problems over the next few days.

Great...just great...

So why am I writing about this here? Because there's some folks who (regrettably) keep their pets in the basement, everything from hamsters to turtles to guinea pigs and rabbits to dogs who are kept in crates so they don't tear the house apart while no one is home. If there's flooding, the animals are going to be in a very bad spot -- or possibly worse. (Of lesser concern: all their supplies that you keep downstairs would be ruined by flood water.)

So, do your critters a favor, and move them and their cages, tanks, or crates upstairs to "higher ground." Even if your space doesn't get flooded, your peace of mind -- and your pets' safety -- is well worth the effort of a temporary relocation.

And, who knows? You may even so enjoy having your critters in the center of all your family's action that you decide to make the relocation permanent.

Tips For Taking Better Photos Of Your Guinea Pigs

Let's face it, our beloved piggies can be tricky, ornery little devils to photograph. They wander off. They chew on a friend's ear or decide to clean their face just as you're framing a shot. Their varied coat colors make them blend into some backgrounds, and clash with others. But when you do pull off a good photo, boy, is it worth all the effort!

While trawling on the Web site for The Nate Berkus Show for an old episode on another topic, I stumbled across a segment on pet photography, featuring photography expert Me Ra Koh. Her tips include:

• Make like a fashion or home photographer and create a staged set. Remove things that clash. Create some kind of boundary to prevent your piggies from wandering "off set."
• Get your "models" into a calm, even Zen-like state. Have a handler nearby to help you; your two hands are already busy with your camera, you would be greatly assisted by another pair of hands to keep the piggies corraled.
• Get down to -- or below -- their level. You miss a lot when you're standing up.
• Use props to help spark their curiosity, animation, and cuteness. Frame your shot to emphasize the things you love most about your pet (e.g., their profile, their ears, etc.).
• Learn to use your camera's features (e.g., no flash, natural-light settings, continuous shooting mode) to increase your chances of getting a great shot with every shot. After watching Me Ra photograph a pair of dogs (and noting the similarity to fidgety pigs), my next camera is soooooo going to have a continuous shooting mode feature.

For the full details of Me Ra's tips, read the Photo-Recipe for Your Pets article on Nate's site. You'll absolutely want to watch her in action in the Pet Photography Tips video clip, in which you can see her help various owners take pictures of their rowdy dogs, multicolored cat, and wandering bunny.