Free range pigs in a 'desert' environment?

[iamsnape]

So, recently I went to Paignton Zoo with my boyfriend for a day out, and in the desert house, I saw a sign which said something along the lines of don't be alarmed if you see guinea pigs running about, we have a few that live free range in here as they thrive in a desert environment and we feed them a natural diet of hay and seeds.

Am I wrong to be concerned about this? Needless to say I inspected the desert house, I saw what looked like a bed of straw but no hay (but it could have been well hidden). I didn't spot any veg, and saw one pig, the others may have been hiding. The area was full of rocks, cacti, etc...I don't know if the desert environment thing is true but the lack of food I saw in there kind of worried me. They also had some pigs in their 'ranch' section (farm animals and things, for kids), which were housed with rabbits. There weren't many of each, but they were still together.

What do you reckon? I'd never considered a desert environment being appropriate for domesticated animals before.
I'll wait til I here your responses, and then I might email the zoo, see what they say about it. I doubt I'll be taken seriously - never am. I told a worker at Trago Mills the other day they should take the orange slices they'd put in with the guinea pigs (kept in glass tanks, I pointed this out too) out as they are too acidic and could give them mouth sores, and they just said 'hmm, never heard of that before' and walked off. Can't stand it when people just brush things off like that! I know I just sound like a know it all, but at least somebody actually knows and cares.

 

[twiams]

Oooo i saw this the other day, i went recently and i was a bit concerned especially by the cacti that looked like they could do some damage !
I saw 2 or 3 guinea pigs but I'm not sure how many they have in total.
I did see they had little hideys in the rocks and i wasn’t sure if that was where the food was but i don’t know how the staff would have gotten in their to clean out and remove food etc.

I did a bit of research into piggies natural environment, and it really is nothing like that desert.

"Wild cavies are found on grassy plains and occupy an ecological niche similar to that of the cow. They are social, living in the wild in small groups which consist of several females (sows), a male (boar), and the young. They move together in groups (herds) eating grass or other vegetation, and do not store food. While they do not burrow or build nests, they frequently seek shelter in the burrows of other animals, as well as in crevices and tunnels formed by vegetation."

I also read that the Paignton zoo let them freely breed in that herd as well. Which i don’t think they should be promoting!

I think an email would be good, even if you just say your worried, they may just explain what they do have available and why they have them like that!
Also with the trago mills, I tried talking to them about a guinea pig with a rabbit, but as soon as i said anything about being concerned the staff magically became too busy to talk to me :’)

 

[iamsnape]

Alright, I'll drop them an email now and let you know what they say. I just don't understand how they think a desert environment is good, because they feed on veg and fibre, and veg doesn't grow in deserts....
Oh dear, no I don't think they should shout around about that either. Poor things!

I'll post the email here before I send it so you can tell me what you think...

 

[iamsnape]

Okay, here's what I've got. I've tried to keep 'questioning' rather then lecturing, or they'll just brush it off:

Hello,
I visited the zoo recently with my partner and part of my visit had me slightly concerned, so I thought I would email to ask about it. When I got to the desert house, I noticed a sign saying you had free range guinea pigs in there as they thrive in that environment and live off seeds and hay. I know you must despise 'know it all' like emails, but as a huge guinea pig lover, I had to ask for my peace of mind. Guinea pigs naturally, in the wild, would live in grassy plains (of South America) where there is plenty of grass and fibrous plants for them to eat, so I was a little bit worried when I saw that there was a herd living in a dry, cacti filled area. Rather than an email lecturing you on what I believe should be done in terms of environments, I was wondering if you could explain why this environment is best for them, and if the rocks/cacti will cause a problem. Also, are they fed veg too? As guinea pigs cannot produce their own vit c and they cannot get this from hay and seeds.

I know emails like this can be tedious but hopefully you can appreciate my concern, and if you were unaware of the correct environmental needs of guinea pigs, that it has been helpful.

All the best.

 

[twiams]

Sounds like a good email to me

At least it makes them realise that people out there worry about the animals, they should explain every environment for every animal !

Plus thinking more on it the dust from the sand must be terrible for the poor pigs

Looking forward to hearing what they have to say!

 

[iamsnape]

Sounds like a good email to me

At least it makes them realise that people out there worry about the animals, they should explain every environment for every animal !

Plus thinking more on it the dust from the sand must be terrible for the poor pigs

Looking forward to hearing what they have to say!

Oh yeah I hadn't thought of that :/ Everything is just so inappropriate. Even the living amongst rocks. They don't have the skin or feet to cope with it well.
They haven't answered yet but I will post their response ASAP. I'm expecting some rubbish explanation of 'how the zoo does it's best by every animal that comes in...'. I like Paignton Zoo and this is the first real gripe I've had with what I've seen there but I hope they don't try and brush it off.

 

[gogoguineas]

Really good eamail, I hope you get a reply.
I feel that it's their duty of care to take responsibility and acknowledge this issue.

 

[Cherpi]

That seems like a very fair and valid email and I would be very surprised if they didnt reply.

 

[*Nibbles&Nugget*]

I went there last year and I have to say the concerns you raised had not even occurred to me so maybe it is the same for the keepers? I saw four or five guinea pigs and all appeared to be in good health with bright eyes and were in fact a little plumper than my piggies! One excitable one kept popcorning around some dried grasses with another which was very sweet. (I may even have some pictures somewhere, assuming I kept them so people can see the environment and piggies and draw their own conclusions.) In fact my only really issue was a vicious little blue and orange bird that took an unhealthy interest on the beads on my flip flops and pursued me the entire time I was in there! That being said, that might explain why I didn't really think about it at the time!

I would be interested to hear what they have to say in reply.

Amy
x

 

[iamsnape]

I went there last year and I have to say the concerns you raised had not even occurred to me so maybe it is the same for the keepers? I saw four or five guinea pigs and all appeared to be in good health with bright eyes and were in fact a little plumper than my piggies! One excitable one kept popcorning around some dried grasses with another which was very sweet. (I may even have some pictures somewhere, assuming I kept them so people can see the environment and piggies and draw their own conclusions.) In fact my only really issue was a vicious little blue and orange bird that took an unhealthy interest on the beads on my flip flops and pursued me the entire time I was in there! That being said, that might explain why I didn't really think about it at the time!

I would be interested to hear what they have to say in reply.

Amy
x

It's good to hear that they were looking happy. I'm just concerned about the environmental hazards and the diet, but that may be because little information was provided. Hopefully the zoo could enlighten me in an email.

No reply received yet, though. I really hope it doesn't just get brushed off as I think it was a rather politely worded!

 

[iamsnape]

Got a reply from the zoo this morning!

Dear Sally, thank you for your letter of concern about our Guinea pigs. I can assure you that our animals do get the correct diet with plenty of vegetables and a purpose made mixed dry feed for guinea pigs. We are well aware of their need for vitamin C and that is also taken into consideration.



I have checked the sign that you speak of and can see why you became concerned. I was not responsible for the text on that label, it is misguiding and I have removed it. I will ask our education department to design a new sign that better reflects our care of the guinea pigs.

Thank you for pointing that out to us.

Really pleased I sent the original email now and I'm glad they are taking the time to replace the sign with more appropriate information