Bekki
Senior Guinea Pig
Pets at home are now telling people that guinea pigs actually require shavings!
and I hate it when I see people buying their shavings ...
and I hate it when I see people buying their shavings ...
Guinea pigs need shavings did you know
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Connie
Adult Guinea Pig
All the money they spend on advertising... All they need is one person per animal they sell/cater for to browse these forums, find the products that are in demand and actually stock them! They could even CREATE the perfect cage liner. But nooo... Instead they lie to customers to make them buy things that are bad for their animals. Yes pets at home. Thats a much better plan. ¬_¬
Bekki
Senior Guinea Pig
I know there is debate whether to keep piggies on shavings or not, I choose not to. I sometimes use shavings for my hamsters but the only one kept on shavings for its whole life died super young so I wont use them just in case it were that.
But to actually say piggies " NEED" shavings is entirely wrong IMHO. Just like when they advise that awful cotton wool bedding for hamsters.
But to actually say piggies " NEED" shavings is entirely wrong IMHO. Just like when they advise that awful cotton wool bedding for hamsters.
Doeylicious
Adult Guinea Pig
That's like saying all people NEED a feather pillow, how stupid. Pets at Home shavings are crap and a rip off anyway!
My boys seem happier on fleece than they did on shavings.
Bobby&Frankie
Junior Guinea Pig
And this is why i love this kind of forum, on here you learn from experiences not from a 30 year old book.
I try to avoid P@H as there's a local pet shop to me which is pretty good, whenever P@H have given me advice i always ignore it or get it confirmed on a forum like this.
I try to avoid P@H as there's a local pet shop to me which is pretty good, whenever P@H have given me advice i always ignore it or get it confirmed on a forum like this.
Floydie
Adult Guinea Pig
Oh yes i got that when i rescued my Pippa from them, I got a blank gone out look when i told them i used fleece and cage liners, i was told i still needed to add sawdust anyway :laluot_08:. Plus they tried to tell me i had to buy their food rolleyes.
Bobby&Frankie
Junior Guinea Pig
I understand that they should encourage us to buy their products (they only sell their own brand hammie food now) and it really gets on my nerves as you can't trust them to care for the animals.
Unfortuantly with the P@H nuggets to, i've heard they CAN cause kidney stones which has put me off, unfortuantly a lot of my friends have done as advised and bought it just because they think the staff are experienced
piglet_and_rogers_mama
Adult Guinea Pig
I thought the title of this thread was "guinea pigs need a shave" 
i have a hard enough time trying to clip nails...can you imagine if you had to periodically shave them? Hehe
i have a hard enough time trying to clip nails...can you imagine if you had to periodically shave them? Hehe
hazeyg
Adult Guinea Pig
I personally have never heard this of their food before. Having read the label its pretty much like a rebranded Excel. I have a friend who uses it- where did you here this from?
twiams
Adult Guinea Pig
I don't buy anything really from there as it's about 20x more expensive than it should be.
I do keep 1 of my piggies on shavings, only after trying out 3/4 different brands to find a soft, dust free one that i was happy with.
I've heard people talking to the staff and being told not to give them any watery veg at all no celery no cucumber, and just saying they can eat lettuce not advising that iceburg is bad, and i just stand behind wanting to jump in and say YOUR WRONG ! when i adopted my piggie i was amazed/shocked at the fact i just signed a form and took him in a box, i could have been anyone i could have known nothing i thought they had some legal thing where they had to explain it to me sort of thing ...
I do keep 1 of my piggies on shavings, only after trying out 3/4 different brands to find a soft, dust free one that i was happy with.
I've heard people talking to the staff and being told not to give them any watery veg at all no celery no cucumber, and just saying they can eat lettuce not advising that iceburg is bad, and i just stand behind wanting to jump in and say YOUR WRONG ! when i adopted my piggie i was amazed/shocked at the fact i just signed a form and took him in a box, i could have been anyone i could have known nothing i thought they had some legal thing where they had to explain it to me sort of thing ...
NatalieMT
Teenage Guinea Pig
I've been through a lot of beddings - Megazorb, Medibed etc and the shavings have always seemed more absorbent so at the moment that is what I use. I'm not reluctant to change is something better comes along though.
I don't buy from P@H. I would never get a pet from P@H or go for their own brand products.
I don't buy from P@H. I would never get a pet from P@H or go for their own brand products.
Bobby&Frankie
Junior Guinea Pig
There's a review on ciao or dooyoo and there's also a couple on their website, obviously it could be a coincendence otherwise it probably would have been taken off the shelves by now. My friends piggies are doing ok on it and my new ones came on it so i've got a bag of it
Doeylicious
Adult Guinea Pig
If you actually analyse the calcium/phosphorus ratios, Excel is better. It also has I think it's less or no zinc, the P@H stuff has zinc in it, which pigs don't really need AFAIK.
If you want to talk foods causing bladder probs, talk to poor Flintstones bless her.
gpmomma
Teenage Guinea Pig
What?!
I got my guinea pig pine shavings and we BOTH hated it it. I was SO itchy! Good thing I had extra paper bedding. The kind of paper bedding I use is SO soft and absorbent.
I got my guinea pig pine shavings and we BOTH hated it it. I was SO itchy! Good thing I had extra paper bedding. The kind of paper bedding I use is SO soft and absorbent.
Piggie Life
Teenage Guinea Pig
I used to use shavings but now I use CareFresh but now I'm thinking of switching to Megazorb because I'm hearing it's better and cheaper.
Belinda Shute
Junior Guinea Pig
I was in Pets at Home a while ago. I couldnt help overhearing a couple that were buying a pair of piggies with their children. The shop assistant was gleefully telling the couple that guinea pigs didnt cost that much and any vets bills would be quite cheap.
I gently intervened and explained that one of my piggies had just survived pneumonia and the vets bills had been nearly £500 and I also suggested that they get their piggies insured. The shop assistant guy was really shocked with my reply and it was clear (without me being big headed) that I knew more than he did, which I found really worrying!
Needless to say that I havent been back since. I am lucky that I have other places that I can get my piggy supplies, but I realise that other piggy owners dont have this luxury.
xx
I gently intervened and explained that one of my piggies had just survived pneumonia and the vets bills had been nearly £500 and I also suggested that they get their piggies insured. The shop assistant guy was really shocked with my reply and it was clear (without me being big headed) that I knew more than he did, which I found really worrying!
Needless to say that I havent been back since. I am lucky that I have other places that I can get my piggy supplies, but I realise that other piggy owners dont have this luxury.
xx
Shavings are bad -- 2 of my boars have a strange habit of shuffling backwards when going for a wee and get sharp bits caught in their bits. I noticed this on hearing their squeals of pain and checking their bottoms - poor dears!
Don't even get me started on P@H nuggets...!
Don't even get me started on P@H nuggets...!
It really depends on where you go and how knowledgeable the staff working the section are in regards to the animals themselves. Some of them may be quite experience with hamsters but know nothing about cavies, others may be reptile specialists whose only interaction with small furries is buying them frozen for their snakes, some may have absolutely no experience outside of how to keep animals in a commercial/educational setting which is often vastly different and behind the commonly accepted methods employed by pet owners. They can't advance unless people actively engage them/bring problems to their attention.
Most of the staff I know from the Carlisle store seem pretty open to opinions, the last time I went they were pushing people towards paper based cat litter ... at least one member of staff was, they even mentioned that they personally used fleece but obviously the cavies in store were used to shavings so it was personal preference. Same with the food, they mentioned that during the transition period it would be wise to use the home brand mixed in with the feed of choice.
If the staff member is far more concerned with sales than pet welfare, then the story is obviously different. The managers i've talked to have always been open to discussing welfare concerns with customers and if enough people mention it they do make changes, as many as a big business can anyway.
But i'm biased, seeing as the majority of my friends work at one P@H or another and have frequently covered their backs by saying "the store recommends this, I personally use this..." :laluot_05:
Most of the staff I know from the Carlisle store seem pretty open to opinions, the last time I went they were pushing people towards paper based cat litter ... at least one member of staff was, they even mentioned that they personally used fleece but obviously the cavies in store were used to shavings so it was personal preference. Same with the food, they mentioned that during the transition period it would be wise to use the home brand mixed in with the feed of choice.
If the staff member is far more concerned with sales than pet welfare, then the story is obviously different. The managers i've talked to have always been open to discussing welfare concerns with customers and if enough people mention it they do make changes, as many as a big business can anyway.
But i'm biased, seeing as the majority of my friends work at one P@H or another and have frequently covered their backs by saying "the store recommends this, I personally use this..." :laluot_05:
Abi_nurse
Adult Guinea Pig
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I think it can depend on the store you go to. But unfortunatly the place has really got to me one way or another and i will never (only when I'm desperate for something) go into my local store.
And to add... one of my sows is horribly allergic to woodshavings. Coughs loads if she is housed on them.
x.
And to add... one of my sows is horribly allergic to woodshavings. Coughs loads if she is housed on them.
x.
Oh it's definitely not a place i'd recommend, not if people have access to the internet and the sort of nice local pet store that'll order stuff in for you if you pester them often enough. I mean, even with the 20% discount it's rarely worth going in for anything other than a chat with the staff/the re-home section.
But if staff are saying cavies need shavings then a discussion needs to be had with the store manager as they are failing to meet their welfare before sales objective. Similarly I tend to think writing letters to head office should be carried out for the same reason. If enough people actively talk to someone who can influence the way in which animal sales (and the selected pressures) are processed then changes are usually made, if not to how animals are kept in store then to the advice staff give out.
If it's a genuine welfare concern it's worth taking up with store managers and head office. Sometimes people are really unaware that animals can be allergic to things that so many of them are kept on without (noticeable) problems, it helps to bring up the fact and insist that if they really are concerned with animal welfare they'll take potential allergies into consideration rather than operating on a blanket care policy.
Having said that it has always been me who has an issue with wood shavings, they set off my asthma something rotten.
But if staff are saying cavies need shavings then a discussion needs to be had with the store manager as they are failing to meet their welfare before sales objective. Similarly I tend to think writing letters to head office should be carried out for the same reason. If enough people actively talk to someone who can influence the way in which animal sales (and the selected pressures) are processed then changes are usually made, if not to how animals are kept in store then to the advice staff give out.
If it's a genuine welfare concern it's worth taking up with store managers and head office. Sometimes people are really unaware that animals can be allergic to things that so many of them are kept on without (noticeable) problems, it helps to bring up the fact and insist that if they really are concerned with animal welfare they'll take potential allergies into consideration rather than operating on a blanket care policy.
Having said that it has always been me who has an issue with wood shavings, they set off my asthma something rotten.
Connie
Adult Guinea Pig
I understand what your saying, I have written numerous complaints to pets at home regarding the advice given out in my local store. Yes the animals are clean, Yes they have food. Sometimes there are obviously pregnant females in there, Ive heard people being advised to keep 3 boars in a 100cm cage, that baby boars dont need seperating from mommy untill 5 weeks old. That kind of thing. Every time I am sent a defensive email back defending the actions of the staff. "at that age its fine to keep baby boys in a 100 cage" - yes but the customer wasnt informed they would need a bigger one when they grew! "many breeders leave in till 5 weeks and we will always take back pregnant females" - not really the point, customers dont want pregnant piggies! "If you mention to the staff that you think a piggy is pregnant she will be check by the vet" blah blah blah.
I just avoid the place like the plague now.
I just avoid the place like the plague now.
I've tried and failed to wean mine off the P@H nuggets and onto Excel. They're just not having it.
I also use Carefresh - mainly because I was too worried about getting the wrong type of sawdust/shavings, so it seemed easier to avoid altogether. But I'd love to find a cheaper supplier...!
I also use Carefresh - mainly because I was too worried about getting the wrong type of sawdust/shavings, so it seemed easier to avoid altogether. But I'd love to find a cheaper supplier...!
have always used a good thick layer of shavings and a really good thick layer of hay on top, so the pigs never come into contact with the shavings, not that i have a problem with them sitting on shavings but i do like them to plenty of hay to eat.
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