No access to sun

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Delaine

Delaine

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My two girls (nine months old) are in our TV room with no access to sun. We live outside the city and have coyote, bear, deer, racoon, etc. so keeping them outdoors in the nice weather is far too dangerous. Our raised back porch gets too hot. Even if I sit with them in a pen on our back lawn, it is contaminated with deer droppings and urine. Is keeping them indoors for the rest of their lives going to impact their health?
 
This is a brilliant question and one I would like to know about too.
 
My girls have been indoors all their lives as I have no garden. They are all in good health. I do not believe it is essential for guinea pigs to have access to sunlight.
 
I would imagine that as long as they are able to get daylight (natural light through a window) then they would be absolutely fine. Mine are inside for the winter and have a room to themselves with a window that I pruned the shrub back infront of it so I could give them as much daylight as possible.
 
What about vitamin D? They won't absorb calcium, essential for their bones without it. Vitamin D is made upon contact with sunlight (even if it's just a little through a window, it is something...).
 
2280CLAIRE said:
What about vitamin D? They won't absorb calcium, essential for their bones without it. Vitamin D is made upon contact with sunlight (even if it's just a little through a window, it is something...).
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What is required for vitamin D3 production, is UVB rays.

Vitamin D3 is required for a lot of health reasons; it's required for calcium metabolism (required for normal functioning of the nervous system,and bone growth/density maintenance), normal function of the immune system, blood pressure regulation, cell proliferation and another thing that I forget!

UVB rays DO NOT pass through glass. They are relatively weak and cannot penetrate glass, so having a sunny room with the windows shut is not going to be benefitting your piggy with regards to vitamin D.
 
Ah, that is interesting, Amanda! I would have thought they would pass through normal glass! I always leave a window open, anyway, though...always feel stuffy otherwise. Glad I do!
 
Some foods contain vit d (added) but its not as good as the real thing, but better than nothing.

I remember this being talked about before, maybe try a search?
 
2280CLAIRE said:
Ah, that is interesting, Amanda! I would have thought they would pass through normal glass! I always leave a window open, anyway, though...always feel stuffy otherwise. Glad I do!
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Other wavelengths of UV light pass through glass (hence how you can get sunburnt in the car on a sunny day!), but it's specifically UVB required for vit D synthesis.

Colin the Chameleon came to me with severe metabolic bone disease - it was a baptism of fire in regards of chameleon keeping and calcium/vit D/UV lighting!
 
Mine are in a room which is mostly dark when I think about it. At the moment they don't go outside at all as I feel it is too cold.

what are the signs of the vitamin deficiency ?

xx
 
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sophieandhoney said:
Mine are in a room which is mostly dark when I think about it. At the moment they don't go outside at all as I feel it is too cold.

what are the signs of the vitamin deficiency ?

xx
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Vit D is largely responsible for the regulation of serum calcium levels. Basically, lack of vit D results in the body taking calcium from the bones instead (bones are essentially just a calcium store!).

Long term lack of vit D exposure would result in bone weakening. In pigs that have extra calcium requirements (growing pigs and pregnant/lactating sows), lack of vit D *may* result in stunted growth/bone weakness respectively, but in these instances, it's common practise to increase dietry calcium.

In terms of lack of exposure to sunlight over winter months in adult pigs or growing pigs and pregnant/lactating sows who have additional dietry calcium, I imagine the effects of low vit D is negligable.

Get them out in the sun in the summer :))

(I've never actually thought about this until now, so apologies if my reply is a bit disjointed - I have UVB light sources in my room, so never really considered it!)
 
Lisajazz said:
Some foods contain vit d (added) but its not as good as the real thing, but better than nothing.

I remember this being talked about before, maybe try a search?
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The only natural vegan source of vit D is some mushrooms and yeasts, so nothing suitable for piggies! (The vegetarian sources would be milk and eggs).
 
Wow, I really didnt know this. So keeping them inside for their whole lives could actually damage them?

So what would someone with no garden do?

Would they have to be in view of the light comming through an open window? (as that is impossible in my bedroom)

Sorry for bombarding you.
 
Connie said:
Wow, I really didnt know this. So keeping them inside for their whole lives could actually damage them?

So what would someone with no garden do?

Would they have to be in view of the light comming through an open window? (as that is impossible in my bedroom)

Sorry for bombarding you.
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In theory, yes...

But they have calcium from dietry sources so it's less important.
 
McMac doesn't get much time outside in the winter month because the weather is always so grim :S He lives in the garage which doesn't have any windows but I suppose since the right kind of light rays cannot pass through even windows is there any point in bringing him into a windowed room? In the summer the weather is usually pretty alright and the animals spend all day, everyday in the garden. So would the winter months of no natural sunlight have any effect on him?
 
No I'm pretty sure some guinea foods include vit d

Oh why can't i remember which ones?

Off to search...
 
As far as I understand it if the hay being fed is sun dried then this contains vitamin D. Fresh grass contains little to no vitamin D but once cut as long as it is exposured to sun then vitamin D is formed.
 
Lisajazz said:
No I'm pretty sure some guinea foods include vit d

Oh why can't i remember which ones?

Off to search...
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Burgess Excel and Wagg meusli both have added Vit D3. It's something I have been concerned about as this last year my pigs have been indoors the whole year and owing to a neighbour feeding a fox this summer such that it was regularly camping out in my garden during daylight hours the piggies didn;t get out in the runs much.

Dried food loses it;s vitamins over time with storage and I always supplement with extra Vit C during the winter months or when I'm getting to the end of a 15kg bag.

This thread has prompted me to go off in search of a mutli-vitamin that also contains D3 (Beaphar Multi vit spray which I used to use has been discontinued and their new drops solution for piggies does not contain D3)

Very interesting thread this - thank you everyone for the contributions

x
 
Pebble said:
Burgess Excel and Wagg meusli both have added Vit D3. It's something I have been concerned about as this last year my pigs have been indoors the whole year and owing to a neighbour feeding a fox this summer such that it was regularly camping out in my garden during daylight hours the piggies didn;t get out in the runs much.

Dried food loses it;s vitamins over time with storage and I always supplement with extra Vit C during the winter months or when I'm getting to the end of a 15kg bag.

This thread has prompted me to go off in search of a mutli-vitamin that also contains D3 (Beaphar Multi vit spray which I used to use has been discontinued and their new drops solution for piggies does not contain D3)

Very interesting thread this - thank you everyone for the contributions

x
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Too much D3 is toxic?
 
Thanks everyone for the information. I learn so much from all of you. I get the afternoon sun through window which I could open up in the Spring and early Summer. Once July and August hit the sun is way too hot to be directly on the girls and last year I had to move them downstairs to the recreation room during the hottest part of the year. I keep a thermometer hanging from the outside of their cage to keep tabs on room temperature at all times. I have three C & C cages. The small one (2 panels x 3 panels) could be set up on the picnic table in the morning before the sun gets too hot. The lid locks so hawks or other bird of prey couldn't get them, as long as I was out with them. I know of 3 people who have killed their guinea pigs and rabbit by leaving them outside in the sun. What a horrible death.
 
I wonder if people are worrying too much here. I live in a flat with no garden and my girls have never been outside yet they are all healthy and happy. If you have access to the outside then great but if not, I do not think people should panic.
 
I would not say i was panicing, just interested.

To be fair, mine didnt go out much this summer as they were wosses, and refused to come out of their boxes while in the run. *EVEN if i covered half of it with a towel.*

Good to know that its not a major issue, but i will definatly make more effort with them outside this summer. :)
 
This is really interesting, i only found out about two weeks ago that piggies have to have uvb or vit d or it can affect their health.

What about those daylight bulb thingies, will they count? my pigs never go outside as my garden is plagued by ants :(
 
Yes, Hannah the vet at the potteries piggy meet said this didn't she? She said the same as Amanda, that they really need sunlight and vitamin d to help calcium absorption. She said they had conductrd or had seen large investigation to support this too. I'm also interested, I have a garden but no lawn and didn't fancy putting them out on the patio but may reconsider. I think I'd be interested to see if I can get a little uvb lamp or something for them...
 
This was something i really wanted to look up when i got back and forgot all about it until i read this thread
 
What about using the uvb tubes or lamps you use with reptiles, there fairly cheap and don't cost much to run.
 
I think for humans its 5 to 30 mins - 2 times a week to get the recomended levels, the time depends on the month and your latitude! I'm guessing piggies will be much much less due to their smaller size but then they have a smaller surface area to absorb? Personally - mine are in a shed with window I wouldn't worry too much about it. The level they need could be 1 min once a week sort of thing. Ill do some research after work more out of interest!
 
According to the vet sciences dept at our uni, guinea pigs need the equivalent of 1 hour unfiltered sunlight on their fur 3 times a week to get an adequate amount of vitamin D produced. This means actual sunshine exposure on their fur and not sunlight through glass.

Most piggies just do not get that, which is why one has to feed pellets that have added vitamin D or give the piggies vitamin D supplements. The only source of food naturally containing vitamin D and edible by piggies that I have found is oak leaf lettuce.

Most piggies live indoors and are fed commercially prepared pellets that contain added vitamin D.
 
flintstones said:
In Scotland we don't even get a day of sunshine never mind the piggies! @)
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Opposite problem here - too much sunshine for too many months of the year pose a real heatstroke danger for our piggies! Which is why my boys live indoors and have to get their vitamin D by means other than the sun.
 
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