Victory!

PeggyAndBettysMum

PeggyAndBettysMum

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
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Location
West lancs
I am the proud new owner of two gorgeous girls who were previously used for breeding. I’m determined to give them the retirement they deserve! So, my hubby refused to have them in the house. So I went all out with thermal hutch covers, rain covers, insulated with silver backed bubble wrap, snuggle sacks... THE LOT! Only for him to agree that they can now live inside! So now, I’m the proud owner of two ladies, a whole outdoor setup that’s lying unused and a whole new indoor set up! Yay but also :hb:
Also, how good is zoo pet? Impressed with their website!
 
Haha typical but at this time of year it's best not to put them outside if you can help it but at least you have the set up ready for spring/summer so they can be outdoors when it's nice.

If you mean zooplus for the website then it's fantastic. Great prices, often great products and usually a discount code floating around somewhere :))
 
Yes sorry, zooplus! Brilliant website! I’m going to order all the vetbed from there too as I want to limit any dust in the house and these are great to throw in the Washing machine every day! Guinea pig care has come a long way since I last had them over 10 years ago! Hmmm I’m going to search for a discount code! Thanks!
 
Ours started out with a hutch and a plan to live outside too.
That never happened though.
And I second the vote for Zooplus - I use them (well the Swiss version) all the time.

I had the option to pay a certain amount up front and buy a discount code (5% off every order) for 3 years.
It was the best deal every and has paid for itself many times over.
 
The only option, for a cage a suitable size, is in my living room. How much smell do you get from them? If I buy vet bed, am I best to change it and wash it daily? Throw me all your tips! :yahoo:
 
My boys have their own shed and live in luxury but I do wish my hubby would let me have them indoors. Due to the fact they are outside, i can’t comment in the indoor smells from a personal perspective (but I do know there shouldn’t really be any, mostly a hay smell) and I don’t use fabric bedding year round (summer time only) but changing and washing every three or four days should be enough.
You will probably want to disinfect your washing machine after each piggy wash so washing it every day and then doing a cleaning cycle would take up a lot of time! It can be a good idea to cut it into smaller pieces as big pieces of vetbed banging around makes the washing machine sound like it’s about to fall apart!
Don’t forget to get an absorbent layer for underneath the vetbed. Washable incontinence pads are a good idea.
 
So glad your piggies will have a wonderful happy retirement!

I have two cages in my living room and use fleece for both - there are minimal smells! I change the fleece every 3-4 days.

Some tips:
- Get a 'pet wash bag' to save your washing machine filter from all the hair!
- Put soda crystals/white vinegar in the washing machine to neutralise smells. Don't use fabric softener!
- Use a hay tray/kitchen area. The piggies do most of their business there and it is easier to change. I use newspaper and the wood pellet cat litter bedding in my hay trays. Usually have to change every 2 days.

Looking forward to pigtures :luv:
 
Marmazelle said:
So glad your piggies will have a wonderful happy retirement!

I have two cages in my living room and use fleece for both - there are minimal smells! I change the fleece every 3-4 days.

Some tips:
- Get a 'pet wash bag' to save your washing machine filter from all the hair!
- Put soda crystals/white vinegar in the washing machine to neutralise smells. Don't use fabric softener!
- Use a hay tray/kitchen area. The piggies do most of their business there and it is easier to change. I use newspaper and the wood pellet cat litter bedding in my hay trays. Usually have to change every 2 days.

Looking forward to pigtures :luv:
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Great advice Thankyou!
 
The smell will come if you don’t change their hay area regularly. The hay smells like...hay and the fleece shouldn’t smell if it’s wicking.

victory! 😁 my piggies are meant to be moving outside due to potential allergies. But it’s too cold now, and their hutch isn’t finished. Hubby won’t be too happy...🤷🏾‍♀️
 
Siikibam said:
The smell will come if you don’t change their hay area regularly. The hay smells like...hay and the fleece shouldn’t smell if it’s wicking.

victory! 😁 my piggies are meant to be moving outside due to potential allergies. But it’s too cold now, and their hutch isn’t finished. Hubby won’t be too happy...🤷🏾‍♀️
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Ahhh well, can’t be helped :D
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes, but you still don’t need to change the fleece every day. Don’t forget that new fleece needs wicking first.
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All 3 of my fleece blankets have been washed a lot, they were my children’s old ones, I don’t use softener but I have to admit... I wasn’t aware of wicking! I’ve just done the ‘wick test’ on them all and the water is pooling. Adding new plush fleece blankets to my shopping basket as I type 🙄
Like the Kardashians these two piggies of mine!
 
Marmazelle said:
So glad your piggies will have a wonderful happy retirement!

I have two cages in my living room and use fleece for both - there are minimal smells! I change the fleece every 3-4 days.

Some tips:
- Get a 'pet wash bag' to save your washing machine filter from all the hair!
- Put soda crystals/white vinegar in the washing machine to neutralise smells. Don't use fabric softener!
- Use a hay tray/kitchen area. The piggies do most of their business there and it is easier to change. I use newspaper and the wood pellet cat litter bedding in my hay trays. Usually have to change every 2 days.

Looking forward to pigtures :luv:
Click to expand...
Wash bag on its way thanks to Amazon Prime 👍🏻
 
PeggyAndBettysMum said:
Slightly worried about the weight of the vetbed in my washing machine. Is vet fleece different to that?
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Aaah, same but different! I asked a similar question a few months back. I’ll find you the thread.
I bought Vetfleece in the end. It folds easily into the wash bag for the machine, doesn’t get too heavy, dries very quickly. But it’s best to cut it into slightly smaller pieces rather than having it in just one long piece (subject to the size of the floor you’re covering as a 120cm is ok but anything bigger is a large lump of fleece!) as it’s just easier to handle.
 
Peggy and Betty are lovely - they have certainly found their luxury home with you after their past life!

Sorry I can’t help regarding vetbed etc as my piggies live in their own shed although I do cover their hutches up with fleece when it is cold.

I have a green zipped horse blanket wash bag that I bought online a few years ago for washing their towels and fleece - it is great as it keeps the hair and hay bits in the bag so they don’t go into your machine but the washing comes out all clean. I will have a look later and see if it has a name/brand on it.
 
I’ve gone with fleece and bought a laundry bag. Their cage will be here in the morning and my dad is building away at a huge run for them. Once they get a bit more settled with me I will let them have floor time. Love the little jumps they do 😍 it’s freezing where I live and it’s raining and fireworks going off so I’ve made them a makeshift home for tonight and they are all snug and safe. They’re even munching away with me nearby so they must be very happy!
 
PeggyAndBettysMum said:
I’ve gone with fleece and bought a laundry bag. Their cage will be here in the morning and my dad is building away at a huge run for them. Once they get a bit more settled with me I will let them have floor time. Love the little jumps they do 😍 it’s freezing where I live and it’s raining and fireworks going off so I’ve made them a makeshift home for tonight and they are all snug and safe. They’re even munching away with me nearby so they must be very happy!
Click to expand...

The little jumps is called popcorning
 
Update on my victory! The cage still hasn’t arrived but I made them a ‘makeshift pen’ today with new tunnels, fleeces, yummy fruit and veg and lots of boxes etc and although a little bewildered at first, they are exploring like pro’s! Ive been sat watching them for ages, husband will be having crisp butties for tea at this rate😂 They run around the tunnels, not through them but 🤷🏼‍♀️
I noticed a little cut and pink skin on bettys fur and whilst I know that Peggy is obviously the dominant one and may have given her a little nip, I think I’m going to takethem to the vets to be flea checked. Wouldn’t risk bathing at home as they are so skittish and I had a bad experience with home flea treatment many years ago. They need to be registered anyway. Things are going well for these ladies!
 
PeggyAndBettysMum said:
Update on my victory! The cage still hasn’t arrived but I made them a ‘makeshift pen’ today with new tunnels, fleeces, yummy fruit and veg and lots of boxes etc and although a little bewildered at first, they are exploring like pro’s! Ive been sat watching them for ages, husband will be having crisp butties for tea at this rate😂 They run around the tunnels, not through them but 🤷🏼‍♀️
I noticed a little cut and pink skin on bettys fur and whilst I know that Peggy is obviously the dominant one and may have given her a little nip, I think I’m going to takethem to the vets to be flea checked. Wouldn’t risk bathing at home as they are so skittish and I had a bad experience with home flea treatment many years ago. They need to be registered anyway. Things are going well for these ladies!
Click to expand...

Sounds like they are settling in well!
Guinea pigs don’t have species specific fleas. It is definitely worth getting a vet to check them out though as any cut could become problematic if not dealt with.
I know you said you won’t, but don’t use any home remedy or off the shelf medication from pet shops on guinea pigs. They are not good enough to deal with any problem and can often make things worse.
 
When you say species specific? 🤔
I used a shop bought flea treatment for a kitten, I had about 20 years ago, and it became really ill so have never used them since!
 
PeggyAndBettysMum said:
When you say species specific? 🤔
I used a shop bought flea treatment for a kitten, I had about 20 years ago, and it became really ill so have never used them since!
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Fleas cannot survive on guinea pigs so don’t hang around and will move off of them very quickly. So you won’t notice any problems associated with fleas on your piggy
Piggies can get mites though with some of the symptoms being hair loss, scratching, sore patches of skin
 
PeggyAndBettysMum said:
When you say species specific? 🤔
I used a shop bought flea treatment for a kitten, I had about 20 years ago, and it became really ill so have never used them since!
Click to expand...

Congratulations on your piggies they sound delightful and very lucky to have found a lovely home with you.
Guinea pigs don't really get fleas, cat or dog fleas can't live on them, so if one from say a dog jumps on it will soon move somewhere else.
Guinea pigs do get lice and mites, if they do they need to see a vet for diagnosis and the correct treatment.

Edited to say posted at same time as @Piggies&buns !
 
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