• DONATIONS NOW OPEN! TGPF relies on donations to run. If you'd like to donate towards running costs you can find out more HERE
  • Fresh grass and lawn tips to avoid springtime deaths Click here for details
  • Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Vitamin D and indoor piggies

Status
Not open for further replies.
pelicano

pelicano

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 1, 2007
Messages
1,604
Reaction score
115
Points
555
Location
Braintree, Essex
I'll be really interested to hear people's views on this one - mainly because I guess it's potentially an issue for indoor piggies in general, not just mine.

Basically, a couple of days ago I noticed that Cassie was walking with a bit of a hop sometimes (and just not moving about so much - she just wasn't her normal self, and probably hasn't been for a little while, but I just couldn't put my finger on it). I took her to whatever vet I could find open on Good Friday, and they ruled out anything obvious.

Anyway, I remembered some stuff I had read about vitamin D/calcium deficiency causing this symptom, and also vitamin C.

Regarding vitamin C, I think this is very unlikely, as she always has fresh food and isn't showing other signs of scurvy, but I'm supplementing vitamin C in case.

But it's the vitamin D I'm worried about really. They are indoor piggies and live in the same room that my indoor piggies always have without problems, which is north-facing, so has natural light, but never a great deal of it really. Because I still don't seem to have much grass grown in the garden, I haven't got them out yet this year either. :( Also, although they are still in the same (small) room they've always been in, I moved it all around when I bought their new cage last year some time, so there is slightly less light there than before. Unfortunately, I can't move them back to the position they were in before, as the cage won't fit anywhere else!

Anyway, I'm now desperate to get them out into the sun for a short amount of time every day, weather permitting, but ever since I've thought this, the weather has been grey and miserable - aaargh! I've also bought plenty of high calcium veg from CCC4's veg list.

Any views would be welcome (unless they are too critical ;) - I'm already feeling v guilty and a bad piggy owner at the moment! :0)

Edit: forgot to say, as well as obviously the window in their room, they also have a full spectrum light bulb. Not sure if they do anything - the manufacturers say they do help produce vitamin D, but I'm not sure how true that is!
 
Last edited:
This is something that went through my mind only yesterday. I've just had to move my piggies into the garage, as I am selling my house. Bedroom 2 as a guinea pig room isn't really a good selling feature I guess! Whenever I am home I have the garage door open, and those at the front of the garage are probably getting more sunlight than they got inside as my piggy room didn't really get any. However, those further back are getting much less natural light than they would have got when inside.

I've decided that the only way around this for now is to get them outside whenever possible, weather permitting.

I have to say that when, years ago, I kept my piggies outside permanently, they very rarely became ill, and almost all of them lived to 6 plus. Is this because they had fresh air and plenty of sunlight I wonder. Are we doing the right thing by keeping our piggies indoors I sometimes wonder? I love having mine indoors, as you have a far closer bond with them, but is it best for their health I wonder.
 
Thanks for the reply. :) Good luck selling your house. I was thinking the same thing only yesterday about what to do with the piggies when we try to sell our house! As you say, it will probably put buyers off. :(

I think it does help to have the fairly constant temperature and humidity levels etc of indoors, as well as the fact that I'm sure I spot problems much easier indoors, but I think I'm probably guilty of not getting them out enough for fresh air and sun. Am definitely going to try to let them have more of the best of both worlds.
 
Yes I think the best of both worlds is good. It's also very true that you spot illness so much more quickly when they are living around you. I just love having them around me as well.

Although most of them are outside now, I do have two cages indoors, and just take them out for viewings. Ben is my little old man so he and his mate Patch stay in, plus Poppet who I syringe feed and her friend Skye who has a heart problem.

I just want sunny days, when I can get them outside in the runs, and they can have fun eating lots of lovely grass.
 
i've never thought of this either
my pigs have lived inside for the last six years or so as i was worried about them living outside during cold weather. plus i'd find snails and once a baby mouse in their hutch (no idea how they got there!) so i thought a cage was better.
my current three live in a two storey hutch which i thought would be better for them than a cage as they have more room to run around in. however not much natural light gets to it as i only have a skylight window. i'm hoping to move soon to a house where my room would be bigger and they'd get a lot more light, but there's no grass in the garden. i'm planning on taking them to my parents house every few days during summer so they can spend the afternoon there on their lawn, but would this be enough?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top