Are We Comfy?

I caught Wedgwood nesting.  She pulled all the hay out of the holder then settled in the middle of it.  It's so nice to see her relaxed and enjoying herself.  She's off of most of the pain meds and is maintaining her weight.  She even did an extra lap around the living room with Mabel after breakfast on Tuesday.  Wedg is not the pig she was six months ago, but she's still doing better than I hoped.

Clean Hay?

I'm allergic to Timothy hay, which is why I have orchard grass for the guinea pigs.  Even that can give me a runny nose or headaches if I breath it in too deeply.  It's the dust that bothers me - I can handle the hay without problem.  But the hay breaks apart in the box and the little pieces are easily airborne as I grab a handful for the hay rack.  So every week or so (usually between flakes) I take my dustbuster to the hay.  It's strong enough to vacuum up the crumbs (without sucking up the actual hay).

It seems kind of silly, but it appears to work.  I often don't react to dumping the dust.  At worst, it bothers me once every week or two instead of every day.  So Wedgwood and Mabel get freshly vacuumed hay.  Such spoiled guinea pigs.  But it keeps us all happy.

Nesting

The last bit of hay in the 20 pound box is crumbly and doesn't stay in the hay rack.  I hate to just throw it out.  Instead I stuff the short strands into a brown bag and toss it into the guinea pig cage.  Most of my sows have loved this, eating hay and destroying the bag in a number of hours.  I think Wedgwood is equally enamored with a paper bag filled with hay, but she takes a less destructive approach.  Everyone else focuses on chewing a hole in the corners, or carefully snipping down the sides or peeing until the bag simply disintegrates.

Telltale Signs

There are a variety of telltale signs when a guinea pig is in residence.  Granted, there's no hiding a cage or the loud wheeking.  But so many things you don't ever think about shout:  Guinea pigs live here!




Hay.  It's everywhere.  On the floor.  In every. single. room of the house.  On my clothes.  I've even found it in my suitcase once.  How did it get there?!?

Who's Missing?

Nothing quite like walking by the guinea pigs' cage and finding only Wedgwood.  Wait, what?  The gate was closed, the cozies were empty.  There should have been two rodents.  Where's Boadicea?

That paper bag wasn't quite as empty as it looked at first glance.  There's a butt back there.

What a Day

I had quite a day earlier this week:  running around, some highs, some lows, a bit of stress, lots of love and success.  Oh, and it was my birthday.

I took the day off for myself, then spent the morning cleaning house.  Crazy, right?  Good thing I did that early, because the plumber came unexpectedly to put in a filter for the well water.  So no water for a hour or two.  But yay!  it will be much cleaner water!

I biked to the library at lunchtime.  They had a fundraiser in which people purchased flamingos to bring home and decorate.  They held a contest last Saturday to award the favorites.  Get a load of the creativity:  a rhinestone Elvis, some kind of plesiosaurus-looking creature, Harry Potter, a clown, and one covered in print that makes me think of a secretary bird. Maybe it's a Librarian Bird?

Aren't they fun?

Getting Comfortable

Most guinea pigs excel at being loafy; Boadicea is a master of chill.  We caught her several times over the last two weeks.  This pig seriously knows how to veg.

First Rob caught Boadicea trying to bury herself under the hay.  This was probably her most unsuccessful attempt of getting comfortable.  The bundled hay didn't really allow her to hide under it, which I suspect was her end game.

But later attempts were far more successful. 

Uphill Battle

I walked into the living room to find Boadicea perched on the ramp obviously wanting to partake of the third-level hay, but not wanting to run the gauntlet past Wedgwood.

"Would you not like to share, Wedgwood?  There's room for both of us on the third floor."

"No," says Wedgie.  "Can't you see?  I'm comfortable here and the hay is blocking your way."

"I'm sure I could squeeze by.  There's lots and lots of hay; we could both eat it."

"There's not that much.  I've nested in a bunch of it, so you can't eat that.  The rest is all mine.  I don't want you up here."

Hay Rack Feedback

I had lots of little fleece scraps that were too small to make cozies or even a hammock.  So I threw together a couple of hay racks based on a design I created last year.  I've liked mine - but I'd like opinions from others.  Do you think your guinea pigs would use a hay rack like this?  Would you be willing to try it out?

I'm looking to trade hay racks for feedback.  I'll send you a hay rack, try it out, then tell me what you and your pigs like/dislike after using it for several weeks.

If you are interested in participating, please pick a color:  yellow, floral, teal or blue/green and eave a comment here or on the Cavymadness Facebook page.  If you leave a comment here, be sure you are not a no-reply blogger or include your email address in the comment.  I'll pick a few people on Tuesday, April 25th and send them out.  Thanks!

Hiding in Plain Sight

Wedgwood managed to burrow under the little bit of hay there was on the third level.  Not sure how she managed that - I'd have thought that a few  strands like that would just get pushed around.

She thought she was well hidden until I tried to get an overhead shot and caused a pig panic.  Sorry, Wedg.

Later I found her in the tunnel.  Covers her a lot better, although I could find her easily enough.  That tunnel is a favorite, more than any of the cozies.  If it's in the cage, she's usually in it.

Wedged in Hay

I'm still stuffing hay into paper bags trying to curb the mess.  I must have overfilled this bag and it was too much to fit both the hay and a pig.  Usually a bag gets nibbled apart, but this one split right down the side.

Wedgwood appeared quite pleased with the result.  She barely moved as I walked by and snapped photos.  She's mostly covered by the bag and must feel pretty secure.  In the bottom picture decided to ignore me and went back to eating what was under her.  What a life!

Nothing but Nose

I have a lot of short-strand hay, which doesn't stay put in the hay racks.  However, it's great for stuffing handfuls into a paper lunch bag.  Such happiness!  I've lost sight of Wedgwood twice now (OMG, she's not in the cage - where is she?!?!) to discover her buried in the paper bag.  She actually fits!  I'm amazed.

Wedgwood focuses on the hay, but Boadicea enjoys punching holes in the bag.  Then I walked by the cage to discover Wedgie out in the open, but no Boadi.  Where could she be?

Wait - is that a nose?

While I'm talking about Boadicea, how about a health update?  The crying and spotting have stopped.  It's been days since I've heard a whimper.  Before that, it had been less frequent, happening only once every day or two.  While doing a food journal for her, I suspected the pain was gut related.  On a whim I started giving her some of my daily probiotic.  Either that did the trick, or perhaps it was an illness that she got over.  Either way, I hope I haven't jinxed myself (and her).  I'm just glad she's feeling better.

She's lost a bit of weight, but is still heavier than when we adopted her.  I'm still getting used to seeing the scale under 1kg.  As long as she stays this weight and keeps her loafy figure, it's all good.

Nesting

A new box of hay arrived earlier in the month.  The top part of the box has lots of short-strand hay, which easily pops out of the hay rack and hay-band I use.  Boadicea and Wedgwood have been dumping the hay all over the top level of the cage.  (It sometimes accumulates on the second level as well.)

It's a mess, but I'm the only one that has a problem with it.  I found Wedgwood happily ensconced in the middle of the pile.  In fact, it looks like she tried to bury herself in it.  Ah, if only it was a deeper pile.

Wedgwood was so happy and relaxed at where she was, she didn't even blink as I hovered over her to snap photos. 

Anticipation

Boadicea loves her morning greens and pepper and afternoon treats.  However, I think her favorite time of day is when I refill the hay.  Once Boadi hears me pull out the hay box and rustle the hay, she bolts upstairs.  The nose waves about and she gets that jaw limbered up (I call it pre-chewing).

Hay!

I rotate between the two hay racks.  Whatever is left on the third floor (if there is any) gets tossed out.  Then I fill the third level ring with whatever is in the first floor hay rack (sometimes adding a bit of fresh stuff, if it's nearly empty).  I finish by adding fresh hay to the first floor rack.

The funny thing is, Boadicea waits on the third floor for the leftover hay.  I guess being able to jump into the hay is more appealing than working the fresh stuff out of the downstairs rack.

Bumper Pad

Poor Cannoli.  She has really taken a shine to the new free-range ramp.  She loves that it's the perfect escape hatch.  If I make a grab for her and Noli doesn't want to be caught, she makes a beeline to the ramp.  I can't catch her once she's on the ramp.  So I learned - I close the gate before I go after her.  But she forgets that the gate can be closed or doesn't see the grids.  I've seen her do a hard brake just before leaping, or worse, face plant into the closed gate in a full run.  Ouch.

I know Noli will figure it out eventually, but after watching her hit that grid at full tilt, I wanted to prevent her from doing that again.  (Silly pig should stop running away from me!)  I moved the hay rack to the gate.  Can't miss it when the ramp is closed.  Plus the hay will be a good cushion if she forgets and runs into it anyway.

I love my hay rack but it requires two hands to fill it.  It was impossible to thread the hay into in the back corner of the cage.  So I whipped together a new version last week that's a top-loader.  Not a bad design, although it sags in the middle a little. Cannoli and Boadicea seem to dump it quicker than the old rack.  I may tinker with it over the next few weeks.  At least it should keep Noli from bonking her nose!

What the Hay?

The weekly hay progress

Anyone who has guinea pigs can tell you that hay gets everywhere.  I've found strands of hay in almost every corner of my home at some time or another.  I've read several discussions on the best vacuum to deal with it.  I've also seen some amusing stories of the weirdest place hay has turned up.

Cannoli and Boadicea's hay is kept in a box (enclosed with flaps) under the cage.  And no matter how careful I am handling it, I always manage to sprinkle a few blades onto the floor.  I can tell what day of the week it is by the amount of hay that surrounds their cage.  I vacuum on Monday and the floor is spotless for all of 10 minutes.  By the weekend, after I clean the cage, it looks like I purposely dumped the hay on the floor.  Ugh!  Out comes the vacuum, and I start the whole process again.

So, piggy people - can you tell what day of the week by the hay on your floor?

Small Pet Select Orchard Grass

I have been buying KMS Hayloft (aka Kleenmama's) hay for many years.  Their bluegrass and 3rd cut Timothy hay is beautiful stuff.  I had to switch over to bluegrass just over a year ago, when I discovered I'm allergic to the Timothy.  KMS Hayloft recently changed their source of bluegrass and it turns out I'm allergic to the latest bluegrass cut as well.  Serious sadness.

For now, I seem to do alright with straight orchard grass.  I did a temporary test with Kaytee hay earlier this year.  It was terrible stuff and so expensive - $5 per pound!  But I was desperate to see if another source would stop my coughing.  There's so much local baled hay that's inexpensive, but the few places I checked either have first cut only, very brown hay or a Timothy mix.  Here I am, surrounded by farms, and have to deal with funny looks from the FedEx guy as he delivers a box of hay to my doorstep.

Dinner with a View

I add to Cannoli and Boadicea's hay a couple times a day.  I fill the hay rack on the first level, then stuff a loop of fleece with hay that goes on the third level.  So - do they go for huge amount of hay in the rack?  Nope.  The two of them squish together on the third floor, sharing the handful of hay.

I'm not sure what the draw is.  Maybe good ol' piggy competition?  The food that one pig eats is always best, so the other needs to eat it too.  But then you'd think Noli and Boadi would go for the larger supply in the hay rack.  All mine!

Perhaps they've adopted the human view that the smaller lump of hay is rare, and therefore more precious (and more tasty).  Must eat that first. 

My current theory - they enjoy looking at the living room from up there, to view their domain.  Boadicea probably plots where she can run to and hide during the next floor time.  Noli is prepared to tell anyone coming through the front door that I haven't fed them all day.  Such trouble!

Fleece Hay Rack How-to

Front of finished hay rack (with a few strands of hay)

I went through my fleece scraps last week, to make some items for the Boston Pignic.  When I made the hay racks, I jotted down the size and instructions.  There's not much to them.  The following can be adjusted to whatever size works best for your guinea pigs.

Start with the following pieces of fleece:

•  one 5 x 11" strip
•  four 1.5 x 10" strips

Lay out the pieces, all right sides down (or, I realized after I took the photo, all right sides up, with the large rectangle underneath the little strips).  Pin in place.

Fleece Hay Rack

I moved the vertical hay rack to the second floor several months ago.  I wanted to encourage Cannoli to use the upper levels.  Besides, the rack was easier to fill and I can easily reach any hay that falls out behind the cage.  But as Pinniped is feeling poorly, I didn't want to force her to go up to the second level to graze. 

I had been using toilet paper tubes stuffed with hay on the first floor.  This was messy, because Pinni would snip the cardboard tube and then spread hay all over the place.  Ew - wet hay.  I wanted a rack to keep the hay off the ground, but not so high that Pinni and Cannoli needed to stand up to reach most of the hay.  I didn't want to make another coroplast hay rack like Bertie's rack.  Pinni has a tendency to munch on coroplast when she's not feeling well.  With all this in mind, I created this odd-looking fleece hay rack.