Some Sad news

This year I went by my dads for Thanksgiving. I had gone up on Tuesday and was back home on Thanksgiving night. On Wednesday I got a call from my sister asking if it was normal for cinnamon to have watery eyes. I told her no it wasn’t. I told her to put cinnamon in the old pet store cage and set her up in there next to the other girls. On Thursday I got home and looked her over and started to hand feed her. I got her to eat some food. After she was done I left her to rest. The next morning I fed her again but she didn’t seem to want to eat. I let her rest and tried again through out the day. Saturday morning I was getting her food ready when she passed.  She had passed before I could get her to a vet.

 

You can watch Cinnamon’s  Memorial video Here.

Im back

For awhile i took a break from blogging. But I'm back and have quite a bit of news. In June i got two more piggies. Who were about four months old. I have set their birthday for April 1st.

.:Coco Chanel and Puff Tart:.

They both had lice. They were both treated and the lice was killed. Coco had it the worst, and she is still very sensitive when you touch her back. Both piggies are growing fast and healthy.

In June/July i got another piggie from my sisters friend. About 7 years old. Shes a very shy and sweet girl.

.:Cinnamon Cupcake:.

Then in September i found a home for Stella and Tink. I felt like i couldn't give everyone the same attention.

Jazzy recently had her 5th birthday, on Nov 16th. We did a little something for her to celebrate her birthday.

I have also added a new video for our Youtube Channel

All four girls are living in a 2 level C&C cage.

Research

What is that people don't research before they bring in a pet  into the home?  If you go on Y! answers and a lot of other places.  I see a lot of “I get a guinea pig  what do i do”. There are about 5,990,000 results for guinea pigs alone on Google. Don't believe me? Here's proof.

For the first results are Guinea Pig Cages and Guinea lynx. Which are excellent sites. Every guinea pig owner should have these bookmarked.

 

Please please research before you buy.  Do not buy from pet stores. The majority the animals come from backyard breeders. Pets store don't always sex the animals right. So when you think you have a Harry you might really have  Sally. Also most of the times they are sick  or younger then what they really are. 

 

There are plenty of shelters out there.  Petfinder is a great one to look on. CraigsList is another good one.

Sweet Lola my rainbow pig

Yesterday evening Lola passed away. I'm still shocked by it. It was all of the sudden. No signs at all, just out of the blue. She was acting normal. Lola was three years old and she had been with me for three years and one week.

She went and lay down under the bunk bed, while I was taping the girls running around for their next video for their youtube channel.
After a while that was when I notice she was no longer breathing.

Lola was a bit on the heavier side for a female.Which we were working on lowering her weight. She was doing quite well.

Lola also had pea eye. Which is some time cause by weight or by genetics. It developed by the time she was a year old. And can mean heart problems sometimes. I believe it played a part in her passing.

The others seem to be doing fine. Jazz spent the longest time grooming her when she discovered her. They had been together since i brought home Lola at 8 weeks old.

Videos & Updates

Yesterday i uploaded some videos. Later on today i might work on a few as well, I haven't decided yet. I have a few ideas for a Easter Video Contest. I was going to do a St. Patrick's day one but life became busy. Hay, Veggies morning and evening, How to tame a piggie, Cleaning cage and supplies videos have all been uploaded on youtube. Go here to see them. Please comment on them!

As for other updates

I got my order of Bluegrass from Kleenmama's. Wow!! It's so green!!! Smells so good i just want to fell asleep in it!! So soft!! The girls love it!! Maybe i will take a picture of it, to compare it to the other hays i have and post it here. I think i will.

Cleaned the cage yesterday. Trying out the cage without the old pet store cage as the hay area. I put a extra piece of fleece right under the hay rack. That way all i have to do is shake out that piece and put another piece if that one get to yucky.

Well thats all for updates for now.

Do you know whats in your pellets?

So you may have notice the previous post. I posted about guinea pig nutrition. Recently I have been on a small kick about the girls diet. And for a good reason.

Stella has been  having some issues with the pellets i have been feeding them. I have been trying to get  ether Oxbow or Kleenmama's. But Oxbox is hard to find and Kleenmama is not sold in stores. So i ended up buying Kaytee Forti diet. Well i have been noticing some white powdery stuff on the fleece in the cage. After a thorough investigation i found that Stella was the one.I also looked it up on Guinea Lynx and found this:

NORMAL:
Urine may be clear to cloudy in color. Calcium compounds in the urine cause this cloudiness. Normal urine is not gritty in texture. Dried urine may leave powdery white calcium compounds. Very young guinea pigs often have an orange or brown tint to their urine. Urine sometimes changes to an orange color on standing (this may be the oxidation of porphyrins in the urine).

NOT NORMAL:
    Gritty compounds: may indicate sludge in the bladder. Strong smelling urine may be a sign of dehydration or infection. The gritty deposits are sometimes called sludge, which feels coarse and sandy. Powdery deposits are normal. Rub the deposits between your fingers to determine if they are powdery or gritty.
    Blood in urine is not normal and may be due to a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or (in females) reproductive problems like pyometra (an infection of the lining of the uterus).
    Incontinence is not normal. Your guinea pig should be relatively dry. If its fur is constantly wet and/or there is an odor, be sure to have your pet checked out for a urinary tract infection or other problem.

TIP: To check for sludge, line the cage with dark colored towels. To check for blood, use light colored towels. 

After reading this i went over to Guinea pig Cages and to find out which foods that might be causing this. As of right now. They get Lettuce, Peppers, Cilantro and Zucchini daily. Which are safe foods to feed everyday. Then on Mon/Wed/Fri they get Dandelions and tomatoes. T/Th/Sat they get baby carrots and cucumbers. And on Sundays they get Broccoli and a piece of fruit.  On our next food shopping day i plan to change the girls diet. I'm going to be adding and rearranging foods. I will have that in a different post.

I thought that may be i was feeding to many food that were high in calcium so i stopped feeding all veggies so that her system could flushed out any extra out for a week. But she was leaving even more. Since she was just eating the hay and pellets. Well hay isn't high in calcium. But alfalfa is. So i took a look at the ingredients of the pellets and the first thing that was listed was calcium.  Alfalfa Hay is to be given only to pregnant, nursing and growing guinea pigs. Not Adults.  So i stopped giving her the Kaytee Forti Diet. Since i have stopped feeding her the Forti diet she no long is leaving white spots in the cage.
  
Kleenmama you can only order online, as i said before. So after adding up how much we pay for hay which is like $12 for a 2 and half bag of hay from Kaytee and $7 dollars for a 5 pound bag of Kaytee timothy complete.  I will be ordering Kleenmama's from now on. I can get a 15 pounds of bluegrass hay for $14 and  $10 for a 9 pound bag of pellets. Which will be timothy based.


Kleenmama and Oxbow are the very few guinea pig foods that are the best for them. The dont have all of the extra garbage thats in the Kaytee,
After looking farther into this Kaytee has ingredients that i know a guinea pig should not be eating. In bold should not be in guinea pig pellets. I'm sure there are more that i'm not aware of. 

Taken from Guinea lynx

Kaytee Forti Diet Ingredients
Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Ground Corn, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Ground Oats, Ground Wheat, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Cane Molasses, Corn Oil, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), DL-Methionine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Carbonate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Zinc Oxide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), Copper Oxide, Cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min.) 18.0% Crude Fat (min.) 3.5% Crude Fiber (max.) 14.0% Moisture (max.) 12.0% Ascorbic Acid (min.) 100 mg/lb
 
And I'm pretty sure that Ethoxyquin is toxic in high doses. 



This is Kleemama's Timothy Choice Pellets

Timothy grass hay, oats, wheat, barley, soybean hulls, soy meal, Choline Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A supplement,Vitamin E supplement, Manganese Oxide, Meniodine Bisulfate, dl-Methionine, Zinc Oxide, d-Calcium Pantothenate,Copper Sulfate, Niacin, d-Biotin supplement, Pyrideoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, Riboflavin supplement, Cobalt Sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, Calcium Iodate, Cane molasses

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 14.00 %
Crude Fat (min) 2.5 %
Crude Fiber (min) 20.00 %
Crude Fiber (max) 25.00 %
Vitamin A (IU/KG) 30,000
Vitamin D-3 (ICU/KG) 1,000
Vitamin C (mg/kg) 1,000
Calcium (min) 0.7
Phosphorus (min) 0.4

This is Oxbow Cavy Cuisine (Timothy based by Oxbow)

Crude Protein min 14.00 \\\%
Crude Fat min 1.50 \\\%
Crude Fiber min 25.00 \\\%
Crude Fiber max 28.00 \\\%
Calcium min 0.35 \\\%
Calcium max 0.85 \\\%
Phosphorus min 0.25 \\\%
Salt min 0.50 \\\%
Salt max 1.00 \\\%
Vitamin A, IU/lb min 13,000
Vitamin C, mg/lb min 200

Ingredients

Timothy Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Salt, Limestone, Molasses Products, Yeast Culture, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Monophosphate L-ascorbic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Lysine Hydrochloride, Sodium Selenite, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex and Cobalt Glucoheptonate.

Kleenmama and Oxbow are the very few Guinea pig foods that are the best for them.They dont have garbage that other brands have.  Here is more info on pellets.

Sorry but i will not link to Kaytee.

Nutrition

Information is from Guinea Lynx, The Guinea Pig Forum and Guinea Pig Cages

Make sure that pellets, grass hay and water are always available. Here is the safe food list. Also a a cup of veggies per pig is a MUST daily.

Pellets

Plain dye free high quality guinea pig pellets formulated with vitamin C. Each guinea pig will eat approximately 1/8 cup of pellets a day. Store in a dry cool dark place to preserve the vitamin C. Always check the expiration date.

Most guinea pig pellets are alfalfa based. Alfalfa pellets are recommended for young, growing and pregnant guinea pigs. After your guinea pig is about a six months old, a timothy based pellet, which provides less calcium, is good choice .

Ingredients to AVOID in guinea pig pellets:

• Corn products including corn bran, corn germ, corn gluten, ground corn, etc. Corn is not a food for guinea pigs. High in fat and certain sugars/starch depending on the product. Some corn can be contaminated with deadly aflatoxin which can cause liver failure and death.

• Animal products. Can contain animal fat, meat, tallow, animal digest, steroid, bone meal, and eggs

• Beet pulp

• Seeds, Nuts, or Oils. Too high in fat and protein.

• Rice Bran or Rice Flour

• Vegetable Fiber. Can include sawdust

Mixes or treats with nuts, seeds, dried fruit and dyed pieces.

• No mineral wheels.

• No dairy and meat products

• No multivitamins! Plain vitamin C is fine, but multivitamins are not. Excessive amounts of vitamins like A and D can cause serious problems for your pet.

• Never give rabbit pellets. They do not contain Vitamin C and can be toxic to guinea pigs.

• Seeds in husks can be a choking hazard.

• Never use Tang
  

Hay

When selecting look for these signs of good hay.

• Leafy
  

• Natural green color

• A fresh and clean smell. No moldy/musty or burnt smell

• Very soft
  

• Free of trash, weeds, dirt and other foreign materials

Grass Hay
Hay is a staple of the guinea pig diet.

Because the back teeth are continually growing, guinea pigs need to be constantly grazing and grinding to keep the teeth at a good length. Hay is only a small source of protein and nutrients. Eating the long hay strands keeps their digestive system moving and helps prevent their teeth from over growing.

If your a person that suffers from allergies Bluegrass and Orchard have been know to help with allergies. Bluegrass is also less duster then all of the other hays.

Types of grass :

• Meadow

• Timothy

• Orchard Grass

• Bluegrass

• Oat

• Brome

• Rye

Alfalfa

Alfalfa hay can be given to young guinea pigs, pregnant, nursing or malnourished adults. It is high calcium content. Alfalfa should be reserved as a treat for the average adult guinea pigs. Alfalfa is NOT a replacement for grass hay. Can be used to supplement the diet of some pigs. Excess calcium could contribute to the formation of bladder stones in older guinea pigs. Some guinea pigs prone to stones or suffering from specific medical illnesses should not be fed calcium rich hays.

Storing Hay

Using a plastic storage bin with the top open, you can drill holes on the sides. You can also use pillow case or cotton laundry hamper. Also cardboard boxes work well also.

Vitamin C

Guinea pigs cannot manufacture their own vitamin C and require 10 to 30 mg/kg daily to prevent scurvy. While many guinea pigs receive adequate vitamin C from fresh vegetables and pellets. Young, ill, nursing and pregnant animals require extra vitamin C.

Vegetables

A cup a day of fresh vegetables are an important additional source of vitamin C and other nutrients. Vegetables must be introduced slowly, to avoid digestive upsets. You can supply a variety of them to your pet when introduced. The key is to maintain your pigs' health. Vegetables can be provided two or more times a day, removing uneaten vegetables to prevent spoiling.

Water

Fresh, cold water, changed daily. Vitamin drops or medications should not be added in the water.

Reasons for not putting Vitamin drops in the water

• Water is vital to good health but because vitamin C changes the flavor, they may drink less.

• Ascorbic acid degrades rapidly once added to water.

• Foraged foods can add interest to the typical guinea pig diet and provide vitamin C, minerals and nutrients.

  Some guinea pigs drink a lot and some very little, so it is impossible to know how much vitamin C your pet is getting.
  
  

Forages

A diet that includes grass and other fresh forages can improve the health of your guinea pigs.

Foraged foods can add interest to the typical guinea pig diet and provide vitamin C, minerals and nutrients.

Owners should be careful when offering weeds and grasses from their yard, garden, or a nearby field.

Make sure you know what you are offering your pet. Consult the list here for some familiar plants often offered guinea pigs. The list of safe foods not complete and includes some foods that should be offered sparingly or only when young.

• Avoid areas that have been treated with herbicides and pesticides.

• Avoid areas heavily frequented by dogs or livestock whose feces may contaminate the plants.

• Avoid plants that have molds, fungus, or mildews.

• Avoid plants growing along side of heavily trafficked roads.

Quantity

Introduce items slowly, gradually increasing the amount offered their pet. During the winter it may be more difficult to forage for plants.

Nutrition

How to make a bunk bed- no sewing.

A bunk bed is a nice little self that your piggie can lay or lay under. Easy to make and fun for your piggie.  This is just a outline of what you will need or what you could use.

The things you will need-

• A piece of coroplast  to fit the shelving
• Some small towels
• A piece of fleece
• Some sort of shelving
• Binder clips

My items

First i bend the extra gird that I'm using as a piece of shelving. You can step on it to bend it.

 

Now that i have bend the gird. I place the coroplast on the gird. That way the piggies legs don't go though the spaces on the gird.

Then I put some towels on top the coroplast. So that its soft and comfy. I’m using old dish towels.

After that i put the piece of fleece on top of  towels, and clip the sides.

There you go, now all you have to do is zip tie it to the side of your cage and your done. ! Of course there are other ways of making a bunk bed. But if you aren't handy with a sewing machine this works too.

This site shows how to make one with a sewing machine. Go Here

Hope this was helpful!

Amazing!!!

I had a great surprize today when i logged on to youtube as purplecavypalace. I was going though my videos and found out that My Guinea Pigs's C and C Cage had 6,420 veiws!!! And a bunch of comments. I had no idea!!! Turns out i didn't have it set up to email me when someone comments. duh!!! I'm so sorry!!!! I plan on making a new video as a update. I think thats in the works for today.

Pig pen

I took some new pictures of the pig pen.

Here's a better view. I had just finished putting every thing and everyone back in. ;D


Here is the hay area, its a old pet store cage. I love this so much better. It works great. The hay is used in a better way then as a bathroom. lol Plus big enough for all four. I think this the best group shot. In the next couple of days i might try to get a better one of them altogether.


Another view of the cage.



This last one cause i thought it was cool. Didnt it get until now. lol

Piggie Profiles

I plan on making Profiles of each pig. Staring with Jazzy. I will be working on each pig as to the order of receiving them. I think it will be a cute little project. Right now I'm working on the slide shows of each pig. Surprising it works out that each slide show has just about the same pictures. Then I want to work on making a slide show about my rainbow piggies and their cage. I think the cage one will be interesting to see. Since I have changed it so many times.

trying stuff out

Men love to play with kitchen utensils

Langauge

• Wheeking: This is a sign of an excited guinea pig.
• Popcorning: which is basically a jump and wiggle in the air. It means you have a happy piggy.
• Gurgling/chortling: This means your guinea pig is content and happy.
• Rumbling: Male guinea pigs will rumble when showing off to a pretty female. Females will do this also when in heat
• High-pitched squeaking: This means your guinea pig is annoyed or unhappy or in pain or feeling distressed or lonely.
• Purring: A peaceful, happy guinea pig will purr contentedly, especially when being petted. 
• Teeth clacking: It looks like your guinea pig isn't feeling too happy.
• Chirping: It sounds rather like a bird. It is a much rarer sound. 

Handling & getting to know your guinea pig

A wiggling guinea pig can easily injure itself. Always have one hand underneath them when you pick them up, and never, ever hold them so that their hind legs are dangling. Children should be taught how to properly hold a guinea pig; young children should only hold guinea pigs in their laps while seated (and with an adult nearby). Most people hold their guinea pigs against the chest, with one hand underneath the rump.  A fall can be fatal to a guinea pig!

Returning a guinea pig to her cage requires care. Handle your guinea pig firmly with both hands.

You can leave your new guinea pig alone for the first day so that he can become used to the new sounds and smells.  Pick up and cuddle your new piggy often so he can get to know you  They need to learn to trust you and develop a bond.

The quarantine period

If you introduce a guinea pig into your home, you must keep it separate from the other piggies until you are sure that the new piggie is free from any illnesses. The average quarantine period is two weeks. Always introduce guinea pigs gradually, on a neutral surface such as the living-room floor. Guinea pigs "know" each other largely by scent, so it's often a good idea to try to get your scent on the new guinea pig. Sometimes a bath will be needed, if the pig has been neglected or if his coat is matted. If the piggy is otherwise clean, rub a dirty t-shirt or pair of socks on your new friend so that he or she smells familiar to the other(s).

Male? or Female?

Boars
Male guinea pigs have testicles, which develop at a fairly young age. In babies, the testicles are not quite apparent, but it is still possible to decode their gender.Is there a faint "pucker" of skin? That is the retracted penis. If you press gently above this dough nut-shaped area, you'll feel a small muscle spasm and the penis will pop out. Be very gentle when pressing.


Sows
Female guinea pigs will have a "Y" shaped genital region, right next to the anus. If you look closely, you will notice that the genitals and the anal opening appear to be almost one and the same, due to the folding of the skin.

Maturity
Males are sexually active as early as 3 weeks, and should be observed closely. Males that mount others, should be promptly separated from the mother and any females, as they can breed. And it only takes a few seconds for a sow to become pregnant. Females can stay with the mother as long as needed. Guinea pigs can generally be separated from their mother at four to five weeks.

Care List

• Make sure your you can give your guinea pig gets lots of attention everyday.
• Make sure the cage is at lest 7.5 sq ft if you have one.  If you have more than one piggie it should be much larger and have separate sleeping areas. (For cage ideas go here)
• Guinea pig teeth constantly grow so they need unlimted hay at all times!!
• Don't keep males together unless they are neutered.
• Males and females can be kept together as long as the males are neutered
• Make sure the guinea pigs are never left alone with other pets.
• Guinea pigs don't like to be crowded or have to much noise going on around them.

The basics- updated

Credit for these list goes to Guinea Lynx

Guinea pigs are vegetarians, meaning they do not eat meat. Also water is a must. They need fresh water daily. Guinea pigs do not make their own Vitamin C. This is why vegetables are so important. A cup of vegetables is required. A good Guinea pig pellet is also needed.

Danger Foods

- Avocado (too high in fat)
- Coconut (too high in fat)
- Dry beans and peas
- Flowers (commercially grown decorative plants contain preservatives &
pesticides)
- Fried, cooked and otherwise prepared foods
- Fruit juices (sugar-free, or unsweetened juices are OK)
- Garlic or pungent onions (will not poison pigs, )
- Horseradish (leaves probably ok, root too pungent)
- Hot herbs and spices
- Hot Peppers / Chiles / Paprikas
- Iceburg Lettuce (low nutrition, high water)
- Jams, jellies and fruit preserves (too high in sugar)
- Milk and milk products
- Mushrooms
- Nuts (too high in fat)
- Peanut butter, cakes, cookies, baked goods
- Pickled veggies (dills, capers, sour krauts)
- Potatoes (poisonous if green or sprouted) - sweet potatoes / yams are ok
- Rhubarb (poisonous)
- Seeds (choking hazard)
- Taro (dangerous if eaten raw / unprepared)
- Teas, coffee, colas

High Vitamin C

-Beet greens
- Bell / Sweet Peppers - red, green, yellow (not hot or chile)
- Broccoli Rabe / Rabe / Rapini
- Broccoli, Broccolini (stems are liked better than flowers)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (in moderation)
- Chinese cabbage (in moderation)
- Cantaloupe Melon
- Carrot tops / leaves
- Cauliflower / Broccoflower
- Celery leaves
- Cilantro / Chinese Parsley / Coriander greens
- Collard greens
- Currants - yellow, red or black (leaves also edible)
- Dandelion greens
- Feijoa / Pineapple Guava
- Garden Cress
- Gooseberries
- Grapefruit (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Grass - wheat, winter rye (grown in pots from seed)
- Guava
- Honeydew Melon
- Kale - curly or plain
- Kiwi Fruit
- Kohlrabi leaves
- Lemon, Lime (home-grown best, otherwise feed cautiously)
- Mango
- Mustard greens / Leaf Mustard
- Orange (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Papaya / Paw Paw / Tree Melon
- Parsley - curly or plain (high in calcium)
- Peas in pods, Pea Shoots (not dried)
- Persimmon - american or oriental
- Red Cabbage
- Rosehip
- Savoy Cabbage
- Spinach (feed in moderation, linked to formation of kidney & bladder stones)
- Strawberries
- Swiss Chard, Red Chard
- Tamarillo (leaves poisonous)
- Tangerine / Mandarin (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Tomato (sores around mouth can develop; leaves poisonous; artificially
grown can be low in vit C)
- Tuscan Cabbage / Cavolo Nero
- Water Cress

Low Vitamin C

- Hay - timothy, meadow, alpine and others (must always be available)
- Alfalfa - green or dried (high calcium & calories - good for youngsters, pregnant & nursing sows)
- Anise
- Apple (avoid seeds; if too tart, sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Apricot
- Artichoke
- Arugula / Rocket / Roquette / Rucola
- Asian Pear
- Asparagus
- Banana (feed in great moderation - can cause constipation)
- Basil
- Beets
- Belgian Endive
- Bilberries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Carrots (feed in moderation, vit A in carrots said to cause liver problems)
- Celery Root / Celeriac
- Celery stalks (cut into small pieces)
- Cherries (remove pits)
- Chicory/Endive
- Chives (caution, feed in moderation)
- Choy sum
- Corn on the cob (strings, leaves & stalks are edible too)
- Crabapple
- Cranberries (whole fruit, not concentrate or juice)
- Cucumber (fresh only, not pickled)
- Dates (dried high in sugar)
- Dill
- Figs (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Frisee Lettuce
- Grapes (in moderation, high in sugar)
- Green Beans in pods / String Beans (not dried)
- Green Endive
- Green Leek tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Green Onion tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Kohlrabi bulbs
- Lettuces - red, green, butter, Boston and other (avoid iceberg)
- Mint
- Nectarine
- Paksoi / Bok Choi
- Parsley root
- Parsnip
- Passion Fruit / Granadilla
- Peach
- Pear
- Pineapple - fresh (sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Plum, Prune (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Pumpkin
- Radicchio / Italian Chicory
- Radishes (if mild)
- Raspberries
- Romaine Lettuce
- Rutabaga
- Salad mix (without iceburg lettuce)
- Squash - acorn, banana, butterhorn, spagetti, and others (feed in
moderation)
- Sweet Onions (caution, feed in moderation)
- Thyme
- Treviso Radicchio
- Turnip
- Watermelon (can cause diarrhea - high water content)
- Yam / Sweet Potato (high in vit A? - leaves edible)
- Zucchini

EDIBLE wild grasses, plants and herbs

Credit goes to guineapigcages

• Grass (common grasses are edible, avoid ornamental grasses), cat grass/wheat grass is also popular and can be grown in pots or containers.

• Clover (Trifollium repens or Trifolium pratense)

• Dandelion (Teraxacum officinale) - pick leaves, stems, flowers (even root OK)

• Anise (Pimpinella anisum)

• Blackberry leaves (Rubus plicatus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots

• Calendula (Calendula officinalis) - leaves and flowers

• Caraway (Carum carvi)

• Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)

• Chickweed (Stellaria media)

• Cleavers / Stickyweed / Goosegrass / Bedstraw (Galium aparine)

• Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)

• Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaeae) - berries, leaves in moderation

• Cow Parsley (Anthiscus sylvestris)

• Dog Rose (Rosa canina) - ripe fruits

• Duckweed (Lemna minor) - aquatic

• Fennel (Foeniculum capillaceum)

• Field Violet / Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor)

• Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)

• Lemon Mint / Melissa (Melissa officinalis)

• Linden / Lime Tree (Tilia cordata or Tilia platyphyllos) - flowers with
  pale yellow leaflets

• Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)

• Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

• Plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceolata)

• Raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots

• Spearmint (mintha spicata)

• Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

• Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)

• Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)

• Vetch (Vicia x)

• Yarrow (Achllea millefolium)

• Whortleberry / Heidelberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) - berries, leaves in
  moderation

• Wild Chamomile (Matricaria chammomilla)

• Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) - berries and leaves

Housing

I have  listed the types of bedding. Now here is a list of cages. Your most common cage is the ones 
you get from the pet stores. They are just not big enough. Even for one guinea pig. By the time you add the food bowl, a house and some items for them to chew on. There is no room for  your guinea pig. One guinea pig need at lest  7.5 sq ft. The bigger the better!

• Aquariums- The worst one to house a guinea pig. There is no ventilation, so it will became very warm. I don't know what else to say about aquariums, but do not house your guinea pig in one of these.

• Hutch's- If you are considering this, make sure that the spot you have chosen is sheltered from wind and rain. It should not be in direct sunlight. Should has a sloped roof so that rain can not gather on top. Also consider height, this is better for ventilation and an easier height to clean. The wire may not be strong enough to keep out wild animals so putting another sheet on.

Cons of a wooden hutch are:

• wood will rot

Guinea pigs love to chew and if it isn’t protected with wire they can literally chew it wood tends to soak up more urine and requires more cleaning

• Pros and Cons of a metal hutch.

They absorb heat in the summer they can be  cold in the winter They are easier to clean and tend to last a long time if good construction is used

• C and C Cages- Made out of Cubes and  Coroplast. The the cubes are usually 14-inch, coated-wire grids. They are designed for storage for kids, home, and office use. Coroplast is like cardboard only made out of plastic.

Pros

1. You build your self
2. Easy to clean
3. Very durable
4. Good air circulation
5. Easy to design
6. Easy to decorate
7. Easy to customize

Cons

1. Can be hard to find in areas.

Colors & breeds

Breeds

Abyssinian	Hair grows in swirls all over the body
Alpaca	Like a peruvian but with wavy hair
American	Short haired, smooth and any color
American Crested	A smooth coat guinea pig with a flat 'swirl' of hair forming a crest on the forehead however the crest is white in color
Cornet	The coronet is like a cross between a sheltie and a crested. It has long straight hair with a crest on the forehead
English Crested	A smooth coat guinea pig with a flat 'swirl' of hair forming a crest on the forehead. The crest is in the same color as the coat.
Hairless Pigs	Skinny Pigs - Has fuzzy hair on their nose and feet. Baldwins - No hair at all
Merino	Like a coronet but wavy like a texel
Peruvian	Long hair growing towards the face
Rex	Short fuzzy hair
Sheltie	Long straight hair flowing away from the face. Short hair on the face
Texel	Long hair in a wavy pattern,

Colors

Agouti	These are most like the wild guinea pigs - can be cinnamon, golden, lemon, salmon, silver - they look like they are flecked or 'ticked' with black
Brindle	Black and red hairs, all mixed together rather than in patches.
Broken	Markings with clean cut patches of more than one color
Dalmatian	White body with colored spots
Dutch	A colored rump, and eye patches  resulting in a white midriff and white stripe down the nose white + one other color.
Himalayan	White with black chocolaty on the tip of the nose, feet and ears.
Marked	Specific color patterns on a guinea pig's coat
Roan	Several colors mixed with white hairs
Satin	Extremely silky smooth shiny hair. The hair looks so translucent as the hair shafts are hollow.
Self's	Beige, Black, Buff, Chocolate, Cream, Golden, Lilac, Red, Saffron, Slate, White
Tortoiseshell	Checkered patches of red and black.
Tortoiseshell and White	Checkered patches of red, black and white.

Things to come

I know it been awhile since i last updated. But the girls are going to be getting a bigger cage. Currently they are living in a 2x6 c&c Cage. In about a week they should have their 4x4 c&c Cage. Which i think i will be referring to it as the pig pen. Since it will look like a pen more then a cage. I ordered 2x4 Light blue Coroplast from Guinea pig cages. Last time ordered from was about four years ago. I ordered the 2x4 cage. I'm looking quite forward to next week. I'm hoping that it will come then. I got the email today saying it takes one to two days to get the stuff ready and one to six days to ship. So if she sends it out by Saturday i could be getting it sometime late next week or the beginning of the week after next. The coroplast is coming from Connecticut. So its not to far.

The girls are all doing fine. Clipped their nails and trimmed up their hair. Think i might give them a bath not sure yet.