Different Countries: Different Piggy Care. Who Is Right?

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AbiS

AbiS

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I just saw a post on a guinea pig facebook page that I found quite interesting. A lady in Australia had posted a video showing her giving her piggy a pigsicle (ice lolly with fruit frozen in it). A friendly debate followed with a lady in the uk saying it shouldn't be given as can cause bloat. Another lady in Australia said that many guinea pig websites in Australia say that it is completely fine to give these to piggies to help them cope with the level of heat they are experiencing at the moment.

It just made me wonder what other piggy cares are different between different countries? We all want to do the best for our piggies but who is to say what is right?

PS I haven't included the link to the facebook post as the posters may be members on here and this isn't about pointing fingers, I just thought it was an interesting topic to discuss.
 
Hi,

Well worth the discussion as some countries are getting warmer, whilst in this country we are starting to get frosts so not worlds apart really.. :nod:

Frozen veggies/fruit is a big no no, as far as we are concerned, we have put a link to this thread.

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/why-not-frozen-cooked-food.121243/ also the same goes for grass which could of had frost damage, will tag @Little Pips Rehoming for you as she has an article on the effects of grass when subjected to frost.. x

Lisa & Ali..
 
That is interesting. I understand that in America it is very unusual to keep guineas outside and in some European countries they mostly live in cages built from Ikea units!

It seems like the UK piggies have got it pretty good, but I would not like to say who was right or wrong!
 
It is very interesting to hear about different countries with their ways of doing things. But I'd stick with the facts and information you know in this country. Frozen fruit is very bad in my opinion.
 
The interesting thing about grass that has been frosty is that it will be higher in sugar. There's more info here http://www.thehorse.com/articles/26766/pasture-sugars . People who have equines prone to laminitis are as careful to avoid turning out for long periods on frosty grass as on rich spring grass. Grass also has different sugar levels throughout the day.

As far as guinea pigs go, I suspect most of our guineas are not eating enough grass to make it a real issue & they are very good at digesting fibre in this form but it's interesting to have an understanding of how grass works!
 
Different countries have different theories about guinea pig things. In America, where I live, I was poorly educated from the "breeder" I got my boy Bacon from. She gave him to us in a store bought cage, without telling my mother and I the cage requirements, and she didn't even mention the fact that piggies needed a friend! Thankfully not long after I started doing my research, and I have just now noticed that most good care advice has come from websites in the UK. I have also met only a few other people from all of the schools I've been to (I used to move a lot) who have guinea pigs and really seem to enjoy them.
Sorry for the long post, I just felt the need to rant a bit about my country. :) Though I would stick to what you have learned from the UK, I have heard a lot that frozen fruit, or frozen anything, are bad for piggies.
 
It does seem to vary from country to country. Same with most animals. Even minimum cage sizes vary. It does then beg the question of what does each country base their care on? And why there isnt a universal stance based on study and research? This could turn out to be a very interesting thread!
 
i believe the reason the australian was saying give them frozen fruit (bad idea as it is) is that we are having record heat waves, and this is only the start of summer. it was 38 degrees celsius which is 100.4 fahrenheit according to google.
and risking bloat to stop them literally cooking was worth the risk.
personally i give them veggies and fruit from the fridge, so its cool, but not to cold. i have sensitive teeth and if its to cold for me to bite i wont give it to the piggys. my piggies have their own tiny little desk fan that sits outside the cage and blows air in to help keep it cool
 
It is very similar to human healthcare though. We base all our local trust guidelines on the same national ones and yet the local ones can all still be very different. Doesn't mean anyone is wrong!
 
I find it very interesting that we look at the way one country works (in relation to anything at all) and think - wow, we wouldn't so it that way - but it is all about how different cultures work or what research has been done in that country etc
 
I think ti was fresh fruit put in an ice maker tray & filled with water then set to freeze. Like you would for kiddies (well I did when my son was young & we didn't have ice lollies so readily available). My piggies live inside in air conditioning so I don't have to resort to these things. The problem is that most Aussie piggies are kept outside so heat becomes a real factor. There are no decent sized indoor cages here, C & C grids are impossible to get on a steady basis, & petshops definitely cater for piggies to be kept outdoors with a huge selection of large outdoor hutches & runs. I myself used one indoors until I found a large enough indoor cage to import from the UK at a cost that would be impractical for most Aussies. And of course our grass grows year round so people find it easier to keep piggies outside. I think differences in piggy care often arise from climate considerations in the country they live in. Our piggy shelters advise keeping piggies indoors or under cover on a porch or patio but that is easier said than done for most people here.

Last week when Peanut Butter was admitted to hospital for his UTI testing, a piggy was brought in with heat stroke. Did not survive poor thing. The vet asked if PB could keep his bereaved cagemate company, which I agreed to, until the owners could sort something out to keep their remaining piggy cool.
 
1GuineaPig1 said:
Different countries have different theories about guinea pig things. In America, where I live, I was poorly educated from the "breeder" I got my boy Bacon from. She gave him to us in a store bought cage, without telling my mother and I the cage requirements, and she didn't even mention the fact that piggies needed a friend! Thankfully not long after I started doing my research, and I have just now noticed that most good care advice has come from websites in the UK. I have also met only a few other people from all of the schools I've been to (I used to move a lot) who have guinea pigs and really seem to enjoy them.
Sorry for the long post, I just felt the need to rant a bit about my country. :) Though I would stick to what you have learned from the UK, I have heard a lot that frozen fruit, or frozen anything, are bad for piggies.
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Yes I'm from new York and haven't found anyone who even if they have piggies, is very much invested in them! I got mine from what is well known here as a reputable pet store the owner actually has a TV show ( I wasn't aware of any guinea pig rescues) and when I asked about introducing the second piggy I was td just put them together, their guinea pigs! Now that I've found this forum I see that was a mistake and maybe the cause of their lack of bonding. I have remarked to many how the uK really seems to love their piggies. Wish I had some of that here also very hard to find an appropriate vet
 
irene said:
Yes I'm from new York and haven't found anyone who even if they have piggies, is very much invested in them! I got mine from what is well known here as a reputable pet store the owner actually has a TV show ( I wasn't aware of any guinea pig rescues) and when I asked about introducing the second piggy I was td just put them together, their guinea pigs! Now that I've found this forum I see that was a mistake and maybe the cause of their lack of bonding. I have remarked to many how the uK really seems to love their piggies. Wish I had some of that here also very hard to find an appropriate vet
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Yes, and may I also add that whenever I talk about my guinea pigs to someone who doesn't own guinea pigs, they find it amazing that I have two, and a "child" has done so much research on proper care. But, truthfully, I think the amount of work I put into my piggies is minimal to what I have seen in some owners in the UK so far. (Addition to my previous rant. :lol!: )
 
1GuineaPig1 said:
Yes, and may I also add that whenever I talk about my guinea pigs to someone who doesn't own guinea pigs, they find it amazing that I have two, and a "child" has done so much research on proper care. But, truthfully, I think the amount of work I put into my piggies is minimal to what I have seen in some owners in the UK so far. (Addition to my previous rant. :lol!: )
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Ohh I agree! I see how devoted the people in the UK are and how much they love their piggies as do I .some of the stories about sick piggies are so sad but they seem to have more access to exotic vets there! I'm afraid I won't find the support here , my Cinnamon has had 4 URIs now and very difficult and expensive finding help for her!
 
irene said:
I'm afraid I won't find the support here , my Cinnamon has had 4 URIs now and very difficult and expensive finding help for her!
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I understand, pet care can be very expensive here.
 
I have to agree that we are very lucky here in the uk with the availability of piggy equipment and exotic vets.

I wonder how piggies became so popular here and not in other countries.
 
Conditions are very different around the world! In Canada or USA, you would never condone to keeping guinea pigs outside in a hutch due to the huge seasonal changes in temperatures, in tropical Asia you have to be careful about cage underfloor ventilation and can have bedding and cosies only in a few areas to prevent fungal infections, the Germans are all about natural materials ands treats and not overhandling piggies while our US members are mainly looking for cuddly piggies and love to dress them up, which in turn is rather frowned upon in the UK... You find the same cultural differences when it comes to bathing frequency recommendations.

As to popsicles, a forum member has reported a serious injury to the tongue of one of her piggies as it got frozen to the iced treat it was eating, so frozen treats are to be treated with care in that respect, too! That is why we are recommending it only with strong reservations in our hot weather tips.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/hot-weather-management-and-heat-strokes.105317/
 
We're a nation of animal lovers & who couldn't love a guinea pig. As far as treats in a heat wave, mine get cool sliced cucumber. Just a couple of slices each x
 
Stewybus said:
We're a nation of animal lovers & who couldn't love a guinea pig. As far as treats in a heat wave, mine get cool sliced cucumber. Just a couple of slices each x
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Mine get watermelon - got to laugh with all the dribbling when they eat it!
 
Mine love all types of melon which is in their daily diet. I have have a piece of melon aprox 8cm wide everyday. I leave a bit of flesh on this with the skin & 9 piggies get this shared between them in 2 meals x
 
Mine get a scratch and newton ice pod to lay on and cold filtered water changed at least 3 times when it's been a heatwave. Plus an extra bit of cucumber with the cold filtered water left on!
 
Wiebke said:
the Germans are all about natural materials ands treats and not overhandling piggies
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Ha, I can really resonate with this. I was back in Germany over Christmas and was talking to my friend and I remembered she had Guinea Pigs when she was little and her little Meerschweinchen basically had their own massive shed and it did look like in a zoo as in it was all natural with massive sticks in it and logs and everything. When I told her mine live in a c&c cage with fleece bedding she just looked at me like I had bumped my had... Also watched some piggie videos from Germany and I have to say that if you want different instructions for building your own cage I would search in German - the selection of DIY building vids is great
 
Goth Mummy said:
That is interesting. I understand that in America it is very unusual to keep guineas outside and in some European countries they mostly live in cages built from Ikea units!

It seems like the UK piggies have got it pretty good, but I would not like to say who was right or wrong!
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I lived in the U.S as a child. It would be difficult to keep pigs outside over there. I lived in Montana and north Dakota. In summer it would be to hot for pigs to be outside and in winter it snowed so much that the hutch would end up under a snow drift way too cold. I remember as a child it being that cold outside that the moisture and hairs inside your nose would freeze. A couple of times the snow had drifted up over the front door of the house. So we had to dig away out of the house to get to school. The weather we have in the UK is nothing like what the U.S get. The child in me still misses their winters.
 
I always wanted to see snow higher than you! In Germany it snows but hardly more than knee deep, so I am always impressed with those pictures where your house is half covered in snow :)

Are you still expected to go to school as normal? Do ppl just dig their way out? :) Sorry but it sounds fascinating... :P
 
maxdawn said:
I lived in the you.S as a child. It would be difficult to keep pigs outside over there. I lived in Montana and north Dakota. In summer it would be to hot for pigs to be outside and in winter it snowed so much that the hutch would end up under a snow drift way too cold. I remember as a child it being that cold outside that the moisture and hairs inside your nose would freeze. A couple of times the snow had drifted up over the front door of the house. So we had to dig away out of the house to get to school. The weather we have in the UK is nothing like what the you.S get. The child in me still misses their winters
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Haha! I live in Southern America, so our winters are warm, and it never goes near freezing. Too hot for the piggies to live outside, that's for sure! :D
 
missdoofus said:
I always wanted to see snow higher than you! In Germany it snows but hardly more than knee deep, so I am always impressed with those pictures where your house is half covered in snow :)

Are you still expected to go to school as normal? Do ppl just dig their way out? :) Sorry but it sounds fascinating... :P
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The schools never closed because of snow but the school put on school buses in winter and everyone has to use bus or car no ones aloud to walk to school, to dangerous
 
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