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Entries for this wheek close at 12:00 on Friday 5th Februay 2010.

• if they land in fields they can scare grazing cattle, sheep and horses etc
• if they land in crops awaiting harvesting, they can start fires
• if they land in crops and get harvested, sharp parts of them such as metal and bamboo can end up in YOUR hay

When you give your guineas hay, it is important to always pull it apart and fluff it up before putting it in their cage.  Hay packed in bales and pillow packs is always well compressed.  By spending a bit of time checking through the hay, you can spot and remove any thick stalks, bits of plastic, metal, thistles etc before they do any damage.  Better safe than sorry.

Hay should make up around 80% of  a guinea’s diet so it is important that they have nice fresh, green good quality hay that isn’t damp, mouldy or riddled with parasites.  One of the cheapest ways of getting hold of good quality meadow hay is to find a local supplier and buy it by the bale (as long as you have somewhere to store it).  Many farm shops / feed stores will be able to help you.  Riding stables are also worth a try as horse people are very fussy about the quality of hay their horses have!

Hay fed to guineas should be of good quality, have a nice green tinge to it and smell sweet. Sadly many pet shops sell very poor quality hay that is brown and dusty. The other problem with hay is that if it is old, hasn’t been dried properly, or has been stored in poor conditions, it can go mouldy. If you ever find hay in this condition, please throw it away immediately as the mould (fungal spores) can cause skin problems or even death if a piggy eats hay in this condition.

Health-wise, hay is an essential part of a guinea pig’s diet.  Unlimited hay should be available to them at all times so that they can graze their way through the day.  Not only does it aid digestion, but it also helps to keep their teeth in check as they are constantly growing and need to be ground down.  Guineas need a diet that is high in fibre and can end up with digestive problems such as intestinal blockages, enteritis and bloat when hey are not eating enough fibre. Hay contains high levels of indigestible fibre which promote increased gut motility and can help to keep the digestive system healthy.

Meadow hay can be used for bedding as well as eating, but it must be removed / replaced regularly so that the guineas aren’t sitting on or eating wet hay.

• Cat carrier or similar in which to put your guineas.  Available from most pet shops, Vet surgeries etc.
• Warm bedding for them to sit on/ in.  We recommend Happy Soles Fleece Bedding from Planet Guinea and Fleece Sleep Sacks from Thistle Cavies Rescue.
• A Snugglesafe heat pad – simply microwave to heat up according to the instructions,  put the cover back on and prop up at the side or back of the carrier.  Please don’t put it on the bottom of the carrier for them to sit on….if it is too hot for the guineas, they need to be able to move away from it.
• A blanket to put over the carrier to prevent draughts.  Pet blankets are available cheaply from eBay.

All these items are also useful when you are nursing sick  / post-op guineas at home.  They don’t need to be expending what little energy they have keeping warm and love snuggling up next to a heat pad or in a warm blanket.

Always take the sick guinea to the Vet with their friend.  Guinea’s don’t like change, so if they are with their usual friend, the trip will be less stressful for theim.

Please also take some hay, fresh food and water for your guineas in case you get stuck along the way, not forgetting your own supplies of warm clothing, sensible shoes / boots, a shovel and your breakdown membership card!

On Tuesday afternoon before the snow started coming down I popped out to the local Co-op to pick up a few supplies.  However, the shelves were pretty much stripped bare of vegetables, milk and bread!  A quick dash to Waitrose ensued and they didn’t have much more in the way of vegetables, but I manged to grab the last 5 bags of Kale, some Chinese Leaf and Romaine Lettuce for my own guineas and those at Reading Guinea Pig Rescue.  The remainder of the food came from our local Exotic Superstore who supply lots of cheap herbs and veggies, so the job was done.

Guineas can survive without fresh food, but what they MUST have available at all times is nice fresh, green meadow hay to eat, play and sleep in.  Hay should make up 80% of their diet, so if you run out in weather like this, what are you going to do?  The answer is to make sure that you have at least 2-3 weeks supply of hay, dried grass (Just Grass / ReadiGrass), bedding and dried food to see you through until you can get some more.  That way you don’t have to worry about running out when the roads are treacherous.  Without hay, guineas can get problems with their digestive system  and teeth.  They also need a daily supply of Vitamin C as they can’t make their own.  This is where dried food comes in if there is no fresh food available.

If you’re keen to have fresh grass for your guineas all year round, you can still grow cereal grasses during the winter months.  Check out the Easygrow Cereal Grass and Wheekgrass from Planet Guinea.  These can be grown indoors on a windowsill where there is no condensation.

Check out the Cold Weather Advice provided by Guinea Pig Welfare. Please make sure that your guineas have plenty of fresh hay every day and that they aren’t sitting on damp bedding in this cold weather.

Wishing you and your guineas a warm and safe time until the weather improves.

Although we are snowed in after a fall of over 30cms, orders will still be posted out each day.  Luckily the local Post Office is within walking distance, but what happens after that is down to the Royal Mail!

A copy of the new price list is available here.

The shop is open again after the Christmas break, so why not get shopping before the prices go up.  Orders placed this week will be posted out w/c 4th January when we return from our break.

Wishing you and your piggies a happy and healthy year in 2010.

The shop opens again on Wednesday 30th December.
We return from our break on Monday 4th January 2010 and outstanding orders will be despatched that week.
The Hay Experts also stock our products and are open next week and between Christmas and New Year.
Wishing you and your piggies a very Happy Christmas.

“Sadly the best way to deal with many problems is not to treat at all. Small animals such as guinea pigs and rabbits should be put to sleep if  they present with an illness that can’t easily be rectified with a dose of antibiotics. Their lives should not be prolonged at all cost.”

What a good job there are some good guinea-compentent Vets that CAN do more for guineas than “just” giving antibiotics.  This is why it is SO important that you find a good guinea pig Vet before you need one.  Discover what questions you need to ask them first.

Many of my own Gorgeous Guineas would have died before their time if  all Vets had this outlook:(

UPDATE: 03/12 response from the RCVS posted here.

Chrissie (who is blushing!)