Happy Birthday, Toffee!

Toffee has turned 6 today!

Happy First Day of Spring

It's the first day of Spring today ... or the first day of Autumn! (depending of where you're from).

The weather is getting warmer here now so Toffee can start going out into the garden again soon which she loves doing! 

Thanks for reading :)

Nail Trimming

So a few days ago after I had cleaned Toffee out, I noticed her nails were getting a bit long so they needed to be trimmed a little bit so that it's more comfortable for her.

If your piggie(s) are anything like Toffee then they won't be too happy with this and will make a lot of noise when you're cutting their nails but don't worry, as long as you hold them firmly and securely with both hands then it won't hurt them at all - I think it's just the idea of not being able to run around for a few minutes... 

Here's some things that you will need to remember for cutting a piggies nails;

• Seen as you will need hold the piggy with both hands, I would recommend that it is a two person job! 

• When you're cutting the nails, remember that guinea pigs have 3 claws on each foot at the back and 4 nails on each foot at the front (just so that you don't miss any)

• They have a little vein at the top of each nail so only cut off the end to avoid it.

You will need start cutting their nails when they are around 2 months old and it will need to be done around every 6 weeks - or when you notice them getting long. 

A vet can cut them but it's just as easy to do it at home as long as you have a steady hand and feel comfortable doing it. 

To cut the nails you will need nail clippers - you could just use ordinary nail cutters but I would recommend getting pet nail clippers that a designed to be safer for you and your pet seen as they might squirm a bit...

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The Safe List - Fruit & Veg

This post has been a long time in the making because I haven't given Toffee a few of these fruits and vegetables so I have had to do my research to make sure they are all ok for guinea pigs to eat. She has, however, tried a fair few of them on here!

(Table in Alphabetical order. Created by me) 

Thank you for reading this post and please let me know if I have missed anything out. So here is the table - I hope it helps you with knowing what to feed your piggies for a great and healthy diet!

Name of Fruit / Veg	Amount to Feed	Notes
Apple	One side of a small apple	The seeds are poisonous and it is very acidic so could burn mouth.
Asparagus	One small stalk	Could cause bloating
Banana	A few small chunks	Could cause constipation
Beetroot (peeled, no stalk)	A few small chunks/slices	White piggies will go pink…
Bell Peppers (Red and Green)	A few small slices	Always remove the seeds. Toffee didn’t like this…
Brambles / Blackberries	A couple of berries per piggy	Don’t pick them unless you know what they’ve been grown with…
Broccoli	A few florets or the full stalk of the broccoli	Make sure it isn’t brown on the top
Brussel Sprouts	1-2 sprouts	May cause bloating
Cabbage (red or green)	A few leafs	May cause gas/bloating
Carrots	1 whole carrot	Lots of Vitamin A. In moderation
Carrots (baby)	3-4 per piggy	See carrots (above)
Cherries	1-2 per piggy	Sour, remove seeds! See Beetroot
Cucumber  (with skin)	A few slices	A good source of water. Wood-shavings stick to it.
Courgette	A few slices quite often	Full of great vitamins for a healthy diet for piggies!
Dandelion Leaves	A few leaves (3-4)	Can be picked from your garden – Make sure they’re definitely dandelion!
Grapes	2-3 per piggy	Make sure there’s no stalk in the top
Grass	A handful	NEVER FRESHLY CUT FROM THE GRASS CUTTER!
Kale	A small handful	Make sure it hasn’t gone brown
Lettuce	A few leaves	Not Iceberg (it’s poisonous)
Parsnip	A few chunks/slices	Only a couple of times a week
Pumpkin	A few small chunks	No seeds. Very high in vitamin A
Raspberries	A few berries per piggy	Only a couple of times a week
Spinach	6-7 leaves	Can cause bloating
Strawberries	A few berries without the tops	Only feed occasionally

Summer Photoshoot

I was looking through my camera and I found a photo shoot of Toffee in the garden in summer. It was quite nice to find because I couldn't actually remember taking them so it reminded me of a nice day in summer, even when we are in dull January... Here they are:

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Petting Guinea Pigs!

I have created this image from the point of view of a guinea pig because piggies love cuddles, as long as in the right place!

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Other Pets With Piggies

Wow! I can't believe it has been almost 2 wheeks since I last posted! I'm back at school now so I don't have as much time but I'm going to start posting again.

Anyway, for piggies, other (and larger) pets can be a problem and have the potential to harm them. I've never had this issue with my pets because Lucky was getting quite old when we got the piggies and she used to love Toffee, she would walk up to lick her nose then Toffee would return the favour! As for Tigger and Frodo, well Tigger basically just can't be bothered see what she is and Frodo is scared of her so I've never really had any problem with them.

If you do have a larger pet such as cat or a dog then you will need to take a few precautions:

• Make sure your piggies are separate to the other pets so that they can't get to them. (Have a lid on the cage & keep it on a raised surface).
• When exercising your piggies, make sure the larger animals have no access to them.
• If you would like to introduce an animal, do it from a distance with you there. 

Pets are great but sometimes they don't mix too well...

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Happy New Year!

Hi everyone! I'd just like to wish every a Happy New Year!
There will be lots of fireworks tonight to please take precautions and read more here!

Happy 2016

Thanks for reading and have a great New Year

Fireworks image from image free use site - Pixabay

Apples

I thought I'd do a little post about apples because Toffee had been having carrots for quite a while and last night she just refused to eat them because she gets bored of the same fruit and veg so I gave her some apple! Apples are Toffee's absolute favourite fruit, but before giving your piggies apple, there are plenty of things to bear in mind.

As apples are really acidic, it is important that you only give your piggies small amounts because too much can burn their lips. Normally, I cut off a side off of a small apple then chop it into chunks then give her it in a little bowl because otherwise all of her woodchippings stick to it!

When chopping up the apple just make sure that there are no seeds or core in the parts that you feed your guinea pig! As for the skin of the apple, it doesn't matter if you want to leave it on or peel it off.

Because apples are known for going brown after they have been cut, please make sure that you take any uneaten pieces out of their cage after an hour or so because it can give them belly ache if it has gone off. Also make sure that you don't give them apple that has had lime juice on it to preserve it!

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Do guinea pigs bite?

The basic answer to this is no - guinea pigs do not usually bite - but as many people want guineas to be children's pets, it is important to know when and why they may bite. So when will they bite?...

If they feel threatened

It's basically just self defense. If guinea pigs feel threatened then they will bite, and quite viciously too, so it's another reason to give piggies their space. Don't get me wrong though, guinea pigs are so sweet but like all animals, they don't like being confronted too quickly. When I had just got Toffee, I was still only 9 so I was a bit too quick to try to give her a hug which made her jump a bit - but she got her revenge (which I fully deserved) and I had a chunk out of my finger to prove it. 

This really makes piggies sound really vicious, but don't worry, they're not at all!

If they are ticklish

Toffee loves her belly tickled but sometimes if she doesn't feel like being tickled then she will let me know by just nipping my finger a little bit.

This also applies to piggies being ticklish and getting a bit over excited when you tickle them so they might just nip you to show their happiness (a lot of cats actually do it as well...)

If they don't feel very well

If guinea pigs have a certain area that hurts them for you to touch, they will more than likely let you know by biting you! Luckily, I have never experienced this with Toffee but if you do experience this with one of your piggies, then it may be best to get them checked over at the vets!

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