Guinea Pig Connection

Another Source For Cozy Cups

2011-12-05T21:46:00-05:00

Although I haven't personally ordered anything from her (yet), I wanted to let folks know about the AZ Crafty Crew, a new entrant in the marketplace of handmade items for small and furry critters. Located in Arizona (hence the "AZ"), Rochelle recently launched her own site after operating on Etsy for awhile.

Her product gallery includes cozy cups (one of which I've shown here), piggy pads (cage liners that replace store-bought bedding), dribble catchers (to soak up those annoying drips from water bottles), and pillow pads (for putting under pigloos and other hidey houses). Prices on all items are quite reasonable.

We're all for supporting the handcraft entrepreneurs out there because their products are made with love and designed from first-hand experience to be durable enough to satisfy humans and comfy enough to satisfy critters. Please check her out, try her products, and spread the word!

Struggling With Vet Bills?

2011-07-21T00:45:00-04:00

Even before the economy took a nose dive in 2008, our rescue was getting requests for help from guinea pig owners blindsided by vet bills for illnesses and unplanned surgeries. Our friends in other rescues for dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, ferrets, chinchillas, and reptiles tell us that they similarly can't go a month without getting at least one request for help from a pet owner overwhelmed by an existing vet bill, or emotionally strung out because they have a pet that needs surgery but they just don't have the money to pay.

The requests for help fall into one of the following buckets:

a straight handout that doesn't have to be paid back
a loan that will be paid back over a period of time
the chance to let them run their pets through the rescue's often-discounted account with a local veterinary hospital
surrender the ailing pet so that the rescue can foot the bill, handle the medical care (e.g., antibiotics, wound care, post-operative care), and rehome the animal (or pay to have the animal put down if the problem reveals itself to be incurable)

Cash-strapped rescues rarely (or never) have extra funds to loan or grant to pet owners, and few will jeopardize their own relationships with vets in order to falsely funnel someone else's pet into surgery under whatever discount the vet has extended to the rescue. Some may have special arrangements with vets that allows them to provide "compassionate interventions," but they're more likely the exception than the norm.

It breaks our hearts to have to tell an owner whose guinea pig, say, has bladder stones that we can't help them financially, knowing that the animal may well die because the owner can't afford the surgery bill and the vet, for whatever reason, refuses to work out a payment plan. The best we can do is offer the suggestions we know about, and pray that one of them will pan out.

More Options Available Than You Think

Negotiate with a vet. In instances where the owner says they haven't asked their vet about installment payments over a course of two or three months, we encourage them to try negotiating such an arrangement. Vets may be willing to work out such installment payments if they can bill to a credit card number, or deposit post-dated checks, on mutually agreed-upon dates. Beyond that, we suggest vets whom we know have been reasonable with arrangements for critical-care patients whose humans are struggling financially.

Apply for a grant. There are some medical grants available, for which individuals can apply on their own or with the involvement of a veterinarian. These grants come from organizations like Help-A-Pet, United Animal Nations, and the AAHA Helping Pets Fund.

Repayment plans. Because the vets we know often won't extend payment plans more than three months from the original date of service, you might need to look elsewhere if you know that 90 days isn't going to be enough time. We are hearing more and more about financing arrangements, like Citi Health Card and Care Credit, that can give pet owners repayment plans stretching as long as 18 months. (If you can discipline yourself not to use it for other purposes, you could also simply have a separate low-interest credit card tucked away just for vet bills.)

Insurance and savings accounts. Some advice articles suggest creating health savings accounts (HSA) or flexible spending accounts (FSA) for your pets, the same as you can for humans. On the insurance side, we're aware of pet insurance plans from ASPCA, Purina, and 24PetWatch. The VPI Avian & Exotic Plan is the only one I've heard of (so far), that covers exotic pets, birds, and reptiles.

The best time to start contingency planning for the unexpected is before you need it. Doing so means that when your pet is in crisis, you can stay calm and focus on its needs and not on the growing hole in your wallet.

Related Reading

Trying To Rent With Pets

2011-07-19T22:01:12-04:00

We all too often get surrender requests from folks who are moving to a new rental apartment or house and are being forced to choose between their pets and a place to live because of the new landlord's "no pets" policy.

The landlords' policies often stem from bad experiences with previous tenants whose cats peed on the carpets and hardwood floors or whose dogs angered neighbors with their barking, and a lot of expensive disasters in between. And sometimes the policies are a result of tenants who hoarded animals in their rented units, creating public problems with local health departments and law enforcement agencies.

Unfortunately, those "no pets" policies get extended to smaller animals that will never come in contact with carpets or make disruptive noise. The tenants-to-be acquiesce in the absence of any ideas for negotiating with landlords, and their pets wind up in rescues or shelters.

AAHA recently published an online article titled No Pets Allowed: Renting With Pets, which includes bargaining chips like separate security deposits for pets, contact information for previous landlords who let you rent with pets, and more. If you or someone you know is looking for a new rental home that will let you keep your pets, AAHA's article (and list of additional online references) is worth checking out.

Record Heat Starts Early, Pets Not Happy

2011-05-31T23:09:34-04:00

The warm weather rolled into the Northeast this weekend, and the Weather Channel is reporting that temperatures are going to stay high for a big chunk of the U.S. for this whole week. It was so warm and humid here in Connecticut this weekend that we were told all the animals at the Middlesex Livestock Auction -- which unfortunately included small animals like guinea pigs -- were suffering in the heat.

It's usually July before I have to do my annual reminder of "warm weather care" tips, but this is the second bout of hot weather we've had -- hot enough to require air conditioning -- and it's only May 31! So I guess I'll do this early.

Guinea pigs' ideal temperature range is 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Middle-aged and senior pigs often start "wilting" around 72 degrees.
The farther the thermometer climbs past 75 degrees, the greater the likelihood that a guinea pig will suffer from heat stress, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke (which is frequently fatal).
Hydration is critical. In addition to fresh water in the water bottle, treats like cucumber, seedless watermelon, and cantaloupe or honeydew can provide additional water. Cucumber is particularly good because it isn't sweet.
Cool, climate-controlled rooms provide maximum comfort for your critters and peace of mind for you. Using window blinds to filter the incoming sunlight, or block it on extremely hot days, can help maintain a room's climate.

Summer is always challenging for those of us with pets, and even moreso when you have aging or ailing pets (of any species) who are less tolerant of heat and humidity. Our efforts are hampered by the fact that actual temperatures often exceed forecasted temps, making us feel like we're playing guessing games while teetering on a tightrope. Regardless of what species pet(s) you have, knowing the warning signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke will help you keep your companions healthy.

Brace yourselves...it's shaping up to be a looooong, hot summer.

Related Posts

My Guinea Pigs Are Rejecting Their Hay

2011-05-11T23:30:00-04:00

A number of folks have been contacting me offline, perplexed about why their guinea pigs have started refusing to eat their hay, even when it's a brand they've been buying for awhile, even when by all appearances the hay seems like it's a good quality.

So What's Going On?

The reason could be anything from pure finickiness (e.g., your guinea pig is bored with the menu selection) to an actual problem with the hay. Guinea pigs have far more sophisticated and sensitive palates than humans give them credit for. And, let's face it, we humans are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to hay. We can make assessments based on sight, smell, and touch, but we're missing the most crucial sensory judgment: taste. A bag of hay can be soft, green, dry, and clean, but it might not taste good, it might not taste like anything at all, or it might have a taste that your guinea pigs don't like. And you don't know how it tastes until you buy it and give it to your pigs.

Mother Nature has full control over the taste of hay and she can throw farmers a full season of blessings, a full season of curveballs and curses, or a mixed bag of both in a single season. Weather in a "normal" season presents a lot of variables, and the crazy weather we've been seeing in recent years (including pockets of drought in the Western U.S.) increase the variables exponentially.

Mother Nature might turn out a good hay harvest, but all the variables that went into a harvest might have created a flavor your critters don't like. My pigs have liked hay that the rescue pigs didn't like, and vice versa. Both groups of pigs have turned up their noses at hay that rabbits and chinchillas in area rescues loved. Go figure.

Sometimes Mother Nature created great conditions for hay but something else in the process went wrong. Hay was cut too soon or too late. Mistakes in storage, problems in distribution/transit. If the hay suffered because of clear operational mistakes, good companies will try to make things right if you complain. (If the hay suffered because of Mother Nature...well...we're all still looking for Her Gmail address.)

Reviewing the Basics

You want hay that is green, dry, non-dusty, and soft. You never want yellow hay (old hay is yellow or beige in color), nor do you want hay that is moldy, damp, or wet (or that has been wet recently). Good hay smells fresh, like it just came in from a sunny field; it should not smell moldy, wet, old, or musty.

You also want hay that is soft, not full of stems and stalks. "Stalky" or "crunchy" hay can injure the inside of a guinea pig’s mouth, an injury that almost always leads to infection and too often requires surgery to clean up. Look for hay that is labeled “second cut” or “third cut” to ensure the softest possible hay.

If you know anyone who works with or owns horses, ask them to give you some help with the "smell test" on hay. Horse people have excellent noses for sniffing out good and bad hay…and often can pick up on the same nuances in smell that their animals can. Over the years, I've had many visits to Cindy's house start with her grabbing a handful of hay from a newly arrived bale and saying one of three things:

"Smell this hay, it's fantastic!"
"Smell this hay, it's awful!"
"Smell this hay, I don't think they stored it very well in the warehouse."

Hay in the first two categories was always easy for me to pick out, but Cindy refined my sense of smell with "iffy" hay. She can open a box of hay and tell you if it's starting to mold, if it got a little damp in storage, sat in the fields too long or not long enough after being cut, or was victim to some other storage mistake. It's hard to know if she's part horse or part guinea pig, but she's definitely got a nose for hay that isn't 100% human.

Look for Different Brands or Different Varieties

Honestly, the best hay is rarely found in big box stores. Too often, you see bags of yellow or brown hay on their shelves that should be pulled or should never have been put there in the first place. Most of the green timothy hay you find is "first cut" hay that is the crunchy and stalky variety that rabbits prefer but that guinea pigs won't pick if they have a choice.

In smaller, independent pet or pet supply stores, you start finding a larger variety of brands, like Oxbow, Zupreem, and Sweet Meadow Farm. With the independent stores, you often can work with the owners to special-order specific brands or bulk sizes (25 pounds or more) as part of their usual weekly deliveries (thus saving you the high UPS Ground or FedEx Ground costs). In more agricultural areas, owners can find bales of good, locally grown, second-cut timothy hay.

A lot of us order exclusively online from operations like Massachusetts-based Sweet Meadow Farm, Nevada-based American Pet Diner, Nebraska-based Oxbow Hay, or Washington-based Kleenmama’s Hayloft. We each have our favorite farm operations because we've found their quality to be consistent year after year, and know they offer second-cut (and, sometimes, third-cut) hay that we can't find in stores. Additionally, through their Web sites, you can find options that add variety to your piggie’s diet (e.g., meadow grass hay, orchard grass hay, bluegrass hay, mountain grass hay) that might not be stocked in any of the local stores.

When it comes to hay, you may have to brace yourself for some trial and error until you find a hay that your critters like. If you have friends who own critters who eat hay, it might be worth having a sharing/swapping circle in which to pass along otherwise good hay that, for whatever reason, your pets just didn't like. And, barring that, your local rescues would welcome the donation of hay (for which you could claim a tax deduction).

So, what about you? Are these isolated incidents I've heard about recently, or are they part of a larger problem with the hay harvests last fall? Are your guinea pigs turning away from their hay, or still inhaling it as usual?

Thoughts & Prayers Needed For The Cozy Cavy

2011-04-28T12:23:48-04:00

For those of us enslaved by our guinea pigs, dedicated to spoiling them at every opportunity, Marsha Weaver and The Cozy Cavy down in Alabama is a go-to source for comfortable indulgences. Devoted to her own guinea pigs, Marsha has always been very supportive of rescues throughout the years...including ours. Just this past Monday, she'd announced a customer appreciation sale to thank folks for helping her build a beloved and well-respected small business.

And now she needs our support, thoughts, and prayers.

The Cozy Cavy's Facebook page this morning (Thursday) is reporting that Marsha's home was wiped out by one of the many tornadoes that have been stampeding across Alabama. Marsha, her husband, her kids, and their dog are safe, but her daughter was badly injured (and is in the hospital) and the family dog was injured on one side of his face (and may lose his eye).

The family has lost their home, their car, and most likely their piggies (their "little kids"). Quoting Marsha's sister's post on Facebook: "I am really not sure about the "little kids". I am praying that perhaps they made it, but honestly I don't think they could have. From what I can tell...the house is gone and only the cement slab remains."

This is every family's nightmare. It is every pet owner's nightmare. It is every business owner's nightmare. One day you're happy in the company of loved ones and beloved pets, living in a good home, and celebrating success. A day or two later, everything is gone in minutes.

Folks, this is my personal appeal for a woman I am fond of and grateful to. If there's a prayer group in your church or your temple, pray for the Weavers and all the other victims in the South and the Midwest. If you have some money to spare, donate it to the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, or whatever other aid organization is working down there that you want to support. (You can also donate to a campaign started for Marsha over at Sponsor A Guinea Pig.) If you live down there and your life and belongings and companions are all still where they're supposed to be, volunteer to help with the cleanup and the rebuilding; to bring warm food, clean clothes, and even hugs; or to offer temporary shelter if you have it to give.

For whatever reason, Mother Nature is on the warpath. She's doing a helluva of job of "housecleaning," and seems okay with tearing apart lives in the process. Houses and lives will eventually get rebuilt, but I'm hoping that something even bigger and more transformative will happen in the process: that we'll get back to basics, to the things we learned in kindergarten, in Sunday school, at our parents' knees. That obsessive attachments to computers, cell phones, texting, emailing, social networking, and all the rest of the technology-driven stuff give way to the face-to-face relationships. That we get back to "Love thy neighbor" the old-fashioned way. Techology is useful, even in times like these, but it will never be a substitute for the human touch -- and right now, that's what is needed the most.

For all of us whose lives are still intact, may we take the time today...and each day going forward...to express love to our human and animal companions, to be grateful for what we have, and to be supportive when we're needed.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for offering whatever help you can.