Weigh in

[Custard, enjoying the cooler afternoon today]


The weigh in for Saturday the 19th November 2011:

*** Liam's Love Shack ***
Liam is 950g (gain 20g) - 32wks (7.5m)
Sparrow is 1010g (loss 15g) - 33wks (7.5m)
Crumble is 1100g (same) - 51wks (11.5m)


*** Sprout's Pad ***
Sprout is 910g (same) - 33wks (7.5m)
Romeo is 375g (loss 25g) - 7wks (1.5m)


*** Malakai's Quarters ***
Malakai is 720g (loss 10g) - 16wks (3.5m)
Millicent is 650g (same) - 16wks (3.5m)
Peppa is 1020g (lost 70g) - 1yr
Molly is 590g (lost 25g) - 14wks (3m)


*** Violet's Arrangement ***
Violet is 630g (gained 25g) - 18wks (4m)
Pooh Bear is 1030g (gained 300g) - on loan


*** Girl's Mansion ***
Alba is 930g (lost 20g) - 38wks (8.5m)
Alice is 875g (gain 25g) - 41wks (9.5m)
Bonnie is 1310g (gained 60g) - 25wks (5.5m) - (Heavily Pregnant, due end Nov)
Chloe is 340g (gain 20g) - 7wks (1.5m)
*Custard is 1010g (gained 20g) - 4.5yrs
*Demi is 420g (gained 50g) - 8wks (1.5m)
Elodie is 725g (gained 10g) - 16wks (3.5m)
Galaxy was 980g (gain 30g)- 45wks (10.5m)
Ginger is 1375g (gained 20g) - 35wks (8m) - (pregnant, due approx 2/12)
*Ivy is 465g (gained 75g) - 8wks (1.5m)
Jasmine is 385g (gain 20g) - 9wks (2m)
Lavender Mist is 680g (gained 15g) - 14wks (3m)
Leilani is 890g (gained 15g) - 22wks (5m)
Lotus is 460g (gained 5g) - 8wks (1.5m)
Ruby is 975g (gained 5g) - 35wks (8m)
Sheba is 1030g (gain 20g) - 43wks (10m)
Subi is 1180g (lost 15g) - 2.5yrs
Tigerlily is 470g (gain 50g) - 8wks (1.5m)
Twizzle is 490g (gain 25g) - 8wks (1.5m)
Yeti is 880g (gain 10g) - 24wks (5.5m)
Zinnia is 470g (gain 30g) - 8wks (1.5m)


***Re-homing/Foster Pigs***
Rafia is 720g (gained 45g) - 11wks (2.5m) - (pregnant, due approx 8/12)
Lulu is 780g (gained 40) - 12wks (2.5m) - (pregnant, due approx 5/12)
Olivia is 350g (gain 45g) - 6wks (1.5m) - (On Hold)
Tabitha is 235g (gain 30g) - 3wks - (treating for mites)
Xeraphina is 390g (gain 50g) 6wks - (treating for mites)


***New Mums***
Phoebe is now 725g (same) - 31wks (7m) - (nursing)
Noah is 150g (gained 60g) - 1wk
Nixie is 150g (gained 55g) - 1wk

Delilah is 705g (lost 30g) - approx 1yr - (nursing)
Sadie is 235g (gained 60g) - 3wks
Suri is 250g (gained 60g) - 3wks

A bit of a so-so week of gains this week. The new girls being treated for mites are doing well though, and so are Phoebe's bubs - HUGE gains for such tiny creatures!


We had a bit of an incident with our free-ranging this afternoon too. I thought I'd latched Malakai's cage properly after topping up their grain (especially now that he sits inside the perimeter area of the mansion cage), but I hadn't! And yes, he did what any male guinea pig would do - he realised he could get out, and he found himself some willing partners! Thankfully I was there, filling up water bottles and grain bowls when I heard the ruckus, but after checking the nether-regions of the lady's in question (Alice and Galaxy), I do believe he may have hit his target! Cheeky little bugger. We still don't know if he's actually 'live' yet though, so it may have just been a test-run, so to speak. But I do know that I'll be doubled checking those latches from now on!

Not such a problem when everyone's safely locked away in their cages - all he would have done is go for a bit of a walk in the safety of the perimeter area. It was just one of those moments where everything just worked out for Mr Malakai! :P

To be honest, my main concern was more about Alice and Galaxy only just having had their litters a few months ago. I like to give my girls a bit more of a break then that usually! I have been reading a very informative document - 'Advanced Guide to Keeping Cavies' by another Brisbane Cavy Breeder though, and he explains how a female shouldn't be in show condition (ie. nice and fat) before falling pregnant due to the possible complications from carrying the extra weight. He explains that he actually gets his girls to loose a bit of condition before they're put in for breeding. And here I was trying to get my girls back into full-fatness between litters!

What I've taken away from that piece of information is that perhaps having a blanket-rule of '4 month break between litters' isn't going to work every time. Some mum's might need the full 4 months to recover, while others might get too conditioned/fat over that time. That's what I'm telling myself right now anyways - until I know if Malakai's misadventures have amounted to anything in a few weeks time! :P

Still, there was a lot of VERY interesting reading in the e-book. I'd recommend it if you're interested in the finer points of genetics: coat types, dominant/recessive genes/ colour inheritance etc. You do have to remember that it is one person's opinion though, and I don't agree with everything written, but it certainly gave me some information/guidance that I wasn't aware of already. There's always something to learn, no matter how long you've been in the game! :P


And after that rather long-winded ramble, I'll keep my next few captions short! These are just some shots of captured of Ginger this afternoon - showing off that incredible belly! I'm actually thinking we might have 5 babies... at least! This will definitely be a birth I'll need to be present for!






And Bonnie has surprised me by starting to open her pelvic bone this week too. I first noticed it earlier in the week, and decided to bring her inside for monitoring last night. She's continuing to open, and may possibly have her babies in the next few days. OR - she might do a 'Ruby' on me, and hold onto her litter for the next two weeks before her estimated due date! :P

(I had to include this pic too - it looks like Phoebe is telling Bonnie what to expect from birth... Bonnie looks a bit shocked!)


creatures!

A piggy weigh in on my birthday

The weigh in for Monday 18th July 2011 (my birthday!):


Sprout is 400g (lost 110g) - 14wks
Sparrow is 695g (gained 65g) - 14wks
Liam is 670g (gained 3g) - 15wks
Ruby is 810g (gained 55g) - 17wks
Ginger is 800g (gained 50g) - 17wks
Kobe is 685g (lost 25g) - 20wks
Alice is 725g (gained 75g) - 22wks
Beeno is 725g (gained 50g) - 20wks
Alba is 735g (gained 70g) - 20wks
Custard is 965g (gained 40g) - 4.5yrs
Subi is 1.065kg (gained 35g) - 2yrs
Bonnie is 575g (gained 80g) - 7wks
Galaxy is 755g (gained 35g) - 29wks
Sheba is 770g (gained 105g) - 25wks
Crumble is 1020g (gained 80g) - 33wks
Yeti is 320g (gained 65g) - 7wks


Total piggy weight 11.715kg (total weekly gain of 690g across 16 guinea pigs)


So, as you can probably see, poor little Sprout has dropped further to a low of 400g. He's been sitting at this weight for a few days now without dropping any further so I'm hoping to see an increase soon. He is eating spontaneously, though not as much as usual. And he doesn't seem as listless. He has a decent set of lungs on him too, and scream/squeals when I take Kobe out to weigh her as well. These two are quite bonded I think. I'm a little worried at her second weight loss this week though. That's 30g lost over the last fortnight (which doesn't seem like much in comparison to Sprout's loss of 150g, but is still a bit concerning). She seems physically fine, so I'm hoping it's just a stress thing because her buddy isn't well and that she'll pick up when he does.







The rest of the pigs seem really good. They all spent the day on the grass again today, enjoying the winter sunshine. The babies (Yeti and Bonnie) gorge themselves on the grass! Come the afternoon when it's time to put everyone back in the mansion, their little bellies feel like they are bursting at the seams! Yeti's fur is getting longer and crazier. I have honestly never seen anything like her before. Liam's fur (my pedigree Texel) grows in long, soft ringlets/spiral curls. Yeti's fur is like black wool, growing in clumps/clusters. It's quite funky.



(I had to pop this photo in here too... I love it when the pigs all squish up. And yet again, Galaxy manages to get in the shot!)

I've been keeping an eye on Custard too. Her hair got quite sparse last week, but is growing back now. With her colouring, the new hairs start out a darker shade of cream, then get lighter as the hair gets longer/older. So the new patches of hair are quite visible. I've done a bit of reading about it, and I think she probably has an ovarian cyst. That would explain the hair loss, her continually doing the 'horny dance' to the other girls, and her pudgy belly. At this stage she seems comfortable and happy though, and the others tolerate her eccentricities, so I don't think it is worth stressing out an old girl like her to get it removed. We'll just keep an eye on her too.

A bit of my own sewing

I managed to track down some soft polar fleece blankets at K-mart yesterday for a bargain $3 each, so thought I'd have a play around at making a few more cuddle sacks for the pigs. Now that the old sacks are suspended from the roof, keeping the openings open, they are getting used everyday! Each morning I have to go in and tip out the collection of poos in the bottom of them all! I'm glad they're using them though.




This one is just like the cuddle sack's I purchased from The Creative Cavy. Only I didn't think about my measurements as well as I should have, and mine ended up a little shallower with a much fatter roll (and I was too lazy to finish the edges!). The super-stuffed roll top has helped it stay open though, you can see little Miss Alba quite well in there without anything propping it up. I still suspended it from the roof of the cage like the other bags though, as it will get floppier over time and trampled from use. This one took about 15mins from start to finish.



Then I thought I'd be a little more adventurous and try a triangle design with wire support. This took about 2 hours - stop and start due to baby related distractions! I just cut three rectangles, and sewed them long sides together to make a triangle shaped tube. Then I cut two triangles to fit the ends, sewed a circle in the middle of one and cut out the inside. Sewed the triangles to the ends of the tube and turned it out through the circle hole.






Then I bent together a frame out of wire making sure the sharp edges were tucked in and wrapped around so the pigs can't hurt themselves, positioned it inside of the house, and then sewed around the seams to keep it in place - also making sure no raw edges were exposed. I'm happy with this design, but I'll need thicker wire if I do it next time, it's still a little floppy.



Here is Custard doing some modelling for me. She seemed to like it. When I put it in the cage though, Alice claimed it as hers. :P

Stress in the Mansion!

Today's Weigh in:

Sprout is 415g (gained 45g) - 8wks
Sparrow is 430g (gained 10g) - 8wks
Liam is 490g (gained 30g) - 9wks
Ruby is 595g (gained 10g) - 11wks
Ginger is 610g (gained 20g) - 11wks
Kobe is 600g (stayed the same) - 14wks
Alice is 565g (gained 40g) - 16wks
Beeno is 550g (gained 35g) - 14wks
Alba is 600g (gained 35g) - 14wks
Custard is 860g (lost 45g) - 4yrs
and Subi is 1.040g 1.235g (lost 195g) - 1-2yrs (gave birth during the week)
Bonnie is 195g (gained 45g) - 5days old

Total piggy weight 6.900kg (total gain 130g)

We had a few losses this week, and some quite minimal gains. I'm wondering if Bonnie's birth has anything to do with that? Obviously Subi lost weight, but maybe the addition of a new baby has thrown a spanner in the works for the others as well? Maybe they're all too busy looking out for Bonnie to eat!? Or maybe Subi has been particularly nasty/bossy with the others this week because Bonnie is around?

(Alice, Alba and Liam, and Beeno and Sprout still gained a reasonable amount and they all live in separate cages, so there might be something to my theory!)

So it seems that the mansion may not be the most restful place to live at the moment. Well, for everyone except for Bonnie! The little porker has gained 45g in the last 5 days! Which is nearly 1/3 of her weight at birth. Wow. I suppose life is good when you're the sole baby of an over-protective (guinea pig) mumma! And when you have 5 other girls to wait on you hand and paw!

The top photo is Custard on 'baby sitting duty' while Subi and the others went outside to eat grass! Instinctively Bonnie stayed behind and buried herself in the straw making little chirping noises. I watched as Custard went back inside the cage and sat with her, cuddling up to her and gently nudging her to the corner to sit down. Pretty extraordinary behaviour for a piggy who's never had a litter before!

My Cuddle Sacks Arrived!

Look what arrived today!!! My bulk order of piggy cuddle sacks!



They are so cute, and so well made! And, biggest bonus of all - the guinea pigs love them! I've never seen these three sit so still and calmly ever!

I put one out in the cage today to see how it would hold up. Custard claimed it as hers and spent ages in there, guarding it from the very curious sniffs and nibbles of the other ladies.





If you're interested in buying one of these for your piggy pal, check out the shop: The Creative Cavy.

Adventures outside the cage!

I thought I'd see if the girls wanted to venture outside of their cage yesterday morning. The grass between the cage and the perimeter fence is getting a little long. The thinking when we set up the cage was to let them eat it down when it got too long, cause getting a mower in there would be rather tricky!

However they weren't interested at all when I first opened the door!

After a while Custard led the way and half of them followed her.



They all went back inside and snuggled in the straw during snooze-time (middle of the day), so I shut the door again. (How cute does Ginger look in her little nest!)



Once the afternoon shadows had spread over the backyard, the girls were active again. This time ALL of them came out within minutes. It's almost like the ones that went out that morning had been bragging about how yummy the grass was!!:P





And yet again, it only took one day for them to cotton on to this new routine. Now all I have to do is open the door and stand back, and they all come running!