Raising a piggy in India

Pimpinpuji

Post   » Sun Jul 21, 2013 1:47 pm


Vallaria and ag_14, all the best with your piggies!

Pushkar, they didn't chew the cardboard, because the walls were quite high. It's not as good as coroplast/sunboard, but it will make do until you can get some.

TANVI

Post   » Sat Oct 12, 2013 10:41 am


Hello I am a guinea pig owner in India, Nagpur. According to symptoms I think he is suffering from stones can you please suggest me any good Vet. I m tiered finding a good Vet for small exotic animals like guinea pig but all I get here is Vet for dogs.
Please do inform me if you know any. I am fed up of all those dog vets experimenting on my small guinea pig.

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JudiL-MetroGPRescue
Poop Obsessed

Post   » Sat Oct 12, 2013 9:56 pm



Pooja Mehta

Post   » Wed Dec 04, 2013 6:13 pm


TANVI- It is very difficult to find an exotic animals vet in India. All of us are facing the same problem :(

What I do is explain the condition of my piggies on the medical forum here, gather how much ever advice and information I can and then take my piggies to the vet. Feel free to ask any questions arising in your mind to the vet because you don't want your piggy to be wrongly treated. I almost questioned a vet on his practice for subscribing penicillin drugs to my piggies.

Have you opened a medical thread on your piggy? If not, please do so. People here are more than willing to help :)

Pimpinpuji

Post   » Sun Dec 15, 2013 10:49 am


Pooja, great reply!

Tanvi, it's all about trial and error - and LOTS of continuous google searches. Keep looking in all the posh areas, where people tend to have exotic pets and expect better quality of care. Call the veterinary colleges and hospitals, which may be able to refer you. Many of the better vets are on facebook now, too. Give it a try!

Madoverguinea

Post   » Sun Dec 29, 2013 1:15 pm


Hey i am from Goa, India. My guinea pig is unwell. There are no vets here who are experienced in handling guineas. He wont eat solid food, has weight loss and wont sleep on his sides. He had a swollen belly few months back but the vet here was able to cure it however the vet has no clue about the problem now. can you please suggest a good vet who treats guinea pigs in or near Goa?

Pimpinpuji

Post   » Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:12 pm


I just noticed your post, Madoverguinea! Did you by chance post this question in the medical and emergency forum? I hope everything worked out alright!

SeaBabu

Post   » Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:01 am


I also live in India (Andhra Pradesh) and am interested in Guinea Pigs. I am trying to learn as much as possible before I make the decision to get some, so I am very happy to have found this thread and site.

Reading through this thread, I have a few questions:

1. A few years have gone by since this was started--what are people doing for hay now? Checking for online shops, I haven't been able to find much that looks promising. Is fresh bermuda grass, which someone mentioned upthread, a viable substitute for Timothy hay?

2. Same thing for pellets--is it possible to keep the piggies healthy without them? Again, the online sites don't look too promising to keep a regular supply.

3. Has anyone tried feeding them drumsticks? They certainly would provide a lot of fiber plus they have Vitamin C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drumstick_ ... Drumsticks

4. Finally, how do your piggies cope with the heat??? Here in Andhra my house is rarely cooler than 80F/26C, and in summer it can get as hot as 105F/40C! 24-hour A/C is not an option for either human beings or piggies, though they could have a fan and other low-tech options most of the time.

A healthy diet and coping with the heat seem to be the biggest issues at this point; all else should be manageable. Thanks in advance for any more advice you can give.

SeaBabu

Post   » Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:10 am


Sorry, I don't know what is happening here. I wrote a lot in the post above, but it is showing up blank. I can edit the text I wrote but it is not posting.

SeaBabu

Post   » Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:11 am


Okay, here is what I wrote above:

I also live in India (Andhra Pradesh) and am interested in Guinea Pigs. I am trying to learn as much as possible before I make the decision to get some, so I am very happy to have found this thread and site.

Reading through this thread, I have a few questions:

1. A few years have gone by since this was started--what are people doing for hay now? Checking for online shops, I haven't been able to find much that looks promising. Is fresh bermuda grass, which someone mentioned upthread, a viable substitute for Timothy hay?

2. Same thing for pellets--is it possible to keep the piggies healthy without them? Again, the online sites don't look too promising to keep a regular supply.

3. Has anyone tried feeding them drumsticks? They certainly would provide a lot of fiber plus they have Vitamin C.

4. Finally, how do your piggies cope with the heat??? Here in Andhra my house is rarely cooler than 80F/26C, and in summer it can get as hot as 105F/40C! 24-hour A/C is not an option for either human beings or piggies, though they could have a fan and other low-tech options most of the time.

A healthy diet and coping with the heat seem to be the biggest issues at this point; all else should be manageable. Thanks in advance for any more advice you can give.
***
Sorry for the triple post on my debut.

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rshevin

Post   » Wed Mar 12, 2014 10:04 am


I would think long and hard about getting a guinea pig if access to hay is a concern. Grass doesn't really substitute because it's nearly impossible to get it in sufficient quantities. Guineas eat a LOT of hay.

Pellets you can work around if you have good access to high quality vegetables and fruits and are willing to do the work and expense, but hay is an absolute necessity.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Mar 12, 2014 10:30 am


Also, every poster we've had from India both here and at Guinea Pig Cages has had a LOT of trouble finding decent vet care, especially for dental issues. Your pig may live its whole life without needing a vet, but if it does, a vet that specializes in exotics is needed, and regular vets won't have the equipment needed to treat them.

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