Why are my piggies getting sick?

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:32 am


It's going to freeze overnight for the next couple of nights, so I'm expecting the grass to die. That'll be a shame because Mr. Bubbles and the rest of the piggies have really enjoyed their extended outside grazing time over the past week or so. Luckily, Mr. Bubbles has been eating his hay and lettuce. For the first couple days of his episode, fresh grass was all I could get him to eat. I'd hate to have to force feed him again, so hopefully he keeps it up.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Oct 23, 2020 11:07 pm


Grass is pretty resilient. It still might be good to feed.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Oct 23, 2020 11:11 pm


Can't recall, but have you thought about growing wheatgrass indoors?

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Oct 24, 2020 12:48 am


It was a bit chilly out today, so no outside time. I was able to pick a nice handful of grass and feed it to Mr Bubbles. He liked that. I thought about growing wheat grass, but never got around to trying it. It's just easier to buy a tray of it from the store.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:42 am


Glad there was still some fresh grass to be had!

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sat Oct 24, 2020 2:56 pm


I found a cute hedgehog planter that I plan to use for growing wheatgrass this fall. It has all the makings of a cute Instagram post!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:11 am


Guinea pigs are so vicious when it comes to eating wheatgrass!

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Oct 27, 2020 6:16 pm


Had some sludge looking urine a couple of days ago. It wasn't real bad, but enough to have me concerned. I gave him several syringes full of fresh water throughout the last two days and it cleared up. He's eating and pooping fine. Not sure there's anything else the vet can do for him. I've eliminated the romaine lettuce and parsley from his diet as they're high in calcium. If I can keep him cleared up and his urine normal with that and extra water, I'm going to do it. He actually doesn't mind the water syringe and will take it willingly.

He'll eat green bell pepper, but not the red. Hay, lettuce and a few of his pellets too. He will eat carrots too, but I don't give him a lot of that. He hasn't lost any of his sweet personality through this. He's actually been a real trooper.
Last edited by Renonvsparky on Tue Oct 27, 2020 6:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Oct 27, 2020 6:18 pm


Actually, romaine isn't significantly higher in calcium than other lettuces. There just seems to be something about it that causes excess urinary calcium in some pigs, though not in all. Cilantro does the same thing. Parsley, on the other hand, IS high in calcium.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Oct 27, 2020 6:26 pm


I was giving him romaine because that's all I could get him to eat at the time. Parsley and dandelion greens too, but he's back to eating red and green leaf lettuce now so I haven't given him any of those things in a few days. Even though it's been too cold to have him outside, there's still plenty of green grass to pick and bring to him, so I've been doing that as a treat. The rest of the boys benefit from that too.

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mmeadow
Supporter 2004-2022

Post   » Wed Oct 28, 2020 12:04 am


I harvest green grass from my yard and freeze it. When there's nothing green outside, I take out a handful of frozen grass, rinse it well, and they snarf it right up.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:29 am


I was wondering how well grass would freeze. So you freeze it without rinsing & rinse when you're ready to use it?

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