[Gpdd] HEALTH: Fugly's feet
Willowstorm25 at aol.com
Willowstorm25 at aol.com
Fri Aug 10 12:52:01 EDT 2007
Hi M,
Sorry, I wasn't intentionally ignorning you. I sincerely didn't have any
firsthand knowlege and thus input on the issue of Fugly's feet. Nonetheless, I
have some speculations I can share.
Do you have him on a mesh floor? This can be causing the soles of his feet
to become callused. Or you may be right, leaving them hangning over the
upper level can be doing it.
I personally am not a fan of "multilevel" pig dwellings. Pigs by nature are
ground dwelling burrowing animals and are not built for climbing ramps or
living at heights. Even though they may use the upper level in the cage if
there is one, being up there puts them at risk of falls and injuries. While
this is only my opinion, the incidence of falls and subsequent injuries is a
matter of fact. But as he is your baby, it is within your judgement as to how
you keep his cage.
To help heal his feet, you may want to put a Cavy Cozy or a Cuddle Cup in
his cage. This way he can give the soles of his feet a break from the hard
floor. Rubbing the soles with vitamin E oil might help, too. I honestly have
never used this on a guinea pig, and don't know if anyone else has, but seeing
as it works well to heal and soften our skin -- and it's all natural -- it
might help Fugly. Check to make sure, though, before you do this, that it is
safe for guinea pigs. I don't see why it wouldn't be, but it never hurts to
double check.
The adequate water and Vitamin C questions are normal, but important health
questions, as a lack of either can cause all kinds of problems in guinea
pigs. Make sure you are giving him both. You can buy children's chewables and
crush them with a mortar-and-pestle and add to his water daily. Or you can
syringe feed it to him. I quarter the 500 mg tablets, crush one quarter per
day and feed a half-syringe full to each of my two pigs. In the US they sell
liquid small animal supplements, but these are expensive, and I have been told
by numerous sources that they grow bacteria quickly after being added to
water.
In any event, I hope this helps. Feel free to write me anytime if you have
any other questions. Take care, and tell Fugly to feel better soon!
Nicholle, Slave to Ryvvir & Chuqui
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