On Apr 26, 12:43=A0am, Scorpio <mwhit...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Apr 26, 2:49=A0am, Ted <Heather_pell...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Apr 22, 8:16=A0pm, Scorpio <mwhit...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > > On Apr 23, 5:02=A0am, Rosie <rosie_...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > > > Mine have always drunk from their water bottle, I'd say roughly
100m=
l
> > > > each per day - depending on temperature of room etc. It also
varies =
a
> > > > lot with each pig.
>
> > > > If the bottle is full right to the top when you change it, that
shou=
ld
> > > > help it not to drip.
>
> > > > They also get a certain amount of liquid from any veggies/fruit
that=
> > > > you give them.
>
> > > > How old are your piggies?
>
> > > Well that's the thing...I didn't ask when I bought them. It seems I
> > > didn't ask a lot of things. =A0I'm learning so much along the way.
=A0=
I
> > > know the little one was 6 months old when we got him and the big
one?
> > > That's anyone's guess...
>
> > > Megan
>
> > The very minimum that a pig should get is 40ml per day but like Rosie
> > says 100 ml would be desirable. In reality it depends on the ambient
> > temperature - it's hotter in Nz and in the Uk my pigs would usually go
> > for about 80 mls each. It's true to say that the more a pig drinks,
> > the longer their life will be, so if you can't them to drink plenty
> > from the bottle, try and make sure they get water in other ways: my
> > pigs loved melon or for a lower calorie approach cu***ber and celery
> > are good. Pigs who don't drink enough are more prone to kidney stones.
> > The colour of their wee depends on what they've eaten ( I especially
> > used to notice this with my rabbits) - the calcium salts can be
> > removed from the cage (if it's plastic) with citric acid/ sulfamic
> > acid based cleaners. You must be sure to rinse with water several
> > times to remove every last drop. If the cage is wooden, don't try
> > these cleaners or they will build up in the wood. It's best to line
> > wood with thick newspaper to avoid getting the deposits in the first
> > place. =A0You can stop the bottle leaking as follows: Fill it and
screw
> > the top on - turn it upside down to check it is running freely by
> > watching a few drips come - place your finger firmly over the spout
> > pressing the ball valve in and blocking the spout - them squeeze the
> > bottle gently with the spout blocked - then =A0stop squeezing the
bottle=
> > - now take your finger off the spout - hey presto you should have
> > created a slight vacuum in the bottle which will be better at
> > retaining the fluid until the piggie comes. Now check that by rolling
> > your finger over the ball valve, that you can still get water to come
> > out (as pig would). It's im****tant to see how much they are drinking
> > and also keep their house as dry as poss. Another im****tant point is
> > to always check that the bottle spout is not blocked with food
> > particles. Use pipecleaners/cotton buds and soapy water to clean the
> > spouts and long thin flexible brushes to clean the bottles regularly.
> > I occasionally used Miltons (baby bottle) sterilising fluid to clean
> > the bottles but as the spout is metal you shouldn't really leave the
> > spout under the solution for more than a minute or two. Rinse
> > thoroughly.
> > Piggies, like us can develop diabetes - if your pig seems to drink
> > large amounts for no apparent reason, this could be the case. You can
> > buy dipstick tester strips from the Pharmacy and test for glucose in
> > the urine. In a healthy pig, there should be none. Research has shown
> > that certain commercial food mixes (espec those with lots of colours
> > in) can make a pig more prone to diabetes.- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> Fantastic sourse of information as usual thank you Heather.
>
> Megan- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
The reason that the spouts of the bottles sometimes get blocked is
that piggies 'pouch' some of their food in their cheeck pouches. They
don't swallow everything like us. So when they drink from the bottles
they have already got a mouthful of food! Not sure why they do this
but it can lead to sore ulcerated mouths/oral fungal
infections. When they go off their food, towel wrap them, lay them on
their back on soft cu****on, gently open the mouth (if they will let
you!! - the vet uses a spring clip to hold the mouth open - my pigs
trusted me) and clean the inside of the mouth with damp cotton buds
moistened with cooled pre - boiled water. When clean, check for
soreness/white patches. See vet. It can be easily treated usually with
Daktarin oral gel (again applied with the cotton buds). The most
im****tant advice I can give is to find a Vet who is experienced with
small rodents. Most vets aren't and you will end up with missed/false
diagnoses. Guineas are some of the easiest 'patients' to treat as they
are sweet and compliant especially when they are ill.
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