The First Texel

 I watched and waited all week. I did half hourly checks, I made hubby check, I sent my daughter down to check. I watched and waited some more. On Thursday I gave in to temptation and went out for the day to finish the Christmas shopping. So of course mid-morning I get a phone call from hubby to say that my babies had finally arrived.

Caring for Boars

Clean the Anal Sac
This should be done about every three weeks, more often in older boars who have lost some elasticity in their muscles and are more prone to impaction. Have your mineral oil and q-tips ready, then place piggy on your lap with his back resting up against you so his back is supported because, of course, his spine does not bend backwards. Then use one hand to gently pull the anus back so you expose as much of the sac as possible – do not be rough here as you don’t want to stretch out piggy, but you do want to make sure the sac is being cleaned well. With the other hand, dip the q-tip in the mineral oil and insert it into the anal opening, then scoop all around to move any debris from the sac. Sometimes there will be a lot of build up and you will have to repeat the process with several q-tips. Just do this until the q-tip comes out clean. - See more at: http://www.guineapigtoday.com/2012/07/09/tips-your-male-guinea-pigs-routine-boar-cleanings/#sthash.bqbOdcnv.dpuf

Boar cleaning is unpleasant but necessary. If you find the whole scenario overwhelming than perhaps owning boars isn't for you. Your only other option is to pay a vet to do it. You don't have to do it every week or even every month. If you are squeamish you can con a friend into helping you for moral support. It is a good idea to do this in a quiet area, where you have access to clean water. I would also recommend wearing gloves. 

Preparing to Show

Preparing to show your cavies for the first time may seem quite scary. The truth is, all experienced breeders once upon a time had no idea what they were doing either. I am absolutely not an expert but as is the creed of this blog, I will share with you, what I have learned so far.

The Day My First Pedigree Babies Arrived.

October 26 2013 it finally happened. After what has felt like the longest pregnancy on the planet my sweet sow YoYoMar "Night Star" finally gave birth to a litter of four sheltie pups. The sire for this litter is Carrara "Lord Seraphim".

Winter is Gone

With Summer fast approaching we decided it was time to give our thick coated pet texel boy Zavier a hair-cut. With my newborn bub not wanting to leave the snug security of her baby sling and my husband and I assuming it would be quite tricky for me to play hairdresser with a baby strapped to my chest, hubby kindly offered to do the honors.   

A Simple Cavy Health Chart

An incredibly important aspect of animal husbandry is data organisation. Knowing exactly what your animals needs are requires a picture perfect memory or an effective management system. Like many aspects of cavy keeping this is another of those topics where everyone in the fancy has their own personal style and methods that work for them. If you are new to cavy keeping you might not yet have anything in mind. This blog, is for you. 

Boys Will Be Boys

My mother came around this afternoon and put a pet carrier down on my floor. "Oooh!" I exclaimed excitedly "Did you get a new piggie?".... "No!" she declared. "I did not. Now, I want you to look at this pig and tell me what I want to hear." I dutifully checked over her healthy crested sow. Glossy eyes, shiny coat, nice weight..... hmmm.... rounded belly.... I couldn't help the grin from spreading across my face. "Yes, she's well conditioned" I said, "Um, did Charlotte happen to have a boar in her last litter?" "Yes" said Mum "his name is Mr Pickles because he's such a gentleman.  I burst out laughing. "It isn't funny" said Mum and to be honest, in this case, technically she is right. 

Pandas Might Eat Bamboo But Cavies Do Too.

 Bamboo, until recently was not a plant that I had considered to be a food option for my cavies. After coming across it in several online articles and blog posts, I decided to do some research.

Lilac and Gold Are Such Pretty Colours.

This week saw me bring home some stud additions. Now I was definitely not planning on traveling anywhere to pick up any guinea pigs this week being that I am now 38 weeks pregnant. However, I simply could not pass this little group up. If you read my blog regularly, you would know Minnie and Balthasar, my sheltie half-siblings. 

The Outdoor Bay Cages

A while back hubby and I bought two old agricultural show cages from a nearby property. We paid $150 for the pair and at the time, the agreement was for him to have one to store tools and me to have one for converting into a guinea pig hutch. Luckily for me, he decided that I could have both!

Photo Updates - Petrie & Luna, Sprinkles & Toffee.

 This handsome little fella is Petrie. He is not 2 weeks old until tomorrow but already he is feeling a little amorous.

The Pine Cone Experiment

 Lets talk chew toys, made from sea-grass or wooden painted shapes, non-toxic of course or if your cavies are like mine, the inside of the hutch archways. What is cute and a small cost when you have three or four cavies is substantially less cute and more expensive when you have a whole caviary full of piggies. 

Photo Updates

I was busy today taking some update photos, so I thought that I would share them. As you can tell, I have named my two additions from last week. Hard to believe they are one week old already!

Minnie and Zavier's Litter Has Arrived

My beautiful pedigree sheltie has given birth today. I was waiting on her pedigree partner to arrive but when he wasn't yet available and the months rolled by, I came to the decision that a pet litter would be the best choice. This litter effectively eliminates the risk of dystocia, which is most common in sows bred and having their first litter after approximately 6 months of age. Dystocia is the inability of the pubic symphisis to open during labour due to a loss of flexibility that can occur at maturity.

Summer and Zavier Welcome Two New Babies

Pets really are full of surprises. If I had to guess what these babies were going to look like before they arrived, I would have not guessed anything like what I actually got! 

Caring for Cavies in Extreme Cold

If cavies lived in an ideal world, the temperature would never drop below 18'C or above 22'C, with a relative humidity of 45-70% and a 12-16h light/day cycle. In the real world, clearly they can survive conditions that differ from the ideal.  However temperatures over 30'C are not well tolerated, particularly by long haired breeds, older cavies and pregnant sows. Likewise all cavies are more vulnerable particularly older ones and newborns at temperatures below 17'C.

Pedigree Update

YoYoMar "Night Star"

Months of patience have seen me finally blessed with another sheltie sow. This lovely lass has been nicknamed Star. She has a beautiful personality and has settled in really well. This makes her Enchanted Kingdom Cavy Stud's third pedigree sheltie. 

Pet Updates - Chilli, Cayenne and Cocoa.

 The Triplets Cocoa, Chilli and Cayenne - One Day Old

Pet Updates - Hasana and Marduk

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly cavy pups grow. The twins are now six weeks old. Here's some photos of Hasana.

Being a Newcomer to the Cavy Fancy

The cavy fancy really can be a puzzling phenomenon. The goal of the group as a whole, as it seems to me, is to share our enjoyment of and love for cavies. To improve each breed individually and the overall quality of the species. If no-one was fanatical and no-one cared enough to own pedigrees and breed purebred lines imagine what a miss-matched, muddle guinea pigs would be! The same could be said for any species really, dogs, budgerigars, horses. If everyone just cross-bred and pet owned we would undoubtedly of lost the purity of many great lines. So there really is something to be said for the animal elitists.

And Then There Was Biffo!

Summer

It was time for Summer to move into a maternity room in the shed. I had been thinking for some time about how I would rearrange and what would work best. In the end I decided to wire up my recently acquired cage to snake proof it and move Abby and Hasana in. I thought that Wobby and her three triplets might make nice roommates. Abby and Wobby have been together since they were four weeks old right up until they were separated to have their pups. 'Good plan', thought I. How cute it will be to see the mummas and their bubbas all play together. 

Hutches and Bedding

The set up in a caviary is often very different from the arrangements used for one or two pets. When you have lots more of anything, the management system needs to be different. This also applies to animals.

Diet

Just like people, the dietary needs of cavies vary depending on their stage of life. There are many theories and philosophies on what is best. Add this to the selection of pre-mix guinea pig feed varieties available at shops, markets and produce sheds and the decision can soon become confusing and overwhelming. 

Recent Happenings In My Cavy Kingdom

This month brought some more babies. This time a darling set of triplets born to Miss 2's beloved pet Wobby. They are tri-colours and with a merino father (Zavier) and long coat genetic's carrying mother, it will be a waiting game to see whether they get long coats or not.

An Expedition To A Cavy Show

Attending my first cavy show was an absolute delight. Tash and I travelled down to Ipswich for the event, which luckily for us featured an interstate judge who will also be judging at Nationals. He had attracted the attention of stud owners from all over who were keen to hear his opinion. This had resulted in a show with above average numbers and a fantastic range of breeds to admire. 

Caring For Cavy Pups

Much like human babies guinea pig pups have been listening to your voices for quite a while from in their mother's womb. They are no stranger to you or your family. Gentle handling of baby guinea pigs from early on makes them very calm and easygoing with people. 

Marduk and Hasana

 We have named our little darlings Hasana and Marduk. 

“Marduk” was born on the 13-05-2013 under the sign of the Taurus. The sign for Taurus is the bull and the name Marduk literally translates to ‘bull calf of the sun.’ In Sumerian mythology Marduk was a deity of fertility and storms. He was patron deity of the city of Babylon and referred to as Bel-Marduk (Bel meaning ‘Lord’)

My Very First Cavy Babies!

It's official! The Cavy Kingdom's first pups have arrived. Two beautiful little darlings. I am going to double check their genders this evening and then decide on names. For now, I have some lovely photographs to share.

Breeding

My sheltie sow Minnie

The breeding of guinea pigs is part of a moral debate regarding ethics, responsibility, risks and reasons to do so. Many breeders, who understand the process and all risks involved, do attempt to educate those who own guinea pigs as pets on the reasons why it is ill advised. I am sure to outsiders this must seem a little hypocritical; however breeders do have very good reasons for their deterrence’s. 

Guinea Pigs Like All Types Of Leaves

Grass in particular is a favourite with guinea pigs. Everyone knows that. What about other leaves though?

Too Cute For Words

Yesterday I was invited to Tash's house to take photos of her lovely piggies. She has some new babies that are just delightful and their cuteness is so overwhelming that I just had to share! 

Duty Calls

Today my piggies were due for check-ups. This means weighing and worming them, clipping toenails, trimming hair and boar cleaning.

It All Started With Zavier

Like many cavy fanciers, my interest started with repeated requests from my eleven year old daughter to have pet guinea pigs. After explaining that we needed to be properly set up before bringing home new pets and how taking care of guinea pigs would require a commitment to caring for them that would need to be honored, a day out at the markets with friends changed everything.