Review: Super Pet Tropical Fiddle Sticks

Sorry this isn't the best picture! But its basically a bendable wooden thing! (:

So today I stopped by my local Petsmart and after debating whether I should buy this product or not, I decided to buy it because my pigs can hide under this and they can chew on it too! Two in one!
After just a few hours of this being in their cage, THEY LOVE IT! I caught them chewing on this and taking turns going in and out of this! Adorable!

So my pigs have chewed this thing so much in the last couple of hours! They really do love this thing!

So this is basically what the fiddle sticks look like when they aren't bent yet. There is a metal bar holding this together so you can bend it however you want! I really like this because you can change up the way it's positioned! I also like the different colors! This is a great way to add a pop of colors to your cage!

 

This is what it looks like in their cage! I did notice that it didn't really fit them that well so after adjusting a bit, it worked! You do have to experiment on the height of this thing, like if you're guinea pigs can't fit through it, obviously make it bigger!

Overall I would give this product a 4.5 out of 5 stars ONLY because they could have made this a bit bigger because it is made for guinea pigs. I'm pretty sure that they do sell a bigger size but I couldn't find it at Petsmart. If this was bigger than I would definitely

give it a 5 out of 5! I really like this product because it is really colorful and can snazz up your cage! It is a great for your piggie to chew on because if you didn't know, guinea pigs teeth never stop growing! It is also great for a hidey house (if they fit!) So go ahead and pick this up! You won't regret it!

I forgot to mention the price but it was $8 or $9 at my local Petsmart! Link to Fiddle Sticks on Petsmart.com! 

 So I just threw together this review very quickly so there may be some things that I forgot to mention but like I said, go pick this up if you havent because this is a really great product!

*Bonus!*

So I was trying to take a picture of the fiddle sticks inside of the cage and Cocoa just walks right up to the camera and tries to be in the photo! She is such a silly pig! Of course, Cocoa just wanted to sniff at the camera but I thought it was so cute that she walked right in! (: Oh Cocoa...haha

 
Hope you guys enjoyed this review and I'll see you next time! (:

-From CLC (CavyLoverCentral) and Cocoa and Peanut (My pigs!)

 

Answers to Know Your Pig #1

Here are the answers to the Know Your Pig #1!
If you got them right, give your self a pat on the back! (:

1.) Guinea Pigs need Vitamin C supplements 
      a.) True
      b.) False
Guinea pigs cannot produce their own vitamin C and with out it, they can have major health issues!
2.) Guinea pigs like to be alone and are very anti-social
     a.) True
     b.) False
Guinea pigs are VERY social and do better in pairs!

3.) A Store-bought cage is perfect for guinea pigs!
     a.) True
     b.) False
Although they may seem small, they need a big enough cage so they can run around! Most store bough cages are often too small for guinea pigs!
4.) Name two types of bedding that are toxic to guinea pigs.
      1. ____________ 2.) ______________
       1.) Aspen           2.) Pine
These beddings can be toxic to your piggie! Do not use them! 
 
5.) If guinea pigs are outside, do not put them in grass that has been
      a.) Chemically treated and fertilized
      b.) Watered by the sprinklers
      c.) Eaten by other piggies
      d.) None of the above
Always make sure that your grass has not been chemically treated or fertilized! Guinea pigs love being outside and they love eating grass!

 BONUS! (:

What is the minimum cage size for two guinea pigs?
7.5 is the minimum but the more, the better!

Small Pet Select Hay Package First Impression, Comparison and Review!

So today I got two packages from Small Pet Select. If you don't already know SPS, they are a small animal lover website and they provide great small pet information. They do have a shop and their most popular item is their farm fresh timothy hay! They also sell a variety of things like key chains, earrings, necklaces, etc.
Website: http://smallpetselect.com/ Subscribe to their newsletter as well! (:
Check out their timothy hay here: http://smallpetselect.com/timothy-hay/
Check out their shop here: http://shop.smallpetselect.com/All-Products_c_10.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmallPetSelect?fref=ts

Note: All of these opinions are mine. I was sent this to try and review and these are 100% my opinions.

So I got this timothy hay to try out and review on my blog. When I opened the bag, the smell of timothy hay was very strong and it smelled very fresh. I currently use the Kaytee Timothy Hay that can be bought at Walmart. Usually the hay is dried out and hard but this time the Kaytee Hay was surprisingly fresh and soft. 

Here is a comparison and unfortunately because of the lighting, it is difficult to see the color difference but if you can see that the SPS hay is much much greener than the Kaytee Hay. Although both of the hays are soft, I think the SPS hay looks so much fresher and much greener than the Kaytee hay. However both hays are pretty good and both my piggies like them! I think sometimes however, in Kaytee hay there is way too many dried out pieces of hay and sometimes they scratch me! ): I don't like my pigs eating that. 

I know you can buy better hay at the Pet store but Small Pet Select's hay is worth its money and its FRESH! It is also 100% natural and it is packaged by the people from SPS so the hay isn't going through and factories or anything like that.

Here is a picture of a tractor baling timothy hay! (Gotten from the SPS website.) 

Overall I truely recommend that you guys go out and purchase this for your pigs! Timothy hay consists of a big portion of their diet so its important to get good quality timothy hay! And this falls into the catagory of high quality timothy hay! My pigs already love this timothy hay and usually they never eat all of their hay but last time I checked, IT WAS ALL GONE! I'm so happy that the pigs like it because timothy hay is very important for guinea pigs! As long as my pigs like it, I like it! (: Plus, SPS has different size timothy hays:

• 12 oz. = $7.99
• 4.5 lbs = $19.99
• 8 lbs = $24.99
• 15 lbs = $36.99
• 25 lbs = $49.99
• 60 lbs = $79.99

There are always promo codes on their facebook page so be sure to keep a sharp eye out for that! (:
Please remember that all of these opinions are my own. Small Pet Select is not paying me to write about their hay. I was sent this for testing purposes only and so far I am very satisfied! 

Go check out Small Pet Select on their website, facebook and their shop! On their FB page, they post daily pictures of adorable small animals! It really brings a smile to my face so if your into that kind of stuff, check their FB out! (:

 

 Here are some pics of the pigs trying/sniffing the hay for the first time. At first they were a bit scared because I woke them up because I really wanted them to try the hay, but after they weren't scared anymore, they went crazy! The really did love this hay! (:

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and I'll see you next time! (:
 
-From CLC (CavyLoverCentral) and Cocoa and Peanut (My pigs!)

 

Photo Album Time: Current and Past Piggies!

Today's post will be a bit different! I will be showing you my past and current pigs! I have gathered up some cute pictures of my pigs and I hope this brings a smile to your face!

Past Piggies (R.I.P.)

Mochi Van Gogh (:

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Here is a collage of my Mochi Bear. I got her at a family owned pet store and can I say, she was about the tamest little pig ever!!! She was perfectly healthy and had no health problems during the time I had her...I had to give her up when my family and I moved and that was so hard to do... The friend that I gave Mochi too didn't spend a lot of time with her (like I did when I still had her. She was probably very lonely becayse she didn't have a buddy in the cage). She eventually got sick and my friend didn't take her to the vet and on August 31st, 2012 she passed away. I will miss her so much because she was my best friend <3

Mochi would always do the silliest things. She was a smart piggie and she eventually caught on and remembered how to do certain things. The picture above was one of them. She LOVED hopping on top of her pigloo whenever she felt like it. I remember coming down one day and seeing her sitting on top her her pigloo... (: Note: The cage she was in fit the size requirements. The other side of the cage is big too and I took Mochi out for floor time almost everyday!

 Like I said, Mochi learned how to do things rather quickly. She knew that if she tore up the newspaper under her bedding that I would give her more food to make her stop. She also learned how to flip her pigloo over and every morning, it would be flipped over. This picture was taken after I gave her a little head massage while she was taking a nap. She LOVED little head massages!

Mochi also learned how to climb out of her cage and she also learned how to climb back in! One day I was giving her head massages and kisses when all of a sudden, I was looking at her butt haha. She had climbed out of her cage and was walking around my living room (that was safe for my guinea pig.) As you can see, her butt was two different colors, half of it was a caramel color, and the other was brown. (:

Current Pigs:

Peanut and Cocoa (:

You guys might notice this because it is always at the end of my blog. Note: The white piggie on the top left is Mochi (: These are my current bundles of joy. I adopted them from a guy that could no longer care for them. They are the spunkiest pigs ever! Cocoa (the black one) is a piggy with an attitude! She is the boss pig and likes too push around Peanut. But Peanut (the orange/brown/white one) knows that Cocoa is the boss and she doesn't let that affect their friendship. Peanut is my model for most pics because she can stay still better than Cocoa. Peanut is the sweetest pig ever! She is on the quiet side, but Cocoa on the other hand wheeks like crazy! They are the sweetest pigs ever and I'm so glad I adopted them! 

Like I said above, little Peanut is my model. She LOVES to pose for just about anything! She loves the camera and stays very still until I snap the picture! Cocoa on the other hand, loves to walk around and explore the moment I put her down.

This is Peanut in her little cuddle sack I made her and Cocoa is giving Peanut little kisses.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Peanut chilling on my lap! She's such a cutie!

Okay so this concludes our photo album! I don't have a lot of pictures of Cocoa because like I said she will not stay still! But I hope you guys liked this and hopefully it out a smile on your face! 

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and I'll see you next time! (:
 
-From CLC (CavyLoverCentral) and Cocoa and Peanut (My pigs!)

 

 

Required Cage Sizes for Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs do need big cages! Store bought cages are often way too small for guinea pigs to live in. Many, many people recommend C&C cages and I recommend it too! 
A C&C cage is so easy to make and many cavy owners are switching over to c&c cages! It will last you a while and your pigs will thank you! 

Here are the required cage sizes for a cavy(s) so you can check to see if your cage meets the requirements! Remember! The bigger, the better! (:

1 pig:
C&C requirements: 2x2 grids
Measurement: Minimum: 7.5 sq ft  
About: 30" x 36"

2 pigs:
C&C requirements: 4x2 grids
Measurement: Minimum: 7.5 sq ft. Preferred: 10.5 sq feet
About: 30" x 50"

3 pigs:
C&C requirements: 2x5 grids
Measurements: Minimum: 10.5 sq feet Preferred: 13 sq feet
About: 30" x 62" 

4 pigs: 
C&C requirements: 6x2 grids
Measurements: Minimum: 13 sq ft. Preferred: The more, the better!


(For C&C cage owners) Now if you have baby piggies, oobviously you will need to make the cage taller so they can't escape and the coroplast will need to be cut taller as well so they can't get out.

If you don't already have a C&C cage, I suggest you look into buying one! If your cage reaches the requirements listed above then I would say you are all good! C&C cages are great and they are so fun and you can design them differently! You can even add levels!

My cage is pretty boring but I do plan on adding a level soon! 

So if you didn't know, guinea pigs LOVE to burrow! So the blanket on the top left corner and the bottom right corner is for them to burrow in. They do have a box hidey house and another hidey house in the top right corner but its covered by fleece. This picture was taken a while ago but now my pigs are potty trained! It actually wasn't hard at all! 

CLICK HERE for C&C cage pictures!
PLEASE remember that the bigger the cage is, the better it is for your pig(s)! Even if you have a large cage, take your pigs out for floor time everyday! (:

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and I'll see you next time! (:

-From CLC (CavyLoverCentral) and Cocoa and Peanut (My pigs!)

Know Your Pig! #1

Know Your Pig is basically a new series where every week or so, I will give you a guinea pig quiz! These are going to be basically general questions that any piggy owner should know! Quiz your friends or guinea pig experts and see if they get this right! 
Note: Some of this info will be taken from my previous blog posts, so go read those! (:

1.) Guinea Pigs need Vitamin C supplements 
      a.) True
      b.) False

2.) Guinea pigs like to be alone and are very anti-social
     a.) True
     b.) False

3.) A Store-bought cage is perfect for guinea pigs!
     a.) True
     b.) False

4.) Name two types of bedding that are toxic to guinea pigs.
      1. ____________ 2.) ______________

5.) If guinea pigs are outside, do not put them in grass that has been
      a.) Chemically treated and fertilized
      b.) Watered by the sprinklers
      c.) Eaten by other piggies
      d.) None of the above

 BONUS! (:

What is the maximum cage size for two guinea pigs?

================================================

Comment below what YOU got for the answers! Answers will be revealed in a couple of days!

Hope you guys enjoyed this short quiz and I'll see you next time! (:
 
-From CLC (CavyLoverCentral) and Cocoa and Peanut (My pigs!)

What You Need For A Guinea Pig

*You may need more than one of these items, depending on how many pigs you have!*

Are you getting a guinea pig(s) soon? Here are the items you need to get for your adorable pigs!
 
Required Items:

• A guinea pig! Preferably more than one pig!
• Cage--preferably a C&C cage. Storebought cages are too small! For more info about C&C cages, CLICK HERE. I have a 4x2 for my pigs! A 2x2 is max. for one piggie! 
• Timothy Hay--get hay that is fresh and green! Not yellow and hard!
• A good pelleted food. My Guinea Pig Pellets Review!
• A good water bottle, I have two--one bottle for each pig so they don't need to fight over it. 
• Pellet dish and veggie dish
• Bedding DO NOT USE PINE OR CEDAR BEDDING UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! IT IS TOXIC TO GUINEA PIGS! If you are looking for something guinea pigs LOVE that is fairly cheap, use fleece! Buy some fleece at your local fabric store and cut enough for your cage. Lay a towel underneath the fleece as guinea pigs feet are sensitive to wet surfaces. Spot clean the cage everyday and switch out fleece every 2-3 days (I potty trained my pigs so I can go up to 10 days w/o changing the fleece.) Shake out the fleece outside and put in the washing machine. DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER!
• An igloo or any hidey house! You can even use cardboard but you will need to change it out every now and then!
• Chews--a guinea pigs teeth never stop growing! They need something to keep their teeth down
• Toys--your guinea pig will get bored easily, especially if they aren't housed in pairs! I recommend changing around the toys every time you clean their cage!
• Vitamin C supplements--Do not get them the Vitamin C drops, get them the vitamin C pills. All about Vitamin C and Review!
• Nail clippers and grooming essentials 
• Fresh fruits/veggies (Fruits are high in sugar so give as a treat!)
• Cleaning Supplies & Cleaning disinfectant. I use a half white vinegar and a half water mixture 
• Play pen (You can make your own!)
• Small animal Veterinarian  

Optional:

• Treats: Strawberry Oxbow Treats Most pet store treats are harmful for guinea pigs! Fruits and veggies are great too!
• Hay Rack
• Guinea pig beds/tunnels/"sleeping bags" PiggiePigPigs makes excellent piggie snugs!
• Litter pans and potty litter (if you plan to potty train them)

DO NOT GIVE YOUR PIGS A WHEEL OR A HAMSTER BALL! IT IS NOT SAFE FOR YOUR PIGS AND CAN CAUSE MANY PROBLEMS!

Phew, that was a long one! (I came up with this on my own from my experience! If you want to use this information, please get my permission!) Sorry if I missed an item!!! Any questions, feel free to ask! 

When getting a guinea pig, please Adopt, Not Shop! Many guinea pigs are in need of a home at shelters! 

Please feel free to ask any questions! (:

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and I'll see you next time! (:
 
-From CLC (CavyLoverCentral) and Cocoa and Peanut (My pigs!)

Vitamin C for Guinea Pigs: Why is it important? + Review

If you didn't know already, guinea pigs cannot produce their own vitamin C, so as the owners, if you want your piggie(s) to be healthy, then I suggest going to your local pet store and purchasing some vitamin C pills (if you haven't already.) If you don't give your guinea pigs Vitamin C, they will get vitamin C deficiency (a.k.a. Scurvy for humans.) Guinea pigs that may have vitamin C deficiency have a rough hair coat, lack of appetite, dental pain, delayed wound healing, lameness, and an inability to fend off infections. Guinea pigs with a slight vitamin C deficiency may show no visible signs of disease; however, their immune system may not be able to fight off diseases or infections.

This is the type of Vitamin C pills I buy for my pigs (they are Oxbow brand). It is about $7 - $8 at Petsmart. Now I highly recommend this for all guinea pig owners. My pigs will eat this right away, I put this in front of their face every morning (once a day) and they are fine with this. My pigs already know what every morning they are going to get this so they will immediately start biting the bars!
Now if you can't afford $7-8 every 1-2 months (depending on how many pigs you have) then save up! It really is worth the money and it will save you from a possible health issue in the future!

There are 90 vitamins in here so it will last you a while if you don't have as much pigs. It lasts Peanut and Cocoa up to about a month and a half. But if you have more than two pigs take 90 and divide it by the number of pigs you have and your answer will be how many days this will last you.
ex.) 90 vitamins ÷ 2 piggies = 45 days (:

 
This is what the Vitamin looks like. As you can see, on the ingredients, there are pineapple, apple fiber and cranberry fruit powder in there so that acts like a flavor which makes the guinea pig think of this as a treat. (All three of these fruits are safe for guinea pigs so do not worry! (: ) My pigs think of the sound of the bottle shaking as like a plastic bag being shaked! They know its a treat and they can eat it whole! (If your pigs do not/cannot/will not eat it whole, split it into half.)

I really love this product so even though this isn't a review, I will give this a 5 out of 5 stars! My pigs really seem to love this and you get what you pay for! Link to Oxbow Vitamin C tablets on Petsmart.com

I really prefer this over the water drops. When I got my first piggie, I bought the water drops and me and my piggie honestly did not like them! My first pig (R.I.P.) didn't drink the water as much when I had the drops in and it cost me like $10! NOT worth the money! Also the drops change the water's taste so your guinea pig may not like this taste and may not drink the water. DO NOT BUY THE VITAMIN C WATER DROPS! If I had to rate the Vitamin C drops, 1 out of 5 stars!  

To read more about guinea pig Vitamin C, CLICK HERE! (Also source for some of first paragraph)

PLEASE consider getting your guinea pig vitamin C tablets/pills if you haven't already! It will make them healthier and it will save you from a very serious problem in the future, which leads to a big vet bill! It is very cheap to buy every one and a half months and it will be all worth it because you will have a happy, healthy pig!
 
Hope you guys enjoyed this Vitamin C post + review and I'll see you next time! (:

-From CLC (CavyLoverCentral) and Cocoa and Peanut (My pigs!)

Review: Oxbow Simple Rewards Strawberry Treats

Today's review will be on my guinea pigs personal favorite, the Oxbow Strawberry Treats! 

There really isn't much to say about this product, other than IT IS AMAZING! On the ingredients, basically all it is, is frozen strawberries. 

The reason why I love this product so much is because there is only one ingredient and obviously it is safe for guinea pigs to eat. 
My pigs go CRAZY over this stuff and if they could, I'm sure they would eat this whole bag in one day! 

 
 My guinea pigs start biting the bars as soon as I open the bag! (As Cocoa very nicely demonstrated).

I would say this product deserves a 4 out of 5 stars. I would've given it all stars, but half of this product is basically air, and the other half are the strawberries. And I purchased this for like $6. I think they can at least include more strawberries, but of course you can get fresh ones as well! I really like this product except for this minor little flaw! (: So I really suggest getting this because my piggies will go CRAZY for this!

If your guinea pigs don't like strawberries, they also make a banana one, a timothy treats one and a vegetable one but you will have to check the ingredients on the vegetable treats! They are all around the same price! (:
Link to all of these treats on Petsmart.com

 Hope you guys enjoyed this review and I'll see you next time! (:

-From CLC (CavyLoverCentral) and Cocoa and Peanut (My pigs!)

 

Review: Kaytee Timothy Complete Guinea Pig Food PLUS Fruits & Veggies

So today's review will be on the Kaytee Timothy Complete Pellets Plus Fruits & Veggies

Here is what the pellets contain:

So it contains the pellets (duh!), dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, dried carrots and timothy hay. Now like I said above, I threw out the mango...Hopefully that isn't a big deal! (: 
Now tell me, do you see something here that you CANNOT feed to your pigs??? 
YES! You guessed it, the pumpkin seed! Piggies cannot digest anything coated in a shell like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds! 
Now the down part is that this does contain many pumpkin seeds so it is going to be quite difficult to pick out all of the seeds but the carrots and the cranberries are safe for your pigs so if you don't want to pick out all the seeds in this pellet mix, then I don't recommend getting this product. 

What I do is I scoop up the pellets in my pellet scoop thing, and then I pick out the seeds when they are in the scoop because you are dealing with less pellets. 

Overall I would give this product a 3.5 out of 5 star. Now don't get me wrong, it is a GREAT pellet mix and my pigs go CRAZY over it but it does include a few things in this mix that guinea pigs can't eat. Although it doesn't contain that much mango, the mango was too squishy and big for my guinea pigs to swallow so I took those out. And the pumpkin seeds are a big no-no as well! 

If you really don't mind the pumpkin seeds in there then I suggest that you go out and buy it! It is about $10 - $11 depending on where you buy it! Link to pellet mix on Petsmart.com (:

Hope you guys enjoyed this review and I'll see you next time! (:

-From CLC (CavyLoverCentral) and Cocoa and Peanut (My pigs!)