September 2006

So far this month whee have...

• We've made some updates to the Cavy Rescue Links and Supplies Links page
• Updated the Cavy Names list - thanks Wendy for your suggestions !
• The seeds we planted last month are doing really well ! If you fancy trying to grow your own food for your pigs check out Planet Guinea they have a great selection of grasses / weeds to plant and grow - and you know they will all be safe to eat for the piggies !

Some of the seeds after nearly a month of growth...

August 2006

Sleep tight Jack, you were such a little character, where's your Walrus ?

So far this month whee have...

• An update to the Cavy Names page - thankyou Amy for your great suggestion !
• Updated the Health / Links page -thanks Jackie for your Neutering link !
• The most interesting thing occurring this month is we've been experimenting with growing some seeds from common British weeds with the view of providing freshly grown, cheap and easy, high fibre, vitamin rich wild foods ! I may or maybe not write a separate page for the site at some stage depending on how successful this is. The story so far:
  • Purchased some seeds off ebay - a mix of british weeds plus some vetch seeds. There are various types available depending on when you look - sometimes there are lots of separate seeds eg Vetch, Dandelion, White Clover etc or ready blended mixes of different seeds. Whichever one's you decide to purchase please make sure they are not toxic to guinea pigs - be especially careful when buying ready blended mixes of seeds - ensure ALL are safe for cavies to eat. Refer also to our wild food page - whilst still in it's compilation stages it lists a few of the more common safe wild plants to eat.
  • Next simply sow the seeds and wait for them to begin sprouting - this is the stage we are at now. You may receive instructions with your seeds - eg some seeds need soaking prior to planting. Then, either scatter outside in the garden, directly on the prepared [empty of other plants, raked, watered] soil [it would be nice to keep them all in one prepared area so you know exactly what you are growing, you could mark areas off neatly to contain each type of seed in rows etc] or in pots on fresh, watered soil, or sow in seed trays or plastic cups on lightly watered, fresh soil - either lightly cover with a sprinking of soil or leave 'as is'. Seeds tend to like a warm, moist area to germinate, out of direct sunlight. Label up pots so you know which seed/weed is which when they grow. After a few days you will begin to see little sprouts emerging - this is where we are at now !

  Some of the seeds nearly a week after sowing....

• You can also try this with grass seeds - great to grow in seed trays so you can harvest nice fresh grass for your guineas - say, if you don't have a lawn - you can sow normal grass seed or Timothy grass etc.
• When harvesting weeds and grass wait for the weeds and grass to become established as plants first, then trim a few leaves off with scissors for feeding - the root systems will take a while to become strong and established so trimming will protect the roots from being yanked out by a hungry guinea ! Also, this will allow you to monitor how much you are feeding and ensure you give a nice balance of all the different types of weeds - scatter the leaves amongst your cavy's hay, sit back and enjoy ! Remember to wash the leaves before feeding if they have been outside. The weeds should then continue to grow and will provide fresh leaves another day !
• We'll update you on our weed growth shortly !
• We have some very sad news about our 'bunny-in-law' Jack - he passed over the Rainbow Bridge on the 22nd August 2006 - sleep peacefully Jack, you were a brilliant bunny and we miss you xxx

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Page Last Updated: 05/09/06