Guinea pigs are quite unpretentious in the care of pets. The owners of these cute rodents know that in the diet of the animal, in addition to pelleted feed, you must include hay. It would seem, what's the problem? Indeed, in the warm season there is a lot of grass on lawns and lawns. But not every plant is suitable for drying and subsequent consumption of guinea pigs. The article will discuss how to choose and prepare the hay correctly, and also make a guillotine for the guinea pigs.
The benefits of hay
Guinea pigs are very important daily to receive dry grass. For animals, it is a source of plant fiber. In addition, hard pig stalks grind their teeth.
How many times a day, and in what quantity to use dried grass, the pet decides for itself. It depends on his well-being and needs.
Therefore, small amounts of hay should be kept in the cage., so that the piggy, having felt the need, could go up and eat the amount of grass it needs.
For this purpose, the guinea pig house should be equipped with a sennik.
Grass collection
If it is winter in the yard and there is no possibility to find fresh plants, ready-made dried hay for pets can be purchased at pet stores or ordered online. It consists of safe for guinea pig plants, and it is fully prepared for use by animals.
Well, if summer is in full swing, you can collect the grass yourself, while adhering to the following rules.
- Plants that you will harvest should be located away from major cities, highways and highways.
- It is not necessary to collect weed near industrial plants, as well as in areas where livestock grazes.
- Only healthy-looking plants with a bright green color should be selected. Stalks and leaves should not be affected by parasites or diseases.
- For harvesting is not suitable grass, already dried on the vine.
- It is desirable that the collection included alfalfa and timothy. These herbs are rich in beneficial trace elements and have a positive effect on the rodents' digestive system.
Plants that can harm guinea pigs:
- celandine;
- hemlock;
- elder;
- spurge;
- lily of the valley;
- nightshade;
- horse chestnut;
- horsetail;
- buttercup;
- henbane;
- hawthorn.
After harvesting, the grass needs to be laid out for drying in a dry room. Under it should lay a cloth or a sheet of white drawing paper. You can also make room for drying several sheets of plain white paper. It is not advisable to use for the substrate of the newspaper. Ink from typographic pages is very easy to separate and can stick to blades of grass.. On the harvested hay should not get direct sunlight.
Periodically, the grass should be slightly agitated and turned over so that the stems dry out better and more evenly.
Drying lasts until all the stalks become dull and brittle. After that, the hay must be transferred to a cloth bag. This will help avoid the possible formation and growth of mold.
How to make a sennik?
You can build a hay holder by yourself. Materials for its manufacture can be very diverse. If you rummage on the mezzanine or in the closet, you will surely find there something from which you can make a feeder for your rodent. Next will be presented several options for senic cell or house guinea pig.
- The holder of a dry grass from a cardboard box. Any intact and undeformed carton will do. The choice of size depends on the dimensions of the pet's house. Cut off the upper part and one of the sides, leaving 5-7 millimeters of a side along the lower edge. Make symmetrical holes on the sides of the box. They will then need to push the flexible wire and fix the sennik on the wall of the house or the mumps cell.
- The holder for dried grass can be made of plywood or boards. Take the necessary size parts and glue them together in the form of a box with three sides. This sennik can be put on the bottom of the cell, if space permits. Or, as in the previous example, fasten on the wall of the house.
- Cloth sennik. Find two pieces of strong cotton fabric about 20x20 cm in size. Fold them face down. In the middle draw and cut two circles of small diameter. These holes will continue to serve the pigs as windows for the supply of dry weed. Sew pieces of material on three sides, leaving the top edges free. Get a small bag with two holes on the sides. Sew handles to it and hang it to the bars of the cage.
- Sennik can be made from a small plastic bottle. Cut off one of the edges in the place where the neck turns into a thickening. On the side of the bottle cut a rectangular hole in which to lay the hay. Attach the finished sennik to the wall of the house with a flexible wire.
- A very simple version of the sennik, built with a plastic kitchen container. Take a small container and remove the cover from it. Fill the container with hay and attach it using clothespins or stationery clips to the bars of the cage from the outside. The mechanism of such a sennik is very simple. Blades of grass will lie in the container, and guinea pigs will be able to freely get the right amount of grass through the bars of the cage.
- The last version of the sennik is rather a funny toy for a pet, but still performs the function of feeding dry grass. Take the old waste sock. Stuff hay into it and sew it up. Leave the toy in the pet's cage. Because of the smell of dried grass, the guinea pigs will get carried away with a toed full of grass and start playing with it. Pretty soon they will be able to break it and feast on the hay inside.
Regardless of which production variant of guinea pig sennik you choose, most importantly, do not forget to fill it regularly with dried grass.
Also, carefully monitor the quality of the hay that you feed your pets. If it shows signs of mold or rot, grass should not be given to pigs, it should be thrown away.
How to make a sennik for the guinea pig with your own hands, see the video below.
