Why Should Fireworks be Restricted?

SPOILER ALERT: Animals, Birds and Fireworks Don't Mix

I've just signed a petition on Change.org calling for a review of the current Fireworks Act 2003 and Firework Regulations 2004, to further restrict the use of fireworks to very specific dates, limit decibel levels, licencing of public displays etc. Here's a link to the petition if you would like to have a look at it and maybe add your name too.

Here's a look at the comment I left:

Most of my pets live inside so aren't troubled by fireworks, I also have chickens who are not bothered by them. But I really signed up because of the adverse impact on wildlife, the abuse of animals with fireworks, and the way it seems to have become appropriate to have fireworks at any outdoor 'celebration' throughout the year. This last one makes it impossible for pet owners and livestock holders to prepare their animals and birds for the Armageddon they are about to experience. If firework use was restricted to the two weekends and in between for Guy Fawkes Night celebrations, plus New Years Eve, at least people would know to be prepared. Also, noise travels - it's no good just letting your next door neighbour know that you are having fireworks, it affects a much much wider area than that, including surrounding wildlife and livestock.

Now lets talk about Fireworks and their effects a bit more:

My Guinea Pigs, who are kept inside, never react to fireworks, thunder or other loud noises from outside. Stompy the Tortoise is phased by nothing either.

The only ones I worry about are the chickens. The first year we had them I made sure they were shut away in their coop by dusk, and checked on them repeatedly during the evening, but they were always sound asleep on their perch...in fact I think I was disturbing them more than the fireworks were!

The following year I shut the coop up as soon as they went to bed, and checked on them after all the fireworks had finished (around 10pm), and they were suitably unruffled.

I am lucky though. I know many animals and birds are completely terrified by loud noises, and people have to deploy ways of helping their pet cope, some use distraction techniques like food and music/ radio, some use sedatives, and some relocate their animal altogether.

Disclaimer - I am not an animal expert, vet or animal professional. If you have a frightened animal or bird, seek professional advice now.

Things you can try for domesticated animals and birds:

• Familiar surroundings and routine - This can really help keep an outdoor animal feel secure, and do try sticking to your regular routine, ie if you normally leave your horse/donkey outside overnight, then it may find suddenly being in a stable more stressful, and it could begin to associate its stable with frightening experiences, which obviously would be bad. Keeping companions together can also be beneficial
• Distraction techniques - Guinea Pigs and Rabbits can easily be distracted by a big pile of hay or ReadiGrass, or maybe a puzzle toy.
• If your animal or bird is used to the noise of tv and radio, you can leave one in earshot as this will help disguise sudden bangs and pops.
• Check the environment - A startled animal can hurt itself and others badly, so make sure fences are secure, and that there are no hazards in the enclosure (indoors or out).
• Speak to your vet about appropriate use of sedatives and other calming options. But remember that these usually have to administered well before the event.
• Make sure you have insurance that covers you incase your animal escapes and causes damage to another person's property, injures another person's animal, or causes an accident etc etc.

If you are going to be having fireworks, please remember the impact you have on other people, pets, domesticated animals and birds and wildlife

Before lighting your bonfire, check it thoroughly for hedgehogs, frogs, toads, mice etc seeking somewhere warm for the night - you might give them more than they bargained for!

Fireworks can disrupt roosting birds, be aware of any Schedule 1 species that roost and nest in your area. They must not be disturbed!

Wild animals can be frightened by fireworks, making them suddenly run out into roads. Studies show that the numbers of road traffic/ wildlife related deaths increase significantly during November and December. Be extra vigilent when out driving near firework displays.

But - and here is why I really signed the petition:

Letting off fireworks is becoming more prevailant  all year round, making it impossible for owners, farmers and wildlife to take necessary precautions.

I'm not a killjoy, but I do feel that fireworks should be even more strongly regulated, and letting them off should be limited to certain dates and times, with fines being applied to people breaking these restrictions. Don't even get me started on the malicious misuse of fireworks!

I'd be interested to know what you think, so do leave me a comment.

Love

Rebecca

PS: Me? I stick to sparklers 😉

Hetty Wainthrop - Rest in Peace

The Rainbow Bridge is calling you

Hetty Boom Boom RIP

Poor Hetty Wainthrop, our Lavender Splash Orpington hen has been very poorly.

She's always been the first to succumb to lice, red mite etc, I think it's because she is the bottom of the pecking order.

Add to that the fact that the breeder was trying to develop a new Orpington x Frizzle (which are not attractive BTW), and new colourways, I believe Hetty's genetics suffered as a result. Signs of this included some twisty twiddly feathers on her neck - a hint of the Frizzle genes, and her toes were twisted, meaning that we had to clip her claws regularly to keep them comfortable for her, as she couldn't wear them down naturally.

Last summer she was a big buxom beauty, inquisitive, happy, talkative.

Hetty last summer

This summer she was a shadow of her former self. She lost a lot of weight, hasn't passed a normal poop for a couple of months, had no energy and eventually was unable to stand up, let alone move around on her own.

She was eating and drinking (if you sat her right in front of her bowls), and everything was passing out of her crop into her digestive system, but after that, something was going wrong. Our vet Alex suspected Sour Crop (but admitted that didn't really fit her symptoms very well), or that her digestive tract had become damaged somehow, meaning she was unable to absorb anything from her food.

The first signs that something was seriously wrong came when we returned from holiday. It had been very hot and sticky, and she looked pale and tired. I looked for, and found, a big 'bloom' of red mite in the coop, so we emptied everything scrubbed it, cleaned it and doused it and the flock with Nettex Total Red Mite Powder.

Felicity and Jane looked fine, so we hoped that Hetty had just been the worst affected, and that with treatment she would recover. But she didn't. She got more tired, less enthusiastic about coming out of the run for a scatter feed of mealworms, and very unbalanced. She started using her wing to stop herself toppling sideways, and if you stroked her back she fell over instantly.

Treatments we tried:

NB: We did not use all of these simultaneously, they were administered carefully over Hetty's last two months with us, and according to the manufacturers' instructions. They were given alongside a well balanced layers pellet by Smallholders Range, dried mealworms, mixed corn and Hentastic Foraging Feast.

Ivermectin Spot-on Drops
Flubenvet Poultry Wormer
Farm and Yard Remedies Wormwood
Beryl's Friendly bacteria
Chicken Lickin Poultry Drink Concentrate
Verm-X Poultry Zest
Global Herbs Loose Dropping Formula

Plus we bought The Chicken Vet Poop Sample Kit, and sent a sample off to them. It was tested for a range of worms and coccidia infection. All the tests were negative - possibly because the other treatments had killed off whatever was there, or it wasn't a parasitic problem or infection at all.

When she reached the point where she couldn't stand or move around, Mr PB finally agreed with me that it was time to take her to Alex the vet one last time. Alex agreed to put her to sleep yesterday evening, and let us stay with her until she passed away. She has been cremated.

We believe we did everything possible to save Hetty, except catch her symptoms sooner.

Hetty Wainthrop xx

Sleep tight Hetty Hetty Boom Boom, we love you xx

Guinea Pigs: Are there different breeds?

Are there different breeds of Guinea Pig?

Yes, there certainly are, more than you might imagine, in fact the British Cavy Council currently recognises 51 standard pure breeds of Guinea Pig for showing, which are: 

Abyssinian, Agouti, Alpaca, Argente, Belted Bicolour, Brindle Californian, Chinchilla, Crested, Any Other Variety Crested, Coronet, Dalmatian, Dutch, English Crested, Fox, Harlequin, Himalayan, Lunkarya, Magpie, Merino, Otter, Peruvian, Rex, Ridgeback, Roan, Satin, Self Beige, Self Black, Self Blue, Self Buff, Self Chocolate, Self Dark Eyed Cream, Self Pink Eyed Cream, Self Dark Eyed Golden, Self Pink Eyed Golden, Self Lilac, Self Red, Self Saffron, Self Slate, Self Dark Eyed White, Self Pink Eyed White, Sheltie, Solid Agouti, Swiss, Tan, Teddy, Texel, Tortoise and White, Tortoiseshell and Tricolour

They each have very strict breed guidelines which 'show quality' cavies are judged by. Pet Guinea Pigs will generally be cross breeds (mixtures of pure breeds), or animals seen as 'poor examples' of a pure breed that could never be exhibited at shows.

Lets just be clear here - this relates to exhibiting cavies, and winning prizes based on aesthetics - it has nothing to do with the character of a guinea pig or how wonderful a pet it will make. When you are choosing a pet piggie, don't base it on looks, coat type or colour alone, pet guinea pigs will come in an amazing array of these things, just make sure they are healthy and friendly. I have owned pure bred guinea pigs (Honey and Amber), bred by someone who showed and was a show judge. These poor piggies were susceptible to everything, pneumonia, ovarian cysts etc etc, and they lived relatively short lives because of this. We all know that mongrel (cross-breed) dogs usually live longer, healthier, more balanced lives than pure bred ones, same applies with guinea pigs. 

The difference between 'breed' and 'colour' is tricky to understand, and it's easier to think in terms of coat type and coat colour. For example;

• Himalayan is always pale cream/white with a brown patch on it's nose and brown ears (the Siamese cat of the Guinea Pig world), but can be found in long haired, short haired, Abyssinian, Rex etc. 
• Tri-colour can be any combination of three coat colours (usually, but not exclusively black, white plus a third colour, Emmeline's third colour is red, but Tilly's is Lemon) and any sort of coat type. 'Self' breeds have single, uniform colour coats, in any coat type. 
• Agouti is one colour hair shaft, tipped in a contrasting colour, usually golden or silver, it can be the entire coat (like Molly), or part of a tri-colour, or just a patch (like on Phoebe) ...you see the problem.

Lets look at some of the most commonly available Guinea Pig breeds by coat type.

Short Haired 

Illustration of Short Haired Guinea Pig by Rebecca Reynolds BA(Hons)

(aka English Short Haired and American Short Haired)

The oldest and most common breed available. Their coat is smooth and short, running in one direction from nose to rump.

Colour variations are huge, going from Self (a single, solid colour like black or cream), Tri-colour, Himalayan, Agouti etc.
Phoebe, Tilly and Emmeline are all English Short Haired.

Crested

The Crested falls into two categories, in both the main coat is a single colour, it's short and smooth except for a single rosette of flattened hair in the centre of the forehead. The English Crested's rosette is the same colour as the main coat (and can therefore be classified as a 'Self' breed). The American Crested's rosette always contrasts the main coat colour, usually in black or white (and so cannot be classified as a Self breed).

Abyssinian

Illustration of Abyssinian Guinea Pig by Rebecca Reynolds BA(Hons)

The coat of the Abyssinian is usually mixed colour (ie tortoiseshell, Agouti or Brindle. The hair is short and rough, and lies in rosettes all over the body and head, which create ridges where they meet.

'Show' Abyssinians have 10 rosettes over the body in a very specific pattern, and there should be no areas of smoothness. My illustrated one here wouldn't win any prizes!

Sheltie

Illustration of Sheltie Guinea Pig by Rebecca Reynolds BA(Hons)

The Sheltie (aka Silkie in America) is a long haired breed where the coat runs smoothly in one direction, from nose to rump with no partings or rosettes. The facial and shoulder hair is shorter than the rest of the body, which falls on the ground at the back and sides (known as the 'sweep'. Unless you are showing your Guinea Pigs, it is advised to trim the sweep regularly to prevent knots and mats forming. Shelties come in any colour or mix of colours.

Peruvian

Illustration of Peruvian Guinea Pig by Rebecca Reynolds BA(Hons)

Peruvians are also long haired, but the hair has two rosettes, one at the neck and one further down the back. There is also a parting along the spine. This makes the coat grow forward over the head, evenly down both sides, and backwards over the rump. When you see show Peruvians all brushed out, they look like toupees! Glamorous toupees, but toupees nonetheless! Non show piggies should have their coat trimmed to floor level to prevent mats forming. Peruvians come in all colours and mixes.
Rosie is a tri-colour Peruvian.

Illustration of Rex Guinea Pig by Rebecca Reynolds BA(Hons)

Rex

Rex coats are quite astounding, the hairs are dense, springy, short and wiry, with a lightly crimped appearance. The whiskers look crimped too! The coat stands upright away from the body, so Rex piggies look chunkier than they actually are. The Rex coat comes in many colours and mixes, but the Agoutis look really special. Molly is a Golden Agouti Rex

Teddy

Teddies look similar to Rex piggies, but the short, dense, bouncy coat is straight and should appear to run from the rump, back up the body towards the nose. At the top of the head this backwards hair growth forms a little fringe or 'cap' between the ears. The Teddy whiskers are straight. Teddies come in most colours and mixes.

Illustration of Texel Guinea Pig by Rebecca Reynolds BA(Hons)

Texel

The Texel has a mixture of Sheltie and Rex coat characteristics. The hair is long, sweeping back along the body from nose to rump. The hair falls in waves (almost dreadlocks) and is usually longer at the back than on the sides. To prevent knots and mats it is best to trim the hair to floor level.
Texels come in all colours and mixes.

Lunkarya

One of the most recently recognised breeds, the Lunkarya's long coat is naturally unruly, the hair on the face is Rex-like forming curly sideburns, and the body has ringlet curls and two rump rosettes which push the coat up and outwards. Lunkarya are not designed to be neat, so it's important to keep a sharp look out for knots and mats, and if not showing them, trim the coat to a manageable length all over. Lunkarya can be any colour or mix. 

Skinny Pigs

Developed in the 1980's from a genetic abnormality, the Skinny Pig is completely hairless, though the skin will have the colours and markings that the coat would have had. Their skin can be dry and sensitive, it requires protection from the sun and they should live indoors during the winter at the very least. Skinny Pigs require a knowledgeable, experienced owner.

Baldwin

Baldwin young are born with hair, which by 2 months of age has mostly fallen out, leaving just have a little patch of wiry hair on their nose and each paw. The skin will have the colours and markings that the coat would have had. Their skin can be dry and sensitive, it requires protection from the sun and they should live indoors during the winter at the very least. Baldwin Pigs require a knowledgeable, experienced owner.

And Finally: A Note About Satins

Satin Guinea Pigs don't just have shiny healthy-looking coats, the hair shaft is actually hollow, giving a glass-like appearance to the coat which is quite quite different to that of normal varieties. Almost all coat types and colours have been bred in the Satin variant, but it quickly became apparent that this genetic mutation did not just affect the hair, it could also affect skeletal bone density, often leading to Osteodystrophy (defective bone development aka OD) and/or Paget's Disease (excessive formation and breakdown of bone and bone marrow). Both diseases are chronic, painful and degenerative, and can only be supported with pain relief, there is no cure. X-rays can determine how far the diseases have progressed, and what degree of pain relief is needed. 

Many Cavy Societies have actually banned the exhibiting of Satins, due to the welfare issues involved. The British Cavy Council still has classes for Satins, but I hope that this will change, as promoting a variety that carries such genetic problems only encourages breeding for profit not welfare.

Satins are only suitable for experienced owners who are also prepared for the high cost of veterinary care involved.

Never buy a Satin. Adopt, but only if you feel you can give one a reasonable quality of life with support from a knowledgeable vet and a regime of pain relief.

Never breed a Satin with another Satin. The genetic mutation that causes the satin coat is too complicated to be controlled by backyard breeding, it cannot be bred out, and you could be subjecting animals to unnecessary pain and suffering.