5 Must-Have Plants for Early Spring

Spring - a Time of Change

Spring is probably the time of most dramatic, glorious change in the garden. Whites of snow and frost, browns of mud and dead leaves are suddenly jewelled with rich, bright colour. Not only do early Spring flowers bring joy to us humans, they are also a vital nectar source for bees and other flying insects.

You'll notice I never grow 'double' flowered varieties of plants, purely because they make life too difficult for pollinators, either because the flowers are too complicated to be accessed by the insect, or the breeding process has removed the plants pollen and nectar producing organs.

Here's my Top Five Flowering Plants for Early Spring:

Hellebores (Helleborus hybridus)

These amazing perennials are commonly called the Lentern Rose. They have big tough leaves that are not attacked by slugs or snails. In the winter you can cut off all the leaves and in early spring the plant will throw up thick firm flower stems with fat buds that open into downwards facing cups. The petals are actually modified sepals, and come in a beautiful variety of colours from white to rich purple-black. They often have delicate spots, some have edges touched in a different colour, known as 'picote' (pic 1). 

Pic 1: Ashwood Nurseries Hellebous hybridus - Single Picote Photo by Pumpkin Becki

If you have different hellebores in your garden, they are likely to cross-pollinate, and the resulting seedlings will be your very own hybrid. The flowers last into May, and when pollinated, you'll be able to see the seed pods fattening and ripening over time.

They like a woodland/ semi-shaded position in the garden. They can survive dry or wetter conditions, but they don't really thrive. Once a plant is settled and growing well it won't appreciate being moved or divided, so make sure to give it a permanent location at it will bring you joy every winter/spring.

Ashwood Nurseries Helleborus hybridus - Single Primrose Yellow
Photo by Pumpkin Becki

Helleborus hybridus - single pink
Photo by Pumpkin Becki

Crocus

I have two varieties of Crocus in the garden at the moment, both are spring flowering (rather than autumn). I have a small clump of buttermilk yellow ones, and several clumps of delicate lilac ones. I'm sorry, I can't tell you want they are called.

Creamy Yellow Crocus
Photo by Pumpkin Becki

I love the way they hold their flowers carefully shut until the sun hits them and they fall wide open, revealing vivid orange stamen.

Pale lilac Crocus
Photo by Pumpkin Becki

Pulmonaria officinalis (aka Lungwort)

Another woodland perennial, the Pulmonaria is so surprisingly pretty. The emerald green leaves are decorated with silvery spots, and in spring, flower spikes explode into clusters of five petaled flowers in shades of pink, turning to rose, violet and then blue, as the plant changes the pH value within the petals from acidic to alkaline the longer they are open for.

Pulmonaria officinalis (Lungwort)
Photo by Pumpkin Becki

The common name Lungwort is centuries old, and comes from when it was grown for its medicinal properties. It was believed that because the leaves resembled the human lungs, they must be healing for illnesses involving the chest and respiratory system.

Whether that is true or now, they are definitely a valuable food source for bees and moths.

Cyclamen

I have two varieties of these tubers in my Woodland Garden, Cyclamen hederifolium and Cyclamen coum. I have tucked them right up near the trunks of the Sycamore and Horse Chestnut trees.

Cyclamen coum
Photo by Pumpkin Becki

The tuber should be planted quite shallow, so they are perfect in rooty soil where Spring bulbs couldn't be planted. Cyclamen coum flowers in the winter through to spring, and hederifolium flowers in late summer to autumn.

Primroses

This year my Primroses in the Woodland Garden have been in flower since Christmas - that's not right! It is one of the earliest plants to flower in the UK (just not quite Christmas-early)

I grow the native (UK) Primrose, Primula vulgaris, which forms mounds of buttery yellow flowers held just above deeply crinkled bottle green leaves. The flowers look delicate, but they withstand snow and frost, ready to soak up every drop of sunlight. They grow naturally in deciduous woodland, taking full advantage of the open canopy before the trees burst into leaf.

Primrose - Primula vulgaris

Being native, and single flowered, they produce lots easily accessible nectar and pollen. Growing guides suggest that they are best in damp shade, but mine are in dry partial shade/full sun and they thrive and naturalise beautifully there.

Iris Reticulata

I was once told (by someone who alleged himself to be a horticulturalist) that Iris Reticulata were impossible to get to flower after the first year and that I would have to replace the bulbs. I'm glad I didn't believe him in the slightest, as I now have lovely naturalised clumps that come up and flower year on year.

Iris reticulata
Photo by Pumpkin Becki

Iris reticulata is a very dainty form, reaching around 15cm high, and flowering in early spring. The leaves are narrow and almost as tall as the flowers. Don't expect Iris reticulata to be big and blousey like a bearded iris, you have to keep your eyes peeled amongst the leaf litter to spot these little beauties. The flowers aren't very long lasting, but across the clump, bulbs will flower at slightly different times, which extends the show considerably. Bees love them!

So there you have it, my top five early spring flowering plants. I hope you love them as much as I do, or maybe you have your own favourites, let me know in the comments 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.

Introducing my family - part 5 - Princess (now Rosie)

Meet Princess Rosie

Princess when she arrived

Princess is a female Peruvian guinea pig. Being Peruvian, she has long hair which falls over her face and rump (as opposed to the Sheltie, whose hair all flows backwards. This is her on the day we brought her home.

Princess

A work colleague had asked me if we would be able to re-home Princess, who is 4 years old and had been left on her own after her mother Elsa had died. There was another guinea pig and some rabbits kept in the same area of the garden, but Princess hadn't been herself since Elsa's passing.

We did some soul searching, as we already have 11 pets, but eventually decided that we would offer Princess a home.

We set up our spare hutch on the opposite side of the kitchen to Phoebe, Tilly, Molly and Emmeline, and after work on a Friday afternoon we went to visit Princess. She was a little timid, and skittish at being picked up from her hutch, but after a few minutes of being held she relaxed a little. We discussed her care and feeding regime with her owner, popped her into a travel box and drove her home.

I could feel some very small mats forming in the back of her coat (the sweep), and the individual hairs felt quite dry. All I did on that first afternoon was to carefully groom Princess with a wide toothed pet comb, and cut out the mats as I came across them.

I gave Princess a little hair cut to remove some small mats from her back end

It is always advised to cut mats out rather than trying to detangle them, even when very small, as they pull on the hair and skin and can be very painful. It's also important to note that mats can form very quickly, and round the tiniest bit of hay, so unless you are grooming daily then they are inevitable and must be dealt with as soon as you spot them. Don't wait for them to get bigger.

Now, it's quite difficult when you go and look at someone's pet with a mind to giving it a new home. You want to inspect the animal, to check for lumps, bumps, weight, discharges, mites and lice, but you are under the microscope as well. How are you handling the owners pet? Do you really know what you're talking about? Are you finding fault with the way they kept their pet? All I can say is, do check these things, but do it surreptitiously, under the guise of petting the animal. If you are really unhappy or suspect they are ill then walk away...or if you're me, take the animal home and get it to the vets as soon as possible for an examination.

NEVER put a new animal straight in with, or near your existing pets. They must have a good couple of weeks in quarantine to be sure they have no illnesses or pests that could be passed to your pets. That doesn't mean treating them any differently, give them somewhere quiet, warm and comfortable to live. Washable toys and hidies rather than soft/fleecy ones. Just don't bring them into close contact with your pets, and always wash your hands and forearms, and change your clothes before you go from handling your new animal to your existing ones and vice versa.

Another minefield is money...

When I have adopted animals from Pets at Home, you don't pay, but make a donation to the animal rescue charity. The amount you donate is up to you, but the store is not getting the money, it is going towards helping other animals. If you find you can no longer care for the animal then you have to return it to Pets at Home. you cannot sell or re-home it yourself. It's part of a signed agreement. If you adopt from a rescue centre, the rules are much the same.

When Emmeline came to us (under very similar circumstances to Princess), she came with a cage, bowls, feed, bedding, bottles, toys, hidies - it was like Christmas! The family are able to visit Emmeline whenever they want, and have offered to help us with any vet bills incurred by her. This is so kind, and highly unusual. Emmeline was very well socialised, in beautiful condition and settled in really quickly. No money changed hands for her.

Princess' owner asked us for an amount of money (I will not say how much), to include a hutch and run. Now, firstly, we didn't need another hutch and run, secondly we didn't really need another piggie, and we had understood it that they were keen to re-home her to someone they trusted, not recoup some of their losses (that's a bit harsh, and is not exactly the case, but...). So MrPB and I explained the arrangement we have with Emmeline's owners, that we were happy to help them by taking Princess, but had no intention of 'buying' her.

Thankfully this was all agreed before we arrived at the house. It would have been very awkward to get there thinking everyone understood the terms of the arrangement, only for them to change once the piggie was packed into the travel box.

After a couple of days to settle in, Princess was given a spa day, starting with another hair trim, a 20 minute conditioning treatment with Gorgeous Guineas 'Aloe Melt', and a lather, rinse, repeat bath in Gorgeous Guineas 'Lice and Easy'.

Rosie had a Gorgeous Guineas bath

And an ear cleaning

She got daily groomings to help us bond with her, and keep her coat knot-free, then a week later had a second 'Lice and Easy' bath. Her coat looked and felt more hydrated and less fly-away than when she arrived. We also cleaned her ears (externally only, not inside the ear canal) with olive oil over the course of a couple of days, as she had quite a thick, dark brown waxy build up on them. Massaging the ears with olive oil emulsifies the wax and it can be wiped away with clean, damp cotton wool pads, and is much gentler and more effective than trying to rub or scrape it off.

After the second bath Rosie's coat looked less flyaway and dry

Once the bathing and quarantine period was over, we let the newly renamed Rosie have a playdate with Molly, just like we did with Emmeline. Molly is such a gentle soul, and she imposes her dominance by being calm and assertive, not grumpy. She allows the newcomer to sniff her bottom, she teeth chatters, but that's normal and understandable, and once the newcomer has allowed Molly to wash her ear, the pecking order is sorted, Molly is the Momma.

Rosie ran to Molly straight away, and then panicked a bit that Molly was not who she thought she was. Molly remained her calm self, Rosie grumbled, teeth chattered, mounted Molly repeatedly...Molly just walked away. They ate side by side - food is an excellent distraction during bonding sessions, and I like adding small amounts of new foods to the pen during the session so there is always something interesting to investigate.

Rosie and Molly had a playdate

Which went quite well

We kept a close watch on them the whole time, and had a towel on standby to throw over them

NEVER try to break up a fight with your bare hands! You WILL get bitten!

Once Molly had washed Rosie's ear and the mood was calm, we removed Rosie from the pen.
She shouted and shouted and shouted! Whether she didn't want to be separated from Molly, or she felt she should have been left in the pen (which would be a dominant/territorial thing) it's hard to say. If we can give them even more room to bond, there is a chance we can eventually have Rosie living permanently with Molly and Emmeline.

Wouldn't that be wonderful!

I think Rosie looks quite happy to have joined our family

How We're Coping with Bird Flu in 2016-2017

DEFRA Set up Prevention Zone across UK

Avian Flu has again been discovered in Europe and the UK, and as a precaution, all keepers of poultry and birds have been instructed by DEFRA to prevent their birds mixing with the wild bird population. This applies to farmers, backyard poultry keepers, pigeon fanciers, the size and type of bird 'collection' is irrelevant. THIS IS LAW!!

The government’s chief vet, Nigel Gibbens, has declared a “prevention zone” for England that requires commercial and individual bird keepers to keep their birds inside for 30 days or take steps to separate them from wild birds.

The order, which was texted to poultry farmers on Tuesday, comes after a type of highly pathogenic avian flu, H5N8, was found in dead wild birds and some farm birds across Europe.

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“The risk that we are trying to prevent is to our British poultry flock … to make sure these birds are protected against disease,” Gibbens told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He added: “Everybody should do what they can. Pet bird keepers should do their best and take sensible measures to separate them from wild birds, while looking after their welfare. I don’t want people putting them in a box in the dark and keeping them there for weeks on end.”

Extract taken from The Guardian 07 Dec 2016, read the full article here

The Prevention Zone remains in place until 28th January 2017, at which point  the risk will be reviewed and either end, or be extended.

Avian Flu and Bio-security Measures

This may sound like something Border Security needs to worry about, but if you want to keep birds outside, than you really need to think about bio-security before you even decide what birds you want.

Chicken run before the roof is put on

Our trio of Orpington hens have a coop inside a permanent, fixed run. Under normal circumstances they would also have access to our garden, but for this period they need to be contained. Our permanent bio-security measures include:

• A fixed polycarbonate sheet roof over the entire run

Polycarbonate sheeting covers the entire chicken run roof

• Entire run enclosed in 25mm x 12.5mm Weld mesh
• Run door with two separate latches (prevents accidental opening).
• Run secured to hard standing, not grass or soil
• Feeders and drinkers always kept inside the run.
• Wearing disposable rubber gloves when entering the run, handling the birds or anything they've come into contact with.
• Anything we use to feed/water wild birds is kept exclusively for them and never used for our hens.

Other measures in place during an Avian Flu warning are:

• Disinfecting the coop, dustbath and perches in the run. Use Vircon S or Stalosan
• Disinfecting boots/footware before entering or after exiting the run. The best thing to use is a washing up bowl or tubtrug with a solution of Vircon S. Make sure you can get the entire sole (ideally more) of your footware in the bowl and covered with solution, and change the solution regularly.

DEFRA confirm that Avian Flu is not a risk to public health or the food chain. Keeping backyard flocked in bio-secure enclosures helps protect them from coming into contact with the wild bird population which could be carrying the virus.

Members of the public are encouraged to report dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks), or other dead wild birds such as gulls or birds of prey, to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77. Defra will then collect some of these birds and test them to help us understand how the disease is distributed geographically and in different types of bird.

Preventing Boredom during bird flu confinement:

The Run

Our trio don't go outside the run very often, in fact in squally, wintery weather they'd rather be under cover in the run anyway.

The Activity Centre and Maggie's Six Coop in place

Young Hetty fits through the expanded
door easily

Our run measures 3m x3m, and includes; a Maggie's Six hen house from Flyte So Fancy, Dorset (we had to expand the door width a bit to accommodate our ladies large bottoms ;) ); a covered dustbath with perches (from Flyte So Fancy but not in their current catalogue, we call it 'the Activity Centre'); galvanised drinker and wall mounted feeder which is attached to our run wall and has it's own integral cover. 

Having a decent size run is important, stress and overcrowding can lead to nasty vices such as feather-pecking, bullying and egg eating. The smaller the bird, the more active it is. Our Orpingtons are very docile, and hardly ever bother to run for something...unless it's corn! They are very contented to spend most of their day on the perches of the Activity Centre, or luxuriating in the dust bath. We add diatomaceous earth to the play sand to help the hens combat any outbreaks of lice or red mites.

Smaller birds or a larger flock in the same run would probably not deal with confinement so well.

However, here's a little lesson I learnt when I worked at Forsham Cottage Arks (now Granddad Rob Designs). Hens will accept a run as the end of their world for as long as they are contained within it. If one day you open the run door, it will take them ages to use it, partly from fear of the unknown, but mostly because they don't recognise the door as a way to enter or leave the run. But, once they have discovered their new environment, you have effectively expanded the edge of their world, and they will always want to explore that boundary. If you have to enclose them again, like now, they will try to rush at their old boundary, they will get distressed that they can't get out to roam their world. This should only last a few days, but finding ways to entertain your flock will help calm them.

Essentially then, a hen that is always confined to a good size enclosure will be happy in that enclosure for ever. She won't feel confined, or be looking to get out. That is the edge of her world.

If you expand the edge of her world and then have to reduce it again, that is when trouble can start.

Jane the Orpington hen is normally an explorer

Feed and Foraging

I don't advocate feeding human food or kitchen scraps to chickens. The old adage "Put rubbish in, get rubbish out" is ingrained in me. We feed Smallholder Range Layers Pellets. Ideally I would prefer to feed Layers Mash, as it helps combat boredom by making the chickens eat longer to take in the same amount of food compared to eating pellets, but mash is not recommended with the feeder we use, and it is less easily obtainable locally.

Our hens do get a scatter feed of corn (1 teaspoonful each) just before bed if they are still up when we get home from work (not in the winter, they retire long before we get home from work!), but this doesn't keep them busy for long, maybe half an hour. They are expert at carefully pecking up the corn, avoiding all other ground cover, but do spend quite a long time scratching through the hardwood chippings to find any strays. We only ever feed the corn inside the run, it's our little way of encouraging them home if they've been free ranging (not at the moment obviously). When they hear the rattle of the corn tin, they know to head straight for their run.

The completed run with hard wood chippings down

At the moment I am also giving them a scatter feed of dried mealworms and Hentastic Foraging Treat, just a small handful of each between the three hens, and again this is only while they are up and about. Never leave quantities of scatter feed lying around as it will spoil and can attract vermin

My cheeky Hetty Wainthrop

A final attempt to occupy my hens' brains comes in the form of hanging treats. Pets at Home do a hanging corn block. I wouldn't use one normally, but the corn is pretty difficult to get off, so they can't eat too much, but it gives them hours of entertainment watching it swing back and forth...hypnotised by the pendulum action!

Hopefully the hens will be able to free range again once the weather warms up

The Guinea Pig Secret Santa Project

Philanthropy and Guinea Pigs

Out in the big wide world, there are amazing people who dedicate their lives to rescuing and helping abandoned, surrendered, sick guinea pigs. Some are registered charities, some are simply kind-hearted people working, fundraising and donating for guinea pigs..

Whilst the idea that every single day guinea pigs find themselves needing rescue baffles and saddens me, knowing that there are safe places for these beautiful, gentle creatures, where they can be rehabilitated, shown love and kindness, and hopefully found a new caring forever home makes the situation a little better.

I already support Sarnia Guinea Pig Rescue on the beautiful island of Guernsey. I save stamps, send donations, and you can also find items they really need on their Amazon Wishlist. I also follow many other rescues on Facebook, YouTube  and Twitter, sharing their stories, advice and videos on my own social media. Lots of people will offer support by volunteering at their local rescue or sanctuary, they will take in foster piggies at their own home, they will do fundraising events and donate the proceeds. All these are wonderful ways to get involved. Then a few months ago I stumbled upon The Guinea Pig Secret Santa Project.

The Guinea Pig Secret Santa Project - What is it?

This is a fantastic group of volunteers who coordinate a worldwide scheme to send gift parcels to specific guinea pigs living in rescue.

Rescues send in information about piggies, often long-term residents, who they would like to receive gifts for. They provide a wishlist, photos and details of the single, pair, trio etc of piggies to the team at TGPSSP. Meanwhile, potential Secret Santas register their interest in taking part, how many piggies they would like to send gifts to and where they live (roughly, I gave the country and county where I live in my initial contact DM). If you're under 18 your are going to want to do this with a parent or guardian.

The process of pairing the piggies with their Santas takes time and a lot of work, as the team look at a lot of information, including where you are located and if you were a Santa on a previous year, they will try and match you with a different rescue this time around.

What can you send?

You can send as much or as little as you like, TGPSSP suggest a shoebox sized parcel but that's is purely a guideline.

While you are waiting to receive your match and their wishlist, you can start shopping for some rescue essentials, such as:

• Rubber gloves
• Syringes
• Anti-bacterial surface wipes
• Lint-free cotton wool pads
• Choccies for the Rescue team (not the piggies - it's poisonous!)

Your Rescue's wishlist is likely to contain more specific items, like:

• Oxbow Critical Care feed
• Timothy hay
• Natural treats
• a particular brand of food that they use
• particular brands of skin care products
• tunnels and hidies

My parcel included a range of these items, plus a large water bottle, and some products from Gorgeous Guineas. Gorgeous Guineas do a lot of different, all-natural skin care products, designed and created specifically for Guinea Pigs, but try to think what a Rescue or Sanctuary might need the most when you place your order. I chose:

• Lice and Easy shampoo - because surrendered piggies are likely to bring little friends with them!
• CocoNeem Melt - has a coconut oil base, and is used as a treatment prior to shampooing to help relieve scurf and crusty areas of skin.
• Calendula Lotion - which is suitable for using on pregnant piggies and Skinny Pigs (hairless), and is great for soothing sore, itchy and dry skin. Rescues see lots of pregnant sows surrendered to them every year.

NB: Check how you are going to send/deliver your gift, as some carriers cannot take parcels containing liquid.

Also NB: Before you buy any fleece/fabric tunnels, hidies and accessories for your parcel, wait until you receive your wishlist, as many rescues don't have the facilities or time to wash and dry these items, and might prefer, wooden, plastic or cardboard items instead.

I was teamed up with April Lodge Guinea Pig Rescue, and my final 'surprise' gift to them was a pencil portrait of my two Secret Santa recipients, Gonzo and his wife Busy Bee. I wanted to include something very personal in the parcel, and the photo I received of them was so beautiful that I used it to hand draw them onto watercolour paper. I popped it in a board backed envelope and put it in the parcel with everything else.

Pencil Portrait of April Lodge Guinea Pig Rescue residents Gonzo and Busy Bee.
Drawn by Rebecca Reynolds BA (Hons)
aka Pumpkin Becki

Sadly Gonzo passed away just before Christmas, but Busy Bee received her gifts safely, and generously gave her portrait to the kind lady who had fostered her and Gonzo for a time.


If you would like to take part in upcoming Guinea Pig Secret Santas, then pop over to their Facebook page and give them a follow https://www.facebook.com/guineapigsecretsanta/
Sleep tight little Gonzo xx

Gorgeous Guineas Haul and Product Review

Gorgeous Guineas Haul

I've been merrily buying store brand guinea pig shampoos for as long as I've had piggies, but I've never been that happy with the results, and as we have taken on more rescue piggies with more skin issues I've begun hankering after the range made in the UK by Gorgeous Guineas. I first saw the products in a room tour video by  Laura at Piggiepigpigs and went over to the Gorgeous Guineas webshop, carefully reading all the product descriptions and making a mental shopping list.

My final 'push' to actually purchase came last month when I signed up to become a Guinea Pig Secret Santa via their Facebook page (I'll post more on this after Christmas ;) ), where you fill a parcel with essentials and treats for guinea pig/s at the rescue you've been paired with. It's an adorable concept!

Here's what I bought and my reasons:

The ordering process was simple on the website, payment went through without a hitch and the padded envelope full of products arrived in perfect condition within a couple of days. At the wheekend (see what I did there?) my first victims were lined up to be pampered at the spa of Pumpkin Becki.

Using the Gorgeous Guineas products

Molly - Rex coated - Aloe Melt

The first job with Molly was to prepare the Aloe Melt. You place the bottle in a cup of hot (not boiling) water and allow the coconut oil base to gently melt. I had to refill the hot water about three times, and hold the bottle down before it finally became liquid enough to apply.

Warm the Gorgeous Guineas Aloe Melt in hot water

Molly is a big girl. not fat though, she just has extra saddlebags (shown in blue below) from where she was used for breeding by Pets at Home's supplier. They've been checked over by a vet and are not anything to worry about.

You can clearly see Molly's saddlebags where she was used for breeding

The instructions say to use 5ml per piggie, or 10ml for a particularly large one. Molly definitely needed 10ml, not just because of her size, but also because her dry coat drank up the melt gratefully.

Apply the Gorgeous Guineas Aloe Melt all over the guinea pig, including the ears

The melt is worked into the coat from the top of the head, down the nose, inside and outside the ears, along the back and sides. Then under the tummy and over the legs.

Gorgeous Guineas Aloe Melt - Don't leave out the tummy!

Then you leave the piggie for 20 minutes to allow the melt to work its magic. I put her into the floor-time pen with lots of snuggly places to hide in.

Molly after the application of Gorgeous Guineas Aloe Melt. You can see her coat isn't so dry, and it certainly felt softer.

Emmeline and Lice and Easy

This was only Emmeline's 2nd bath ever, and she wasn't besotted by the idea at all.

We have a deep butlers sink in the kitchen, which I filled with approx 4cm of warm clean water. I put Emmeline straight in and began scooping water over her body, avoiding her head. Unimpressed she tried to jump out, so I supported her on my hand and arm to help make her feel a bit more secure. Then I put her on a dry towel beside the sink, squeezed a 10p sized blob of Gorgeous Guineas Lice and Easy into the palm of my hand, spread it between both hands and applied it to her back, legs, tummy and dewlap (under he chin). then I damped down her white blaze on her face with one finger and rubbed a little lather onto it, being careful not to allow it anywhere near her eyes.

I carefully rinsed her off and reapplied the shampoo. While working it in well, I could see bits of dead skin and a few lice gathering in the foam. It was working! She was wrapped in a towel with the shampoo still on, for 5 minutes as per the instructions, then rinsed thoroughly. MrPB then towel dried her while I shampoo'd Molly.

Poor Molly didn't appreciate the bathing process much either, but lots of dead skin and grease lifted out of her coat.

Look at Molly's face!

She was much happier once she'd been rinsed and given a huge Romaine lettuce leaf as a treat :)

Molly loves Romaine Lettuce

Little did she know the process would be repeated the following weekend!