Vets.

I'm not sure I've mentioned it before but one of my big concerns is the lack of exotic vets up here. With a single petstore that doesn't even stock vetafarm let alone rabbit food I was a little doubtful there would be anything. I've checked vet websites and spoken to numerous ditzy (why are they always ditzy?) receptionists who all told me that nope they can't do a rabbit vaccine and nope they don't treat parrots. And no, no one has experience with cavies.

But today we went to the Armidale Wool Expo and ran across one of the bigger vet clinics doing a stand. The lady manning it is what do ya know? a rabbit specialist. And the Uralla branches vet is a parrot expert. Neither are real sure on piggies, but willing to learn and at the very least rabbits are similar to piggies when it comes to health, so I'll get somewhere. However though they said they didn't have xperience with cavies when I mentioned I bred and showed them she asked me what breeds AND knew what a texel is. So I think the lack of experience may just be because I'm one of the few piggie people in the area. I know there's a BYB in Uralla, and there's a rescue in Inverell but it's certainly nothing on all the Hunter Valley/Central Coast piggie people where I used to live.

So I'm very happy and they were also running a competition for free vaccinations for dog/cats but she said they'd be happy to change it to a rabbit vaccine for me if I won, so I of course entered...

In other news Andromache and Audrey haven't changed. Andromache's at 91g and Audrey at 89, neither are near their birth weights of 102 and 107 but they are more than they were on Monday which was 82 and 88. I still don't have much hope for them. They are now eating the dry feed and have garduated to a low suacer for the dry feed and a small bowl for water (that I've yet to see them use). They still have their snugglesafe which is kept warm 24/7.

Ebbie is worrying me slightly. Since the babies aren't feeding shes constantly full of milk and I'm worried it'll turn to mastitis as the milk that comes out is very thick and gluggy looking. So I'm 'expressing' her twice a day. The milk is drying up though, so hopefully that happens before she ends up with mastitis.

In other news it's the second day of vetbed for the sheba boys and I have to say I'm impressed. The newspaper below is sodden but the vetbed is dry as a bone. I think once the incontinence pads arrive it'll be perfect.

Sooooo I'm thinking I'll convert all cages to vetbed and incontinence pads. It'll cost an absolute fortune, but it is a one off payment. Even if it costs $400, that is just ten weeks of the newspaper bedding and this stuff will last for years. So I've emailed the store I bought it from to ask about the price of a full 10m roll. Fingers crossed the new brand of incontinence bedding is just as good as then I'll be set for life.

I'm still waiting on the delivery of the dog crates as well. Since that will give me six new cages I also need six more food bowls and six more water bottles, which will probably cost more then the dog crates did.

Oh and I'm also working on a new design of hayrack, more info and pics if it works!