Where it all began

Many of you are probably wondering what Whiskers in a Dream is and who I am.  Looking at the blog it's easy to see that this page hasn't been around all that long but what the blog effectively is is the reincarnation or rather the next step on from a website I ran between 2001 and 2011, and that was CavyCapers.com.

Cavy Capers back in the glory days

Cavy Capers was a huge part of my life and it was all about guinea pigs: the breeds, how to look after them and what to do when your piggy falls ill.  It was a successful advice website which was repeatedly named in the Good Website Guide year after year and we appeared in some of the industry's top magazines.  I found myself really busy with so many daily enquiries, questions about basic care to panicked emails about dying guinea pigs.  I then set up a shop within the site where I sold pet wares such as Vetbeds and water bottles and guinea pig mugs and greeting cards.  Ten years on from its inception I felt the website had run its course, my life had moved on in certain ways and I decided to close the site down.  It was actually a huge relief and welcome break when it all came to a stop.

In the past year I've worked on various parts of my life and career but my passion for guinea pigs - and now rabbits since my first, Bobby, came into our lives in 2007 - remained.  After getting into the blogging scene it felt like a natural progression to start this blog up, in a way, in loving memory of Cavy Capers.

So here I am, still adoring my guinea pigs and having fun with my rabbits.  I love them all to bits and although I admit I'm still a novice rabbit owner, I still have a wealth of knowledge for keeping guinea pigs and I'd like to think I can still help fellow owners out.  I'm hoping you'll help me out too, because life is one long learning process and we're all small furry loving friends at the end of the day.

Becky x

Review - Supreme Tumblefresh

Having guinea pigs and rabbits I'm always on the look out for new and effective ways to line the cages.  Poops aren't too bad but pee is the most noticeable smell.  Something that will stop the smelly wiffs and extend the life of the cage bedding will make life so much more pleasant for not just me but the animals.

Tumblefresh by Supreme Pet Foods is a brand new product which is replacing it's predecessor, Carefresh.  Having used Carefresh quite a few times before I was keen to try out Tumblefresh and see how it fared.  It's marketed as being 250% more absorbent than traditional bedding, which I'm guessing is in comparison to wood shavings.

Tumblefresh comes in two pack sizes: 8.5 litre and 23.5 litre.   I got the smaller of the sizes at 8.5 litre capacity which features a handy zip lock if you don't use it all in one go and want to store it without the worry of it spilling out.

Tumblefresh looks very much the same as Carefresh but differs slightly with it's mixture of grey and pale yellow fibres.  It's a papery texture, almost like pulverised toilet paper!  It's made from wood pulp but apparently environmentally friendly and safe to put out onto a compost.  A definite advantage if you're concerned by how much waste product you put out in the bin.  I found it not to be dusty at all despite what it looks like.  It's quite fluffy, and doesn't really smell either.

I decided to put the Tumblefresh in the 'Dinosaurs' cage - the terrible two-some Scooby and Stewie!  Their cage is always the messiest so if the bedding works it'll be a success.

Scooby and Stewie!

I laid down a few sheets of newspaper first just to make cleaning out a bit easier.  You can roll up paper with mess quicker than shovelling it out without, so it's a good idea whatever else you use in the cage.  Thankfully my parents are good newspaper collectors for me and always have a good stash for us to pick up.

I found the 8.5 litre pack didn't cover the base of the cage very deep, in fact it was just a light dusting of bedding material.  The pack instructions says to create a layer of 1-3 inches in depth; the coverage I got wasn't an inch.  If I had more of the Tumblefresh to hand I would have used quite a bit more.  However, I will say the cages I have are some of the biggest cages you can buy (they measure 118 x 58.5 x 51.5 cm), so if you have a smaller cage, then this pack size will probably be more than enough.

I started the cage afresh on Friday and poops and general mess aside, it's smelling pretty much alright.  Every day I put meadow hay in the bedroom compartment and pigloo as well as a pile to munch on so the cage floor does end up covered. 

You can tell where the Tumblefresh is saturated as the fibres turn a darker grey.

When the hay and poops are cleaned out, the Tumblefresh still feels relatively dry, and there's not much wetness gone through to the thin layer of newspapers.  I am impressed!

Moving the Tumblefresh aside, the paper is dry beneath.

Relatively dry but some wetness in 'potty' prone area.

I'm not certain how Tumblefresh is an improved version Carefresh but it's still a good, effective cage substrate all the same.  If I had more of the product put down then I know I'll be getting the most benefit out of it.  It's definitely worth using if you want to limit the times you clean the cage out and if smells are a concern to you, because this eliminates most wiffs.

The only drawback I would say is the pack size because the 8.5 litre handy pack is not big enough for even just one of my cages.  I wonder what size cage the pack is intended for, especially if the zip lock is to be needed.  It could possibly work as a spot clean pack.

As I have several large cages I'd need more than a few of these packs at each cleaning out session.  The larger 23.5 litre pack wouldn't get me much further but would make more sense using.  Lots of rabbit and guinea pig owners use equine products which are produced in larger quantities; it would be good for a comparative size of Tumblefresh.  For a product sold in the high street pet stores though, the range of pack sizes available is a good choice for the owner of one or two rabbits and guinea pigs.

Becky x

Bunnies aren't for Easter

It's Easter Sunday and that can mean only one thing to many people - chocolate eggs!  Sadly the Easter Bunny is yet to be handed his P45 and rabbits are still being treated as an Easter gift for the kiddies too. 

I love my rabbits and as much as they are a joy they are not simple pets.  It's one of my bug bears: people who have never shared their life with a rabbit naively think it's an easy pet to keep and it's this mis-education that means every Easter countless rabbits are bought for the festive fad and then forgotten about by the next month.  There will be people who continue to love and nurture their bunny and provide all that their bunny needs but more times than not, these poor rabbits end up forgotten at the bottom of the garden or dumped at a local rescue already bursting at the seams with furries.

Rabbits are not cheap pets and if you think they're cheaper and easier to keep than a dog or cat, think again.  There's two vaccinations that rabbits need every year (in some regions, twice a year) for protection against deadly myxomatosis and Viral Haomorrhagic Disease (or VHD).  Then there's the neutering for the hormones (rabbits are very territorial, may bite and/or scratch) and to protect against the 80% risk of uterine cancer.  A must to prevent pregnancies.  Vet consultation fees are also generally more expensive compared to that of a guinea pig.

Housing is another issue that many people still don't heed advice on, and often it's not helped by the lack of or the select advice given by pet shops.  That cage they're trying to sell you?  Absolutely no way is that enough space to keep a rabbit 24/7.  What the assistant won't tell you is that you really must give additional space for a rabbit to freely run.  Let it out free rein into the garden, or in a room of the house.  Rabbits have huge hind legs and they have a right to run as much as it's the done thing to let a dog run off it's lead.

Diet.  Feed a good dry food as the base but this by no means is all you provide.  Daily fresh water, some cabbage or spring greens.  Hay.  I have lost count how many times I find myself telling people that hay is simply not just a bedding material.  Many people do not even buy hay for that purpose, only putting straw down as a cage substrate.  24/7 access to clean hay (or grass) is absolutely imperative to a rabbit's diet (and a guinea pig's) and must always be provided - probably even more importantly than the dry food.  Without proper roughage a rabbit is very much likely to develop a condition called malloclusion which is when the ever growing teeth are neglected and continue to grow abnormally.  Forget the hay and you may find yourself paying those hefty vet bills for corrective dentistry.

Oh, and rabbits need company so multiply twice all advice above.

So you want something different to a chocolate egg this year?  Then go to a church Easter service.  Go for a walk and appreciate the spring flowers.  Buy gummy sweets that look like rabbits.  An even better idea - what you would have spent on an egg - or that bunny you wanted to buy on the spur of the moment because it looked so frigging cute - donate to a charity that rescues bunnies and in the process of feeding a bunny without the huge 10 year cost you'll get a feel good feeling that surely Easter is all about.

Who on earth decided that rabbits are for Easter anyway?  Living out in the countryside I see rabbits in the fields and at the road verges all year long so it's not as if they come out of hibernation once the daffodils proclaim it's Easter.

Share the word - rabbits are not for Easter - they're for life!

For more rabbit advice check out - Rabbit Rehome, Rabbit Welfare and MakeMineChocolate websites.

Becky x

Avoiding Overgrown Claws

My Timmy

A neighbour popped round today asking if I could clip his guinea pig's feet.  I'm more than happy to clip claws for anyone who asks so in came the piggy patient.

He's an adorable looking guinea pig with a glossy black coat and beautiful placid character but I was taken aback when I saw his feet.  The nails were quite atrocious; curling and bending in all directions.  I couldn't wait to get snipping.   I was wanting to take a photo of his sorrowful feet to put on here but it felt kind of rude to do so!   I think the little piggy was completely relieved to have neat little claws again and he was soon chirruping away in my arms.  His owner said he doesn't make that noise much which is sad.  It's difficult when a owner is clearly in love with their pet yet overlooks what I see as simple husbandry.  I said he is most welcome for his guinea to have a clipping again next month so I do hope he comes by with his piggy pal.

In many cases things really do boil down to education.  Lots of guinea pig and rabbit owners may not even think their pet needs regular claw clipping because maybe their dog doesn't.  I only hope I help somewhat.  I am by no means perfect and am the first to put my hand up and admit that.  I would like to think that using what knowledge I do have and by being an honest owner I can learn to be a better carer of my own animals and help others along the way.

Claw clipping the rabbits and guinea pigs is a routine procedure I do myself and will clip all of the claws on the same day once a month.  I don't like nails to grow too long and will keep them neat and trim.  When I'm doing the nails I will check the whole foot for any spurs and if there are any skin tags, which guinea pigs can be prone to, I will give these a snip too.

Neglected claws can cause a rabbit or guinea pig pain and suffering if not maintained.  Overlong and curly nails make normal movement difficult and can lead to foot injuries or painful bumblefoot if the nails cut into the foot pad.

It's the beginning of the month and time to do my animals claws again so I'll get each of them out of their cages (or grab them from a floor somewhere!) and pop them upon a towel on my lap.  I don't think I hold them all in the same way as I clip because they're all different in how they prefer to sit and what feels comfortable to them.  Some of the furries are more compliant than the others too!

Not all guinea pigs feet are the same unified colour which can prove a challenge with inexperienced owners and if you're clipping under poor light.  Timmy has both white and black paws so here's some images of his feet, before and after the trim:

Front white paw - Before

Front white paw - After

Front black paw - Before

Front black paw - After

Becky x

Food Review: Supreme Science Selective

Towards the end of last year I started to do some reviews on a few of the market leaders in the extruded pellet dry feed industry.  Supreme Pet Foods were very forthcoming and keen to assist me with my reviews and so sent me some bags of their Science Selective rabbit feed and guinea pig feed to test out with my animals.

Since beginning my review the recipe for the rabbit Science Selective has now changed.  It now includes a higher percentage of fibre which is very much a good thing.  Therefore I can only comment on and review the earlier product, but it is in essence the same feed.

5kg bag

It's very important to gradually add a new food into a rabbit's diet so their digestive system doesn't become upset.  Rabbits tummies are sensitive things so a slow change over is key when switching to a new brand.

Before I started the gradual implementation I wanted to see the initial reaction to this food against its competitors:  Mr Johnsons which I reviewed earlier and the Burgess Excel which is the current feed for all my animals.

I was keen to use Lucy as primary tester as she's definitely one of the more difficult bunnies when it comes to food.  Having rescued her from a home prior ours, Lucy came to us unaccustomed to a good diet of pellets or vegetables.  We have since moved her away from a muesli food diet to a pellet feed.

Lucy, the very hairy Lionhead!

I laid out a small quantity of Supreme Science Selective to the far right, Mr Johnsons in the middle and Burgess Excel (Lucy's usual food) to the left.  This is what happened:

Lucy has literally taken to the Science Selective very well, in fact it didn't take long at all to change her dry food over completely.  To this day she is eating a full portion of Science Selective everyday and no longer eats Burgess Excel.  She's definitely decided which food she prefers to eat!


The Nitty Gritty

When I first opened the Supreme Science Selective I was surprised by how different to the competitors the food compared.  Mr Johnsons and Burgess Excel were similar nugget form where the Science Selective are more curly sausage shaped; thin biscuits around 1.5cm long.

Fibre - 19% (23% new recipe), Protein - 14%

Curly and sausage shape pellets

Initially I expected Lucy to experience problems eating these pellets as she has a history of dental problems; malocclusion.  At times it seemed she struggled to get hold of the long shapes in her mouth and would drop them after trying to reel them in.  Personally I would say the shape is the only drawback to this food and too large.  Having continued with the pellets Lucy has acquired a knack of eating them and quite happily guzzles her way though. 

I am happy that Lucy is eating this food now.  She appears more content with it, enjoys eating it and contains a higher level of fibre at 19% (or 23% by the new current recipe) compared to Mr Johnsons Everyday Advance 17%. 

Perhaps even more positively, Lucy's teeth have now established a healthy state and she's not needed dentistry for some months now.  Is this down to the Science Selective?  Could well be.

Becky x

REVIEW - Mr Johnsons Everyday Advance Rabbit

This is the second of my Mr Johnsons Everyday Advance food reviews. Today I'm reviewing the rabbit feed, which Mr Johnsons kindly sent me. The rabbits much obliged!

Mr Johnson's Everyday Advance Rabbit

The packaging looks attractively modern with its simple and clean purple and white scheme featuring a silhouette image of a rabbit. The labelling is clear with easy to see bullet pointed benefits of feeding the food. Information on the pack reverse is concise but very technical with too much printed word to read through. Its almost scientific approach makes it less pet owner friendly and more targeted toward the breeders market.

The product is a little small formed, bite sized nugget. The little nuggets have a course texture and are light fawn in colour. They smell sweetly of wheat with a slight aniseed scent.

Nuggets close up

The ingredients consist of: Wheatfeed, oatfeed, alfalfa, wheat, sunflower extract, ligno-cellulose, dried carrot, herbs, calcium carbonate, sodium chloride, biomos, Yucca schidigera extract and vitamins and minerals.

Fibre – 17%, Protein - 12%

The availability of Mr Johnsons is not wide but can be purchased conveniently from Wilkinsons.

The price for 1.5kg is £3.49. Competitively priced with leading brands, even slightly dearer against similar prices for 2kg.

The taste test. I laid out a scoop of Mr Johnsons next to the rabbits' current feed and they were instantly interested. Lucy, who is a very sensitive and picky eater, greedily ate the pellets on production of them. During playtime Lucy even actively tried to steal the nuggets and opened up a corner of the pack to eat them!

In my opinion Mr Johnsons for rabbits is a good quality nugget food with a strong appeal to even the pickiest of bunnies. The nuggets are compacted and stay in their form without excessive breaking and crumbling avoiding waste. I'm more than happy that one of our pickiest eaters does actually enjoy Mr Johnsons, and being a sufferer of malocclusion, the hard crunchy nuggets are good exercise for Lucy's teeth. These nuggets have a good recipe behind them and sound nutrition evidence. My only criticism would be the high price for a smaller than average pack size. If the pack was made a kg more, say 2.5kg for the same price, or brought down in price circa £2.99, then I would find it more competitive for the market. 4/5

REVIEW - Mr Johnsons Everyday Advance Guinea Pig

Mr Johnsons very generously provided my panel of furry testers two 10kg sacks of their Everyday Advance feed in Guinea Pig and Rabbit varieties, so we've had plenty time to get to know the product. This is my personal review.

Mr Johnson's Everyday Advance Guinea Pig

The packaging looks attractively modern with its simple and clean purple and white scheme featuring a silhouette image of a guinea pig. The labelling is clear with easy to see bullet pointed benefits of feeding the food. Information on the pack reverse is concise but very technical with too much printed word to read through. Its almost scientific approach makes it less pet owner friendly and more targeted toward the breeders market or the more serious keeper.

The product is a slight banana shaped nugget in a pale fawn colour. The nuggets feel light and course in texture and tightly compressed with visible ground shards of grass. They smell appetisingly sweet and wheaty.

The ingredients are: Wheatfeed, barley, alfalfa, sunflower extract, treated straw, soya extract, calcium carbonate, dried carrot, herbs, lysine, biomos plus vitamins and minerals.

Fibre – 15%, Protein – 17%, Vitamin C – 490mg/kg

The availability of Mr Johnsons isn't as wide as some other foods and isn't stocked in high street pet shop leader Pets at Home. You can however purchase it from Wilkinsons which is a convenient shop for many people and it's reasonably priced too.

The price for 1.5kg is £3.49. Quite reasonable compared to others that are dearer.

The taste test. I laid out a scoop of Mr Johnson's and Timmy's usual nugget food on a sheet of paper. Timmy was attracted immediately to Mr Johnsons, bypassing his usual feed and keenly tucked into them. This can only mean the pellets have an appealing smell and tasty flavour to guinea pigs! Listening to Timmy eating each pellet, the Mr Johnsons sounded crunchy with a harder bite than usual, and that can only be good for dental health.

In my opinion Mr Johnsons is a serious contender in the nuggeted food market. I've successfully been able to move the guinea pigs over onto these nuggets without hard work at all. The gradual changeover was accepted by all the furries and they continue to clear their bowels of nuggets. I have found the nuggets keep the shape well and barely crumble in storage and in the feeding bowl which is great economy-wise as there's minimal waste. The price is reasonable too, and I can easily purchase it from my local Wilkinsons in town. One negative is I have noticed the piggies don't seem as excited at food time anymore in comparison to when they were fed their previous food. My dislikes are the slightly lower fibre content than my piggies previous food, and also that the vitamin C content is extremely low, at over half the amount found in competitors brands. 3/5