Homestead mailing list

[Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>]

Gene GeRue wrote:

> > I've finally decided on the ideal situation for guinea pigs.
> >    
>
> In spite of, or perhaps because of, your ongoing instruction, the little 
> pigs sound like a lot of work. Please tell us again the pros and cons of 
> Guinea pigs versus rabbits.
>  

I don't take either that seriously as cuisine, and they're too cute to 
eat as a routine.  Yesterday I held a water bottle for a thirsty 
escapee, and he seemed so human, so polite.  I've never deliberately 
killed one except as a mercy killing.  Maybe raccoons will take to 
hanging out near their enclosures, and I can use them to attract 
something larger, so even if I had to grow every ounce of food for them, 
I might still keep very few just for this reason.

At this point I see them as potentially doing little jobs for me.  I 
don't see why they can't take care of the front lawn, if given a warm 
shelter nearby.  At this point the lower greenhouse is almost completely 
denuded of live plants (weeds), except for the herb garden, which they 
don't touch.  Considering that unwanted grass has the potential to drive 
me crazy with endless chores on hands and knees, it's worth pursuing, 
since feeding is cheap when pastured.

Using rabbits for the same thing would be great, but everything I've 
read suggests that they're impossible to fence because they dig and 
hop.  Guinea pigs can be kept in by 20" flashing.  Guinea pigs also get 
along great a dozen to a cage, because they're so very civilized.

I know, it sounds as if it's getting to be more work instead of less.  
But once there are two separate places to dump males and older females, 
all that's necessary is a daily visit to dump feed.  The younger females 
are then the only animals in cages, until they have their first litter.  
These are worth keeping just for the thrill of breeding larger and 
larger guinea pigs (now that I have easily tended homemade cages), but 
even that's not necessary on a regular basis.  At any moment you can 
utilize the present batch of pups as cat toys (or somehow tag them so 
the females will never be bred) and be done with tending cages 
indefinitely, and resume when the populations start to need replenishing.


>  
>
> > I'm free to do
> > my mechanical water pumping experiments in a little tank (just a pit
> > lined with greenhouse plastic will do).
> >    
>
> Do mosquitos not live where you live?
>
>  
If we only siphon down enough for one day's watering, then it won't be a 
problem.  My main point was not to bother with a fancy storage tank, 
which would still have mosquitos, but to go with cheap.  This greenhouse 
plastic I use would literally last forever as a liner.

Bill
S. Oregon coast