Guinea Pig Presents

Cassandra was sulking for days: the guinea girl's present wasn't delivered on time.

But today it finally arrived: 45 brown paper bags. And the girls are over the moon now!

Also they got a new bed from Ikea, have a look at the video:

Charlie's Great Adventure

We said goodbye to Charlie today, however I made sure that we took a video of his mad whisker-chin rubbing fetish before letting him go...

So, he now has a new home and finally a little pal to keep him company...this is Raoul...

...and they both seem to be getting on well...

Best of luck Charlie! x

Happy Birthday Baby Pigs

The babies are 4 weeks old today. They're getting big, while Zoe is back to her usual petite shape. Every so often I look at Zoe to then realise that I'm actually starring at Cassandra. Yes, that's right, we have named the babies now: Cassandra, Diane and Charlie. Wee fluffy Charlie has been living on his own now for a week and a half; he was way too interested in the ladies. He settled in quite fast and it went a lot smoother than expected. He's a wee screamer when you pick him up, but we have discovered he comes with an off switch: ruffle his whisker and he goes all quiet and content. Cassandra likes that too (although not as much as wee Charlie), but Diane hates it. Diane has a very strong, loud and independent personality. While Cassandra is a lot calmer and a good cuddler. Both girls love running around the dining room and it won't be long until they explore the rest of the house.

Cassandra:

Diane:

Charlie:

Mini pig video

More mini pig pictures

Boy or Girl?

I looks like we have one baby boy and two baby girls!

The grey/white/blond/brown baby is definitively a boy! And the chocolate one and the grey one appear to be girls. Not an ideal situation as I will have to separate the wee boar next week until he's old enough for a new home... 

More baby pictures

Mummy and babies are fine. Other girlies are getting used to having babies about.

Here some more pictures:

Three beautiful babies

Zoe had her babies yesterday evening just after 5pm. We were sitting next to the cage and were lucky enough to see the whole thing. Everything went very smoothly and was over within 15 mins. There was enough time between each baby to give them a good groom. The little grey one was first, followed by the big chocolate colour one and finally the white one came along. The whole family is healthy and the babies are very active.

Zoe is a very protective mother. She's claimed the corner where she's given birth for her and the babies and won't tolerate anybody in it. She loves her babies to bits!

We took the following pictures this morning:

Poor Zoe

The babies are still giving poor Zoe a proper kicking: very big and stong kicks. I think there might only be 2 babies and not 3 as I previously did. I hope she'll have them soon as she looks so uncomfortable. Hopefully this week.

Introducing Zoe - Part 2

Zoe's babies have been very active today: you can now see them kick and not just feel them. She is really big now and so so hungry all the time.

Introducing Zoe - Part 1

More Bonnie Pictures

Introducing Bonnie

A couple of weeks ago I went into our local P@H and saw two gorgeous guinea pigs in the adoption section. I just thought they were the most gorgous piggies ever: one was a white and silver agouti boar (Charlie), the other one was a beautiful girl called Lola (since renamed to Bonnie).
I dragged my OH back to the shop the next day and made some more enquiries about the girile (the boy was gone by then): they told us that she was about 6 months old, previous owner gave them up due to allergies, she was kept in the same cage with another girl and a boy. So there's a chance she is pregnant. I have no experience with pregnancies but if she's pregnant then it's certainly early days. And one the plus side, if there's a boy I might already have a good home lined up for him. :)
So we took Bonnie home and put her into a cage in the bedroom away from the rest of the gang. She was the most miserable piggie I've ever saw. She would just sit about, not move and not eat. She looked so depressed. But then she heard some of my piggies move about the hall and she finally showed signs of interest. The inevitable happened and we left the door open and Jenny walked into the room up to the cage. So we threw caution to the wind (which I would never ever recommend) and introduced the two. It took about 2 mins to introduce her to the rest and she settled into the gang in about 10 mins (honestly I've never seen a smoother introduction). And what a different piggie she was after the introductions: she went from being depressed to the happiest piggie in the world!!!

Sleepy Twinkle

Twinkle really enjoys the new extension, but she gets very tired running up and down the ramp....

Gorgeous Guinea Girls

Chloe and Betty have settled their differences. They're not best pals but they're not fighting either. Chloe is the boss and that's that. I'm really happy that she is feeling better and her ear seems to be alright too. The rest of the gang are doing fine as well.

I gave Twinkle a drastic hair cut a couple of weeks ago and she's looking absolutely beautiful now. She's got such a heavy cut; it can't be nice for her in warm wheather.

Jenny and Betty are still really adventurous, and every so often they surprise us with a wee visit when we're watching TV.

We have extended the Guinea Girls' cage, pardon, the Guinea Girls' palace, upwards... and they really like it!

Chloe update

We had to take Chloe to the vet on Monday. We noticed that she wasn't running around as much as she used too. She was still active but just a bit slower. She also was still eating and not loosing any weight. However her breathing was laboured and she was quite swollen around her tommy.

The vet said that she had a lot of gas in her tommy and gave her two injections - Chloe didn't like these at all and was screaming down the house.

So we had to give her antibiotics for 5 days. What a hassle - she's not an easy patient. And we are very happy that she is doing much better now.

She's in great spirits and unfortunately has been arguing a lot with Betty. We think that while being ill she didn't move around as much and Betty has been slowly making the cage her own and bossing the others about whenever she can. Now that Chloe is all better she wants to be the bossy pig again and Betty is in the way.

They had a couple of bad fights on Friday which resulted in Chloe having a bleeding ear and a scratch across her lips. We thought that we might have to take Betty back as we don't want our girls to fight all the time. Things calmed down on Saturday and there has been no problems today. So fingers crossed that it stays that way.

Inside and outside

Yesterday after cleaning both cages in the morning, I decided to leave them open and see how they all get on. The new girls feel comfy in either, but get quite often chased away; Molly being the only one who runs after them. I just cannot believe what a bully my Mollekins is! Chloe was quite happy lying about in the small cage most of the day. I believe she thinks it's her own personal office. Betty really loves the hammock and spends a lot of time in it.

I have decided to keep feeding them fresh vegetables in the kitchen. Jenny and Betty went through there for a wee munch every so often. Keleigh and Chloe have gotten used to it as well. And even Molly found her way into the kitchen yesterday evening. Twinkle only realised today where the fresh veggies are kept. :)

I popped Betty and Jenny back into the small cage for the night and closed it off. Both girls were desperate to get out this morning! Less chasing about today, so might leave both cages open overnight and once we have a few more hammocks I will remove the small cage completely.

Almost forgot, Betty and Jenny ventured into the hall yesterday evening. I came out of the living room and they had come out of the kitchen and were half ways down the hall. Will have to keep all doors closed from now on.

The girls spent two hours outside this afternoon. Their current run is really too small for all six, but hopefully the new one will arrive shortly. They got on brilliant outside so I'm really happy.

I am however worried about Chloe today. She suddenly started squeeling and jumping about. It looked like one of her back legs had a live of its own as it was making all sorts of uncontrolled movements. I picked her up and put her on my chest and she was teeth chattering for a while, then gave herself a shake and was back to normal. I put her down and she walked fine, even had a wee run around the room. So hopefully her leg was only asleep and it's nothing more sinister. Will keep an eye on her....

Jenny and Betty

One Monday (26/05/08) we picked up two girls from Hutches, a rescue in Alyth.

Betty was born in July 07 and gave birth to 4 babies in April 08. Jenny was born in September 2007. Betty's daughter and sons were also at the rescue and available for adoption and it was really hard to leave her wee daughter, Daisy, behind. I hope she will find a new home soon.

Once we got home with our new girls (we initially went for one), we came back and built an extension from the main cage, so they will have their own enclosed space until they are fully integrated with the rest.

On Tuesday morning I put a blanket down on the kitchen floor with a pile of food and put all 6 girls on it. At first Betty was quite aggressive to my other 4 girls but it soon became apparent, that she was really frightened of her. I was really worried about her at the time.

I repeated the whole procedure at lunch and things looked a bit better. Jenny was mainly ignore. Betty quite often sat frozen at the edge of the blanket.

Again the same procedure in the evening, and things looked a bit up for Betty: she wasn't quite as afraid any more. However we discovered that Molly is a right little bully. We then popped our old girls into the small cage and let Betty and Jenny enjoy the big cage. Wow, what a show. They ran around like crazy. Just round and round in circles. They are such wee darlings.

Maya

It's been a couple of very sad weeks. We cannot get used to Maya not being there anymore. She was such a beautiful pig and cuddles with Maya were just the best.

The last hours of her live were some of the most intense hours of my live and I hope I will remember them for a very long time. I was so very close to her and it felt like we were comforting each other and sharing something sad but also very special. I wish I could put all these feelings into words so that I could preserve them forever.

I'm very glad and thankful that she died lying on my chest rather than at a vets. She died in the same room where she lived most of her life and were she was happy.

She left a big hole in our hearts but we're glad we were able to share some great years with her!

She's greatly missed!

We love you, Ma-May!!!

Maya passed away last night.

We took her to the vet two weeks ago because she was loosing a lot of weight, but still eating happily. The vet diagnosed her with ovarian cyst, but also her breathing was very laboured. For the last few says I have been syringe feeding her but last night she decided to stop fighting. After hours of quality cuddles, she past away while lying on my chest.

Rest in peace, Maya. We love you and will never forget you!

I'll miss you terribly, my little Maya!

Eating Habbits

I don't quite know how she managed it, but she did. Twinkle climbed into the grass bowl tonight!!!

I sat down on my sun lounger and was holding the bowl over the floor so the Guinea Girls could eat out of it. Next thing I know, Twinkle was sitting in it while the others were trying to eat whatever grass she wasn't sitting on. Of course Molly didn't come out but was screaming her head of to get some grass. Yesterday when I was feeding them corn on the cob she came out of the cage for a short while. Twinkle was sitting next to me the whole time - how brave is she?

Greedy Guinea Girls

The Guinea Girls are still enjoying their new cage. And what a difference it makes to their lifes. They are all braver and more confident. There's also a new tradition: Chaz feeds them a corn on the cob every night. He doesn't even get the chance to lie properly down on the blanket outside their cage before Maya and Chloe run out and rip the leaves out of his hands. Maya will sit quite happily next to him, while Chloe generally snatches a leaf and runs back into the cage where either Twinkle or Molly will steal it of her. Keleigh is quite brave too. She comes out of the cage as well and gets her leaves but not quite as daring as Chloe and Maya yet. Molly is just pathetic. She sits inside the cage and bites the linoleum in frustration of not getting any leaves. Once or twice she ventured a few steps out of the cage but generally Chaz will have to give in and give her her share inside the cage. Twinkle hasn't come out of the cage either yet to collect her leaves. She is not as desperate as Molly tough. Funny enough, when I cut grass and sit on the sun lounger with the grass bowl in my hands, she will come out of the cage quite happily. So there is still hope.

Here a picture of Maya lying in her home made cup bed while Keleigh is relaxing in the bunk bed.

Bunk Bed

Not much to report today; so ideal time for another picture.

Here Chloe is showing off her new bunk bed, just one of the many comforts the new cage offers. Watch this space...

Naughty little Guinea Girls

What a mess they made of their cage overnight. Carrot pieces everywhere. I blame Molly. She spits out the outer bits of the carrots and only eats the sweet inner core.

I gave them a good clean this morning and they were very bored while waiting to get back into their cage. Maya made a whole into the bag containing their pellets and someone vandalised the kitchen roll which I left on the floor.

They calmed down a bit after I gave them some grass.... and then I washed Keleigh.

Just now the Guinea Girls are eating their second breakfast; their usual vegetables. I so enjoy hearing them munch... it's really relaxing!

Cranky Guinea Girls

Every time I open the kitchen door the Guinea Girls scream murder. Give us grass! Wheep! Give us grass now! Wheep! Hurray up! Wheep! So demanding. They have no idea how freezing it is out there and I am sick of cutting grass in the rain. The neighbours most think that I am wheeping mad!

Sheepy Pigs

So last night I replaced their vet bed by fleece. We've found some nice black fleece which forms the top layer. Beneath that is a layer of fluffy white fleece with a rigid underside and finally a layer of newspaper. So far I quite like the fleece. I've brushed it this morning but tonight I thought it might be quicker to just take it out of the cage and give it a good shake in the garden. Maybe I incorporate that in my daily routine. The white fluffy fleece is just gorgeous. I've got quite a bit spare, maybe I'll make them some cup beds. I would like them to sleep on the white fleece, but we all know that it wouldn't remain white for long.

I just hope the Guinea Girls enjoy their new cage as much as I do! :)

Easter Weekend

It's been a very exciting weekend for the Guinea Girls. They've had a visited from the "Extreme Makeover: Guinea Pig Home Edition"-team and are now the proud owners of a 2.14 square meters cage.

We've been meaning to build such a cage for a long time but couldn't find the mesh cube needed to build the frame. Instead of using correx for the base, which is the more traditional way of building this type of cage, we've used linoleum, which seems to be great so far.

The cage turned out brilliantly and I think it's much better for the Guinea Girls. It's less sheltered so will take some getting used to for some of them. Keleigh and Chloe have certainly settled in brilliantly. Maya is still a bit unsure and most of the time she's been sleeping on top of the hay in the food section of the cage. Twinkle (who had her bath today) and Molly seem to be doing just ok. It'll be interesting to see how this cage will change their behaviour...

Big thanks to my husband who's done a brilliant job building this Guinea Girl Paradise!

More grass, please!

I have been cutting fresh grass for the girls whenever the weather is permitting it. Of course the last two days the weather hasn't been great so they haven't received any. But every time I open the back door, they are hopeful that I will cut them some and urge me on with their desperate wheeps! Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow!

Finally an update

The Guinea Girls are doing great. It's been a few hectic weeks but now all is back to the good old routine.

While we humans have been away, the girls were well cared for and have been utterly spoiled. They managed to put weight on making any post-Christmas diet redundant.

The visitors from the continent have been and gone: they left behind some lovely painted walls. The guinea pigs certainly miss the snacks given to them by the busy workers throughout the day.

The girls had to downsize a bit: their hut was disgusting and had to be binned so one of the trays has been replaced by a smaller one and a new plastic house was installed - Maya certainly seems to enjoy this one.

And that is all from the guinea pig front for today. Updates will hopefully be a bit more frequent from now on.

Lucky pigs

The house has been freezing all night. There's a burst pipe in the village, so no water, hence no heating. Lucky guinea girls have their own halogen heater and have been warm, cosy and happy.

At least Chloe brighten up our evening by chirping, which she hasn't done in a long, long while. It's just the cutest thing. I wish I knew why she does it. New this time was that Keleigh walked right up to her and started stamping her back feet every so often. Front seats at the world famous guinea pig concert! What a treat!

Satisfied Pigs

I switched the halogen heater on for the guinea girls tonight. They are at the moment sitting in their food tray filling their bellies while staring with dreamy expressions into the glow of the heater. I just cannot believe how much they enjoy it.

While the guinea girls are satisfied and lazy, we humans are trying to decide whether to extend their little herd or not...

Beauty Pig

By popular demand, here's a picture of Twinkle showing off in her hat! Isn't she just pretty?

Depressed Guinea Girls

The guinea girls are all depressed today! They are sad because we are back at work tomorrow and they will miss us. They really enjoyed us being around all day, coming in for a wee chat and picking them up at any time!

Yeah right! Keep dreaming. They will probably be glad to get the house for themselves and will enjoy regular feeding times once again!

Grumpy Pigs!

The guinea girls are still on their diet and it shows. They don't look any fitter but they are really grumpy. There's a lot more arguing going on. Molly and Twinkle had a proper fight yesterday: the first one I've ever seen! Also a lot of shouts coming from the Keleigh - Chloe corner this morning. Chloe can be a right bully at times.

They are still getting a lot of food: two different kinds of pellets, ready grass and fresh veggies. I have limited the amount of veg to 5 lettuce leaves, a few spinach leaves (yes spinach is back), a couple of carrots, a bit of celery and some kale. So they shouldn't really complain that much, should they?

Diet time - Oh no!

Oh yes - it's diet time again and they don't love it at all... but I won't cave in this time. They're eating all their veggies now and rummaging around the house for some extra food!

Happy New Year!

The guinea girls are wishing everybody a Happy New Year 2008 and may the grass be green and plentiful so that wee tummies are always full!