First Time in the New Run

Last weekend the Guinea Girls went outside in their new custom made run! It was the first time our new piggies - Angela, Amanda, Monica and Melissa - were outside and it looks like they enjoyed it. It was still a wee bit chilly so the skinny babies, Amanda and Monica, had to come in long before the others as they don't have a coat to keep them warm.

Here just a couple of pictures of our lovely herd outside in the garden. You can view more pictures in the photo gallery on my website: http://www.lycrawford.com.

Introducing Melissa

As you may have guessed from the title, another girlie guinea pig has joined our herd. It's a hairy one this time.

We drove down to Helen's on 14th of March to pick up the beautiful Melissa. I fell in love with her a view weeks earlier when visiting Helen and kept thinking about her non stop until we finally gave in and put her on reserve for us.

Melissa was part of a group of 14 which Helen picked up around the 5th of March. They were mostly girls and a few boys so there was a risk Melissa was pregnant - luckily she doesn't appear to be. All piggies were scruffy: they had wounds and were missing hair. When we first saw Melissa she had scabs around her eyes and ears and a wound on her flank. However by the time we picked her up from Helen she had healed nicely.

I reckon Melissa was born around December time. She's older than Amanda but not quite as old as Monica. She's settled into the group nicely without arguments and is one of the happiest pigs I've ever seen. She loves popcorning and running around like mad. She's still a bit shy whenever we humans are in the room but she doesn't run away and hide as much as she used too.

Introducing Amanda and Monica

Hubby and I decided to get another skinny pig to keep Angela company so we went down to Helen's the weekend before last to pick up our new girlie. Only turned out that we came back with two skinnies rather than just the one.

Here's a picture of Amanda who's the lovely girlie we had decided to get in the first place:

Amanda is Angela's half sister - same daddy Arthur. She was born on 11th January 2010. She was part of a litter of 6. She's still absolutely tiny esp. when compared to Amy, Molly or Bonnie. She's sometimes a bit of a drama queen: when one of the older sows tells her off she will sit in the corner and whimper for ages. She's very cute!

Here's a picture of Monica who had been reserved but never collected and we just couldn't leave the beautiful lassie behind:

Monica is Angela's niece - her maternal grandfather is Arthur. She was born on 6th November 2009. She looks very similar to Angela, she's a bit smaller but putting on the weight fast so it's sometimes hard to distinguish between the two. She was a bit more timid than Monica but is getting braver by the minute. She's absolutely adorable.

And here a picture of my three skinnies (from left to right: Monica, Angela, Amanda/Abby):



Introduction to my herd was straightforward: by the time we got back home my other girlies were screaming for food so I fed them and while they were busy eating I popped the two new babies into the cage. The older sows where more interested in their food then the new girls. As a precaution I removed all hidey houses but to be honest there was no drama at all.

Once the older girls had eaten their fill they lay down for a snooze and the two new skinnies were popcorning and running laps and bumping into my older pigs. They're just so funny and very energetic!

Nicest part of the guinea pig day

This time at night is when I enjoy the guinea pigs the most. I've just finished cleaning their cage and now I can just enjoy watching them eat their readigrass. They seem very peaceful now: they're all gathered around the readigrass munching happily while wee Jelly Belly is sitting in the middle on top of the food pile. Soon some of them will lie down for a nap, while others will beat up a card board box and others (yes, I'm pointing at you Bonnie) will just eat until there is nothing left.

They're a very enjoyable herd just now. Since I've cut back their food a bit they seem to have a lot more energy. They're very funny at dinner time! The other night it was after 9pm by the time I started preparing their dinner, Betty, Jenny, Angela and Diane boxed me in in the kitchen in front of the fridge. They looked so accusingly and were literally bullying me into feeding them. While Jenny is quiet and lifts herself up on her hind legs with her front legs resting against the cupboard to beg for food, Diane and Angela prefer screaming at the top of their lungs. I have quite a few loud pigs, but those two are excessively loud!

Goodbye My Gorgeous Chloe

My little Chloe girl sadly passed away on Tuesday, 19th January. She was getting gradually weaker over the last few months. Our vet couldn't find anything wrong with her so we believe it was just her age catching up with her. She passed away in my arms on Tuesday morning and both Ryan and I were glad that we were present when she passed over the rainbow bridge.

I love all my guinea pigs but Chloe has been my very favourite ever since getting her back in November 2005. Something in her personality just seemed to click with mine and we seemed to share a special bond.

Chloe was such an outgoing and inquisitive piggy who loved a good wander around the house. She had a very independent nature, yet at the same time was a fabulous cuddler. She enjoyed music and seemed especially fond of a particular relaxation CD: she would sit with me for hours listening over and over again to the "Om mani padme om" chant and eventually we would fall asleep together.

Chloe was a very vocal piggy. I would have recognised her voice and the urgency with which she begged for food anywhere in the world. She also blessed us on numerous occasions with her lovely chirping. The first time we heard her chirp, Ryan and I were working on her cage together. We were filing the wood down to make a ramp for the guinea girls, when we suddenly heard this sound which seemed to imitate the wood file. I bet Ryan thought I was joking about until he realised it was our lovely Chloe who produced this extraordinary sound!

Chloe will be greatly missed but I'm glad we were able to enjoy so many wonderful years together. Now it's her time to be reunited with Maya and Twinkle!

Rest in peace, my Chloe Closet and know that you will always keep a special place in our hearts!

Happy New Year

Wishing you all the very best for 2010!

Introducing Angela

This little cream Skinny Pig is named Angela, better known as 'Jelly' and all sorts of derivations, but mostly Angela, Jelly Belly or Jelly Bean. She joined us early in December at the tender age of 6 1/2 weeks old and settled in as quick as lightning.

She was born on 21st September 2009 and in daughter of: Arthur (a red and white skinny boar originally from Karen at KAB Skinnies) & Caramac (a buff carrier sow originally from Michelle at Shanhara Stud).

Within minutes she was running laps around the cage and bumping into older pigs, popcorning up and down the place and wheeking loudly whenever the food bags are rustled in the kithcen. The older sows really couldn't have taken to her any better - they mostly just followed her around sniffing to get to know her scent for a few hours - Zoe spurred to life when the wee thing passed by her first though, probably a maternal instinct kicking in since it was less than a year since she had her own littler, she became very 'heated' and started chasing Fiona around the cage for a lumber.

As you can see she's a gorgeous wee sow, full of confidence and personality, we're very happy to have her with us. More pictures will follow once we've had the chance to snap some quality close-ups

Nick Names

There's an interesting post on guinea pig nick names on the guinea pig forum today, so I thought I would share my girls' names on here too:

Keleigh = Keils (or Keilekins)
Betty = Bets ( or Betso)
Amy = Aims

Fiona = Fi-Fiona
Chloe = Chloe Closet
Zoe = Sowieso (German for anyway)
Bonnie = Bonnie Bonsai

Molly = Big Nose (or Mols or Molekins)
Diane = Muffin
Jenny = Jenny Always in the Way (she always gets in the way when I lift the top layer of fleece in the morning). She also gets called Jens, Jenekins and Wee'nShite (sorry about this last one )

Goodbye Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (?.08.2005 - 24.09.2009)

Twinkle had been loosing weight gradually and her breathing got heavier and heavier. We took her to the vet on Thursday and he operated her the same day. She got her uterus and spleen removed - she had large ovarian cysts and their was a nodule on her spleen. On top of that her kidneys looked mottled. The operation went well and we picked her up the same evening. She went back into her cage and died shortly afterwards. It seems she waited to be in her own home before resting for good.

The other girls said their goodbyes - everything from a lick to a proper groom. Molly seemed very distressed and Betty was grooming her intensely.

We put her to rest under the apple tree, next to Maya. Now my origi-pigs are reunited once more.

Twinkle is leaving a huge gap in our lifes but will always occupy an enormous place in our hearts.

This will be forever her song:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky!

When the blazing sun is gone,

When he nothing shines upon,

Then you show your little light,

Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveller in the dark,

Thanks you for your tiny spark,

He could not see which way to go,

If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,

And often through my curtains peep,

For you never shut your eye,

Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,

Lights the traveller in the dark,—

Though I know not what you are,

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Quality Time

Just thought I would share a pig-ture of Molly and Amy spending quality time together:

Guinea Pig Crazy

They're all nuts. Betty just ran lap after lap around the cage. Diane tried to mount everybody in sight. Twinkle came out of the cage for a wee sniff - probably for the first time in years. Then Jenny had a gallop around the cage, while Betty, Amy, Chloe and Diane were exploring the wonders of the dining room floor. Then Jenny went to the kitchen to see whether breakfast might be ready. Now Chloe is giving me the evil eye - I should be typing less and feeding more!

Piggy Wash

All 12 Guinea Girls got a bath yesterday following an outbreak of lice. Luckily hubby offered to blow dry them - I couldn't have done this bathing marathon without him.

Most Guinea Girls were quite good. Twinkle bit me to remind me that she doesn't like sitting in the water but doesn't mind sitting on my arm and getting rinsed. Zoe was, as ever, an absolute neightmare. Bathing went relatively smoothly for her standards but then she jumped out of the washing basket when hubby was drying her and I had to crawl all over the second bedroom to catch her.

I didn't take any pictures yesterday, but thought I would share an old one of Maya whom we still miss very much:

Jenny is tweeting

I picked Jenny up for a cuddle today as the rest ran away when I got into their cage and couldn't be bothered chasing them. It's so nice that Jenny doesn't mind getting a cuddle - as long as it's a quick one.

I sat with her on the bed and she got comfy on my shoulder underneath my hair - a very unusual position for her. I was getting a bit worried about this when she suddently started chirping. Jenny never makes any noises, she never wheeps, the most you hear is her snorting nose when it's blocked again - something that is happening quite often this summer - I think she might have hay fever. Anyway, you can understand why I was so amazed at hearing her chirp. And especially when sitting on my shoulder. It wasn't a very loud chirp - nothing like Chloe's chirping which you can hear across the house - but definitely a chirp. I feel really blessed. Isn't she just an amazing pig?

The opinions on why guinea pigs chirp differ greatly. There has never been a satisfactory explication. However, I think I have unravelled the mistery tonight:

Chriping = Tweeting

Check this out:

http://twitter.com/Jenny_Pig

Spoilt Guinea Girls

Hubby stayed at home on Friday and spoilt the Guinea Girls with an extra meal half way through the day:

Chloe and Twinkle Update

Following her historectomy, Chloe is a much healthier pig. She looks absolutely beautiful, although a lot thiner than she used to. You can now cuddle and touch her without her groo-ing objection; somthing you could never have done before. Her character has changed a bit. She's still very vocal and screems at the top of her lungs at dinner time. Otherwise she is more laid back and it looks like she's passed leadership on to Betty who is mounting anything with legs, but Chloe in particular his her favourite object.

Twinkle too has given us a lot of bother over the last month. We noticed her foot swollen and an x-ray showed that the infection has gone into the bone. She has been on antibiotics and pain killers for the last month and the infection has gone down. However her bones are fused now and she has lesss movement in her foot. She's also been treated for mites, not the ugly black kind but a much smaller less harmful one. She had some hair loss under her chin and on her bum, but that is growing back now after the hated injections: poor sausage was screaming even before the needle went in. Once we took her off the medicine she lost some weight, but she's putting some back on and it looks like she too is on the mend.

So hopefully no more vet appointments for a long, long while.