One Little, Two Little, Three Little Guinea Pigs

Post Reply
Riahrae

Post   » Fri Jun 03, 2016 1:12 am


Oh grannyju1 they are all so adorable and you're right peek looks so much like my mocha bear. I love your writing also b the way very descriptive and like everyone else has said it's like you're there when you read it. Can't wait for more

User avatar
GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Thu Sep 22, 2016 9:01 am


While in Texas for a family reunion, Mr sent me this photo and a text saying he had a special BBQ planned for my return.

Image[/url]Latest abuse

Keep in mind this is the same little piggy he wrapped in bread and called dinner, 3 years ago. Poor Flossie. If her face is anything to go by she is truly traumatized this time. Since I came home she's actually let me pet her at least once a day, in the cage. Never did before. Guess she knows which side her bread is buttered on. ;o)

User avatar
daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Thu Sep 22, 2016 1:18 pm


The poor little darling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She reminded me of Gulliver's travels and the Lilliput people, when they carried him. Hoping Flossie feels safer now you're back home.

Riahrae

Post   » Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:55 pm


Poor little flossie!!!!! Her little face in that picture she truly looks traumatized

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Sep 22, 2016 9:14 pm


My husband jokes about turning our chickens into chicken dinner but I don't think he'd try an incriminating photo!

I'm glad you have a decent husband. I trust he told her she better be nicer to you :-)

User avatar
GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Mon Dec 12, 2016 1:24 pm


It's been a while since I wrote anything so I thought I'd do a little update. I'll try to keep the pics to a minimum, hahaha.

Until September or October it was a fairly un-eventful year. Lots of cute poses, only a few of which I was able to catch properly.

Image

Image[/url]Scatter rumblestruts his way between myself and Flossie.

Image
VeBee and her saxy leg.

Image[/url]Xena. Oops, how'd this happen?

Image[/url]VeBee-Baby loves her water bowl!

Image[/url]Little Fuzz, aka my unicorn. That top white spot sticks straight up and is longer than the rest.

Image[/url]Flossie wonders what's wrong with this picture?

Image[/url]Curious Fuzz

Image[/url]Fuzzbutt 9.1.16

Image[/url]How Peekaboo earned his name.

Image[/url]Peek, VeBee, & Fuzz. They do love a clean quilt!

Image[/url]Scatter-bug napping away #1 2.7.16

Image[/url]VeBee #1 5.6.16

Sorry for all the poo shots, but ... What can I say?

In late September or early October I noticed Flossie limping on her left rear leg. I got into the vet, and of course his first suspicion was scurvy in spite of her vitamin c filled diet. He had me double that, and told me to come back in 2 or 3 weeks. I gave it 2 weeks and called him. I was told it would take some time to see a real improvement, possibly months. I mulled that for a day or 2 then called our old vet in Longview/Kelso. I got Flossie in to see her 3 days later. She immediately took x-rays and discovered 2-4 compressed discs in Floss's spine. The good news was we might be able to treat it with a strong steroid. Flossie had lost all feeling in that leg/foot (no reaction to any sensation) so the bad news was I'd probably waited too long and she'd never recover. The worst news was she might even lose the ability to use her other leg too. This, I think, has happened. Otherwise, she's her normal self: eats everything put in front of her, including helping Scatter clean up his bowl. Output is normal. She does, of course, move less so I have to make sure to move her fleece blanket around so she doesn't spend the entire day in one spot. I'll sometimes take it completely away, but will spread fleece over the hay area so she will have someplace to feel less exposed. She's lost some weight, but has settled down in to a new normal of about 1025 - 1040 grams, down from an average of 1200. She gets a lot more attention now, and is loving it - except for all the butt baths.

The other unusual event (for us) happened about 10 days ago. Somehow Scatter broke both front upper teeth, one at the gumline, the other about halfway up. I took him to the vet to make sure there really wasn't anything I could do other than syringe feed him Critical Care. She confirmed but also gave me some Metacam to give him for a week or so. It only took him about 3 days to get to the point where he could eat hay fairly easily. He finally took to the Critical Care when I fed it to him without holding him - we both had to be very careful not to bump the front uppers or what was left of them. If that happened, feeding time was over. Eating from a spoon was easiest. He is now able to eat everything but I do have to cut his carrots (the hardest thing for him to eat) and bell peppers in long thin strips. He, too, lost a little weight, but it wasn't for long. Fuzz still hold the "Biggest Pig" title, but I think soon they'll go back to tossing it back and forth.

Here's hoping nothing else but good events happen for the rest of the year and beyond. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Ack! Sorry about the size of the pictures. You can delete them if you'd like.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Dec 12, 2016 2:37 pm


They are all pretty darn cute!

Sorry to hear about Flossie's spine problem. I hope it either improves or she is more or less able to manage.

Riahrae

Post   » Mon Dec 12, 2016 3:20 pm


Oh my little peek!!!! They all are so cute grannyju but I've gotta say as my mocha bear peek is my favorite. Same personality as my little mocha bear. I hope everyone's well with flossie I'm sorry to hear

User avatar
GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Tue Jan 03, 2017 10:22 am


Tuesday, January 03, 2017 Another little update, just to start the year out right.

The Cage of Three: Peek, Fuzzbutt, and VeBee –

All is well, although Peek is getting quieter and quieter. Still maintains a decent weight but it now averages in the low to mid 1100, rather than the old 1200 grams. He still runs from me unless I have food, but he’s always been that way. He just seems to get slower and slower to move. Picking him up is getting pretty easy as long as I use my “corner-maker”. I’m counting every day with my little man as a blessing. Most of the time he’ll talk to me although it’s in a vocal range I can’t hear; I just see his chin waggling. I think he may have taught the other two the same trick because they will sometimes do it too. Nowhere near as much as Peekaboo does it though. And I must be staring at him and talking to him to get this reaction from him.

Fuzzbutt – Fuzz is my little enigma. I can’t decide (and maybe she can’t either) if she’s affectionate or standoff-ish. I know she copies whatever VeBee does, except drinking from the water bowl. She won’t do that. She wants lots of loves from Peek (who won’t give them to her) and VeBee (who does allow snuggles), none from me. Like Peek, she runs unless I’m offering food or treats. She doesn’t get real pushy all the time, but has on occasion stood on VeBee’s back (Peek won’t allow this) to reach them first. She’s the easiest to pick-up when I’m using my corner-maker – never struggling once she feels my hand curling around and under her. I truly appreciate this as I think this is how Flossie was injured. Fuzz still insists on being the “Mangler” now and then, especially when she’s on my arm and I’m moving too fast. That earns me a good nip or two. Otherwise, she’s the quietest of all the pigs, and by that, I mean she’s like a shy wallflower. Only becoming obnoxious during her days-of-the-month. Then she can bedevil VeBee like you wouldn’t believe. It’s only during these times that either girly moves much, chasing each other up and down the cage. If it’s VeBee’s time, she can make Fuzz squeal like nothing else (except a new pig).

VeBee is my little rose – beautiful and eye-catching with not too many thorns; butterscotch swirls and stripes on her face. I can’t think of a single time she’s ever bitten me. She’s not as cuddly as she was when I first got her, but I think that’s probably my fault for not giving the cuddles out as frequently as she got them in her previous home. However, I’m pretty sure Peek and Fuzz make up for it. I know she was with her mum until she passed over the Rainbow Bridge, and I think that’s why she was put up for adoption: FHS didn’t want any more guinea pigs but knew enough to know VeBee needed cavy companionship. FHS (and daughter) didn’t bother to actually name her though. Didn’t bother to research for good foods other than to give her fresh veggies, crap for pellets, and pet store hay. I have no idea what kind of veggies VeBee got, and I know they gave her weekly baths (or so I was told). That’s about it. Anyway, Ve and Fuzz are the only ones who actively seek out others to snuggle (kind of) with. She prefers to snuggle with Peek, but he will only allow her to barely touch him (he doesn’t allow Fuzz to get even that close), so she does let Fuzz curl up next to her. I don’t know why she prefers Peek to Fuzz, but doesn’t dis-like Fuzz. I think it might be because Fuzz is the smelliest little pig I’ve got (Fuzz being the one most like to have a reaction to food). Back to VeBee-baby… She likes to watch me from the side of her cage, standing on the brick or water bowl to do so. I’m not sure if she’s curious, wants attention, or is hopeful of looking cute enough to garner treats. Probably the latter. She’s cute as heck drinking from the water bowl too. Somehow sucks it up into her mouth then tilts her head back to swallow. I guess I’m just too used to watching the others drink from the bottles and find Ve’s uniqueness sweet. Peek will drink from the bowl occasionally; Fuzz never. Neither did cage of 2. Speaking of which…

The Cage of Two – Scatter and Flossie

All the pigs (except Peek) turned 3 last year. In April Scatter will be 4, second oldest to Peek who must already be around 6 yrs. old. He was my first baby so holds a special place in my heart. Actually, each pig holds a special but different, place in my heart, hahahaha. Scatter has the prettiest eyes: long lashes, perfect eyeliner, and occasionally gets that pale blue color instead of the white in his eyes. Could be those are his most stressed times so he opens his eyes wider, but I’m not sure about that. Anyway, he’s the most playful but dominant pig I’ve ever seen, constantly, and I do mean constantly, mounting Flossie. He stopped for a while after she was first injured and seemed to know she needed gentleness, but apparently, she’s healed enough that he feels he can get away with more playful behavior now. If anyone is going to popcorn or run laps, it is Scatter. I can hear him banging around in there every morning and evening, getting his exercise. Naturally, he stops when I want to watch him. He’s my little sissy whiner, too, even though he's consistently around 1300 grams. Complains about everything, and becomes almost hysterical when I take him out of the cage. Must mean I need to take him out and give him more snuggles and treats without doing the nasty claw thing. He likes to be held in a cuddle sack whereas the rest of them will stay head-in-the-corner and only peek out every few minutes if I don’t move. Scatter will start that way but then his curiosity gets the better of him and he must turn around and watch what’s going on. He actually talks to me when he’s in the cage, possibly a carry-over from being such a whiner outside it. In the cage, it’s a soft almost-grunt squeak, outside it’s a loud “your-killing-me!” wheek. I guess he’s just a very vocal pig. Like me, he talks a lot.

Flossie – Now Floss holds a big special spot in my heart. She was my first tiny baby, only 6 weeks old when I adopted her. She’s so far had to have a spay at a fairly young age (1.5 yrs. old) due to ovarian cysts. That was a month-long ordeal for her. Not that she had a hard time – she seemed to recover quickly, but I was strict about not letting Scatter have access to her for the full month after the surgery. Instead I took the hospital cage (Ve’s old one) and put it into the big cage so she and Scatter could at least have some small measure of companionship and share her hay. Scatter probably had the harder time, since he’s the most touchy-feely pig. But Flossie was used to having the big cage to move around in, being confined wasn’t a good fit for her. And now we have the spinal injury. Both times I’ve had to syringe feed her so we grew closer due to that. I also have felt so sorry for her (and guilty this time) she must sense and feel me trying to be as gentle as possible. She does seem to be improving, extremely slowly, but improving all the same. She now uses her left rear leg all the time unless she’s in a hurry, although she did run straight back to me at the vet’s office last week. That was when the vet saw she was using all four legs. Those are the times she’s most likely to drag it though; curling her body into a backwards “C”; or carry it, or fall over as she runs trying to use it properly. Poor baby. She hasn’t seemed to let it bother her, though. She still eats as much, if not more than Scatter. She does seem to have some difficulty getting veggies from the big bowls, so I'll dump it out on the floor of the cage if I see her struggling to reach in. She still tells Scatter off when he’s being a pest, and doesn’t have a problem trying to whirl around to give him a nip when he’s really bugging her. She’s sweet and doesn’t mind being held, although these days with her back injury, she’s feeling less secure when being held on my hand and arm. If she’s in my lap or on my chest (or especially, on my desk) she’s ok. She’s just nervous about having all that open space on her weak side (I’m left handed but carry her on my right hand and arm), so I try to keep my left hand/arm firmly around her left side. And she absolutely freezes up when I’m giving her a butt bath. I must admit to dunking her nose under water a couple of times when I was first learning to bathe her. The first time I was plain careless, and the second I was rinsing her butt under running water and she turned her body back as if I’d hurt her (but didn’t’ make a sound) and stuck her nose under the water. Neither time did she sneeze or cough so she didn’t breathe any water in, but still… I’m much more careful now, and she manages to stand on her weak leg a little more. She’s lost about 100 – 150 grams over the last few months but seems to have settled to a new normal of about 1050 grams. She does tend to stay in one spot too long and usually has a blankie over her except when she’s eating her veggies. She’ll even maneuver the blankie so she only needs to stick her head out from under it to get a strand or two of hay. I just change the blanket and/or pad she’s on at least once a day, more often if she manages to mess the blankie up a lot.

So, there you have it. Updates and news on 5 of my babies. I won’t include the cats here, hehehehe. See the cat thread for that. I hope I haven’t managed to bore you. If you made it this far, I guess I didn’t. I don’t take many pictures these days (aren’t you glad!) because my real camera broke and I don’t care for the quality of pictures my phone takes. My hand shivers and jerks too much for good shots.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Jan 03, 2017 11:00 am


You are so fond of your darlings! People who take the time to be observant can learn so much about their pets' personalities.

I hope this year is a good year for them all!

User avatar
daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Tue Jan 03, 2017 12:27 pm


I could picture your piggies closing my eyes. They sound like they're full of personality and they love you and you love them! If I don't piggy nap them, give them some loving from me and the girls.

User avatar
GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Wed Jan 04, 2017 11:01 am


Yesterday I forgot to mention Scatter's accident. He broke both front upper teeth early in December, I suspect by jerking back when one of my cats tapped his nose when it was outside the grids. Xena knows the inside of the floor cage is theirs but by golly the outside is her's and they better keep their noses out of "HER" space.

Anyway, his two teeth broke, one at the gum line the other half way up. I managed to find the whole tooth the next day during clean-up but from the way the partial broke, I suspect it shattered into several pieces.

For the first few days he had it rough, pain must have been incredible but he kept trying to eat. I took him to the vet and she gave me some metacam for him (see more on his medical thread), and said to bring him back in 2 or 3 weeks for a re-check. I syringe fed him (carefully!) for the first couple of days but then we discovered that he could eat from a spoon quite easily and was happier doing that from inside the cage. Flossie helped him eat the Critical Care, but I was careful to keep track of how much he ate of it, too. He was eating the soft pieces of hay on his own by then and most of his veggies if I cut them correctly. It took a week or so for him to be able to eat his bell pepper and carrots because he insisted on trying to eat them in the normal way and wouldn't let me push them in from the side. It only took about 10 days for both teeth to grow back to the point that they almost looked to be the proper length. He could certainly eat everything by that point, and did.

Since he didn't need to have his molars ground down (no problems eating) I changed his re-check appointment to "well baby" annual exams for he and Flossie instead. All clear for both at that time. This was when Floss surprised the vet and ran to me across the table using all four legs/feet.

Post Reply