recent pics.

Here's a recent pic of Reese.  He's gotten to be such a big boy!  ^_^

And here's my little Baile.  I swear she's hasn't grown much.

Long overdue

Didn't realize that it's been nearly 2 months since I posted.  Between working 9 hours, and attending classes at night, I haven't had a lot of time on my hands.  Unfortunately some things, like this blog, got pushed aside.  But no matter.  I only have one follower, so I doubt I've been missed.  ^_^

Sadly, little times mean less time with the piggies.  I rarely hold Reese now.  It seems I barely have time or energy to pet them.  They seem little affected by it.  So long as they get treats, they don't seem the mind the lack of petting.  Still, Reese will come to the bars by me, so that he can sniff my fingers.  That makes him happy!  ^_^  And I've got Baile to let me pet her.  She still doesn't like to be held, but she seems the enjoy the petting.

I'll have to take pictures soon so that I can post them.  Reese is so big!  Baile is a little bigger than when I got her, but she's still pretty small.

Mama is not a salt lick!

I have yet to teach that to Baile.  She seems to think that I am quite yummy.  She has a salt lick in her cage, but hasn't even touched it.  I guess is doesn't taste as good as Mama.  Reese tries to eat my fingers as well sometimes.  He has discovered his salt lick and uses that, as well as his mineral wheel.  It's just the task of getting my little girl to stop thinking that I'm food.  I put a different flavored salt lick in her cage.  Maybe she'll go for that.

lapse

Didn't realize it's been so long since I posted, but since I have only one follower, I guess it doesn't matter much.  ^_^

Reese is just fine.  I guess he was just feeling off that day.  He's been running around and jumping and doing all the things he usually does.

Baile is getting better hand-trained.  She still stiffens and hunches up when I pet her(as opposed to Reese stretching out for maximum petting area), but she's letting me pet her.  She run up to the bars to sniff and nibble on my fingers.  She'll even take carrots from me now.  Sometimes she'll cuddle against my neck, at other times she's climbing all over.

Both of them have settled down quite well.  Reese doesn't go berserk ever time Baile makes a sound.  He'll response to her, and she to him, but it's not the excessive, over-loud noises he made when I first brought her home.  I still have the barrier between their cages to keep them from seeing each other.  I don't need to savage bar-chewing.

Concern

Reese has caused me to worry a little today.  Not enough to call my best friend in a panic, but enough to keep me from completely relaxing.  From time to time, he's made some noises that I haven't heard him make.  Noises like he has something in his nose that he's trying to get out.  But I haven't seen any discharge from his nostrils.   And he's eating, drinking, and moving around just fine.

Both of them are rather quiet today.  Not sure if they're just tired, or if they're picking up on my worrying and are worried themselves.  I'm trying not to worry, but it's hard when your pig is making odd sounds.

water bottle

Had to change Baile's water bottle.  It leaks horribly!  I'm sure there's more water under than is in my little girl.  Unfortunately, I can't find the holder that came with the bottle.  So for now, it's being held in place with twist-ties.  That'll do till I can get to the store to get a holder(unless I can find the other holder before then).

And I think I can put their shelves and ramps into place and not have to worry about them seeing each other.  I just simply need to put a bigger block between their cages.  The point was brought up to move on of the cages, but I don't have anyplace to move them.  Well, not any place that'd be convenient, or prevent me from re-tearing my shoulder.  But a taller barrier will still keep them from seeing each other, even if they're on their shelves.

What a difference a day makes

An old saying, but very fitting!  Two of my closest friends came over to install a new shower-head they got me for my birthday.  I was holding Baile and telling them about the scared noises she makes when I pet her(I was countering their claims at how she was hand-trained so quickly).  They told me that the sounds she made were actually happy sounds.  I had been mistaking the sound all this time!

And then tonight, I got a pleasant surprise.  I heard the sound of running, and thought it was Reese doing his exercises.  Then, I realized the sound was coming from Baile's cage.  I looked up to see her pop up into the air.  Then she did it again!  More running around and more popcorning!  I was so happy to see that!!  Proof that my little girl is happy and starting to feel at home! 

And she's not so shy anymore!  She starting to get rather noisy herself, but that's just fine by me.  Now I know these two will talk to each other and keep each other company when I'm not here!  ^_^

taking time

Reese is coming along nicely.  He likes to be petted and cuddle.  He likes to run around and jump.  He's a very happy pig and is pretty much at home.  I think I pretty much have him hand trained now. 

Baile is a whole different story.  She'll on the rare occasion come and sniff my fingers.  She doesn't run around, unless it's from me.  There's no popcorning.  She'll cuddle into my neck, but she stays hunched up and chitters while I pet her.   She has by no means relaxed.  She'll let me pet her, but she stayed hunched up.  She never stretches out and just lies there.  She doesn't seem to enjoy the petting.  I'm thinking that she doesn't like being here.

Looks like it's going to take me much longer to get her hand-trained.  I'm patient enough to get through this.  But I'm saddened to think that she's not happy and hasn't come to think of this place as her home. 

Baby steps

I got one step further with Baile.  I've been able to pet her a little.  Granted, some of the times she's frozen in place, but it's a start.  Reese was like that, and now he flattens himself out for optimal petting!  ^_^  Baile will get there.  I think she's starting to like cuddles.  She snuggles up next to my neck when I hold her.  Reese simply loves cuddles!  He snuggles right in.  This is the second night that I've seen him yawn as he lies next to my neck.  I'm happy to see that he's getting comfortable with me.  He still comes up to the bars to sniff my fingers and seems very happy when he recognizes my scent.  Baile has sniffed my fingers a couple of times, which is another good sign that she's getting used to me.

Discovery

Baile has discovered her voice.  She's been quiet the last couple of days, but tonight, I think she discovered that the noisy Reese was another pig.  She's become more vocal tonight.  It was non-stop squealing at each other for about 5 minutes straight!  Her voice is quieter than Reese, though I don't think it's possible for her to be louder!  I would really like to put them together so that they can play, but I'd have to get Reese fixed first.  I can't risk him getting Baile pregnant. 

While I held Baile tonight, she snuggled up near my neck.  That's a good sign.  That might mean that she's getting more comfortable with me.  I might even be able to reach into her cage and pet her in a few more days.  Reese still snuggles up to my neck, which makes me happy.  I was thinking that once he learned that there's another pig to talk to, that he'd lose interest in me.  But he still likes to cuddle!  ^_^  Granted, he's more focus on girl-pig, but he still likes to be petted and cuddled by me!

Baile seems to be settling down.  She still runs and hides in her tube, when I come near.  But she still gets out and roams around.  I might have to take the tube out, so that she gets used to lying around outside of it.  Reese does fine without his tube during the day.  I'm sure Baile will be find too.

Oh!  Here's an updated pic of Reese.  He's gotten quite a bit bigger!  Though you might not be able to tell from the pic.

Welcome Baile.

She's my new little pig.  I picked her up today, and I'm guessing that she's a week or two younger than Reese.  She's a mixture of dark grayish-brownish, light brown, and white.  When I saw her, she made me think of dunes(don't ask my why, that's simply what I thought).  So when I got home, I looked up the names of famous dunes world-wide.  I saw two dunes in Scotland that had names I felt drawn to.  The first was Fervie, which I still think is a cute name, and the second was Baile.  I teetered back and forth with the names.  Then I stood and looked at her(and she at me) and I said to her, "you look like a Baile, so I'll name you that."  ^_^

This is the best pic of her that I took today.  I didn't want to take too many pics, because I didn't want to frighten her.  I need to get a good pic of her other side.  She has a white patch over her back left leg.  I've held her a few times so far.  She's very rambunctious, and if I don't keep careful hold of her, she'll run right off my shoulder!  If she sits on my arm and I pet her, she'll stay still, but I can't rest for a moment.  Not like Reese, who'll plant himself against my neck and stay there.

She's still very shy and frightened, so I'm trying to not bother her too much.  The same can't be said for Reese.  He's VERY noisy!  He kept chewing on the bars of his cage in an attempt to get at her(not a good thing when the bars are vertical)!  I had to put up a barrier between their cages, so that he can't see inside her cage.  She needs to be left alone, not screamed at by a little horndog.  ;P

Even so, I made a VERY bad choice earlier.  I decided to let them meet.  I hoped that they'd(okay, Reese) would calm down afterwards(boy was I wrong!!).  Yes, they are boy and girl, so I kept a very close eye on them.  They stayed away from each other for a minute but she finally came over to him.  They sniffed at each other a little, then I make a fast grab for him just as he started to mount her.  I can only hope I grabbed him in time.  I guess I'll find out in 10 weeks.  *face palm*  *sigh*  I'm too worn out to make decisions.  I just hope she isn't the one to pay for my mistake.

shelf

The shelf and ramp I ordered for Reese's cage arrived today.  It's a little smaller that the cage, but I'll see what I can do to fix that.  I'm not putting it in today.  I need to wash it first, and then I'll put it in when I clean his cage on Sunday.  I hope he'll like it.

Reese is learning his name.  I've had him come up to me when I call him.  It's only been a couple of times, but he seems to realize that's what his name is.  He's also getting more used to me.  He'll come up to the bars to sniff my fingers.  He still runs sometimes when I try to pet him, but more often he stays still and lets me pet him. 

He really loves being held.  I'll sit down, plop him on my chest, and he'll instantly snuggled himself into my neck.  I don't seem to have as much of a reaction now.  The area will still get a little red, but that might be from his claws digging into my neck.  When I put him back in the cage, he jumps, runs around, and makes happy noises. 

And I'm pretty sure he's twice the size he was when I got him last week!  But he's only a couple months old, so I guess he'll be growing fast over the next few months.

Celebrating one week

It was one week ago that I brought Reese home.  He's settling in nicely.  I held him some more today and now he runs right up to my neck and snuggles in.  Ironically, I think he's trying to escape me, by hiding there.  ^_^  But after I put him back in the cage, he was running and jumping all over the place!  He was so happy!  I also got him a popcorn stick, which he's been nibbling on.  At one point it moved, which caused him to run off.  But he went back and nibbled on it some more.

Right now a thunderstorm in coming in, but he doesn't seem to be bothered by it.  It's good that the loud noise doesn't scare him.  Apparently only moving popcorn sticks and Mama scares him.  ^_^

You mean I can chew this??

Reese discovered that he can chew on his tube.   This makes him happy.  Tonight, just after I put the tube in, he ran into it, sniffed at it and started nibbling on it.  Then he ran around, nibbled on the tube.  Ran around, sniffed at my fingers.  Ran around, nibbled on the tube.  Ran around, ate some pellets from his bowl.  Ran around, sniffed my fingers.  Ran around, got a drink.  Ran around, nibbled on his tube.

He got his exercise in for tonight, and I'm worn out from watching him!  He's eating right now.  Soon, he'll crawl into the tube and probably spend the night in there.  Then come morning, he'll be unhappy when I shake him out and remove the tube.

cuddling

A couple of times tonight, while I was holding Reese, he pressed himself into my neck.  My best friend told me once that they do that as babies.  They'll tuck themselves under there mother's chin.  I think it's a security thing.  They feel safe there.

Well, as I said, I picked him up and settled him on my chest.  After a while, he moved toward my neck, and then snuggled himself in, while I petted him.  I held him like that for quite a while, and he seems very happy.  After I put him back, he was running around his cage making happy noises.  He also was hopping, called "popcorn".  It's where a pig jumps straight up in the air and it how they express that they are happy.  They only go up a couple of inches, so you don't have to worry about them harming themselves.

He's also been coming closer to me a few times.  His cage sits right next to where I sit at my computer.  He's come up to the bars and, when I put my fingers slowly inside the bars, he stretched his neck out and cautiously sniffed my fingers.  He's also nibbled on my fingers a few times, which is a good sign that he's losing his fear of me.

The only down thing, is that I have a slight allergic reaction to guinea pigs.  my skin turns red and I can get little bumps.  But it's so very slight and well worth it to have a happy pigs and to feel his tiny warm body against me.

Had to change his water bottle.  The one I had in there is fine for a bigger pig, but the spring-ball is just too hard for a tiny pig to push to get water.  I put a smaller one in there and that seems to be working.  He doesn't have to work so hard to get water.

Home along

Today was  Reese's first day alone.  As far as I can tell, he was fine.  He has found his favorite corner, so I moved a few things to make it a little more comfortable for him.  There'll be other changes when the shelf and ramp comes in.  Those are something new that I'm trying.  It'll give him something to hide under, and he can go up the ramp to the shelf and look out at the world.  Well, I hope he will.  We'll see.

He's still struggling with his water bottle.  I think the spring might be too strong for him, but he seems to have worked it out.  Unfortunately, he goes at it a little too strongly and gets too much water at once.  Then he ends up coughing.  He also doesn't seem to be sitting in the bowl as much.  So he's settling down more and accepting that everything in there is his and his alone.

Day 2

Reese seems to be calming down a little.  He'll sometimes let me pet him, but he still runs away from me.  I did manage to take him out earlier, and petted him a while.  Right now, he's napping. 

This is something that commonly happens when you bring  your new pig home.  It's something they pick up while sharing an area with other pigs.  They sit on the bowl to keep the other pigs from eating.  Once they figure out that they no longer have to share, they'll usually stop.

First pic

Here he is!  You can now see why his name is Reese.  You can also see the white spot on his forehead.  He's still a nervous little pig, but I'm sure that'll ease up as he gets used to his new home.  I took him out once more and held him and petted him.  Having a pig that runs away from me takes some getting used to, but I just need to keep holding him and petting him.  He'll get used to it and come to enjoy the petting and the attention.

Welcome Reese

They did not have the pig I was looking at last week.  Many of the pigs that were in the tanks were gone.  But I found one that I just could not walk away from.  He's a combination of black and tan, with just a tiny patch of white between his eyes.  And since he colored like a Reese's Cup, I have decided to name him that.  He's a truly adorable little pig, and I think perhaps just a couple of months old.  He easily fits in my hand.  My two closest friends were with me when I went to pick him up, and helped me transport him home. 

I already had the cage set up and ready for him.  He ran around it looking and sniffing at everything.  But for the moment, he's hiding in his chewb.  When I'm not here, he'll probably come out and do some more exploring.  And hopefully get something to eat and drink.  It'll be a few days before he's settled in and is no longer afraid.  But for now, he's frightened and confused.  I talk to him, using his name, so that he'll get used to my voice and learn his name.

I held him for a little while.  It's good to hold them a lot.  Try to hold them every day, if only for a few minutes.  It's gets them used to human contact and makes it easier for you when getting them out of the cage.  I held him for several minutes and petted him.  He stayed still for a while, but then started moving around, wanting to explored.  He sniffed at me, so hopefully he'll learn to recognize me soon.

Today's the day!

Today is the day I get new pig.  There was a black and brown striped one I saw in the pet store last week.  I really hope he's still there!  I keep dreaming about him and I hope that's a good sign that I'll be able to buy him and bring him into my home. 

Last night, I had a dream that I went into the pet store, and saw a pig that looked exactly like Copper.  I was very saddened to see it.  I looked around the tank and saw the black and brown striped pig.  Something made me take an extra moment to look in another take, where there were tiny baby pigs(probably not long from their mothers).  Looking through the tank, I saw a black and white one!  I was happy!  I've been wanting a black and white one!

I hope this is a good sign that I'll be able to get the brown and black, AND the black and white pig!  Today I shall find out!  I'm trying to prepare myself that the brown and black won't be there.  I hope so much that he will be, but I'm keep reminding myself, that he might not, and I'll have to choose a different pig.  Time will tell, what pig I will welcome.

One week ago today, my guinea pig, Copper, died.  It's still hard to believe it was such a short time ago.

Today was a day of getting everything cleaned up and ready.  I used disinfectant wipes on the bin and bars of the cage as well as the carrier.  Then I scrubbed them down with hot water and soap.  I also soaked all the plastic and ceramic items and scrubbed them with soap.  You want to be sure to make everything clean and sanitized.  But if you use disinfectant wipes, be sure to wash everything really good to get the chemicals off!  You don't want your new pig to get sick!

Even if you get everything new, be sure to wash it.  Yes it's unused, but you want to be sure to get off anything that might have settled on it during processing, storing, and shipping.  I have yet to wash the new cage, but I've done enough for one night.  I'll try to get that washed out in a few days.

Also, if your pig had anything wood in their cage, throw it away!  Do NOT give anything made of wood to the next pig.  Wood can hold germs and other bad things really well.  There's not really a way to clean and sanitize wood, so it's best to just throw it away and get new wooden things for the next pig.  New wooden things are really the only things I don't wash before hand.  And, it's best to NOT wash the salt lick.  That seems a obvious thing, but I don't want someone coming back later and saying, "you didn't warn me!"

First post

This blog I just started is pretty much about being owned by guinea pigs.  My first pig, Copper(see picture), died just last week.  I started this as a kind of therapy to help me deal with the grief of a loss and the anxiety of preparing everything for the next two pigs.

Yes, two.  Guinea pigs are social animals and need companionship.  They can get a lot of that from humans who pay a lot of attention to them.  But I'm gone for a good chunk of the day, so I thought it'd be good for another pig to be around, so that they can keep each other company.

But I won't have them in the same cage.  The cages could hold two pigs, but it'd be a bit crowded.  Pigs like to run around and need plenty of room.  So I ordered a second cage, with came today.  It's slightly smaller, but has a shelf and ramp that the pig can climb up to and sit.  I plan to get a shelf for the other cage, so that both pigs have something to climb up on and can perhaps talk to each other.