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.