Three boars, one cage.

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Piggylove94

Post   » Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:57 pm


His grumpiness was all part of the charm that made him so special:)

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CavyCastle
Supporter in '10

Post   » Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:37 pm


This is great. It's like reading a graphic novel!

Guinea nose with flame? Scary....

Okay...and then there was one....and.....??

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NoCableisSafe

Post   » Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:03 pm


Guinea nose with flame? Scary....

Don't worry: that picture is a clever mix of two people, one flame, photoshop and cucumber. :) No whiskers were singed when I took them.

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NoCableisSafe

Post   » Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:03 am


Before Ghost passed on, his grumpy persona was well known in a few guinea pig circles. He even featured alongside Bing with a secondary role in "The Real Bing Cavy". Looking back I'm glad that my grumpy special boy was featured along such a popular pig - it's comforting to know that despite his sudden death he'll still be remembered and known.

Which left me with Kiyoshi at a very unfortunate time in my life - I was moving to student accommodation away from home. My mum promised to lavish him with extra attention and I believed her. I looked forward to returning home and imagined we'd be reunited every two weeks with wheeks and lettuce, but it wasn't to be.

Kiy made it clear he wasn't happy with my absence and when I returned it took longer and longer for him to re-warm back to me again. I was forever talking to his butt and snuggling next to his grease spot. I nicknamed him "Emo Pig"...

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But his new attitude, from my lovely fluffy pig who liked to nip my collar bone, into this pig who knew his owner had better things to do than be his world anymore became less joke-worthy when he began to lose weight. My mum confided in me that, for Kiy, she'd be okay with us bringing in a new boy as a companion - she loved him as much as I. He was such a belly pig :)

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It took a few months for me to notice and my mum and I to agree that Kiy wasn't happy as a lone pig.

So we brought Cashew into our lives as a companion for Kiyoshi.

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Piggylove94

Post   » Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:06 am


Awwww what a cute little piggy!!!!

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NoCableisSafe

Post   » Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:29 pm


I forgot to mention that with Kiyoshi I hosted my first ever piggy party, this was an attempt to keep Kiy socialised with other piggies as I had originally planned to have him as a lone pig and to stop owning piggies (har har!) after Ghost's death.

He got along so well with my friends little boy Chinoey...

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Even though there was a pen-full of older sows right next door. Chinoey sat and happily sang at the girls by Kiy seemed determined to show Chinoey that the world actually evolved around napping and grass and since there was lots of napping and grass around, girls really weren't that exciting...

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******

But as I mentioned before, we sought out a permanent companion for Kiyoshi. Their pairing went well, not because they got along but because Cashew was so incredibly skittish that they rarely crossed paths.

Kiyoshi was a social butterfly who was interested in what was going on in the world and what his human companions were up to -- Cashew was more concerned with locating the nearest hiding spot.

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NoCableisSafe

Post   » Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:03 pm


The next summer, when Cashew was a year old, Kiyoshi became ill. He became very, very ill.

I had come back home and working two jobs when I noticed that Kiy was skin and bones. He wasn't eating although he was still just as enthusiastic as ever to see me...

https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... highlight=

I battled with him for a month but at the end of the day I realised that what was wrong with Kiyoshi was beyond the scope of what my vet could treat. Kiyoshi was seriously, seriously ill by the time I reached out for the support of a local rescue and vets who resided hours away from where I was located.

I took my little fluff ball to the nearest rodentologist where he was x-rayed and bloodwork was done. The next day I found the results: his stats were everywhere and he had both bladder stones and elongated roots in his jaw. I felt awful...

... the next call I got was to report that he had lost the use of his hind legs.

... the next day I woke up to an early phone call.

"I'm sorry to say that we lost Kiyoshi during the night..."
I will always remember my response. I'll always remember how numb, guilty and horrible I felt - I'd left him there to die, what if... what if ... I considered crying, I considered breaking down. Instead I said in a strange, strange voice:
"Oh... that's the opposite of what we want..."

Then I cried. I cried. I cried.

In the months that passed I considered rehoming Cashew. Cashew refused to let anybody form any sort of bond with him and my mum told me that she didn't think Cashew really minded being a lone pig.

My mum never really liked Cashew - not in the same way she enjoyed Kiyoshi and Ghost who would interact and respond to humans. Cashew was quiet and easy to forget and while my mum promised, before I left for uni again, that she'd give him enough attention I don't think she ever did.

As became evident during Christmas time when a few off-beat comments from my mum about being left with the pig hit a unfavourable cord with me. He deserved better and I wasn't in a position - YET - to provide him with better...

I contacted Thistle Cavies Rescue and asked if she would kindly pig-sit Cashew until my year at university was over. Wendi kindly agreed and to Thistle Cavies Cashew went.

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During my visit we spoke at length about the possibility of Cashew returning with a companion. I mentioned that if she had any boys who she thought would be suitable then it was defiantly an option I was willing to consider.

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CavyCastle
Supporter in '10

Post   » Wed Aug 19, 2009 12:28 am


Agh...you are the winner in the cliff-hanger department! I suffer....

(Side note-Thank you for the flame and whisker explanation, I was wondering.)

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NoCableisSafe

Post   » Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:36 am


It was raining when my flatmate-pig-taxi and I went to collect Cashew. Wendi showed me the little long haired boy who she had selected from a litter to be Cashew's new companion. My heart lept, I fell instantly in love with the delicate ball of fluff and giggled when Wendi held Cashew and the baby together and Cashew jumped away from the babies sniffing nose.

Cashew is such a fraidy-pig.

Sadly, because Cashew was returning with me to my parents home again and - due to redecorating - was likely to be in the more portable quarantine pet shop cage for a period I sadly, sadly, sadly declined the baby pig. The little guy stole my heart, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to provide him with the room he would need to grow - and if something went wrong during the introductions into the same living space together, the pet shop cage wouldn't provide the same flexibility as a C&C.

But it was so obvious that Cashew was mentally excited at the rescue. The babies led a chorus thinking it was veggie time and Cashew poked his head out from beneath the hay and got excited with them. He looked so alive - it was clear that he would benefit from a friend. How wrong I was to think he'd be fine on his own.

But we went home alone without a friend. Instead I took the time to get to know him more and attempt to bond with him. Unfortunately the move seemed to knock his confidence off balance and then when I moved into my own flat it was knocked again.

Now with a larger cage I was ready to bring a baby peeg into Cashew's life! I e-mailed Thistle Cavies and then waited as a new litter of pups grew up and became ready...

Getting Koda was indeed a bit of an epic story all by itself...
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... highlight=

But they were a match made in heaven. While it took Cashew a little while to realise that Koda wasn't for humping every day, once he'd stopped pursing Koda's head and rear-end, Koda turned out to be quite the snuggler and would snuggle with Cashew anywhere whether Cashew wanted to or not.

Cashew taught Koda all of his bad habits: how to climb into the hay and pee in it and how to run from humans. After a long battle I managed to undo some of Cashew's unnecessary lessons and Koda turned into a well balanced, calm, friendly - if nippy - little brat :)

They grew older. Koda went through his teenage phase and learned to fight back against Cashew's persistent humpings and they bonded. All was well in pig land.

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Bytxlaura
Remembering Nemo

Post   » Wed Aug 19, 2009 8:33 am


Ohh, that is such a sweet outcome for Cashew :)

RIP the other furry angels!

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CavyCastle
Supporter in '10

Post   » Thu Aug 20, 2009 2:39 am


Quick question!! I know what OMG means, but what about the Z in the front? ZOMG?

(Curling up with favorite snack and blanket waiting for next episode....)

myguineapigtwix

Post   » Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:03 pm


RIP kiyoshi and ghost!

great story! I cant wait for the next episode!

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