Wheekly Tales from the Timothy Bin Vol 1

[cutemomomi]

IT was the first week of April 2005. Everyone was out of town. Ben has gone back to Hong Kong, my parents were back in Taiwan, and I was here… all alone. After spending half of my paycheck on See’s, I’ve refurnished the house completely with simple sleek-lined IKEA bed and dresser for the room, and sofa for the livingroom…



Bored to tears, went over a coworker’s place for tea. I heard a high-pitched sound coming in from the yard… Can’t really say what it was, but it just kept on whistling. Then, the blunt old me had to investigate… It was a guinea pig, in a cage, on top of the washing machines, in the laundry room. The story goes the Friday before it was her daughter’s 6th birthday, and the piggy was a present. However, the “vicious” rat bit the birthday girl, therefore, unfit to be a pet, and that “vicious” animal had to stay out here to avoid bringing harm to the 2 kids. She asked, “You want it?” Now, I’ve never had a guinea pig in my life before. I’ve had fish, hamster, 1 chicken, 4 dogs, 2 doves, and snakes as pets, but never a guinea pig. NO thank you.

Monday morning came, as usual, ever so unwillingly got up to go to work (tax season). There I was poring myself a cup of coffee in the lounge and I saw the pig again, in the middle of our conference room floor, with a piece of paper taped to its cage… “Vicious pet, free to good home.” I was tempted, but scared. Lost a poodle 2 years ago, never really gotten over it. And, I’ve never had a GP before, let alone a vicious one. During lunch, I moved my laptop to the conference room and Googled guinea pigs with the piggy cage beside me on the floor. All this while, she just slept stretch-out flat beside her pigloo, neither scared nor welcomed me, just … unconcerned with my presence…Kind of hard to link viciousness to her face, bossy yes, vicious… no.



When we came home, she slept all the way on the car, and before I can go home, I needed to make a stop at Petsmart for hay (she didn’t have any) and Safeway for veggies (everyone was out of town, I was living on chocolates and ice-cream). So with 2 pairs of oven mitts and a cellphone by my side, I opened the cage door and touched her for the very first time. She seemed bored with me almost, gave my mitts a head butt, and gave out a wheek… Yup, it was then, she had me at the first wheek.

Now, my biggest obstacle is what to tell my parents when they come back to the CA?...

[Formerly: It was the first week of April 2005...]

[whittibo]

Ah.. I love these stories! Love that sofa too. ;)

[Lynx]

"Vicious guinea pig" indeed. I guess we'll see the chair and the whip next as you fend off its advances.

[cutemomomi]

By Tuesday morning, I had found Cavycages’s website, and was determined to finish my CC by that night (parents’ flight arrives at 830pm). I’ve sneaked out during lunch to grab my cubes, and picked up my chloroplast on the way home after work. But I was too addicted watching Meimei, didn’t really get any work done.
I picked my parents and Ben up at the airport with a guilty look on my face, and before long, they knew something was up. They’ve never seen a guinea pig before, so they all wanted to come over and see Meimei, and of course, my once tidied but again messed-up house.

They didn’t really say anything; my mother was scared even to touch her. However, they all had the same thought going…. “Mo, is you pig too fat or the cage too small?” Haha, that’s exactly what I needed to hear… Then, I shoved them my laptop and showed them pics of CC cages.

Wednesday evening, I expected to come home to an empty house, assuming parents sleeping off their jetlag at their place, and Ben spending his last day off at the golf-course. I was surprised when I came home to a house full of people, food, and a finished CC. Ben and dad have finished building it in the afternoon, but the two grown men were too scared to open Miemie’s cage door and let her out… remember, she was “vicious”. It was a hilarious sight to see, a petsmart cage with a confused guinea pig inside, sitting in the smack middle of a 2*3 CC cage.



That’s how our first CC came about, and I knew Meimei was here to stay!

Stay tuned for Beibei’s arrival, and of course Feifei and McMac…

[cutemomomi]

From Cavyspirit’s website, it only took me 30 seconds to have my eyes fixed on Beibei (Brandy) and I was thrilled to find out it was located at San Mateo, literally 5 miles away from my place. After spending 10 minutes on filling out the application, I waited and waited…. The very next day (seemed forever then), Leah wrote me back. I seemed to have left 2 questions unanswered, oh, when will I ever learn to be meticulous… (Have I mentioned I am an accountant?... haha)

The weekend came, and we brought Meimei over to meet Leah and Brandy. I was told that Brandy is a very docile and demure pig, and most important of all, non-confrontational. YES, please, may I have her?



The introduction didn’t go as well as we had hoped/prayed. Even before Brandy was brought onto the couch, Meimei was rumble strutting at me, Leah, the couch, Ben, the towel (you get the idea…). Once Brandy settled onto the couch, Meimei went over there chattering, and hopped onto her head and just SAT THERE. Okok, Leah told me she has seen worse.



Then, Meimei started to pick out Brand’s beautiful hair, and I panicked. Teresa told me they were sorting out dominance and order, it is normal. Oh yeah, the real hell broke loose when we tried to place them into the same carrier… Leah was kind enough to offer us another small carrier just to get them home safe and sound, then leave them be to sort out its pecking order, and they will be fine… (*frown*, yeah right…)




Home we came, Meimei refused to come downstairs, Beibei refused to go upstairs, which I thought kind of defeats the purpose of having a roommate. Then, feeding time came around, and so did the fighting, hair picking, rumbling, chattering and bloodshed… (MINE). Yes, never put your hand between 2 fighting pigs, next time, I will put in Ben’s.



Meimei means little girl, and Beibei means precious in Chinese.
Meimei is also known by her nickname, Curious George.
Beibei is also known as Marie Antoinette – uncommonly fussy and arrogant.

[Tammy]

I though I was the only one with a Curious George! My George came from Cavy Spirit too. I love the story.

[Poor Baby Cuzko]

Such cute pigs!

And you were worried about what your parents and Ben would say! They sounded like they were really getting into it.

More stories, please!

[Lynx]

It's good to see some new stories here! Both you and PBC have great ones.

[Talishan]

What a wonderful story. Bless you for taking the time to research vicious guinea pigs, and taking her home. Your family sounds wonderful, too. I can just see them finishing the C&C and being scared to let her out!

[cutemomomi]

Oh then the bullying began. My feisty Meimei will evilly and patiently wait for Beibei at the top of the ramp, and as Beibei comes up, she runs down at full speed to scare the #@#$ out of Beibei. The hair picking continued, an so did the rumbling, swaying, chattering and the chasing.
So, we decided the ramp isn’t such as safe idea, so we took it off, and made the cage 2*4 instead. I can’t figure out why, but they just love to get into each others’ faces…




So with the new IKEA furniture in place, I wanted to add a few tulip pieces to my place, either in paintings or shadowboxes, so off to Ross I went. Just as I started to browse the home furnishing area, I saw the most adorable little couches sitting on the top shelf, uh… Houston, we have a problem. Now, I am “almost” 5’4, and can’t reach it, so moved a stool from the furniture area and …. See, and you all said my childhood tree climbs were of no use!

I introduced the sofas during floor-time that night, and to my amazement, they both just hoped onto it, and started popping on and off the couch. They went under the couches, came out the other side, and went on the couch, hopped onto the adjacent couch… But the girls all obviously showed that they prefer to be lounging on top of the chaises rather than hide under them. Yup, I take it as they like the couches.




See, now we’ve got the little sofas, but we need the little dining table and hanging wind chimes to complete the look… *sigh* can you tell what accounting has done to me yet?




During that same week, I started to get them to stand up each time I made a kissey noise. I bribed them with little cuts of apple, and they loved it. Before the day is over, the two of them will stand and cling onto the chloroplast every time when I make a kissey noise. However, before I had too much time to gloat over my newest accomplishment, they’ve also cleverly discovered that this as the best way to get my attention. So when they are hungry, they stand and wheek. When they hear me setting up floortime area, they stand and wheek. *SIGH* Don’t feel that smart no more.

[Tammy]

Meimei is a tiger at heart.

[Poor Baby Cuzko]

I love that last pic "mommy, you called" how adorable is that!