Eat Sleep Love: The Cavy Way

[Jorle]

Watching Guapo grow up was really something special. Everyday he had something new and exciting he wanted to show me and I looked forward to his surprises each morning. First, I’ve never seen Guapo’s father so I was always anxious to find out how he would turn out. His father must’ve had some strong genes because Guapo looked nothing like Lily. I mean, look at this!

(what a mama's boy!)

Deep down inside I have to admit I was really really hoping he would be a long haired one like Lily. Darren still makes fun of me sometimes... “you know that almost everyday for a whole month you kept asking me doesn’t it look like Guapo’s hair is getting longer? It was so annoying!” I think I stopped asking him when I woke up one day and saw this.

(woah...)

Having 4 piggies in one cage was just perfect. During the weaning stage, Lily’s intimate moments with Guapo was very endearing to see. Guapo followed Lily around everywhere she went, copying her every move. Sometimes he would get lost and start to cry out for her. That is the only time I have ever heard Lily actually wheek, when she would go searching for Guapo. Other than that, she is pretty quiet most of the time. When it came to feeding time, Guapo was the most demanding baby ever! I mean, you just can’t say no to this guy. Lily could be enjoying a piece of hay in the hay bin when Guapo just pops in unannounced and forces his way down there to get some milkies! Sometimes I can tell Lily just wants her privacy or even a little nap for pete’s sake but Guapo didn’t care because In Guapo’s world it was milkies time -all- the time. Nothing was going to stand in the way of Guapo and his milkies!
(look. It's milkie time!)




(hmmm... where are my milkies? No more milkies for you! You are a big boy now Guapo!)
How do other piggies wean 4-5 babies is beyond me... it is some tough work! Thank you Lilypad... =)

For the most part Guapo and Nana got along pretty well. Nana and Lily are best of friends and very much bonded. It wasn’t long before Nana became Guapo’s trusted aunt. Took a few attempts for Guapo to finally understand that Nana no milkies.

(Guapo: Milkies!!
Nana: No, go away... )
Poor Guapo...

Guapo and Poppy... now -that- relationship has developed interestingly. These two have a love-hate relationship. When I say that I mean Guapo loves Poppy and Poppy hates Guapo. Yes ladies... Poppy hates Guapo. Even when he was only a few days old he would try to cuddle up with Poppy or follow her around only to get chased to a corner in shame. It never stopped him from trying though, and boy did he try hard! Oh, and when he finally learned how to rumble he didn’t hesitate to show off his new moves to Poppy.

(Guapo: I love you Poppy! Can I cuddle with you?
Poppy: eww... go away!
Poor Guapo...
He definitely win the award for the most persistent lover!

(How could you resist this Poppy?! *sigh*)

[iastate09]

I loooove me some Guapo! Is he neutered so he gets to stay with the girlies? :)

[Jorle]

*forgot to add this*
Guapo grew so fast... and 3 weeks felt like 3 days. I had to do what needed to be done; Guapo was removed from his family and put in a separate section of the cage. Since then, he has not been the same. I honestly believe that he is just not himself when he is housed alone. Its been almost 4 months now since separating him and we are waiting for the right time to get him neutered. We have been patiently waiting for him to reach 700g (which he has long surpassed) but the vet which was recommended by a local guinea pig rescue has been very busy. We are still waiting for an appointment at this time.

Momo: When I first read you chronicle and found out you were also a Hello Kitty fanatic, you went way up in the coolness metre! Although I have to say you are a little more extreme than me. For example, I don’t own Hello Kitty duct tape nor do I have a Hello Kitty wall clock. I should though... hmm... The idea for the plexiglass front was in fact borrowed from one of your chronicle posts. Thanks for that by the way! ;) Can never get enough of you and your piggies.

[GP_mum]

Loved the last pic of Guapo peeking from the cuddle cup. He really looks quite different in colouring from Lily but just look at all that lovely hair to see they're related. Gorgeous, just gorgeous.

[Topaz]

Gorgeous pigs! And what a sweet and handsome boy Guapo is. So sad when those little boys have to be separated out, but I bet you will see some big changes in him after he is back with the herd!

[pigjes]

Love the pics! Guapo is a name well chosen for such a pretty pig!

[Jorle]

Is it almost August already? I am definitely past due for an update... Let me see, oh yes! First thing's first, Guapo finally had his "manly parts" removed! Woohoo =D


(Hey! Why are you telling all the ladies? It was suppose to be a -secret-)

After returning from his surgey, Guapo seemed sad for a few days. His incision site recovered quickly and within a week you could hardly see the stitches! Unfortunately I had to keep him in a separate cage for 3 weeks before introducing him to the girls. I'm sure to him it felt like forever, but he was a patient little boy.




(Let me talk to the laddies, I promise I'll be good!)

When it was time, I decided to reintroduce the 4 piggies during floor time. I brought fresh veggies to feed them for dinner and brought 1 piggy out at a time to meet Guapo. Everything worked out surprisingly well!


Nana is the our best beggar, by far.


At one point, Guapo just decided he wanted to just sit in my lap. awww, what a mama's boy!







I was really anxious to put them all into the newly renovated cage. Let me just side track for a minute here. I know I am not the only one who is addicted to renovating my cage, every chance I get. So, before I forget to do this, lets recap on some of my cage modifications (the ones I remembered to photograph)...

cage 1


cage 2


cage 3 & 4




cage 5


cage 6


cage 7


current cage

[iastate09]

The picture of Guapo collapsed on his bed, being patient, steals my heart. <3

[eschimpf]

Guapo!!! I missed you.

Love your current cage, its so big!

[GP_mum]

All the piggies are looking so adorable, although Guapo napping and on your lap are especially lovely. The new cage is huge and Guapo must be glad to re-join the herd and get to the man in charge.

[Lynx]

Cute pigs, great cage styles!

Do I see some Momo influence?

[pigjes]

Great cage!

[Jorle]

Do I see some Momo influence?

Ha! Is it really obvious? uh oh, please don't sue me Momo! I know some parts were pretty much a copy and paste version of your cage.

Getting back to business.
I've done much observing since putting all the piggies in one cage. Gone are my hopes and dreams of Guapo being "The Man" of this herd. I think Guapo is completely content staying at the bottom of the food chain. In his mind, girls rule.
Nevertheless, he is a very affectionate boy. He has so much love to give and tries really really hard to give it. Unfortunately, NONE of the girls are interested in reciprocating affection towards him. Believe me, I am rooting for him every step of the way but I'm seriously beginning to think that Guapo has no game!

He can be too forward at times, not knowing when to give up. The girls, they just run away from him!


I have a pretty large cage if I do say so myself, much bigger than the recommended size on Guineapigcages. I should have no problem with space right? Wrong. This is because sharing is not part of my piggies' vocabulary. No way.
My piggies don't share, there is no such thing. It's especially interesting to observe their behaviour on cage cleaning day. The moment I put them back in they'dl all run around sniffing and rubbing their butts everywhere. After exploring the place out, Lily would call first dibs on the most comfortable and secure corner. Whatever Lily wants, Lily gets. Period. No one questions, it just is.


Poppy usually finds the next best spot.

Too bad the moment she gets comfortable Nana decides that's HER spot.

Unless of course Lily is near by and decides that's also HER spot.

(um... Butt-trim anyone? This smells worse than it looks!)

Don't worry, Poppy could care less though. She'd crash anywhere, she's not very picky.


Finally, Guapo makes his rounds. Seeing if anyone is looking for some company. His attempts are always met with a swift No.


I think we need to get Guapo some help when it comes to wooing the ladies.

[GP_mum]

Great update and always nice to see the pigs enjoying their sacks and beds. My favourite pic is the 1st one of Guapo climbing up to get to the ramp.

[AldenM1]

Oh poor Guapo.

Perhaps my Snickers should start some sort of school to teach boy-pigs how to properly woo the ladies? At least, Snickers thinks he should teach that class. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't help Guapo very much...

[Jorle]

Hello! It has been a long time and I am definitely overdue for another update. A lot has happened since the last time you guys visited. Aside from getting engaged and renovating the house, I've also decided to open my home to foster guinea pigs from a local Guinea Pig Rescue. It has been an extremely rewarding experience even though it is never easy to say goodbye to a friend.

Let's go around and say hello to the resident pigs.!


I'm happy to report that Guapo is no longer getting bossed around by the girls. He is the boss-man of the house now! I think the girls just decided to give him a break since he's been trying so hard and looking so handsome! Lily still sets him straight occasionally, when she's not in the mood. So secretly, she's still the boss-woman (anyone else have this dynamic in their herd?)


I love all my pigs dearly but Nana and I are a bonded pair. She is literally like a guinea pig version of me. She lounges around on her pink fluffy bed all day, getting up only for food and water. Nothing ever bothers her and she will call out demanding to be picked up for lap time.


Lily is my Diva pig. She always has to get her way, everyone in the cage knows not to mess with her. I use to think she was all talk and no game because she was the smallest out of all the pigs and she has never gotten into any fights before. I did floor time once with her and 1 of the fosters and that's the last time I will ever do that again! she got into a major fight with one of the pigs (Nutmeg) and I've never seen Lily so aggressive before. She had the other poor pig cowering in a corner. I had to separate them immediately and couldn't even put Lily back in her own cage till she got over herself because she was trying to pick fights with Guapo and Nana. She may look look cute but she has some major fight in her!


This photo explains my relationship with Poppy. I call out her name more than any other pig's. 90% of the time it's because she's getting herself into some kind of trouble. Doesn't help that she's quite clever and willful. Do you ever get the feeling that your pig is purposely pressing your buttons, just for fun? Needless to say, I have a new setup for hay rack now... If it's 1 thing poppy taught me, it's to be inventive.

[Dusty_bugs]

This topic has cheered up my night shift no end! Guapo has had THE most amazing transition! And has the most amazing hair!! I'm absolutely in love.

Seriously tempted to pester the bf about increasing our numbers at home. We were thinking of weaning off the pets for a bit after my girl passes to the rainbow bridge.. but seeing your family of pigs really hits it home that without pigs in my life I wont feel right at all!

Thanks for sharing your story!

[GuineaPiggin]

Poppy looks like she's telling you: "Yeah, I'm in the hay rack. What of it?"

[GP_mum]

All your pigs are so cute and really have their own personality. Good to see Guapo coming into his own. Nana looks absolutely adorable on her bed.

[Maddy_harper]

Its good that your guineas are settling in well and learning to trust you.