One Little, Two Little, Three Little Guinea Pigs

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GrannyJu1
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Post   » Sat Feb 06, 2016 12:09 pm


June 2013 - I got the call one afternoon: a little boy, 12 weeks old, was available. I made Mike race us down to snatch the little darling before some other certain-to-be-unqualified person could talk them into taking him from me. I hoped that since he was so young he’d be friendlier and more receptive of me, but mostly I wanted Peek to be happy. (Yeah, uh huh, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!)

We arrived at the pet store and BAM!! I was IN LOVE! The little guy was tiny (to my unknowing eyes)! Brown and white, with the white being a little belt around his tummy, part of his legs, and on most of his head. His eyes were surrounded by brown spots and he had the most beautiful eyeliner any woman would be jealous of! At times his eyes seem to have a blue-gray circle around the iris. I was dancing on clouds. This baby would definitely fulfill my need for love and snuggles. (I was actually half right on this.)

I was shocked when I put him in the cage with Peek (Peek’s cage with a divider – I knew enough by then to know that much at least). :o( The young one was almost as big as Peek! And were they happy to see each other! Oh my! Peek spent the next 3 or 4 days smack dab up to the grids. Oh he was Happy (yes, with a capital “H”) to see another of his kind! Baby was glad to see HIM too. They spent the rest of the separation chewing the coating off the grids.

I was in a pickle over what to name him. Nothing I could think of seemed to fit, and he was such a sweetie! One day the little girl from next door was over visiting and I showed her the pigs. She'd already met Peek but this was the first time for meeting Baby. She told me -she'd- been told to never get a guinea pig with a white belly because they usually turned yellow from the pee. :o) Oh well! No one, but NO ONE was taking my baby away from me! Certainly not over some little thing like a yellow belly! Then I asked her if she could think of any good names for him. Almost instantly the word "Scatter" came out of her mouth. Apparently the saying "out of the mouths of babes" can be a really good thing because it hit me like a ton of bricks. "Scatter" fit to a "T" and his super power was scattering poos. "Scatter" he became.

Introduction day arrived and I gladly took the grids out of the center. Introduction failure #2 – I can’t imagine why things don’t work out as I planned! Scatter promptly started trying to hump Peek and Peek just as promptly tried to hump back. Then when that didn’t teach the little whippersnapper who was in charge, Peek started trying to get away from the little pest. I suddenly found myself with very unhappy older pig. VERY unhappy. Which made ME unhappy because the baby was supposed to make PEEK happy. Well, maybe after the initial “getting to hump, errr, KNOW you” period…

We finally made it to the vet up in Olympia. When we got to speak with her, it was for about a total of 5 minutes. Ok, maybe a total of 5 minutes per cavy, but it didn’t seem like it. She checked them over and discovered half a dozen small scabs around Peek’s bum. They were at various stages of healing; the biggest was about the size of pencil erasure. She picked a little bit at that one as we discussed possible sources. We finally decided it had to be Scatter biting Peek in his demands for dominance. Scatter’s demands, that is. Then she declared them otherwise healthy. As she was leaving she said she’d send someone in who not only had guinea pigs, but they were show guinea pigs and he bred them himself, so he was more familiar with the little critters than she was. (Grrrrr. Looking back at my utter idiocy… I still didn’t understand how little most vets (even exotics vets) know about these precious, adorable little loves.)

The guy came in, talked a little bit about himself and asked to see one. I picked up Peek from his cardboard pet carrier and handed him over. Looking back now, I can remember how gently but securely he held Peek, stroking his head, cheek and ears. I know he loves/ed guinea pigs. Then only a minute into his examination, he says “This guinea pig has lice!”. No way!!! NO!!! Then he showed me. I felt a little grossed out being a bit bug-o-phobic, but mostly I felt guilty because I’d not known and I’d had Peek since March (this was August) and he’d been suffering the whole time. That’s right, I knew who’d brought them into the cage and it wasn’t the baby. I thought back to Peek’s companion who was losing its hair. And I thought of the baby sharing Peek’s cage. Undoubtedly, if Scatter hadn’t had them before, he had them now, having shared that cage for two months, even if they’d been separated most of that time. And then I thought about the vet who’d, just fifteen minutes before, given them both a clean bill of health. I felt some steam building inside me.

Anyway, believe it or not, he kept holding Peek, showing me the live bugs running around his poor little head (the white crest on top). We talked about how to treat them, and he told me about some kind of spray made by Adam’s, Flea & Tick, I think it was. Then we finally said good bye and let him go his merry way. I’m sure, if he had guinea pigs at home, he washed up before he left the clinic (and I hope he gave that vet a good talking to also, since I believe they were friends; she’d said he wasn’t there as a client) and changed his clothes before going anywhere near his pigs.

I checked every store in the local 10 miles for the Adam’s product and couldn’t find it. I looked online. Nothing had the right name. After 2 weeks, I finally emailed the company, explaining my problem and asking where I could get this spray. The gentleman who replied said that unfortunately they didn’t have a product that would kill lice. So, I finally paid more attention to Guinea Lynx. Because the local Farm Store didn’t carry the EXACT Ivermec GL recommended (have I said how paranoid I am when it comes to doing new things to them?), I ordered it online. Once it came in, I started treatment. I applied that little drop behind their ears. The first time I was terrified I’d overdosed Scatter because 5 minutes after applying it, he started coughing and having what looked like full-body spasms. I freaked and grabbed the dish cloth because it was already wet, then grabbed him and gently, carefully, but with great purpose I washed the areas I’d just applied the Ivermec to. I probably took several layers of skin off, but I scrubbed that poor baby as clean of Ivermec as I could.

Since he didn’t appear to have any ill effects afterwards, I gave them the second dose a week later (his was even smaller than the week before, just in case), but kept my eyes glued to Scatter for 30 minutes afterward, then very closely watched him for the rest of the night. Eight (cringe) days later they got the 3rd treatment. One week later, a 4th treatment. (I noted in my record book that about 30 minutes after an application of 0.055 units (using an insulin syringe, which by the way is NOT recommended!), lice and cavy went nuts.) Seven days later a 5th treatment. Treatments 6 and 7, one and 2 weeks later. Eight days later they were given an 8th treatment. It took me close to 2 years to realize I was under dosing them and therefore wasn’t completely killing the lice. I just kept applying Ivermec at various times for various number of weeks. I did finally learn I needed to treat EXACTLY 7 days apart, AND the little drop really isn't as little as my interpretation thinks it is.

After weeks of watching Scatter bully poor Peek, I knew I had to find a different solution for them both. Mr. and I talked it over. He knew that I would find a girl companion for Peek, but I’d never be able to give up Scatter, so we’d have to find a sow for each boar and build a whole new cage for Scatter and said sow. I started the search for little girls. I was still treating the boars for the lice (ineffectively, because I was still underdosing them), so I knew I might have to keep a new pig separate for longer than the quarantine time. I also started planning to have the boys neutered, but I'd read about the risks of surgery on these little guys and was worried sick. We’d found a new vet about 30-45 minutes east, who claimed to be experienced with guinea pigs, but didn’t go see her until our first little girl arrived.

Meet little Miss Flossie: ImageFlossie arrives 8.24.13

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:25 pm


I sure am glad you finally got the parasite issue resolved!

Miss Flossie is a cutie!

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Sat Feb 06, 2016 5:10 pm


You have no idea how happy I am to have finally killed the @#$#@ things! Hahahaha, I'm still so paranoid if I see one of them scratch more than once a day, I pick them up and examine them.

Flossie has the sweetest attitude and she loves very easily. Every one/thing except Scatter, her cagemate. Apparently he's just about the biggest PITA on earth.

He absolutely has to prove his dominance every chance he gets. He's also either very ummm loving, or protective because he keeps his body between her and I at all times. He has to rumblestrut every time I get near the cage, especially if I'm returning her to the cage. I literally have to chase him off to get to her. NO ONE likes him. Except me. ;o) Actually, I can't say "no one". I've not tried him with VeBee.

Who, by the way, has become very bonded with Peek. They are almost always snuggled beside, or close by, each other. They look really sweet. I asked myself this morning if Peek wasn't partial to white cagemates, because A) He's never cared for Fuzz like this, and B) The guinea pig he was surrendered with was white.

Fuzzbutt just seems sad that they won't include her in the bonding. It's not so much that they drive her off; it's more like she stinks, or is too needy, hahahaha. Not funny. I do feel sorry for her, being shut out, when I know I've seen her try to get close to both of them. Vee will let her lay nearby if Peek isn't there, but Peek wants nothing to do with her. Never has.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sun Feb 07, 2016 1:29 am


I am so sad for Fuzzbutt, my heart goes out to her. So glad the univited guest are now in bug heaven. And Miss Flossie is on my pignap list. I will creep in the nights, hee hee hee.

Love the writing, I felt as if I was there, going through everything with you and the piggies.

Maddy_harper

Post   » Sun Feb 14, 2016 4:24 am


you have been through so much and your piggies too. Hugs

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GrannyJu1
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Post   » Mon Feb 15, 2016 1:19 pm


Yesterday when I was cleaning cages, my SO walked through, paused to say something and dropped a coin. The floors are ceramic tile, so you can imagine the noise it made, and what that did to the "kids". Up until that moment, Flossie had been peacefully snoozing in a carry sack and Scatter was head deep in hay. Post coin-dropping:

ImageScaredy Scatter 2.14.16

Look at the poor guy's eyes! Even worse, this is a small carry sack and Flossie is STILL IN IT!

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:19 am


Oh poor Flossie! She got squished. I hope both piggies told your other half off with some good chattering.

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:39 pm


No, Scatter was too traumatized, and poor Flossie never knew what hit her, just that it was big, dark and smelled like that pesky cagemate she has. She did give HIM some teeth chattering though, heeheehee.

Maddy_harper

Post   » Wed Feb 17, 2016 1:55 am


ooo the teeth chattering. Chock only does that when there are strange people outside that he thinks shouldnt be in his teritory.

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Sun Feb 28, 2016 3:00 pm


I’d had her name picked out months before we ever found her. For some reason “The Boxcar Twins” popped into my head about that time and I think the younger of the two little girls was named Flossie. When I was reading the books in grade school, her name struck me as strange, but I’d forgotten it for 100 years, then suddenly remembered it. Maybe it was her calling to me when she was conceived. ;o) At any rate, Flossie she became.

It seemed to suit her, sweet and tough at the same time. My husband and I both fell in love with the tiny little being. Six weeks old when she came to us, we were used to the comparative monsters the boys were. Floss didn’t even cover the palm of a hand.

Two weeks after she arrived, I went back to Juneau to await the birth of our third grandson. I was super excited but worried about how Flossie would manage with my husband. I shouldn’t have. He had a great time, and I think he actually enjoyed handling her to make sure she stayed socialized. I received a text one night saying he’d forgotten to pick up some lunchmeat while at the grocery store. His solution:
ImageMike's dinner Sept 2013

I can just imagine what she’s thinking, but I hoped he didn’t let her nibble on the bread, hahaha. I didn’t get any pictures of the boys, but he assured me he was treating them appropriately, too. *-*

She was quarantined in the little pet store cage, but she was so young and small, I figured that was ok. Soon the boys would be neutered and she’d join one of them in a much larger cage. Meanwhile she had fleece to hide under during the day and a wood hut at night. She was (and is) just so adorable. The white blaze up her nose turned into a streak that ran between her ears then on down her neck. Just at her right shoulder blade, it takes a sharp 90 degree turn and runs down to her throat. That was and is, her most distinctive physical feature, but her personality is still the loving one she had when we got her. When we took her for her first vet exam, during the “heart listen”, the vet told us she’d never seen such a calm guinea pig before. Now that she’s developed the Pea/Fatty eye, I wonder if it wasn’t just the first manifestation of heart disease. I guess I should have her x-rayed even if it just turns out to only provide us with a baseline of the condition of her heart. If it does turn out that there is something abnormal, getting her on medication sooner versus later would probably be a good thing.

I’d planned on getting the boys neutered as soon as we found suitable girls to put in with them, but strangely enough, there was a shortage of girl guinea pigs at the time. Then about December 1st, we got a call. To their total surprise, one of the pet store pigs had suddenly given birth, and they told me to come down and pick one out. The pups were still too young for anyone to accurately sex, but I looked into that dark cage and saw one little pig that looked like it had a white horn, rhinoceros style. I met what I hoped and prayed would be my next baby girl, working name: Scruffy.
ImageFuzzbutt #1 12.5.13

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Feb 28, 2016 5:31 pm


What absolutely adorable guinea pigs!

And what a naughty husband you have!

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Breadfan4

Post   » Sun Feb 28, 2016 8:36 pm


That sandwich picture is hysterical!

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