One Little, Two Little, Three Little Guinea Pigs

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GrannyJu1
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Post   » Tue Jan 03, 2017 10:22 am


Tuesday, January 03, 2017 Another little update, just to start the year out right.

The Cage of Three: Peek, Fuzzbutt, and VeBee –

All is well, although Peek is getting quieter and quieter. Still maintains a decent weight but it now averages in the low to mid 1100, rather than the old 1200 grams. He still runs from me unless I have food, but he’s always been that way. He just seems to get slower and slower to move. Picking him up is getting pretty easy as long as I use my “corner-maker”. I’m counting every day with my little man as a blessing. Most of the time he’ll talk to me although it’s in a vocal range I can’t hear; I just see his chin waggling. I think he may have taught the other two the same trick because they will sometimes do it too. Nowhere near as much as Peekaboo does it though. And I must be staring at him and talking to him to get this reaction from him.

Fuzzbutt – Fuzz is my little enigma. I can’t decide (and maybe she can’t either) if she’s affectionate or standoff-ish. I know she copies whatever VeBee does, except drinking from the water bowl. She won’t do that. She wants lots of loves from Peek (who won’t give them to her) and VeBee (who does allow snuggles), none from me. Like Peek, she runs unless I’m offering food or treats. She doesn’t get real pushy all the time, but has on occasion stood on VeBee’s back (Peek won’t allow this) to reach them first. She’s the easiest to pick-up when I’m using my corner-maker – never struggling once she feels my hand curling around and under her. I truly appreciate this as I think this is how Flossie was injured. Fuzz still insists on being the “Mangler” now and then, especially when she’s on my arm and I’m moving too fast. That earns me a good nip or two. Otherwise, she’s the quietest of all the pigs, and by that, I mean she’s like a shy wallflower. Only becoming obnoxious during her days-of-the-month. Then she can bedevil VeBee like you wouldn’t believe. It’s only during these times that either girly moves much, chasing each other up and down the cage. If it’s VeBee’s time, she can make Fuzz squeal like nothing else (except a new pig).

VeBee is my little rose – beautiful and eye-catching with not too many thorns; butterscotch swirls and stripes on her face. I can’t think of a single time she’s ever bitten me. She’s not as cuddly as she was when I first got her, but I think that’s probably my fault for not giving the cuddles out as frequently as she got them in her previous home. However, I’m pretty sure Peek and Fuzz make up for it. I know she was with her mum until she passed over the Rainbow Bridge, and I think that’s why she was put up for adoption: FHS didn’t want any more guinea pigs but knew enough to know VeBee needed cavy companionship. FHS (and daughter) didn’t bother to actually name her though. Didn’t bother to research for good foods other than to give her fresh veggies, crap for pellets, and pet store hay. I have no idea what kind of veggies VeBee got, and I know they gave her weekly baths (or so I was told). That’s about it. Anyway, Ve and Fuzz are the only ones who actively seek out others to snuggle (kind of) with. She prefers to snuggle with Peek, but he will only allow her to barely touch him (he doesn’t allow Fuzz to get even that close), so she does let Fuzz curl up next to her. I don’t know why she prefers Peek to Fuzz, but doesn’t dis-like Fuzz. I think it might be because Fuzz is the smelliest little pig I’ve got (Fuzz being the one most like to have a reaction to food). Back to VeBee-baby… She likes to watch me from the side of her cage, standing on the brick or water bowl to do so. I’m not sure if she’s curious, wants attention, or is hopeful of looking cute enough to garner treats. Probably the latter. She’s cute as heck drinking from the water bowl too. Somehow sucks it up into her mouth then tilts her head back to swallow. I guess I’m just too used to watching the others drink from the bottles and find Ve’s uniqueness sweet. Peek will drink from the bowl occasionally; Fuzz never. Neither did cage of 2. Speaking of which…

The Cage of Two – Scatter and Flossie

All the pigs (except Peek) turned 3 last year. In April Scatter will be 4, second oldest to Peek who must already be around 6 yrs. old. He was my first baby so holds a special place in my heart. Actually, each pig holds a special but different, place in my heart, hahahaha. Scatter has the prettiest eyes: long lashes, perfect eyeliner, and occasionally gets that pale blue color instead of the white in his eyes. Could be those are his most stressed times so he opens his eyes wider, but I’m not sure about that. Anyway, he’s the most playful but dominant pig I’ve ever seen, constantly, and I do mean constantly, mounting Flossie. He stopped for a while after she was first injured and seemed to know she needed gentleness, but apparently, she’s healed enough that he feels he can get away with more playful behavior now. If anyone is going to popcorn or run laps, it is Scatter. I can hear him banging around in there every morning and evening, getting his exercise. Naturally, he stops when I want to watch him. He’s my little sissy whiner, too, even though he's consistently around 1300 grams. Complains about everything, and becomes almost hysterical when I take him out of the cage. Must mean I need to take him out and give him more snuggles and treats without doing the nasty claw thing. He likes to be held in a cuddle sack whereas the rest of them will stay head-in-the-corner and only peek out every few minutes if I don’t move. Scatter will start that way but then his curiosity gets the better of him and he must turn around and watch what’s going on. He actually talks to me when he’s in the cage, possibly a carry-over from being such a whiner outside it. In the cage, it’s a soft almost-grunt squeak, outside it’s a loud “your-killing-me!” wheek. I guess he’s just a very vocal pig. Like me, he talks a lot.

Flossie – Now Floss holds a big special spot in my heart. She was my first tiny baby, only 6 weeks old when I adopted her. She’s so far had to have a spay at a fairly young age (1.5 yrs. old) due to ovarian cysts. That was a month-long ordeal for her. Not that she had a hard time – she seemed to recover quickly, but I was strict about not letting Scatter have access to her for the full month after the surgery. Instead I took the hospital cage (Ve’s old one) and put it into the big cage so she and Scatter could at least have some small measure of companionship and share her hay. Scatter probably had the harder time, since he’s the most touchy-feely pig. But Flossie was used to having the big cage to move around in, being confined wasn’t a good fit for her. And now we have the spinal injury. Both times I’ve had to syringe feed her so we grew closer due to that. I also have felt so sorry for her (and guilty this time) she must sense and feel me trying to be as gentle as possible. She does seem to be improving, extremely slowly, but improving all the same. She now uses her left rear leg all the time unless she’s in a hurry, although she did run straight back to me at the vet’s office last week. That was when the vet saw she was using all four legs. Those are the times she’s most likely to drag it though; curling her body into a backwards “C”; or carry it, or fall over as she runs trying to use it properly. Poor baby. She hasn’t seemed to let it bother her, though. She still eats as much, if not more than Scatter. She does seem to have some difficulty getting veggies from the big bowls, so I'll dump it out on the floor of the cage if I see her struggling to reach in. She still tells Scatter off when he’s being a pest, and doesn’t have a problem trying to whirl around to give him a nip when he’s really bugging her. She’s sweet and doesn’t mind being held, although these days with her back injury, she’s feeling less secure when being held on my hand and arm. If she’s in my lap or on my chest (or especially, on my desk) she’s ok. She’s just nervous about having all that open space on her weak side (I’m left handed but carry her on my right hand and arm), so I try to keep my left hand/arm firmly around her left side. And she absolutely freezes up when I’m giving her a butt bath. I must admit to dunking her nose under water a couple of times when I was first learning to bathe her. The first time I was plain careless, and the second I was rinsing her butt under running water and she turned her body back as if I’d hurt her (but didn’t’ make a sound) and stuck her nose under the water. Neither time did she sneeze or cough so she didn’t breathe any water in, but still… I’m much more careful now, and she manages to stand on her weak leg a little more. She’s lost about 100 – 150 grams over the last few months but seems to have settled to a new normal of about 1050 grams. She does tend to stay in one spot too long and usually has a blankie over her except when she’s eating her veggies. She’ll even maneuver the blankie so she only needs to stick her head out from under it to get a strand or two of hay. I just change the blanket and/or pad she’s on at least once a day, more often if she manages to mess the blankie up a lot.

So, there you have it. Updates and news on 5 of my babies. I won’t include the cats here, hehehehe. See the cat thread for that. I hope I haven’t managed to bore you. If you made it this far, I guess I didn’t. I don’t take many pictures these days (aren’t you glad!) because my real camera broke and I don’t care for the quality of pictures my phone takes. My hand shivers and jerks too much for good shots.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Jan 03, 2017 11:00 am


You are so fond of your darlings! People who take the time to be observant can learn so much about their pets' personalities.

I hope this year is a good year for them all!

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Tue Jan 03, 2017 12:27 pm


I could picture your piggies closing my eyes. They sound like they're full of personality and they love you and you love them! If I don't piggy nap them, give them some loving from me and the girls.

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GrannyJu1
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Post   » Wed Jan 04, 2017 11:01 am


Yesterday I forgot to mention Scatter's accident. He broke both front upper teeth early in December, I suspect by jerking back when one of my cats tapped his nose when it was outside the grids. Xena knows the inside of the floor cage is theirs but by golly the outside is her's and they better keep their noses out of "HER" space.

Anyway, his two teeth broke, one at the gum line the other half way up. I managed to find the whole tooth the next day during clean-up but from the way the partial broke, I suspect it shattered into several pieces.

For the first few days he had it rough, pain must have been incredible but he kept trying to eat. I took him to the vet and she gave me some metacam for him (see more on his medical thread), and said to bring him back in 2 or 3 weeks for a re-check. I syringe fed him (carefully!) for the first couple of days but then we discovered that he could eat from a spoon quite easily and was happier doing that from inside the cage. Flossie helped him eat the Critical Care, but I was careful to keep track of how much he ate of it, too. He was eating the soft pieces of hay on his own by then and most of his veggies if I cut them correctly. It took a week or so for him to be able to eat his bell pepper and carrots because he insisted on trying to eat them in the normal way and wouldn't let me push them in from the side. It only took about 10 days for both teeth to grow back to the point that they almost looked to be the proper length. He could certainly eat everything by that point, and did.

Since he didn't need to have his molars ground down (no problems eating) I changed his re-check appointment to "well baby" annual exams for he and Flossie instead. All clear for both at that time. This was when Floss surprised the vet and ran to me across the table using all four legs/feet.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Wed Jan 04, 2017 12:22 pm


This was when Floss surprised the vet and ran to me across the table using all four legs/feet.
I remember Jessie doing this after being under for over an hour getting a tooth removed. She was still wobbly, I said hello baby and even though her head was heavy she lifted it up and wobbled over to me and laid down by me. The vet and nurse were amazed(here their just dumb animals only guinea pigs) and my husband and I were crying, which I am doing now so will close. Go Scatter!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Jan 04, 2017 7:12 pm


Glad to hear the teeth grew back okay!

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GrannyJu1
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Post   » Sun Jun 04, 2017 5:26 am


Warning: This could be distressing to read, by rights it probably belongs in my journal. I’m mostly just letting my feelings flow out.

My Flossie passed away on Friday, June 2nd, 2017, shortly after returning from the vet visit. She’d come up lame again on Wednesday, but this time it was much worse, all 4 legs seemed to be involved and she could barely hold her head up. Deep inside I knew I’d probably be saying goodbye before too long. She was just so ill. This time she wouldn’t, or couldn’t eat or drink, so we did the syringe feedings. She did fine except for the pedialyte – she didn’t like that. I tried flavoring it with orange juice, but she still didn’t care for it. Finally, I used cranberry juice and that went over better, but I still had a hard time finding her mouth because she still kept moving her head around when I tried to put the syringe in. I had the Mr. hold her while I looked her straight on and we got more pedialyte down her that way.

On Thursday, she seemed to rally, able to hold her head up a little longer, and could move her body a little more. Not to say she didn’t still drag it around, because she did. It was just that she moved it more. I became cautiously hopeful. That night she ate some wet lettuce and part of a carrot which raised my spirits even more. I hoped my little fighter could pull off another miracle and recover if we got her on the steroids soon enough.

Friday morning she ate quite a lot of wet lettuce but only ate a few bites of the carrot. Good sign and bad sign.

The vet couldn’t get us in until Friday afternoon, so we got there half an hour early. Dr. K was once again gentle but thorough in her exam. That Flossie didn’t fight anything Dr. K did to her was worrisome and the vet acknowledged that this time Floss was worse. She went ahead and prescribed the steroids and asked that I bring Flossie back in a week. I made the appointment and we came home.

The drive is about 1 hour. I knew she’d been without fluids for close to 3 hours, so I immediately mixed up some fresh pedialyte, Mr. held her and I fed her about 1.5 syringes of the mixture (mostly pedialyte with a very small splash of cranberry juice). Halfway through the second syringe she made a sound – a cough, or something indicating she needed to wait for more. I put her in the cage with Scatter, and she just laid where I left her – in the hay. I stepped away to start mixing some Critical Care and came back into the guinea pig room just a minute later. I glanced over and realized something was wrong. Floss was still laying in the same spot but her head was down and her eyes were open. There was just something wrong about her. I stepped up and said her name – no response. I looked for breathing and nothing. I reached out to touch her and still nothing. I picked her up but she was so limp, I knew she was gone. I moaned “Flossie, don’t do this.” I called her name a couple more times and started crying. Mr. came up behind me and suddenly realized something was wrong with ME. He asked and I whispered “I think she’s gone”.

For the next little while, I couldn’t believe it. We lined a shoe box with fleece and I laid her down in it, but worried that if she woke, she could fall out of it very easily. After half an hour of no movement, I told myself I was being foolish, and closed the box. I called the vet’s office to find out if they would do the necropsy or could help me find someone who could. I wanted to know why she died. I NEEDED to know why. Was it something I did? Did I force the pedialyte down into her lungs? Did I wait too long to give her fluids? Why had I forgotten the wet lettuce this trip?!

The receptionist spoke with a different vet who was still in the office and he told her the procedure for me. The cost would be about $70 (I didn’t care about the cost) and I needed to put her body in the fridge, not the freezer.

When I got off the phone, I cleared a place in the fridge for the shoe box, but was reluctant to put her in. What if she wasn’t really dead, she’d get cold and wouldn’t be able to get out of the box. Mr. had me get my stethoscope out and check for a heartbeat. All I could hear was my own.

We made the trip back to the vet’s office the next morning. Naturally, I didn’t have a Kleenex when I started crying again. We filled out the paperwork, I gave Flossie to the young woman and we left.

Hours later, Dr. K called with the results from the necropsy. Flossie had had tumours on her adrenals and that and/or the resulting liver damage is what killed her. Dr. K said everything was normal except for a few small things. Dr. K couldn’t tell what had caused Flossie to go lame without a much more detailed exam and we had the cause of death, so she didn’t do any more. She did say that Flossie wouldn’t have lasted as long as she had if I hadn’t taken such good care of her. That only made me wonder, later, if Floss had been in any pain. Was prolonging her life making any pain last longer? I had a few more questions, but none of them would bring her back, and I didn’t want to bother the Dr. K. with them.

I had them send her out for cremation after the autopsy. I will receive her ashes by mail, probably next week. Meanwhile I’ll prepare a spot for her under one of the hydrangea bushes.

Tonight while I was fixing dinner for the other four, I heard one quiet wheek then all were silent. I guess Flossie was the lead wheeker. I knew she was the loudest. It was just upsetting that no one really called for their dinner.

Thank you for listening.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Jun 04, 2017 7:35 am


You loved her so much. I am just so sorry she is gone. Necropsies can help us understand what happened. I hope it helped you.

You gave her the best care and all the love you could.
'-(

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sun Jun 04, 2017 8:36 am


I had tears in my eyes reading your post. Flossie knew you were there for her and you both loved her to bits. I often wonder did we do the right thing by Jessie having her teeth filed for 5 years. But then we remembered all the times she would bounce back and eat her food and we knew in our hearts we did!

Hold onto your wonderful memories of her and know she will always be with you both watching over you both wheeking for food in paradise! Sending you both and the four piglets big hugs!

OurMissEllie

Post   » Wed Jun 07, 2017 12:23 am


You're amazing Granny, I have really enjoyed reading this chronicle. You give your piggies so much love! We need more humans in the world like you.

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AldenM1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Wed Jun 07, 2017 12:47 pm


I'm so sorry about Flossie. But thank you for giving her a great life while she was around. :(

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:47 pm


Thanks again for all the comforting words. Flossie is definitely missed by all of us.

Well, intros between Scatter and Fuzzbutt (still ongoing but now in smaller cage) went so much better than I expected. Not a single screech out of Fuzzbutt and Scatter has only chased her in circles about 4 times now. Fuzz did feel it necessary to lunge at him a couple of times, but that was as far as it went. I don't know if it's too soon, but I've given them a step stool hidey. Fuzz was absolutely lost without something to get under. I can see them deciding who gets which side, and there is lots of chatter out of Fuzz, but I think she has him sufficiently cowed that she gets the bigger side (its square). :o) I think we'll all be happy campers, with Mr. G being happiest.

I think one of the reasons it's gone so well is the fact that they all have shared the big floor cage every day. Not together, but by cage. Fuzz, VeBee, and Peek first, then Flossie and Scatter after. So scents are very familiar. I believe it's helped that neither is a new pig.

Now for clean up of neutral cage. (Groan!)

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