Sam and Dean

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Dec 18, 2021 5:15 pm


Dean has been the recipient of extra love and attention. It rained heavily all day yesterday and washed the pasture clean. That made picking the very long, very thick and very green blades of grass possible and he got a large handful of it. All of the guinea pigs did. Sammy even ate one long blade of it. Grass is one of, if not the most favorite of Dean's treats. Hope it made him feel loved.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Dec 18, 2021 8:13 pm


Grass is a hit with so many guinea pigs! Glad you had some lovely grass as a treat.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Dec 21, 2021 7:55 pm


My heart is very heavy as I send my Sammy off to join his brothers at the Rainbow Bridge. He brightened my day at the very sight of him. I talked to him all of the time. Every single guinea pig has unique qualities which set them apart from every other guinea pig and Sammy was no different. He had a motor in him. He was like greased lightning. He rarely sat still. He wasn't big on lap time unless there were treats to bribe him with. He got calmer and sat still as he got older, but before that, he was pretty curious and had to explore everything.

His cute face peeking out over the side of his cage pan was the first thing I saw when I walked into the guinea pig room before we moved to Missouri and when I opened my eyes in the morning after we moved here and I got to have them in my room. His cage is right next to the head of my bed at eye level when I'm laying down. Waking up will never be be the same without him. I will miss his cute face. He knew Scruffy, BJ and Oreo, so I know he's already found them and they are grazing together in the green grass of the Rainbow Bridge. Rest in sweet peace my sweet little Sammy. Words and pictures don't do you the justice you deserve for enriching our lives.

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This is Sammy and Dean on the first day I brought them home. I didn't have a big enough cage for them as I didn't plan on adopting them. I remember the days of switching between the day pen and the night cage while I waited on their cage to arrive.

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I was fascinated with his blend of browns with the white from the first time I saw him. I just had to adopt him. I am still fascinated with it to this day. I will always be. It was one of his best features.

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Grazing outside has always been an important part of what I do with my guinea pigs; taking every precaution for their safety of course. It teaches them to forage and it adds valuable nutrients to their diet as long as its clean and free of pesticides, chemicals and fertilizer. When it was not safe for them or not possible to have them outside, I always pick fresh grass and bring it to them. It was Sammy's favorite treat. Sammy was what you might call a grass guzzler.

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Sammy was very squirrely during lap time. I really had to hold on to him carefully or he would run right off of my lap onto the floor. I think it was his desire to explore everything around him, including my face. It took near nothing to get his curiosity up. That is of course unless I bribed him with grass or a carrot.

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Last edited by Renonvsparky on Tue Dec 21, 2021 8:00 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Dec 21, 2021 7:55 pm


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He interacted well with the other pigs. The only exception was when they were outside. I even had to separate him from Dean while they were outside or Sammy would get after him. Normally Dean was the dominant pig, even though Sammy was bigger and outweighed him by several ounces. That changed whenever they went outside.

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This is the greeting I got every time I approached him once he got used to us. It's also the view I got every morning after we moved, except from a slightly lower angle.

https://imgur.com/gallery/EkXV8dU
Did I mention Sammy had a motor? Well here is proof! I still laugh at this one.

Sammy may be gone, but he will forever live on in our hearts and memories. He is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. I'm thankful and blessed to have been part of his life. This video says it all and I dedicate it to my Sammy. I will see you on the other side, baby boy

https://youtu.be/f4apWJMVR0c

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Dec 21, 2021 8:38 pm


Great tribute to a very special and handsome little guy. So many wonderful memories and moments to look back on and smile. :) He sure was a character and a little energizer piggie, and had such a good life with you. I know how very much he will be missed.

I'm positive Sammy is off on his next big adventure at Rainbow Bridge, with old friends and new.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:30 pm


It sounds like you will have many memories to look back on. He was a very special guy. I'm sorry he is gone.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Wed Dec 22, 2021 2:03 am


What a full life Sammy had thanks to your good care. You have my condolences. I hope the memories of all the good times will help ease the pain of losing him. Take care of yourself.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed Dec 22, 2021 9:19 pm


I'm keeping a close watch on Dean since we lost Sammy. He is doing ok so far. He looks around and sniffs the spot where Sammy laid, but he's eating and drinking fine so far and he's not sulking at all. I've given him plenty of time and attention to go with fresh grass as a treat. There's not a lot of Sammy's scent in the cage since it was changed right after he went into the hospital cage. He did spend about an hour in there with Dean until I realized that the blood in his urine probably wasn't good for Dean to be around. I would think that if he was going to be depressed, it would have showed up by now. I also bet that the little clowns running around and playing in the next cage helps him too.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Dec 22, 2021 11:11 pm


I am guessing every guinea pig would react a little differently. Weighing daily right now would help catch issues early.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Thu Dec 23, 2021 12:53 am


I almost wish I had another single male to put with him besides Mr Bubbles, who doesn't get along with other pigs. It would have to be pretty soon after Sammy and before he gets accustomed to being alone in his cage. At least he has very young and active neighbors. They keep him entertained and they remind him that he's not alone.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Dec 23, 2021 12:17 pm


Yes, so important to know you are not alone! Even when you might not want your neighbors as cage mates, having them there is nice.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Thu Dec 23, 2021 6:28 pm


Haven't seen any sulking or negative effects on Dean since Sammy has been gone. It's cage day today, so I made the swap with him into the 2 by 3 foot cage and the girls in the 2 by 4 footer. The girls gained 2 square feet and Dean lost that amount. The two cages are next to each other with about 6 inches of space between them. I did as much as I could to do away with the scents in the cages. That meant washing them, changing all of the bedding pellets, swapping the water bottles with the pigs and replacing the fleece covering on all of the bumpers that hold down the fleece.

The swap was pretty seamless. Dean spent the first 5 minutes exploring and then settled down to eat his hay. The girls went right to their hay like nothings different. I think this setup is going to work out for the best for all concerned pigs.

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