>Be the guinea pig mom
After making the decision to renew my apartment lease for another year, I've decided to share it with two guinea pigs from the Citizens for Animal Protection animal shelter.
The cage before I added piggies and food. This is actually Petco's house-brand small animal playpen, measuring about 42" across. I just filled it with Carefresh and supplies!
I've got a doggy gate nearby, and secondary water bottle and food dish, so I can divide the cage if things get too rowdy between the guys, but so far they've been real good.
This is Blaster, who has already been nicknamed "fuzzbutt", "fauxhawk", and "butthawk" for his crazy 90s hair. He appears to be all white, with tan fur around his left eye; I think the brown fur on his butt is just dirty. He's definitely an Abyssinian mix, as he only has two rosettes on his bum.
Blaster's previous family surrendered him healthy to CAP in August, citing that they no longer had the time to properly care for him.
There was a startling difference in Blaster's behavior from yesterday's meet-n-greet (and introduction to Squeakers as well as myself) and his behavior during today's meet-n-greet (and introduction). He was much more lively and sociable today, and didn't bite me afterward (though I probably deserved that for sticking my fingers in the cage to get his attention).
This is Squeakers, whom I suspect to be a Silkie mix. I'll have a better idea when his hair grows out.
Squeakers was previously adopted from CAP with a bonded cagemate, Ginger, only to be neglected to the point of starvation and then abandoned back with CAP the week before last. Ginger didn't make it.
Squeakers is eating on his own, veggies, hay, and pellets, but the CAP personnel and I both intend to make damn sure he continues to do so because he's still dangerously thin. I'm hoping making friends with Blaster will also help encourage Squeakers on the road to recovery.
And of course, I had to get in a picture of their new mom. I have my hand on the hidey house where Squeakers is, and you can see Blaster's swirly bum where he's raiding the hay rack.
The cage before I added piggies and food. This is actually Petco's house-brand small animal playpen, measuring about 42" across. I just filled it with Carefresh and supplies!
I've got a doggy gate nearby, and secondary water bottle and food dish, so I can divide the cage if things get too rowdy between the guys, but so far they've been real good.
This is Blaster, who has already been nicknamed "fuzzbutt", "fauxhawk", and "butthawk" for his crazy 90s hair. He appears to be all white, with tan fur around his left eye; I think the brown fur on his butt is just dirty. He's definitely an Abyssinian mix, as he only has two rosettes on his bum.
Blaster's previous family surrendered him healthy to CAP in August, citing that they no longer had the time to properly care for him.
There was a startling difference in Blaster's behavior from yesterday's meet-n-greet (and introduction to Squeakers as well as myself) and his behavior during today's meet-n-greet (and introduction). He was much more lively and sociable today, and didn't bite me afterward (though I probably deserved that for sticking my fingers in the cage to get his attention).
This is Squeakers, whom I suspect to be a Silkie mix. I'll have a better idea when his hair grows out.
Squeakers was previously adopted from CAP with a bonded cagemate, Ginger, only to be neglected to the point of starvation and then abandoned back with CAP the week before last. Ginger didn't make it.
Squeakers is eating on his own, veggies, hay, and pellets, but the CAP personnel and I both intend to make damn sure he continues to do so because he's still dangerously thin. I'm hoping making friends with Blaster will also help encourage Squeakers on the road to recovery.
And of course, I had to get in a picture of their new mom. I have my hand on the hidey house where Squeakers is, and you can see Blaster's swirly bum where he's raiding the hay rack.