My 1st guinea pig ever is my little "Piggy" I got her at Petscapes on September 1, 2006, (a local pet store in Elizabeth, PA.) I called several pet stores to get prices and learn more about them.
But Petscapes had a deal where you can get the guinea pig & cage and everything that goes with it all included in one price of $73. So I called and asked what color guinea pigs do ya have. They only had 2, one was all brown and the other was my Piggy photo above.
Before I laid my eyes on her I wanted the black and white one in my heart. I knew that I wanted that one. So I went to Petscapes, I went to the brown one and that little piggy ran away. The black and white one stayed right there and allowed me to pet her without any problem and I knew in my heart that I wanted her. I love her!
At this point, I didn't know anything at all about guinea pigs, the store was nice enough to throw in for free (they normally don't do this for everyone) a guinea pig book. But it didn't have everything after researching about them later on.
My 1st day with my black & white little guinea pig, I picked her up (the store wasn't 100% sure if it was a girl or her actual age) and I whispered for over an hour and continously telling her that I love her and I'm not gonna hurt her and she can feel safe. So the first day, I told her it's okay, if she has to pee on her mommy and I'm not gonna be upset. So she did that and later I got a little juice box and instead of peeing on me she will go into her juice box out of respect for her mommy. She did this all on her own. She is sooooo smart!
By doing this in the very beginning, she didn't want to go into her cage she wanted to be with me all the time. I didn't really mind at all and I loved all her love that she has to give.
I would carry her around in alittle juice box and she stayed right in there while we greeted people.
How I got her name was simple: Her orginal name is Piglet, cause I wasn't sure if it was a boy or girl and I love little nick-names so I called her "Piggy" for short.
I practically talked to her everyday, let her sit on my chest area, we watch soap opera's together and other shows together. I would sing karoke to her. She loves to talk on the phone with me.
Here's alittle cute story: while Piggy is sitting on my chest area she will put her little butt all the way up by my chin and while I'm talking on the phone my chin is constantly moving up and down and moving Piggy's little butt. So she turned her body around and stared right into my eye's said something in pig-latin and turn herself back around where she was staring at the tv set.
It's like she was saying, "Shut-up, I'm watching tv here." or "Stop moving around!"
I feed her timothy hay, romaine lettuce, baby carrots, and some fruits. But she is not much of a fruit eater. I give her vitamin C from day one in her water bottle.
In the beginning I bought her Pine bedding, cause, I didn't know any better. Now, I buy Care Fresh, recycled newspaper pulp. It's alot easier to clean with.
My friend LaVerne gave Piggy & (my 2nd guinea pig-story coming up,) a bigger cage in the very beginning without a stand.
Both of my guinea pigs lived in the smaller cage but in separate occasions. Notice the photo's of the cages down below.
My 2nd guinea pig I orginally bought it for someone else from our local Pennysavor. He came from McKeesport, PA from a mommy guinea pig having babies.
The person that I gave it to didn't have any supplies whatsoever so I applied the guinea pig, cage, bedding, vitamin c, timothy hay, romaine lettuce, and baby carrots. Plus, I bought a little hide away thing for this guinea pig to feel safe.
This person who shall remain nameless, didn't properly took care of this guinea pig and this person only had this guinea pig for only 2 1/2 weeks, basically, didn't give the guinea pig alot of attention like I do and didn't clean the small cage. You need do that practically everyday for that cage. I always clean out the pee parts out of the cage and weekly change the whole thing out.
But with a extremely smaller cage, need to do it daily. You will see from the photo's down below on what I mean.
I told this person what this animal needs daily and apx. how much it would cost to take good care of it monthly. This person said, "Couldn't afford it."
So I got permission from my landlord to have a second guinea pig and it was granted. So I named him Pooky-Bear and it's very obvious that he is a boy, apx. 7-8 weeks old. Not 100% sure on the age!
I got him on June 29, 2007, the next day I took both of my guinea pigs to the vet to make sure they are 100% healthy and the vet gave them both Excellent Health Report Card. And I was right about the sex of both of my guinea pigs.
What makes me feel good is that I was doing the right thing with Piggy from the start and what I know now I can pass it to my little Pooky.
He is quite the sqeeker and very figidity and he's interested in Piggy. Piggy wants to bite his nose and they make strange noises when they are around each other.
If I have Pooky's smell on me Piggy makes strange noises and wiggles her little butt. She already bited me twice already. She doesn't scare me. I pick her up and love her anyway. I don't know what she's telling me.
I know they love to talk to each other alot and wake me up in the morning with chatter back and forth.
I asked my litte Piggy to give her mommy permission to love this other little piggy named Pooky like I love her and to allow her little heart to love him.
The 1st day, she was on top of her igloo staring at me while I was holding him and he was all jittery because, my Piggy was saying something in pig-latin to him.
Plus, whenever I hold Piggy, she is licking me all over the place. I love when she does that, she is giving me piggy kisses. He does it too, but not as often as she does.
Both of my piggies are doing really well with each living in there own separate cages-(bigger cages). I do my very best to show them both love and attention and plenty of food, vitamin c in there water bottles, clean bedding-Care Fresh, romaine lettuce, carrots, watermellon-Pooky's favorite, and other fruits. This is the end of my story for now.
Pooky is a work in process which means we are still learning about each other and Piggy is my sweet lovable jolly little piggy and I love them both to the bitter end. For my calendar please send it to:
Loretta McClain
