Saturday, September 25, 2010

News and Such

All the guinea pigs were lounging in the hot weather yesterday, then I opened up the house this morning only to have to shut it a little while ago so they wouldn't get cold! Crazy weather!
I spent part of the morning at the Farm Sanctuary Walk for Farm Animals, which was not on the news and only had a handful of people (and it was in Thornden Park, so not a lot of folks actually saw us walking). Anyway, it was still fun and I met some die-hard animal lovers. (By the way, if you have never been to Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, go! It's beautiful and there are WINERIES along the way!)
We are getting two guinea pigs tomorrow..a Peruvian male who looks just like Jabbie and his shorthaired companion. They are from a student who is only allowed one guinea pig at school, but he does not want to separate the pair. I'm hoping to get to Tractor Supply next Saturday to take Rocky and Luigi, as they are still here and we will again be back up to 30 piggies. I am still working on socializing the two little girls we got, and will post pics at some point, but they are very timid right now and just starting to get into our routine.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Computer Issues/Update

We just got the computer back after having multiple issues with it...I couldn't even put new posts on the blog, so I wanted to give you a quick update:
Our lovely black and white Peruvian male, Giorgio, passed away two days ago. He had been losing a lot of weight in the last few months, probably due to age as he was not sick and had a good appetite up until the very end. We will give his cagemate Jabbie some extra love this week. They were unrelated but became fast friends as soon as I put them together. Giorgio had been used as a stud until he and several other guinea pigs were rescued by a friend of mine and brought here.
Last night we got two cute little females, an 8 month old mom we named Ginger and her 4 month old daughter Nutmeg (they look identical except for size). If you do the math, that means that Mom had gotten pregnant at only two months old! She only had two babies and the owners wanted to keep the sole male, so the girls are now here.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Adopted! Foxy and Roxy

Well, after about two years of trying to get these two girls adopted, they finally went to a new home in Ithaca yesterday afternoon. They were not too happy about getting one last nail trim but it had to be done!
I have seen quite a few guinea pigs on Craigslist again, but I have decided to slow things down as far as taking them in. This is in part because I get mixed reactions when I tell people I am a rescue; some are thrilled, some are suspicious and/or don't want their guinea pigs readopted out. This is understandable; some of the guinea pigs I take in do end up going on to new homes, but the adopters are carefully screened and must fill out an application with references. I also follow up one week after adoption with either an email or phone call to see how things are going.
So, if you know anyone who needs to surrender a guinea pig, or wants to adopt one, send them my way! (If they are in the Oneida area, or want to see other guinea pigs, please refer them to CNY Piggies...their link is on this site).

Monday, September 13, 2010

Running Out of Adoptables

Not that it's a bad problem to have, but I am nearly out of adoptable guinea pigs. Rascal was adopted yesterday, and Almond was adopted just before we left on vacation. That basically leaves Luigi and Rocky, and I do have someone interested in Foxy and Roxy even though they are a little bit older.
I don't want to disappoint people when they come out to meet the piggies, but right now this place is almost a nursing home! I have one pair who is 6 and many pairs who are around 4-5. Guinea pigs live on average from 4-8 years, and if someone is getting one for their child, an older guinea pig is not a good option as it might result in heartbreak if the pet passes away.
So, right now things are very quiet on this front...I will probably call Tractor Supply and see if I can get out there next Saturday with whoever is left.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

We're Back!

We just got back from our cruise a couple hours ago, and basically spent the evening cleaning out cages! Everyone is fine and pretty soon we will be trying to adopt some of our piggies out again. Our newest, Newman, has been moved into a larger cage, and we may be putting Taz into a larger cage soon as well.
I'm a bit sunburned but we had a lot of fun..good to be home! :)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Vacation!

We are leaving for our last family summer vacation soon, so I will not be updating the blog until I get back. I do have someone coming out tomorrow to look at a single male who will be a companion for another male, but for now adoptions, etc. will be on hold until we get back.
We have a housesitter staying to care for the animals, and I've been busy preparing things so that they are easier on her. Rocky and Rascal have been moved into a wider cage (same length) and put back on shavings for the time being (their fleece needs to be changed about every 3-4 days, the shavings won't be quite so bad while we're gone). I will be washing the rest of the fleeces tomorrow and possibly putting Foofer and Gobbles on shavings while we're gone. It's going to be enough of a challenge feeding and watering 31 guinea pigs; I don't expect our sitter to clean cages as well.
Almond is getting used to having a bit more attention; Dora and Joslin are still quite nervous but the girls have been handling them frequently. Our latest addition is Newman, but because we just got him I don't plan on putting him up for adoption yet. His previous owners were very concerned about finding him a good home, so he may become our next permanent resident.
We finally started picking fresh carrots from the garden..some are still a bit small, but the guinea pigs love to eat both the tops and the roots. I've stocked up on Romaine and carrots and will fill a big bag with dandelion greens before we go.