Bath for Tigger

Tigger is not doing as well as he should be I think so he will be going back to the vet this Saturday. He still has trouble walking and lies down sometimes when he eats. Tonight when he got his Critical Care he seemed to cry a bit. This weekend he was wet from the pad (that is changed daily) that he lies on so I gave him a quick bath. He still loves his veggies.

Thank you, Karine!

Karine won a gift certificate in Jen's "It's a Jungle out there" photo contest and donated it to GPF. Thanks so much! I used the certificate to get two Sherpa cage pads for Tigger, who has scurvy and is having trouble moving and walking. I am sure he will love them! Click the photo to see a larger image of Kooky out in the jungle.

Kira escaped!

Not funny, Kira! Call the guinea pig police! Wheek! [Kira decided to take off after she and Dolly were put on the bed while I swapped out their cage pad. They are always put in a basket with a lid on it but this time I put them there "just for a few minutes". I turned around and Kira had decided that she would rather hide under the bed. The cats soon discovered her and kept an eye on her during her "rescue".]

The Fab two are at it again!

Why? They are on YouTube already! Wheek! [Izzy's babies are at it again racing in and out of their hut that Jen made. They were four weeks old and heading out to their new home. People have enjoyed watching their antics so I added the video to PetTube.com so that more people might be able to watch them. Be sure to check it out if you haven't seen it yet. It's lots of fun to watch the video]

Tigger Update

Tigger was not doing well and losing weight so his meds were changed a bit. The Metacam was stopped and Bactrim started. His Critical Care feedings were increased and he was put back in the smaller cage. He seems to be doing better now and has perked up a bit. He has gained a few grams and now weighs 647 grams which is less than he weighed when he arrived. He now comes to the front of the cage looking for veggies which he gets after he has his Critical care. He still has trouble walking; his right rear leg sticks out a bit and he walks/hops on what would be his knee. [Click a photo to view a larger image.]

Pool party!

Pool? That's not a pool. That's a sink! Wheek! [While Suki was out camping some of the GPF crew had a pool party at the local spa. They all took their turn in the "pool" and some opted for summer haircuts to keep them cool.]

Suki went camping!

Where's the tent? Hello? Who goes camping without a tent??!! Wheek! [Suki and her buddy the cheetah took advantage of the warm summer nights recently and went on another getaway. This time they left the hut behind and took the colorful waffle blocks with them. They had a fantastic time and hope to go again soon.]

More updates ...

The little male who has scurvy and was pulled from the shelter is still not gaining much weight or moving around much. His eyes have cleared up now that they are being treated with Terramyacin. He likes his meds but unfortunately he doesn't inhale his Critical Care with the same gusto.
Luna's caretakers decided to get rid of her after they had her only one month (and the prior family had her eight months). I tried to bond her with Suki but she is a dominate female who terrified Suki so they are back in their own cages practicing for the upcoming Olympics.

The Olympic trials have begun!

I know because I can see them! They are loud and the cages shake! Wheek! [Suri, Dolly, Kira, and Luna have all moved beyond their spring training and are now in full swing working on their specialties. Suri loves the long distance runs and obstacle course. She can be seen with her trainer, the cheetah cub, zipping around her cage while she gets in shape. Dolly and Kira are focusing on short sprints. Luna has chosen to go out for long distance running, popcorning, and wire-grid chomping. So many to focus on, Luna! More Olympic updates to follow once the games begin.]

Minty and Monty arrived!

"Wish you were here". Where???? I want to know! Wheek! [One morning Minty and Monty set out in search of Mildred's famous hot cross buns and a spot of tea. They drove round and round but all they could find was a lovely garden with a fairy house in the middle. They were quite hungry by now so they knocked on the little door and inquired about cheese. Much to their surprise, a little fairy asked if they might like some fresh hot cross buns and a spot of tea instead. They were thrilled when the little fairy returned with her helpers and hot cross buns and a pot of tea. They stayed to enjoy the delicious treats before they went on their way again. Minty and Monty had a lovely time and hope to take another road trip soon.]

Moving along ... hello?

New staff person on board yet????? Replacement needed STAT! Call the guinea pig police now! Wheek!

Let the updates begin ... now!

Hellllllloooooooooooooo; where's the staff? Anyone run the ad? "New blog writer needed ASAP!" Wheek! [Bella hopped on over to the HRS for a photo shoot and promptly wanted to leave. Why? No carrots in sight! She did settle down long enough to get a good photo and promptly left in search of veggies. Bella is very user-friendly and sweet in case you are looking for an awesome rabbit to adopt.

Brownie and Blackie survived their bonding period and are total buddies now. This is good news since Blackie had just lost his companion to illness and Brownie had never had a cage mate before.

I received a couple of emails about a guinea pig who needed to be pulled from a shelter. He was having trouble walking and the cause was not known. He appeared to be a real stray since he was dirty and covered with mud. My thought was that he had scurvy due to lack of Vitamin C and a proper diet. He was released four days after intake and was started on Vitamin C and Metacam and assessed by the vet a couple days later. He was very tired when he first arrived and still eats lying down. He has perked up a little bit and it's thought that he will recover fully but that it will take time to resolve the scurvy.

Willie got info mischief once again. He feels that it's his job to keep an eye out on the guinea pigs so he joined Lucy recently in her cage when I went to get some hay. Not funny, Willie!]

UPDATES: 6-1-10

Brownie and Blackie are still in the bonding cage with no fighting. However, Blackie does tend to harass Brownie and may be keeping him from some food. Brownie's teeth were checked at the vet and they appear to be fine but he is slightly underweight. Fluffy also had his teeth checked and they are okay for now. His lump was checked and it appears to be a cyst or lipoma. This photo shows Fluffy chomping on one of Ian's wooden houses. Maybe his chomping is trying to drown out Licorice's shrieking, something that he has started to do recently.

Dolly, Oscar, and Pryn got baths this weekend and Pippa, Oscar, and Pryn all got summer haircuts with the shaver. I think Oscar and Pryn really like not having all of their very thick, heavy hair. Speaking of Oscar and Pryn, they may be heading back down to see Gwen and live with a friend of hers. Time will tell. Hope she gets to see them again; her cancer has spread to her brain.

Found some foxails in the hay and fleece bedding! So not funny or amusing! Suki has been sneezing off and on and there are no symtoms of any URI. I hope she didn't get one of the very small foxtails in her nose. Speaking of Suki, her is a photo of her with her buddy, the cheetah.