Note: before I start this post, I just want to say that I don’t expect anyone to read it the whole way through, if at all. As many of my blog posts are, this is a complete ramble about a part of my life that I wanted to write down. I don’t do it for other people to take interest in but the comments when they do always make me smile. I don’t take this blog particularly seriously and I don’t expect anyone else to either. I just like writing about things that are going on for me, partly for something to do but also so that when I’m thinking about a certain time in the past, I can look back on this and read to remind me what exactly happened. Anyway, on with the post…
Since the corona virus pandemic really hit the UK and with lockdown and everything that’s followed, I haven’t really had anything worthwhile to write about. I haven’t been able to work with Jenny, which I’ve missed enormously; I haven’t been able to go and visit Kieran or have him come to stay with me; I haven’t been able to jump on a train and go up to York to see my sister Imi; I haven’t even been able to meet my good pal Josh in town and go for a chat over a pizza. At times, I wasn’t even able to see my own dad or grandparents, let alone celebrate birthdays the way this family usually would. But really, overall, compared to some of the horrors on the news and sadness experienced by people I know well, Ive been tremendously lucky to have had it pretty easy. Yet, at some moments, I’ve felt seriously down. I won’t say depressed because I think that term is used too flippantly by a lot of people when it’s a serious mental health condition that people battle long-term. But ive definitely felt pretty low. As I said, really I haven’t got anything to complain about and that’s not what this post is about. But during lockdown, after neurology phone calls, I was diagnosed with epilepsy since I’d been having seizures and weird sensations that felt like dejavu, which are actually a seizure in themselves, something called a focal seizure. Although I’d been expecting the diagnosis by then, it still hit me rather hard. Luckily, after knowing several people who have epilepsy, including my dad, I knew it wasn’t the worst thing they could have said. A lot of people have fully controlled epilepsy thanks to regular medication and that’s been the aim for me. Thankfully, ive been quite lucky so far, touch wood, that the medication the doctors and nurses have prescribed has been working well and my seizures seem to be decreasing. Strangely, as I started taking the tablets and the dosage was adjusted, the major seizures I’d be having only during the night became a more regular occurrence and in the daytime. Obviously, this is quite distressing for my family to witness but I’m very grateful that all of them have reacted well and always looked after me whenever present. Ive also been lucky to have only had the major episodes in my home, rather than out and about or in someone else’s house, and somehow haven’t managed to suffer any serious injuries or long-lasting physical damage; unless you count the permanent spot:like bump on the inside of my lip where I crashed into my bedside cabinet during a seizure as I was falling off my bed or the lump on my left shin, the result of falling over the side of the bath whilst having a shower as another seizure took hold. But ive never hit my head or broken anything. How is a complete mystery! The only major shock ive had since the diagnosis was came on Sunday 16 august when I awoke in hospital with Mum at my bedside, having absolutely no idea where I was or how I’d got there. The last thing I remembered was laying comfortably on my bed after a lovely roast dinner. I was told that I’d had a major seizure, resulting in an ambulance being called and me being rushed to hospital, flashing lights and sirens as well. I was completely unaware of it all, although apparently I’d said odd things to the paramedic who’d helped me, and couldn’t quite believe it’d happened. But it definitely had because I certainly wasn’t in my bed any more and was wearing completely different clothes. In the end, I was completely fine and allowed to go home later that night, much to the relief of all my family and friends. The strange thing was, I didn’t even feel sore. But after that, everyone seemed to take my diagnosis much more seriously, more aware now of the dangers ahead if I wasn’t looked after. As everyone went back to work and school, I went back to spending the daytime by myself at home, with no supervision or anyone there to help if I needed it. Personally, that suited me just fine. Really, I’d been getting fed-up of everyone’s constant flapping and panicking every time I moved. At least, that’s what it felt like to me. Of course, I appreciated their care and concern more than I can say but at the same time I just wanted to get on with things, carry on like nothing had changed. Because for me, it didn’t feel like anything had, except every week or so I’d have a big seizure, which I couldn’t predict would happen, and would wake up a couple of minutes later with no recollection of what had just occurred. It didn’t even feel scary for me. Well, not much, anyway. Obviously, I don’t like it when it does happen, especially waking up in a different place to where I last remember being with aches and pains from bangs I didn’t even know I’d done. But I still just felt like me and really didn’t want to make a big deal about it or having everyone making a massive fuss over me, especially when they acted like I was a bomb that could go off any second.
Gradually, though, friends and family seem to have relaxed. Mum has always been a pro at dealing with a seizure when it happens and other members of the family are responding more positively to them nowadays, not freaking out at the sight of them. For me, apart from struggling with some of the new realities of having epilepsy that I just have to live with, it really hasn’t been all that bad. Some of the coincidences of my new condition include Guide Dogs reviewing my application and place on the waiting list and deciding whether I’m still suitable to be matched as well as working with Jenny when restrictions are lifted. Due to lockdown generally and the unpredictability of my seizures, I haven’t really felt comfortable going out independently with my cane, especially on my lengthy routes. Of course ive wanted to. Getting a Guide Dog has been one of my biggest aims for a very long time, as nearly everyone knows me will be well aware of, and I know full well that memorising enough routes and going out to use them regularly is one of the most important requirements for qualifying to be suitable for a dog. But right now, I just don’t have the confidence to try. One of the symptoms I and others have noticed since ive been taking my epilepsy medication, which ive been told is either a side effect of so many seizures in such a short space of time or just the medication itself, is memory loss. It’s not too drastic; for example, sometimes I’ll have a list of things I need to do in the morning in my head and I’ll just completely forget to do one of them, despite it’s importance. Or’ I’ll ask someone a question and a little while later as it again because I’ll have forgotten their answer or that ive already asked it. Or, I’ll be watching a program w on TV and completely forget what’s happened in the previous episode, even though I only watched it a few days earlier. Usually, these things come back to me when I’m reminded. But it’s still a bit unsettling, especially as ive always had a super sharp memory. Luckily, I’m told that when my medication dosage is stable and hopefully the seizures are under control, the memory problems should lessen or even return to normal. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that…
Anyway, this wasn’t supposed to be a post where I ramble on about epilepsy; that’s just the background for what I do want to ramble about. After having to rehome my 3 beautiful guinea pig girlies last December, due to not receiving the caring support from my sister that she’d promised and thinking I was starting a full-time apprenticeship in January, ive always missed them terribly. I didn’t regret my choice as I know they all went to good homes that I’m sure provide them with everything I just couldn’t. But I missed them. Plus, after everyone returned to work and school, I felt increasingly lonely at home. With only the cat for company, which wasn’t much as she’s no longer allowed in my room due to my luxurious new feather duvet, I started spending a lot more time texting friends and with my grandparents. But it still felt like I was missing something, and I knew it was the missing presence of the girls. Although I’d found it very difficult looking after them by myself, it’d given me a daily routine and kept me busy in a way books and podcasts just aren’t able to. However, as we’d ended up with 3 piggies, after originally getting one each for Tamsin and I and then a third I just couldn’t resist, I just wasn’t able to keep up with all the duties necessary to give them the lifestyle they need. Also, as there was 3 of them, I couldn’t spend the time I needed to bonding with each of them. So that’s why I decided to rehome them. As I thought it over and over these past few months, I knew I’d made the right decision but that if I’d done things a little differently it could’ve worked better. I did more research into owning guinea pigs and asked lots of questions of a fellow VI guinea pig enthusiast and decided to take the plunge. This time, I’d do things better. I’d make it easier for myself so I was less likely to fail. But most of all, if Mum agreed to having another guinea pig in the house, this time I wouldn’t give up if it got too tough.
,
Mum said yes. I told Tamsin. I started researching into the right cage, bedding, hay, litter, toys, bowls and enrichment. I phoned all my local Pets At Homw shops, where I’d gotten my girls from, but none of them currently had pigs in and said it was a lottery whether I’d be lucky enough to find any if I just popped in. So I looked into alternatives and after a lot of searching and a lot of negative responses, I found a lady fairly local to me who was selling exactly what I was looking for. Out of the 3 girls we’d had, my favourite had been Hazel, who’d been the surprise addition to our group after I’d fallen in love with her whilst buying hay for the other 2. Hazel had beautiful long fur that was super fluffy and made her lovely to cuddle. She was also the cuddly of my 3, snuggling right in when I held her close, even if she was still quite nervy 8 months later when she went to her new home. I knew if I was going to have another piggy I wanted its fur to feel like hers. But this time I was only having one and a male, because they cope better alone. Plus, he was going to get tons more attention than I’d been able to give the girls, mostly because there’s no chance of me starting work anytime soon and he’d be the only one I had to concentrate on. I was going to do things differently this time. Enter Teddy, an 8 week old chocolate Abyssinian baby boy with the most beautiful fluffy fur and the loveliest nature of any baby Guinea pig ive known. He is absolutely everything I was hoping for, even if he only arrived yesterday… and the most ironic thing about Teddy is that as I am in a hospital bed having no idea how I’d ended up there, he was born. I don’t believe in fate or anything like that, but as I’m aiming for a more positive future than the last few months have been, I think it is a rather big coincidence that he’s arrived with my new start.
So far, ive not been able to do much with Teddy because he’s so skittish, totally understandable as he’s in a new and unfamiliar environment. Yesterday, when his breeder and family dropped him off, I was able to have my first cuddle, which lasted unexpectedly long as he was very calm and still snuggled into my hoodie. From the moment she handed him to me, I was utterly besotted. She had a good look around his new cage and declared it perfect for him. After they’d left, I carefully carried the slightly unsettled Teddy to his new home and placed him inside, upon which he ran into the nearest available hiding place, the carrot cottage underneath the big platform. I left him alone for a few hours, knowing he was probably terrified of his new situation. Later, while we were watching some TV, I went and got him out of his cage and cradled him on my lap for a while. It was lovely just to hold him. But I made the cuddle brief, not wanting to upset him and knowing it was more important to leave him in peace to settle.
Monday, day 2
This morning, I went down and checked on Teddy, who seemingly hadn’t moved from his position hiding in the carrot house. I scattered a bit more of the hay, veg and pellets I’d got ready for him up on his platform over the floor of his cage, hoping he’d be brave enough to come out and eat. Later, at lunchtime, I went in and got him out for a cuddle. Ive been advised that the sooner you start holding them, the quicker they get used to you and settle in. But it’s better to be done in short but frequent sessions. So, after Tamsin came in from school, I tried again, holding him close up under my chin and stroking him gently, talking to him quietly and letting Tamsin smooth him too. When I put him back in his cage, I copied what I’d done earlier, placing him up on his platform in front of his food and water in an attempt to get him to eat and drink. Earlier when I’d tried this, he’d just scuttled away down the ramp and hidden in his wooden tunnel at the opposite end of the cage. However, this time he stayed on the platform and Tamsin watched as he ate from his pellet bowl. I was so pleased. I know it’s only day 2 and progress will be slow, but I’m just so glad he’s eaten. Later, when I checked on him before going up to bed, he was still on the platform. I worked around him, picking up all his droppings and putting them in the litter tray. I’ve been told this should teach him to toilet in one area. He didn’t seem to bothered, just flinching a little when I got too close. But when I was finished, I reached across and stroked his fur gently and he didn’t move. Again, I felt pleased as when I’d tried this earlier, he’d ran away as fast as he could. Further, the amount of droppings I’d cozllected when cleaning his cage felt like a positive sign too. He’d clearly been eating something.
Tuesday: day 3
When I came down for breakfast this morning, Mum told me that Teddy seemed to be in the same position that I’d left him the previous evening. Checking on him, I found that he was still on the platform and underneath the hanging fluffy hammock above it. But as I trailed my hand around, I found quite a large amount of droppings that definitely hadn’t been there the night before. Although I was worried that he’d been trapped up there all night not knowing how to get down, I again was quite relieved that he’d been eating something. I lifted him out for a little cuddle and again he didn’t struggle. This time, when I put him back I put him on the bottom floor of his cage and after having a look around, he ran underneath the platform and into his carrot cottage, giving me the perfect chance to do some cleaning. As I’d trailed my hand around looking for clues, I’d realised that through a combination of droppings, pee, water from the bottle and the food I’d scattered around, the platform was actually quite dirty. I knew I couldn’t leave it like that, especially as Teddy’s fur is prone to collecting dirt due to it’s length and fluffiness. So I cleared off all the mess before wiping the surface off with a damp dishcloth that had been soaking in washing up liquid. This cleaned the platform well and I dried it off with a tea towel straight away, removing any leftover mess. After that, I decided to empty out his litter tray and hay racks completely and start fresh. I hoped maybe the fresh scent of new hay and veg would entice Teddy up onto the platform to eat again. The litter tray and hay racks were pretty simple to empty and refill. This time, I put less hay in the rack so it didn’t get wasted as much if Teddy didn’t eat it all before I needed to change it again. Also, when refilling his supplies of pellets and veg, I put less in so it wouldn’t be wasted either, or if it was it wouldn’t be as much waste. When I was finished, I lifted Teddy out of his carrot cottage for another short cuddle. Again, he seemed pretty settled and calm against my chest. I placed him back in the cage and in the litter tray so he was aware of his fresh food and hay. I’d also refilled the water bottle too, which I’d heard him drinking from earlier for the first time. Although he wriggled out of the tray, as I walked away I could hear that he was again eating, whether the pellets, hay or veg I wasn’t sure. But again I was pleased he was eating; I’m sure it must be a good sign.
At lunchtime, when I went in to see what he was up to, I found that again he was still on the platform where I’d left him. He didn’t want to be touched, either, because every time I put my hand anywhere near him, he skittered away. I stopped trying to pick him up and instead felt around the platform and the rest of the cage to see if there was any evidence of him leaving the platform voluntarily at any point during the morning. I did find a couple of droppings scattered around the vet bed covering of the floor of his cage but couldn’t be certain if they hadn’t been there earlier and I’d just missed them. But when I felt around the platform — Teddy was hiding in the corner litter tray at this point, determined not to be touched — I found that a large amount of the pellets I’d piled on the surface of the platform were gone and there were quite a few droppings in their place. This was really positive as it meant he was certainly eating something. The hay in the litter tray seemed to have decreased, too. The only thing he seemed not to have taken notice of was the veg. The few leaves that had fallen out of the bowl onto the platform surface were the same as when I’d placed the bowl back in the cage and the contents of the bowl itself seemed untouched. I was a little disappointed about this but have to keep reminding myself that Teddy has only been with us 3 days so everything is still new and unfamiliar to him, which is probably pretty daunting for such a small creature who’s used to being with his mother and litter mates. Later, when Tamsin came home from school and then Mum home from work a while after that, I got Teddy out both times and although he seemed reluctant, he soon calmed against my chest and allowed everyone to stroke him without fuss. When I put him back in the cage for the last time today, I placed him on the vet bed flooring, hoping he’d feel free to go wherever he wanted in the cage. He immediately went in to the log tunnel and hid there. But when Mum looked in on him later on, he’d moved across the cage into his carrot cottage, which so far seems to be his preferred place. While sat eating dinner in the lounge, we could hear Teddy chewing away at the carrot cottage and again I felt relieved that he was eating something at least. I’d messaged his breeder for advice earlier, worried that he didn’t seem to be exploring the cage at all. She gently reminded me that he was only a baby, had only just been separated from his family and put in a completely alien location. She advised that I try to be patient and let him settle in. She reckoned he’d soon start investigating his new surroundings and soon be more confident to run around his cage wherever he wanted, eating whatever he fancied. So I’ll keep trying, keep doing my best to be patient and just see what happens. My happiest times are of course when I’m snuggling him. Getting him to enjoy cuddles certainly isn’t going to be a struggle thanks to his breeder’s excellent introduction of cuddles in his life. He already snuggles into me and I’m hoping in time a really strong bond will form. But for now I’m just going to see what tomorrow brings. I’ll have a little time with him in the morning but then I’m out for the majority of the day. I’m hoping that the calm and quiet of the house for an extended period of time might entice him out of his hiding places to see what treats he can find. I’ll clean the cage up a little before I go and make sure his hay, pellets and veg are well stocked. But fingers crossed…
Wednesday: day 4
This morning, when I went into check on Teddy I found him under his log tunnel. He allowed me to stroke him but seemed to be expecting to be picked up and wasn’t very pleased about it; he was squeaking his displeasure quietly. But I hadn’t come to pick him up, not straight away. I did a quick check around his cage and found that the place he’d done the most droppings was again the carrot cottage. I collected them all up and put them in the litter tray, hopefully to encourage him to make that his toileting place. Ive been told some owners have great success in toilet trading their piggies and I’m hoping that’ll be the case for Teddy. Obviously, if they’re litter trained then cleaning the cage will be easier and the smell should be less, even though it isn’t huge anyway. I don’t mind cleaning the cage as much as they need to be clean, of course, but everyone likes the job to be as simple as possible. I thought if I started trying straight away then fingers crossed I’m more likely to get success. Who knows!
He let me get him out for a little cuddle after I’d cleaned the vet bedding. I’d checked the platform too but there wasn’t any droppings up there. It didn’t seem like the veg had been touched either so I’m assuming he stayed on the bottom level overnight. After our brief cuddle, I put him back on vet bed and he scurried into his carrot cottage. I added fresh pellets in a little pile to the platform and am hoping during the day he’ll venture up there for food.
Well, I certainly got my wish… when we came home from dinner with our Nan, Grandad and Dad, we found that not only was Teddy on the platform but at some point in the day he’d also been in his hanging hammock — there were droppings in there as proof — and had eaten all of his veggies and pellets. I’m quite sure too that the amount of hay in the hanging hay rack cube and litter tray had lessened. I felt so elated. The last few days ive been so worried about him not finding his food or eating enough and today he proved I had nothing at all to be concerned about. Except that when I picked him up his underneath was absolutely soaked… I didn’t know what to do for the best. There were puddles of wee mixed in with droppings that had softened and spread everywhere. Teddy didn’t smell particularly pleasant and I knew it wasn’t good to leave a guinea pig wet, especially with his long fur. At the same time, I wasn’t sure I felt comfortable bathing him. He’s only been here 4 days and although I feel like he’s growing to trust me very fast, I didn’t think that’d stretch to a bath. So I asked as many people for advice as I could; I panic texted his breeder and posted in the guinea pig-related Facebook group I’m in, desperately hoping someone might suggest something I felt safe doing. But in the end I felt there was no other choice but to bath him. While shopping today, I’d bought a small lunch box tub I plan to use to fill with water to clean out his cage. But I thought this would be safer to use than just putting him in the sink. Only filling it with a few inches of warm water, with my sister supervising and a towel under the box in case of any splashes, I gently lowered Teddy into the water, his back end facing me and his face as high up as I could get it so he wouldn’t get water in his eyes/noes/mouth. But I shouldn’t have worried at all. Teddy was an absolute star! The only time he wriggled at all was as I lowered him into the tub. Then, he was absolutely calm as anything and we’re sure he enjoyed the wash. I only put his underside in the water, not wanting to go the whole way and give him a full wash. I was still terrified something bad was going to happen. I mean, who predicts that after only owning a piggy 4 days their first bathing experience is going to go smoothly. Certainly not me! But it couldn’t have gone any better. Teddy stayed calm throughout the bat, letting me wash through his underneath no problems. Then, when I laid him on the microfibre towel on my lap, he stayed still and let me gently dry his belly and bum. While I was doing that, my sister tried to reward him with some curly kale but despite clearly being interested, he declined. It took us quite a while to get him completely dry. He was quite happy laying in the towel, having what I guess must have been a massage. Whatever he felt it was, he was 100% enjoying it. I just can’t believe that I’ve successfully bathed my little guinea pig, especially only 4 days after getting him. But the thing I really cannot get over is how great he really was throughout. I just hope it wasn’t a fluke and that any future baths are an equally positive experience. I think it made the bond between us even stronger too. I really hope this positivity continues. Also, I’m looking into covering options for the platform. Due to its curved edge, whatever I buy will need to be cut to size. As well as this, I’ll need 2 of whatever I choose so that there’s always a clean spare on full cage clean out day. So far, some suggestions have been fleece linings, wood shavings and bath mats, which I think will be the option I go with as the review from another piggy owner I got was really reassuring that they’ll suit the job I need for them perfectly. But right now, Teddy is comfy again in his cage, I’m hoping munching on the leaves of mint I gave him as a reward for being so super throughout his new experience.
Thursday: day 5
This morning, I was again pleased to find Teddy up on the platform. Thankfully, it wasn’t soaked like yesterday and his underneath was dry. I made up his veg bowl — some carrot, celery, cucumber, peppers and parsley — and then put a small handful of pellets on top before placing it on the platform, where Teddy had remained. I was hoping that by putting the pellets in the bowl with the veg rather than just on the surface of the platform they’d stay fresh instead of getting soggy. While I emptied and refilled his hay supply, Teddy happily munched away at the fresh food, seemingly unfazed by my scrabbling around in his cage for droppings or scattered food/hay. I decided to try him with the hay rack ball I’d bought instead of the cube. At first, I’d had both in the cage but he wasn’t going near them. Since just having the cube, it hadn’t seemed like he’d eaten much hay at all and I know it makes up the majority of their diet so want to make sure he’s getting as much as possible. The hay ball has wider gaps which I’m hoping will make it easier for him to pull hay strands out and eat from.
At lunchtime, I again found Teddy on the higher level, this time actually in the litter tray. The veggie bowl was almost empty, with no sign at all of any pellets. There was a pile of droppings beside the bowl and a little puddle. I was pleased to find that Teddy was still dry. There was a small amount of hay scattered about too so it seemed the ball was becoming a success. I found several droppings in the hammock as well and was pleased that he seemed to be going in it. Once I’d done all the cleaning up of the cage, I lifted Teddy out for a little snuggle. He didn’t seem too happy about being taken out of his cage at first but quickly got comfortable. I was relieved to find that he wasn’t at all smelly despite last night’s ordeal and that fact that I’d only bathed him in clean water without any shampoo. Earlier, I’d gone online and bought some guinea pig shampoo recommended to me by someone in the Guinea Pigs Facebook group and some microfibre bath mats which we’ll need to cut to size to fit the platform. Hopefully, this won’t take much to do and this will soon be another issue tackled. Plus, having the shampoo in stock will mean that if there are any future soggy incidents then they’ll be easily rectified.
Later on, when I went into see what he was up to, Teddy was again on the platform, seemingly eating something. He scuttled about a bit when I first put my hand inside but stayed still to let me briefly stroke him. I noticed that there was another little puddle beside the food bowl and decided to experiment putting it in the litter tray. This way, hopefully he’ll mostly do his business in the tray, lowering the chance of sogginess.
Friday: day 6
This morning, I had to be a bit quicker than usual as Tamsin had a day off school so we’d had a bit of a lie in and also Nan and Grandad were taking us out for lunch so we needed to be ready for midday. Teddy didn’t seem bothered by the extra speediness of my cleaning his cage and topping up his food and water. I cleaned the bowl and bottle and had found that he seemed to be eating much better if I put the pellets on top of the veg. I cut up peppers, carrot and a small amount of cucumber before putting some parsley and mint leaves on top. Then, I took a small handful of pellets and added them. Teddy seemed very excited about his fresh food and started chomping away as soon as the bowl was in his litter tray. I hadn’t really noticed a difference in the amount of droppings on the platform surface but hope in time as he adjusts to eating out of the bowl in the litter tray this might change. However, he does seem much cleaner than my 3 girls, whether that’s because there’s just one of him or boys are generally cleaner I don’t know. But there’s only been a couple of droppings scattered around on the vet bed since he’s gotten used to going up on the platform for his food and water. He’d also been in the hammock again which a few droppings proved. Just before we left to go out, Tamsin managed to get a photo of Teddy in his hammock.
When we came home later on, I went in to check on Teddy and he again seemed perfectly happy on the platform. There was another small puddle on the platform and a lot of droppings to pick up, which I sorted out quickly. Then, I got Teddy out for a little cuddle and was again pleased that despite the mess on his platform, he had remained dry. I always put him on the main level when I put him in his cage so that he can take himself up onto the platform if he wants or go in the log tunnel or carrot cottage.
Saturday: day 7
I can’t believe tomorrow Teddy will have been here a week already! It’s definitely been a week that’s taught me a lot about caring for a guinea pig, much more that the 9 months I had my girls did. Obviously, having had the experience of looking after them made me more confident to be able to look after Teddy before he arrived, but learning throughout this first week has shown me many different techniques I just wouldn’t have thought of with the girls; probably because I was too busy trying to look after them and have spent much more time bonding with Teddy than I managed with them. Plus, they never had the second level of a platform like Teddy has and although their cage was bigger — because there was 3 rather than 1 — it was in a way easier to clean as I just had to pick droppings of the vet bed. Also, even though I did put a little while, I never had the patience to persever with it. I’m glad that I’m able to try much harder with Teddy to make things work.
This morning, I had to fill up Teddy’s hay ball as well as his food bowl. As soon as I came downstairs first thing, he started squeaking very loudly. He was obviously expecting to be fed. Today, I mixed celery, cucumber, carrot and peppers together before adding parsley and kale. Again, I finished this off with pellets. He was very happy with this and as soon as I placed the bowl in the litter tray he started eating straight away, not even moving as I refilled his hay bowl and repositioned his water bottle so that it too was over the litter tray. Tomorrow, it’s full cage clean out day and will be the first time ive put Teddy in his indoor pen. I’m going to add his carrot cottage and log tunnel so he has places to hide as well as different chew toys in case he’s feeling brave. It’ll be good to try out the cage cleaner ive bought and maybe even the small animal safe for guinea pigs shampoo that came through in the post if Teddy’s got wet again. I’ll only use that when I really have to, though, because being bathed too often won’t be very good for his skin. I’m looking forward to seeing what my second week with Teddy brings and how much more settled he becomes. It’s already incredible how happy he seems in his new home and how much he seems to be getting used to me. I really hope this positivity continues and honestly can’t thank his breeder enough for giving me such a confident little piggy. It really shows the difference between getting guinea pigs from a pet shop rather than an experienced breeder who really cares for her animals. In all the 9 months I had the girls, the only one who got close to liking being held the way Teddy already is was Hazel; but even she was incredibly nervous. I miss them a lot but know I did the right thing rehoming them because I just couldn’t care for them how they needed. Similarly, I know ive done the right thing in getting Teddy because we’re already forming a good bond and ive been able to look after him much better so far.
A5Ramblings 