I figured I would know what was supposed to fill the cage of my late rat, Red, when I saw the furry little critter. And if you just fell in love with the mug above, you’ll understand.
I didn’t expect to get another guinea pig, though the cage that Red came with at the shelter is technically a guinea pig cage. There was already the G-Pig caucus in my casa, Sen. Furry Reid (D-Nev.) and Rep. Piggy Hoyer (D-Md.). They fuss and fight over hay and have a stuffed elephant toy that they throw around. They’re a hoot.
And then I came across the little guy above. He had been kept in one of those little solo glass display boxes in a pet store for a year. A year.
He was super-skittish about being picked up but better at letting me approach and stroke the bridge of his nose than my other guys. And he’s just adorable — dulce de leche, I say, with strawberry blonde and ash blonde patches on white with red eyes. There’s just something about the little guy, a fiery spirit compensating for growing up in a tiny box.
I brought him home, tried to teach him to use the ramp in Red’s cage to no avail (I’ve heard I need to put scrap carpet on it to give him a bit of secure traction), and began introducing him to a variety of fresh fruits and veggies. And I needed to give him a good name.
Congressional rosters rolled through my head. And it struck me.
Sen. Bob Porker (R-Tenn.). And thus the caucus became bipigasan.
Not that their first meeting went especially well. Planning to keep the new piggie in his own cage and give him playtime with the other boys — as three boars in one cage could mean, well, fur flying — I held the first caucus meeting in a large bathroom with plenty of running space.
Sen. Porker charged after the Dem pigs and tried mounting each in a show of pig dominance. Long story short, he terrorized them and they peed on themselves. I soon had Piggy Hoyer (tortie) in my lap, comforting him, while Sen. Porker chased a screaming Furry Reid (black and white). I ran to the kitchen to get some cucumbers and tomatoes, hoping they’d all settle down with a little salad bar, but bipigasanship is a rocky road. Sitting on the floor with them, Sen. Porker would literally leap over my leg to get at the Dem pigs. I soon put the Dem pigs back in their cage — with the paper plate of veggies — and Sen. Porker back in his own.
Sen. Porker has zero fear of other animals or of, well, anything. He climbs in and out of his cage — I could leave the Dems’ cage open all day and they don’t climb the five inches down to the floor. I’ve let him run around the house and he gets going so fast he bounces. He loves dried fruit bits, something the rest of the spoiled caucus turns up their noses at in favor of fresh fare, and eats out of my hand. He’s finally learned how to take his chewable vitamin C and today was absolutely fascinated by his first strawberry.
Now if only they could agree on deficit reduction…
I sense some funny YouTube videos.
I’m a man
I’m 58
And I’ll give up my two Gpigs when you rip them from my cold, dead hands.
Never, ever! mess with an owner of Gpigs. You can irritate someone who has a mouse; a gerbil; a rat; a hamster….but never, EVER try to interfere with a Gpig owner.
Ladies and gentlemen:
WHEEEEEEEEEK!
I enjoy your posts, Ms. Johnson.
Suggestion: I feed my GP- Lady Murasaki no Ue- 3 leaves of Romaine every morning for breakfast upon which I’ve ground up 1 50mg tab of Oxbow vitamin C.
I use a pill grinder from Wal-Mart, couple of bucks. Has never failed with 3 GP’s I’ve had over the last several years. What kind of cages do you have? Do you know what a C&C style cage is? There is a dirt cheap way to make a good-sized cage. 1-4′x8′ choroplast sheet from any sign SUPPLY house. (sorry,can’t figure out italics), about $15. 1 box of wire “milk crate” panels (?) from Target or Wal-Mart, about $18. 1 bag of plastic ties to use to hold together wire “panels” instead of cumbersome plastic joints included with panels, couple of bucks. I built 2 42″x28″ cages for about $35, with material left over for ramps, roofs, etc.,.
By the way, for GP slaves out there, check out Guinea Pig Daily Digest- gpdd@gpdd.org- for medical, diet, housing etc., check out guinealynx.info/
(no dot com needed).
O, I miss my Boo Riley! Went through college with me (left little pellets all over the furniture when over-excited, which roommates were not exactly enthusiastic about), but perished of sunstroke when my mother, thinking to do a good deed, put his cage out in the shade one morning…the position of the sun changed and the poor boy roasted. She still feels the guilt. Sort of rough justice though, I accidentally boiled an aquarium full of fish belonging to one of my brothers. I have never, never had a pet die of old age, always misadventure, so I’ve given them up. Living vicariously through stories like yours.
Violet, Hamlet, Pig Newton, and PigBert. The names of my four beloved pigs who are no longer alive. The last guy was a hairless and I got him half price because he too was a resident of a pet shop for way too long. He was the smartest pig and so lovable. They all were in their own ways. Good luck with your new pig. If I didn’t get a mini dachshund after the last one died I’d be scratching the nose of another piggy right now. Love your pet talk.