MORK!

Okay there hasn't been too much to report last few weeks.  Everything is fine still. Bessie STILL gets really scared being picked up but is okay once on your lap and will eat.  Even if a cat is about so that's fine.

Gypsy is laid back now and is easy to get.  In fact she doesn't even run away when I put veggies in now.  In fact she starts to eat before the bowl has touched the floor!

I have decided though that they need a friend.  I wasn't going to get one but this poor little chap caught my eye.  He's been in a cage in a pet shop for aaaaaages.  Months.  A black and white abyssinian with ruby eyes.  Everytime I have gone in there he's been hiding but I have caught glimpses of him.

I emailed the shop and tried to get them to give him free to a good loving hom or put him up for adoption rather than the £18 they wanted forhim but they absolutely refused.  I was told her would go home to live with a staff member very soon if he didn't sell.

Went in again a week later and he was gone.  I was so pleased for him, he had a home!

Went back 2 weeks later and he's there again.  I was gutted.  Turns out someone took him home one week to house with a rabbit (!!!) but then decided for no particular reason they didn't want him after all and brought him back the following Monday.

Well I could take it no more and decided to take him and get him neutered and then put him in with my 6 girls.  Then I changed my mind then I changed it again then I changed it again and so on for days.  Finally I thought HMM what about Bessie and Gypsy.  They are a really small herd and it's a very natural thing putting a boy in.  It may help them come out of their shells even more.  They don't spend as much time going about the cage foraging as they others, could he help them?  Once I decided he was to be friends with Bessie and Gypsy I went and took him home.

He's currently housed alone and due for the snip next week.  I put his cage next to Bessie and Gypsy in the run and they are all excited.  The girls run up to him and he to the girls.  I am very hopeful it will work out.

Here he is.  Isn't he cute?
I think his future is bright now with the girls and theirs is getting better too.
I have ordered a supersize cage that will be here tomorrow and I am going to section it off for the time they can't be together and will of course remove that once he's unable to impregnant them.

happy days!

Better and better....

Well I am chuffed!  Beyond chuffed.  They are getting so so tame now.

Bessie is still less tame than Gypsy but she's still pretty tame and WILL eat on laps now.  You have to leave it out for her and she eats after sitting still a few minutes but she will eat which is fab news.

Gypsy is very relaxed now.  Here is an example of how relaxed she was on my lap the other night.  She laid herself down and relaxed beautifully on my lap bless her!

I was over the moon at how chilled out she was.

I have also bought a snuggle sac thing for when they are in the run.  I thought it would benefit Bessie most as she likes to burrow under the fleece and vet bed all the time.  She absolutely loves it in the run but not so much in the cage.  I only managed to photograph Gypsy using it though as Bessie snuggled herself all the way to the back of it.

They both adore this and they also love the indoor run still.  They come to life so much in there.

Hope to get some more photos of Bessie very soon.

About turn

Well i think I was feeling a bit negative last post.  I have been taking Bessie out every day for as long as possible.  The other night I had some parsley and she took it out of my hand many many times.  I gave her some free run on the sofa and she ran over to me and started taking the food!  Talk about flabergastered.  She's also stretching out on the top floor of her cage in the hay.  I'm very very pleased for her.  That's both of them getting much better.  

It's hard work taking out and holding 8 guinea pigs regularly but it's happening and all my little babies are happy as larry.  I'm pleased!

Bessie concerns

Well I have to say I am worried about Bessie.  She's still very skittish.  I think they have been in my care now for 2 months and Bessie is still very scared.  Where Gypsy seems happier and is easy to pick up now Bessie still squeaks like she's scared when I try and get her.

I have decided to up her lap time to every day to try and help her understand the house is okay and not to be feared.  

Finding 'their' hay and using the manger

Well I have been giving lots of hay and wasting so much hay as they have never done more than nibble at the hay.  It's been a concern as hay is supposed to be unlimited right?
Well I recently noticed that they really love oat hay.  I had it in a wicker ball on the floor of their cage and they also had a toilet roll stuffed with hay as both of them refused to use the manger.  Anyway the wicker ball had oat hay and the toilet roll timothy hay.  They were on the ball all the time.  So FINALLY after months I have found a hay they really like!

I had already ordered Oxbow orchard grass hay at this point as I had heard good things and that arrived yesterday.  It's not cheap that's for sure and typically they LOVE it!  All of the guineas eat it actually so that's a bit of a result.

I decided for hygiene reasons to put try the manger again so I reattached it and put orchard grass and oat hay in it and this morning I came down to both girls munching hay from the manger which is now EMPTY!  I think you call that a result right?