Piggies in Paradise will be going on hiatus while I'm in Peru. You can follow my Peruvian adventures at 38 Days in Peru.

Not Much New

There hasn't been much going on with the piggies. I believe one or both are/were in heat, however, as they've been rather snippy with each other. I did manage to catch them being cuddly together at one point. 

They were both lying with their heads down, but moved when I tried to take the picture. I've managed to find a piggy sitter for my trip to Peru (if she doesn't fall through). I'm much happier having someone come in to take care of them then trying to move the cage and everything. I had to stock up on wood pellets since they are seasonal. Unfortunately, I don't have any place to store all the bags, so two are living in the hatch of my car right now.

I'm considering getting a canopy for the kitchen area. It's not very expensive, and may encourage them to do their business more in that area. I'll have to think about it a little more.

That's it for now. There just hasn't been much excitement now that the pups are gone.

Goodbyes and Pedicures

Oops. I thought I had posted part of this already but I guess I forgot. On March 16, I took the pups to Dr. Lewer so they could be re-homed. It was a little sad, but the cage is much less crowded and much less tense. Here they are being packed up.

Today was piggy spa day for Winnie and Morgause. They both needed brushed desperately and needed nails trimmed. Both were very well behaved.

Winnie has mellowed out quite a bit since the pups have gone. She still fights me when I pick her up, but she'll cuddle for much longer periods now. Not much else in piggy news. I expect things will be status quo here for awhile.

More Moving Piggies and Some Pre-Goodbyes

Sorry it's been awhile. End of term and all has kept me busy. The pups have grown nicely. So nicely that they are leaving me tomorrow. I will be taking them to Dr. Lewer in the morning. They are mighty adorable, but they cage is getting crowded and man, can they eat. I'll try to take some video as I pack them up. In the meantime, I forgot to post this. Here's how we move from cage to pen and back again.

PS. The babies actually will climb in by themselves now!

Piggies on the Move

So, I got a hair up my butt to do some rearranging this weekend. I moved my 2-ton desk from my office to the bedroom.

Which left me with a large open space in the office.

I had intended to make the play pen one large area, but then I got to thinking. I spend a lot of time in my office, temperature control is easier, and there is plenty of space for the cage. So, I moved the cage into the office and set up the pen in the living room. The pen is much easier to stow if needed, the piggies can be near me more often, I can move them into the pen if I spend an evening in the living room, and , when I throw a dinner party, I can shut the office door so the noise doesn't bother them. 

An unintended benefit seems to be that the adults are more comfortable is a more enclosed space. They have been chillaxin outside their hidie houses, which I've never seen them do. This is the best picture I could get. Morgause took off when I walked over with my cell phone. Winnie tensed up but stayed where she was.

I did sex check #3 today, and I'm still pretty sure both the pups are female. Between the squirming and the crying, it's hard to get a really good look at their parts. As we are moving into week 3, I'll have to keep an eye on them to check for mounting behavior. Assuming I am right and all goes well, I'll have them for two more weeks before rehomeing them.

Pups - 1 Week

Everyone is doing well. The pups are quick little squeakers! Bon-Bon is OK with sitting in my hand and letting me pet her. Truffle just cries, but I force affection on her for a few minutes. She obviously takes after her mamma. I checked them out again today, and I'm still fairly certain they are both female. I'll wait another week and check again.

As for the adults, they have both learned to get in the Cuddle Cup to travel from cage to pen and back again. Morgause is very good at this. Winnie is OK going from pen to cage, but not so much going from cage to pen. On the trip back today, they couldn't decide who was going to get in first! Winnie actually nipped me the other day when I was carrying her by hand. I just don't think she's going to be the cuddly type. Morgause, on the other hand, climbed up into the hollow of my shoulder the other night and laid there for about 45 minutes, happily purring away.

As you can see, nobody is shy when it's salad time.

Pup Progress

The pups are doing very well. Very much talkers and explorers I did an initial sexing today, and I *think* they are both female, but I'll check again in a couple of weeks. The older ones have taught the babies to chew on their houses, much to my chagrin. At least they don't do it at night. I have decided to name them Bon-Bon and Truffle for the time they are with me (see video to tell them apart). Although, I keep calling them my little gremlins since they are all legs and ears right now.

I've seen them nursing, which is great, also eating pellets and timothy. I give them a bit of alfalfa, but I'm not sure they're eating it. I've also seen one of them drink from a water bottle, so everything appears to be going well.

I'll leave you with this short video of everyone in their extended play pen.