Hi folks,

I haven't been writing about pigs because, well, I haven't had pigs to write about. Livvy, Tasha and Rocky went to Oswego County Guinea Pig Rescue to find new homes this summer, and I have since been pigless.

I am going to leave this blog intact so that those of you who use it for reference may continue to do so :) and I may make an occasional post here or there if something comes to mind.

Also my etsy shop kind of dropped out of existence in the same manner as the blog, mostly because when I moved I didn't really have the means anymore to keep it going, and my priorities changed. I am considering getting it up and running again [I have a TON of leftover fabric] but I wouldn't be able to do custom things, just pre-mades. I will still donate to OCGPR a percentage of the proceeds.

If you guys have any questions or suggestions my ears are open!

Wordless Wednesday featuring baby Daisy

Unfortunately we lost Sophie-Mo tonight at about 11:15pm. She suffered very little. She will be sorely missed.

News.

The Re-homing.

I found someone who wants to adopt all four of the pigs. She is an hour and a half away and we're driving to meet her tomorrow.

Sophie-Mo.

Mo's health has been on a slow but steady decline. A recent trip to the vet revealed that it's due to old age. She currently weighs in at a frail 1lb 4oz, which is less than she has ever weighed. When I got her in '07 she was around 2lbs, before she started losing weight she was around 1lb 9oz.

This morning just as I was leaving for work I saw Livvy, Tasha and Rocky all gathered around the food dish eating their breakfast. My white fluff was nowhere to be seen. Oh no.

She was laying under the hay rack, not interested in food at all. My poor lady. I eventually was able to convince her that pellets were delicious and this evening when I got home, I made her some home-made Critical Care mash with Sweet Meadow pellets, endive, maroon carrots, organic blueberries,[all of her faves] and a tiny bit of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar. She is currently chowing down, but still not doing great.

Wordless Wednesday featuring Ferdinand

Oh deary me.

Usually when I haven't written in a while, I make some comment about what a bad blogger I am or how things have changed drastically.

They have. I am having to do something I never thought I'd have to do.

I have to say good-bye to half of my herd.

Yes, it's true. I feel like a terrible pet owner but the truth is, I should probably have done this a long time ago, when they were younger. It would have been much easier on all parties involved.

There are several reasons why I need to do this.

1.] I am allergic to them. And not just a little. Sneezing, runny nose, itchy mouth/eyes, watery eyes, etc. are not just symptoms I get when I touch one of them, pick them up or hold them. I have them all the time. I have been miserable since we moved out of the yellow house in the beginning of February. I am also allergic to the hay, but not as bad.

2.] I don't have the space. I've had to split them up and most of them are living in pet store cages. No one is in an adequately sized cage right now. This makes changing their cages even worse because that's when I start sneezing horrendously and the mucous starts a-flowin'. Having to go through that once is bad enough, but having to go through it five times is a nightmare. I take allergy medication on the day that I change their cages, which helps a little, but not much.

3.] I am physically not able to care for all of them. I was supposed to have a surgery on my ankle to remove built-up scar tissue from an old injury. I have been delaying it for over a year due to lack of insurance. It has been slowly getting more and more painful to walk. I cannot take pain medication for it, as even the strongest of doses does just about nothing. Every time I have to change their water, feed them, play with them, etc. I have to go up and down a flight of stairs, which is very difficult for me. I don't know when I will have the surgery but even after that I won't be able to walk for about a month.

4.] None of this will change any time soon. I am not able to care for all of my cavies, and I am not doing right by them keeping them in their current conditions. Sophie-Mo, Rocky, Natasha, and Olive will be staying with me and I hope to get a good-sized cage built for them as soon as I can, and get them back on fleece, which should help.

You can see their Guinea Pig Home page here.

After quite the [unannounced] hiatus, I'm back! For now I am taking it easy on etsy and I'm going to try and just focus on blogging for now.

Hey! Exciting news!

I am considering having a monthly/bi-monthly Guest Blogger. Someone who writes another blog, be it small or fairly big, writing an article of their choosing [relating to guinea pigs, or at the very least pets]. I'll start an archive of these guest bloggings, which will be located on the lefthand sidebar. If you would like to be a Guest Blogger, please send me a sample of your work/website/blog, your name, and what your article subject would be. You can find my email at the Contact Info link on the lefthand sidebar.

For example, if I were entering my entry would be,

"Amy C., "Tasha's Tails" http://tashastails.blogspot.com

My article would be about home medical kits for small animals."

If chosen, you'll be given a minimum of 1 month's notice.

Also if you have not yet seen it, I have made a Bio page for the blog, go check it out! It's on the lefthand sidebar under "What Is This?"

And yes, I am still working on my medical kit post. :)