A Furry Happy New Year!

Well the New Year is upon us and the past one has been bittersweet. Whee have found and lost furmily members and met soo many friends through this blog world it is incredible. Whee would like to offer this badge to all of our readers as a thank you for sharing 2012 with us.

Now to New Year resolutions. Whee were invited to do a post on Peace Love and Whiskers on our resolutions. You can check it here. Whee really would love for you to help us pick a resolution for all of us. So whee are going to hold a vote. Below are our resolutions, please vote on which one you think whee should go for!

1) Give up eating socks.

It is a terrible habit whee all have. An addiction almost. Whee see a sock and cannot seem to help ourselves. Omnomnom! It is so much fun particually when a toe is involved. The little hoomans don’t agree but whee are trying to make them forget material things like socks and love the piggy nibbled skin they were born in!

2) Giving up bar biting.

Another terrible habit! Whee are always biting the cage bars to get Mummy’s attention and nothing ever stops us! But if whee don’t do that then what else will whee combine with loud squeaking to get her attention?!

3) Vow to lose the built up Pigmass fat.

Well Winter brings with it less garden time. In fact it stops garden time because the changes of temperature going in and out of the house can make us piggies unwell. That means all runs happen inside. Which means whee have cuddle cosies and fleece blankets. Which in turn explains our Winter laziness and build up of chubby! Mind you, losing weight requires running, exercise and focus. Three things whee all lack skills in! Hmmm maybe something else?

4) Give up complaining.

Oh now whee really are expecting the impossible! Whee are British piggies, like hooman Brits complaining is in our nature! If whee didn’t complain so much there would be far less on our blog. And Mummy messes up often enough that whee need a good moan about her occassionally!

So which one should whee go for?

 

What are your resolutions? How long do you think they will last? Did you keep to your resolutions last year?

All that is left for us to say is ‘Happy New Year!’

Nibbles, Nutty, Buddy & Basil

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Are Piggies The Right Pet For Me? Part 3 – Emergency and Illness

Well here is the third installment of our Are Piggies The Right Pet For Me?

This one is more of a what to do in an emergency with a piggy and covers most of the basic health issues. Details for this were found on Guinea Lynx and in the book ‘Guinea Pig’ by Peter Gurney, published by Collins.

Us piggies don’t get sick often but when whee do it can be bad. This covers pretty much all of the common illnesses. This should not be used to diagnose a piggy, just as a basic guide. If your piggy is sick, you need to get them to a vet.

The purpose of this part is to see whether you could afford the care a piggy needs and come up with funds for vet treatment with little or no notice. Whee aren’t going to wait for pay day to get sick.

Nibbles, Nutty, Buddy & Basil

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A-Z of Basic Medical Problems in Piggies and what to do

ABSCESSES

These are common around and under the jaw on piggies and are easy to treat as they are in the skin tissue. A vet will probably need to lance the abscess or perform minor surgery.

Abscesses in the jaw bone are very rare and far harder to treat.

ANOREXIA

Also known as not eating – this is extremely serious, as it means your piggies system will be shutting down, leading to serious complications. After as few as 16 hours of not eating, your piggies liver cells begin to break down and from then on, the piggy will only get worse. You need a vet urgently to determine the cause and treat it.

ARTHRITIS

Signs and symptoms include a bunny hopping walk (though that can also signal a vitamin deficiency), swollen or painful joints, less movement than usual and the piggy generally seeming off colour. Ways to help can be a heatpad or water therapy (whee have tested both with Nibbles with some improvement) and a vet can provide anti-inflammatory medication to help with the pain and manage the condition. There is no cure, it is just part of a piggy getting older and some get it, some don’t.

BLOAT

If your piggies tummy looks swollen and distended you will need to get to a vet. Bloat is a build up of gas which is extremely painful and can be fatal in some cases. If when you tap lightly on tummy and it sounds hollow, then it is almost certainly bloat.

BLOW FLY STRIKE

This only happens late in Summer, usually to elderly or unwell piggies. It is caused by a fly laying eggs, usually in the anus of incontinent animals but can be in the skin. With twenty four hours the larvae will have hatched and be growing and multiplying at shocking rates. A vet trip is need immediately.

BUMBLEFOOT

First signs are swelling and sometimes icky ulcers on the pads of the feet. In the earlier stages it can be very painful for piggies to walk but over time the adapt to it. Whee are going to keep saying this but you probably need a vet trip.

HEAT EXHAUSTION

Heat exhaustion or heat stroke is common but completely preventable. Keeping guinea pigs shaded and hydrated in hot weather can protect your piggy. However if  you piggy does get it symptoms include; the piggy being unable to stand and heavy and fast breathing. You should wrap the piggy in a towel which has been soaked in cold water, but only for a short time as you don’t want to take it to the other end of the scale and have it catch a chill. As soon as it begins to stir you should take it out and keep it cool. DO NOT REPEAT THIS PROCESS. Do not try to give the piggy water straight away. A piggy in this state will have difficulties swallowing and could end up with the water getting into it’s lungs. Wait until it is alert and recovering then carefully let it sip from it’s bottle or, if you know how to do so safely, syringe feed. During the next twenty four hours you need to get as much fluid into the piggy as you can. If in doubt or the piggy takes a turn for the worst get to your vets.

HEART PROBLEMS

Heavy, laboured breathing and blue tinged lips are signs of a heart or circulatory problem. When Nugget suffered from at heart attack this was one of the first things Mummy noticed. A vet can give oxygen and check for fluid in the lungs using an x-ray but it is important to act fast.

DIARRHOEA

Diarrhoea is especially serious if accompanied by the pig looking ill and sitting with its coat puffed up: get to a vet. If it is black, watery and smells yucky then it is probably an intestinal problem like a bacterial infection caused by eating off hay or vegetables. Diarrhoea can be caused by antibiotic (when it kills off intestinal bacteria). Many vets don’t seem to realise that piggies should have a pro-biotic supplement, just as a precautionary measure to prevent this.

Other forms of diarrhoea can be caused by too many fresh fruits or vegetables or a change in what pellet food they are being given. This is also serious, and needs treatment. Replacing fresh vegetables with lots of hay is best, if there is no improvement, the piggy will need  a trip to the vet.

EAR INFECTION

If your piggy is having difficulty walking or holding it’s head tilted on one side, see a vet immediately. This can be a sign of a bacterial infection of the inner ear. A vet will also check for parasites and other conditions. Treatment is needed for complete recovery. Bad infections can cause the ear drum to be destroyed, sometimes permanently, as happened with our little Bingo. Whee cannot emphasise quick treatment enough. If there is a discharge inside the ear then it is a very good idea to get a swab taken to work out what is the best anti-biotics to fight the infection.

EYE INJURIES

These are quite common and are mainly caused by getting something in the eye or hay poke injuries. The first sign will usually be the eye running with the lid partially closed. If you know what you are doing then (You probably aren’t reading this!) you can flush it with a saline solution but otherwise a vet can do this and make sure everything is ok. If there is any sign of infection such as bulging eyes, redness or pain then clearly you need a vet.

FUNGAL INFECTIONS

Mite and fungal infections are extremely common. Symptoms include; dry, scaly skin, open sores, scratching, and pain when touched. Fungal most often appears on the face but can be on any part of the piggy. Sometime there will be a flaky or crusty edge to the ears, sometimes there will be nothing. Fungal spreads quickly and the infection ‘ringworm’ can be passed to hoomans and other animals. Usually anti-biotics and a topical cream, dip or shampoo will be prescribed by your piggies vet. Recovery is slow and it usually does get worse before it gets better. Piggies can have both fungal and parasitic infections at the same time.

INJURIES

Injuries are not common and can be frightening for you and the piggy. It is important to stay calm and assess the following. Is your piggy alert? Can it move around? If there is a cut, is it deep, possibly requiring stitches and antibiotics? Examine the lips and mouth to see if they are a healthy pink indicating good blood circulation or instead pale or bluish. If your guinea pig has been dropped, then a vet check is definitely needed.

MITES

Mite and fungal infections are extremely common. Symptoms include; dry, scaly skin, open sores, scratching, and pain when touched. If it is mange mites (a parasitic infection) it can even be fatal and usually requires two or more ivermectin treatments 10 days or so apart. Piggies can have both fungal and parasitic infections at the same time.

POISONING

The signs of poisoning vary widely. If you think your piggy has been poisoned, contact your vet quickly.

SCURVY

Guinea pigs require vitamin C in their diets daily. As someone reminded us we have not yet mentioned this but it is soo important! They can develop scurvy if they don’t get enough of this necessary vitamin. Scurvy symptoms include; difficulty walking, diarrhoea, dehydration, weight loss, listlessness, discharge from eyes and/or nose. Because the diarrhoea can be life threatening and have other causes, never assume it can be cured by giving vitamin C. See a vet for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS (URI)

Symptoms include; laboured breathing, crackling sound from the lungs, eyes that are almost sealed shut, discharge from the eyes and/or the nose, sneezing, coughing, and wheezing. A vet will prescribe antibiotics to treat this (guinea pigs do not get cold viruses). Untreated URIs are almost always fatal. Occasionally allergies can produce the same signs – but URIs are deadly and fast moving, so you must get your vet to rule out a URI before considering the possibility of an allergy.

URINARY TRACT INFECTION (UTI)

Symptoms such as blood in the pee, pained squeaking while peeing are all signs of this condition. A vet check is needed.

Vitamin or Mineral Deficiency

Some piggies with a vitamin C deficiency may hop rather than walk. A calcium deficiency can also affect the ability to move.

Are Piggies The Right Pet For Me? Part 2 – Handling and Health

Well, after our previous post you probably know if piggies are something you have the time, money and energy to take on. So now you are choosing your piggy, one of the best parts of getting a new pet.

Where to get piggies from?

Rescue. Rescue. Rescue. Whee cannot say it enough. You would be surprised by the number of cavies in need out there. If you choose to go to a breeder or pet shop then you run significant risk of come home with a sick or pregnant piggy. However if in your part of the world that is the only option available to you (whee know not all countries have rescues as over run as whee do in England) then whee strongly suggest you carefully examine the piggies before purchase using our basic health check guide and get them vet checked as soon as possible after getting them. Some diseases like the fungal, Ringworm, can be passed to hoomans and other animals from piggies and a pretty common from pet shop piggies.

How to handle a guinea pig

Whee piggies are fragile animals with delicate bones. Sometimes whee get excitable or frightened suddenly and have a tendency to jump (especially when you are returning us to our hutches or cage). Learning how to carry and handle us is a bit of trial and error but very important as falls and jumps can result in broken bones, injury, and sometimes death.

This is how our Mummy picks us up. First she corners us, (or if it is Nutty or Nibbles – both of whom love coming out – just reaches into us). Then she wraps one hand round our chest, just under our front paws. Then she uses her other hand to support our back feet and bottoms to make us feel secure and safe. It is nearly impossible for a piggy to jump in this position, even with nervous piggies, so it is then safe to lift us out and bring us to your chest. Mummy finds that whee like our paws on her shoulder or to hide under her chin but all piggies are different and you soon learn which way whee like to be carried.

A very important thing to add here would be that children should not be allowed to lift and carry piggies. All it takes is the child to tighten it’s hold, loose it’s grip or for the piggy to become startled and your piggy could end up hurt. Mummy is in the process of teaching the little hoomans how to lift us safely, but only with them sitting on the floor next to us and lifting us onto their laps. Never carrying us. She says it is not worth the risk.

As for putting us back in our hutches or cage, one thing Mummy does with Nibbles who has a tendency to leap from her hands is to have him face her and put him in bum first so he doesn’t get excitable and hurt himself in his haste.

Normal or not? A guide to basic health checking your piggy.

Serious signs of illness you should know are:

• Refusal to eat or drink
• Laboured breathing
• Wheezing
• Crusty eyes
• Sneezing
• Rough or puffed up coat
• Dull and/or receding eyes
• Lethargy, hunched posture
• Diarrhoea
• Blood in urine
• Limping
• Hair loss, excessive scratching
• Loss of balance

If your piggy shows any of the above you need to seek immediate veterinary help. The best guide to emergencies has to be this page  on guinea lynx. It covers just about everything.

As for basic health check, this should be done daily and honestly Mummy says it becomes almost like instinct after a while and she now does it automatically. Like the song ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’ you need to work through looking at each part of the body.

Nose – Should be clean. Snotty noses and frequent sneezing can be a sign of a bacterial infection. Any discharge, blood, or crust is not normal and should be investigated by a vet.

Eyes – Should be bright and symmetrical. Occasionally you will see a milky white fluid forming in the eyes but this is normal. Whee call it piggy shampoo and whee magically produce it, then wipe it over our furs to keep them looking good. Whee should not have crusty eyes. If whee do then whee may have a bacterial infection. Our eyes should not be bulging either. If our eyes bulge it may mean whee have an infection or injury to them or even something wrong with our teeth. On the opposite side of the scale whee should not have sunken eyes. If whee do then whee may be suffering from dehydration, sometimes caused by heatstroke which is common in piggies. An obvious thing you shouldn’t want to see is cloudy eyes. If they look cloudy then you need vet treatment promptly to prevent blindness or eye loss. There should not be grease or damp on the fur around the eye, this could be a sign of a number of things like problems with tear ducts or infection.

Ears – Should be clean. They should not look dirty or inflamed inside or out. A crust on the edge of the ear could mean a parasitic, fungal or bacterial infection. The ear should not look dry or be flaky. Some signs of an infection in the ear would be a head tilt, discharge or waxy build up inside the ear, heat from the ear, or pain when you touch the ear.

Tootsies – Our adorable little feet should have a clean, soft pad. Nails should be a safe length. Any scabs, crusts, or swelling of the foot is not normal. A common issue is bumble foot which can cause sores and be painful for the piggies to walk on. Long nails will also affect how a piggy walk so trim them, or get a vet to trim them, regularly.

Furs and Skin condition – Fur should be healthy looking glossy and should only shed a little. Skin should be clean with no sores or flakiness. Lumps, scabs, dandruff, excess shedding or hair loss all mean something is not right. It is important to get any of those things checked out. Most often in is those pesky parasites like mites are but that doesn’t stop it from being painful. Treatment is easy, so it is best to get to the vets.

Poop – One of those things that fascinate little hoomans! Our check when they clean us out that all of ours are a sort of jelly bean shape and medium to dark brown. Some of our poops whee recycle by eating again to get the nutrition our bodies may have missed the first time! Gross, according to Mummy. Cool, according to the little hoomans. Poops should not be clumped together. If they are and the piggy is male then this may indicate impaction. This is very uncomfortable for a piggy so unless you have experience, get the piggy to a vet to be sorted out. Smaller poops and/or teardrop shaped poops may mean that whee are dehydrated and/or eating less food. Diarrhoea with runny of very soft poops can be life threatening. If the poops are just soft, temporarily withholding vegetables may help. Mummy usually does this for three days. Sometimes it overloads the systems when you get a piggy and they are introduced to lots of fresh fruit and veg all at once to be sure to only give them a small amount at first.

If you notice different poops in the cage then you may need to separate the piggies into boxes to work out which is suffering. This is also good to check urine, see below.

Pee – Urine should be clear to cloudy in colour. Blood or anything else is not and should be checked out. Incontinence is also not normal. Your guinea pig should be relatively dry. If its fur is constantly wet and/or there is an smell, then get your piggy checked out for a urinary tract infection or other problem.

Weight – Weight loss is an early sign of many illnesses. To make sure your piggy maintains a good weight it is recommended that you do a wheekly weigh in. Whee enjoy ours as it is often accompanied by parsley!

Drinking – How much water a piggy drinks varies from pig to pig but some factors can change the amount they consume; temperature, taste of water, activity, and preference. A guinea pig provided with rinsed and still wet fruit or vegetables might appear to drink very little during the day. If in doubt, gets vets number out.

Movement -Piggies should move normally around and not waddle, or have feet stick out. Their paws should touch the floor fully and not put more weight on the back or front of them. They should not hop with their hind legs as this can be a sign of pain, or arthritis in older piggies. Piggies do ‘popcorn’ which essentially means bouncing in the air and twitching parts of their body in a way which shocks hoomans who have never seen it before. Popcorning is normal and usally done when a piggy is happy or excited!

Behaviour – Changes in behaviour should be red flags. If whee are not eating favourite foods or is hiding our pigloos all day when whee normal dash around, tells you something is wrong. Whee depend on you to know when are ill. Whee cannot phone for help or say it out loud so you must take us to the vets if something is not right.

That’s all for now but whee will cover more in our next post. There is a surprising amount to say!

Nibbles, Nutty, Buddy & Basil

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Are Piggies The Best Pet For You? Part 1 – For Me, Or Not For Me. That is the question!

So whee had a good look at the questions people were interested in and added a few of our own. This is our guide to are piggies the right pets for you.

A Hoomans Guide to Guinea Pigs

How long do guinea pigs live for?

Piggies live for between 4 – 8 years though most commonly 6 or 7. They are not a small commitment to be taken on lightly. As with all animals they can have health issues when they get older. You need to think about whether or not you can afford that.

My piggy looks fat, how much does the average guinea pig weigh?

An Adult Male Guinea Pig will weigh between 900g – 1200g (Yes, Nutty, suck that gut in porky!)

An Adult Female Guinea Pig will weigh between 700g – 900g (Though whee see many larger ladies and prefer them that way!)

It really does vary though from pig to pig. Some larger boned piggies can get away with a little extra on the hips where as other cannot. Speaking from experience, our Mummy says piggies should be sort of a rectangular shape (or even a little like a teardrop) from above. As long as their stomachs don’t drag along the ground and it doesn’t affect the movement there usually isn’t a problem. However if you are concerned you can speak to your vet about diet.

What should my piggy eat, how much should I give and what should I avoid?

80% of a guinea pigs diet is hay so make sure you give them lots! (Whee get the most delicious timothy hay and soft hay from the Dust Free Hay Company) This cannot be emphasised enough. Far too many guinea pigs suffer from dental issues simply because they don’t get the hay they need to wear their teeth down. Before getting piggies you should track down a good supplier, preferably with dust extracted hay. Not only is this better for us piggies and our sensitive respiratory systems but also for you. It is not nice inhaling hay dust. Trust me! Whee piggies get through a lot so it is cheaper to buy it is bulk if you can store it.

A Guinea Pig needs good quality food pellets, fresh veggies and fresh water. Regarding what food they can eat and how much, rather than list it all here whee are going to share a link to a fab little page on The Guinea Pig Forum where they cover everything.

Obviously you need to think about how much this all costs and if you can afford it. Mummy thinks she spends roughly fifteen pounds a wheek on veggies for us four but bulk buying or getting multi-packs can really help.

How much space do piggies need and what bedding is best?

Guinea Pigs should be housed in a shop bought cage that is a minimum of 120cm to meet RSPCA guidelines (Many of the big chain pet shops sell cages that are far too small so that when your piggies outgrow the cage they can make more money from you by selling another) or a C&C grid cage which can be as big as you want. (C&C cages are beyond Mummy’s knowledge of DIY but there is a gallery of homemade cages here that you can look at.)

If your piggies will be outdoor piggies then you need to invest in a large, secure, weather-proof hutch. Mummy would recommend getting a cover for overnights and if you have particularly cold weather bringing them inside until it improves. But not taking them in and out and in and out because sharp changes of temperature (eg. Freezing out door into lovely central heated house) can be dangerous for piggies who struggle to regulate their body temperature. Our vet says piggies are quite similar to hoomans, so if it is too cold for you then it’s not nice for us either.

This brings us neatly onto beddings. There are lots of different choices for beddings to put your piggies on. Currently whee are bedded on newspaper and hay but whee have tried dust extracted woodshavings, paper pulp bedding, care fresh, megazorb and shredded paper. Mummy is going to investigate some of the beddings in the next couple of wheeks to pick the best for us. Some piggies are bedded on fleece which does sound cozy but Mummy thinks it is a little unnatural. Hay does seem to be the favourite as whee love playing ‘diggy pig’ through it and making little nests. However it is all down to personal preference and what works for you.

Do guinea pigs use litter trays?

Ummm. In short no. There are rumours that some people have managed to train piggies to use them but no evidence of this. Some piggies are tidier than others and you usually find they will poop in certain corners anyway. You can try putting a tray there but it is highly unlikely to work. Whee piggies live by the motto; If you gotta go then you gotta go. Wherever, whenever.

How often do piggies need cleaning out?

It does really depend on the bedding used. On hay Mummy spot check our cage daily and tidies our poop corners then cleans us every three days. When on woodshavings whee were cleaned out every other day. It does become obvious when whee need cleaning as, particularly us boars, can be a little stinky!

What about floor time and exercise, even in winter?

Another thing you need to invest in is an outdoor run for the garden, as big as you can. If you don’t have a garden then don’t panic, you can get an indoor run or piggy proof a room or area indoors like Mummy does with us in Winter. With our indoor run whee go in the hallway. This is because there are very few hazards there. No wires whee can chew, or things whee can break. Also because it is laminate flooring it is easy to clean afterwards. Our only real issue is the radiator pipes. For some reason Mummy won’t let us near them, something about not wanting us to burn. So she has cut cardboard toilet roll tubes in half an blue tacks them to the wall round the pipes to stop us from getting at them.

Another consideration is knowing when it is too cold to put piggies outdoors. Mummy wouldn’t dream of putting us out if it is so cold that she couldn’t bear to sit out with us. That is how she judges it but this is all down to common sense.

How many should I get and should I get boys or girls?

Well if you are happy with what you have read so far then whee are going to tell you the next very important rule with piggies; A Guinea Pig should never be kept alone. Imagine being shut up somewhere with people who, although very nice and caring towards you, don’t squeak a word of your language. It becomes a very lonely existence and they are not there all the time anyway.

With boys you should not try to get more than a pair to live together. Ever heard the phrase two is company, three is a crowd? Whee boars practically invented it. Very rarely a trio will work and even experts can struggle with this.

Sows however can live happily in large herds. You can add a neutered male to live with a little harem of females but not more than one as they will battle for dominance, sometimes to the death.

However, again similarly to hoomans, whee all have different pigsonalities and sometimes just don’t get on with one another.

If you have a lone boar there is a wonderful thing called ‘Boar Dating’ which reputable rescues can do to carefully introduce lone boars and create happy pairs. A lone sow could also find a friend this way of be paired with a neutered husboar and become a happy little wifepig!

As for battle of the sexes. Mummy prefers us boys because it limits how many of us she can have, with only space enough for two cages. But whee boys can get smelly and a little known fact is that whee actually need our manly parts checked regularly and sometimes whee get bits of hay and bedding caught there, which though undignified, does need removing gently with a damp cotton bud. Females can also be very temperamental, with unbelievable mood swings. Mummy was surprised looking after a friends piggies by how stroppy they could be. Again this is just personal preferences.

Are guinea pigs high or low maintenance?

Actually pretty high. Whee need regular attention and basic daily health checks (which whee will actually do a special post on) Whee are masters are hiding injuries and illness so if whee are off colour then a vet trip is almost certainly in order as it means it is so bad whee cannot hide it. Whee can be demanding and when our confidence grows and whee have settled in you will find that you can no longer open the fridge, or rustle a carrier bag or chop fruit or veggies without loud squeaking interruption!

Now that is quite a lot to digest for now but whee will cover in the following posts:

Basic everyday checks and how to keep your piggies healthy (How to pick a healthy piggy  and how to make sure your piggies are getting along – bonding)
Common illness, things to look for and what you can do
How to handle guinea pigs. Squeaks, sounds and what they all mean.
Which breeds are best – grooming etc.

If there is anything else you want to know just ask in the comments or email us roominyourheartcampaign@yahoo.co.uk

Please let us know what you think so far.

Nibbles, Nutty, Buddy & Basil
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Why Does The Internet Hate Us? And Other Very Important Questions!

Well it is official. As whee struggle to type this on Mummy’s phone whee are wondering what whee did to offend the internet. How did whee get on it’s naughty list? (if Santa has one why can’t the internet?!) It must be pretty bad. Whee feel cut off and stranded on a little desert island in the middle of the blogosphere. With no news from the outside world.

If whee were on a desert island and allowed three things, at least one would be a working internet source! *sigh*

Anyway whee are going to ask you to do us a little favour to help us with our next post. Whee want to tell efurryone about guinea pigs and tell them if they are the right pets for them. What thing would you like to know about or what question can whee answer that you think will help people get to know guineas?

Thanks in advance and whee are so sad missing all your blogs so please tell us if you have any big news!

Nibbles
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ps. Out of interest what three things would you have with you on a desert island?!

Our Nativity!

Still having wordpress issues but here is our Nativity!

Who would you be in our nativity? Mummy says her favourite person is the Inn Keeper. He/She has the most important part. If he/she decides to not offer the stable or suddenly finds them a room then it completely wrecks what happens next!

Who did you play in your school plays? Mummy said she once played Rudolph, a Christmas Cracker, an Angel and her favourite was Melody Mouse (long story!). So what was your favourite that you played or who do you want to play?

Hope you had a lovely Pigmass and Boxing Day!

Nibbles, Nutty, Buddy & Basil
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Our Pigmass In Pigtures!

Our Pigmass in pigtures. Whee recieved some wonderful things! New water bottles, Pigmass shaped wooden chews, treats, and some fleece cushions – red with owls printed on them – hand stitched by Mummy!

Nibbles and Nutty’s Swag!

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With our wooden chews!

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Buddy takes his pick!

Buddy and Basil’s Swag!

Basil and Buddy enjoying their new cushion!

Gold, Frankincense and Fur!

Well as you may be doing, whee are getting ready for Santa Paws to arrive. Whee have laid out our stockings with care. Whee have bribed offered a carrot and glass of probiotic water to help him on his journey around the world. He may have already visited some of you, but for us, the magic is only just begining.

Whee were just discussing what whee want Santa to bring. Whee all need new water bottles, and anything edible will go down a treat – ‘treat’ get it?! Other than that whee aren’t too fussy.

Though whee are currently debating the uses of gold and frankincense. You hoomans place an awful lot of value of shiney metals and smelly perfumes. Not for us. Whee would prefer nine carrots rather than nine carrot gold! And as for the smelly stuff, whee smell plenty boarly enough for now!

Anyway whee will post tomorrow what presents whee get because Mummy said whee are all getting coal if whee don’t go to bed soon!

Merry Pigmass efurryone. May you get everything you want and have a peaceful day.

Nibbles

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ps. Whee are sorry for not commenting on your blogs. WordPress won’t let us and keeps kicking us off when whee try to. The little hoomans hope to fix this for us tomorrow!

Our First Interview!

Well whee are very excited to tell you that whee have conducted our first ever interview. As it was with a lovely ladypig Buddy took charge!

Buddy: Hello and welcome to Hutch A Good Life Bernadette! Could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your hooman?

Bernadette: Hi Buddy! As you know, I’m Bernadette, I’m 2 1/2 years old and I live in York with my best friend Treacle. She’s older than me and she’s in charge! I’m so lucky, because I have 2 hoomans! There’s Lauren who is the lady who I belong to and who I love most of all, and there’s Nick, the hooman she lives with and who I love very much too . There are 2 boy piggies who live with us too (I’m not supposed to know about them but I do!) called Junior and Stewart. We’ve never met but I bet they’re nice.

Buddy: And you are here because of a fabulous new site you set up (your hooman may have done the manual work but you were clearly the brains of the operation!) Could you tell us a bit about what inspired the site and what the site does?

Bernadette: Of course! Mummy Lauren loves rescue piggies so much, mainly because of me of course, I’m the first rescue piggie she got after all! So she decided to set up a website dedicated to rescue piggies and helping them find new homes. Potty for Piggies! There aren’t any rescues near us that have piggies, so my mummy wanted to help people like Mummy Jo (from Milhaven rescue) with all their piggies. There’s advice for new owners, tips and tricks, treats and lots of happy stories from the Piggy Bank and from owners. Basil even helped us with a guest blog, which we have every Friday! It’s even on this thing called Facebook, (our page) and it’s pretty popular – we’ve got international fans! And being the first featured piggie, of course it’s all because of me!

Buddy: Now a little something whee love and know you help out with is the Piggy Bank. What is the Piggy Bank for those of us who don’t know and how do you help them?

Bernadette: The Piggy Bank is this wonderous thing that was started by lots of piggie people to help out piggies in need, like I was! It makes sure that the best rescues are recognised for how super they are, and that the volunteers know how, where and when to help the poorly piggies. There are tons of people all over the country, and a big group of rescues that hoomans know are super-duper! There are never enough hoomans in the Piggy Bank though, so whee want lots more, so whee can help lots more piggies!

Buddy: Now, Bernadette, your name sounds familiar. Aren’t you part of my fan club?!

Bernadette: I am! I was one of the first of Buddy’s Babes! I was thinking it took you a while to notice!

Buddy: Well let me find out a little bit more about you! Who do you live with?

Bernadette: I live with my best friend Treacle. She’s 4 years old and she’s another one of your babes! She’s a pretty little black and tan piggie, but she has short hair. I like her very much, whee got on straight away when she came to visit me at Milhaven Rescue. She was a bit pushy but I get my own back now! When I… What does Mummy call it?…. Oh yeah: ‘Go into season’, I strop with her and try to be in charge and jump on her. It works for a couple of days but then she’s in charge again. I don’t mind though, she’s the nicest piggie I know.

Buddy: How long have you been with your hooman?

Bernadette: I’ve been with my hoomans since March. I went to Milhaven rescue in December and I was very poorly, plus I had some babies in February too! They were little fluffy clouds, but they were both boy clouds so I wasn’t allowed to live with them. I know that Mummy Jo has called them her own piggies and won’t let anyone else have them, so it makes me happy. After I was better from having babies, I was allowed to meet Treacle-pig and we became best friends

Buddy: What is your favourite food?

Bernadette: My favourite food has to be broccoli, I can’t have it much but I do love it when I have it! It makes me happy!

Buddy: What is your worst habbit?

Bernadette: Well, I don’t think it’s a bad habit but my hoomans say I’m a naughty bar nibbler! If it’s time for food, or I’m out of hay, or someone makes something rustle, then Treacle and I nibble bars like crazy. Whee never used to, but Stewart taught us that it gets attention from hoomans!

Buddy: What is the most naughty thing you have ever done?

Bernadette: I don’t like it when Mummy brushes me sometimes, so I chatter my teeth at her and nip her fingers before I run away. If she brushes me and I don’t like it I won’t talk to her for a while. She tells me it’s because I’m so beautiful and beauty takes hard work, but I still don’t like it. I know I’m beautiful, it doesn’t take lots of bad times to keep me that way!

If you want to, pwease come and visit Mummy’s website or Facebook page! She has been working super hard every day since she started it and it’s really really pretty and nice. I like them both lots, and lots of people like them too.

Buddy: You heard the lovely ladypig! Please check out their fabulous website for what is a cause that is very close to our hearts!

Nearly Pigmass now efurryone! Whee can barely contain our excitment!

Nibbles, Nutty, Buddy & Basil

xxxx

Good Piggies Are Just Bad Piggies That Don’t Get Caught!

It’s true! As you know, Mummy loves taking our pigtures but somefurry was extremely naughty during his shoot and Mummy only managed to get one nice photo of him. She hoped that having me there would calm him . . . .

Basil and Me!

No such luck as he soon behaved shockingly, stealing my Santa Paws hat! The thing is Mummy was snapping away and caught it! Better get begging for forgiveness Baz. Santa will not be happy to see this so close to Pigmass!

Try to caption this pigture of naughtiness when he was silly enough to get caught!

Buddy

xxxx

PS. This might give some of you a giggle. It is to one of Mummy’s favourite pieces of music in her favourite ballet!