R Dorothy
Junior Guinea Pig
In twelve days I will have had Scuzzy for a year. I'd like to share what has gone on during our time together. So yeah... TL;DR warning.
For a long time I'd been wanting a pet. A cat or dog was out due to my work and financial situation, but I really wanted one that would be affectionate, meaning I didn't want another hamster. They're cute and fun, but not really something that loves your attention. I did research on various rodents and decided a guinea pig would be perfect.
However, the animal shelter in my town had none at the time and the pet store here should have been shut down years ago. Then, one day, I saw a flier on the billboard at work advertising a free guinea pig. I called and made arrangements to see him
Truth be told, when I saw Scuzzy (who was then called Lucky), I didn't really care if I'd like him or not. He was in such bad shape I had to rescue him. When I got him home he hid in the shredded newspaper and froze up when I handled him, panicking when I trimmed his vastly overgrown nails. The worst was yet to come; a day later I noticed how itchy he was. Fur was coming out, it was greasy, and I felt scaly skin on his back. After a vet visit it was revealed he had lice. Two medicated baths later he was lice free and felt much better. Sadly, he has two bald patches by his legs from chewing himself so much. I really wonder how long he had those parasites?
Not much later I found out he has impaction issues. The first time I had to take care of it I nearly threw up. So much gunk came out of his anal cavity that stank to high heaven and he actually had an odor around him for about a day that even a bath didn't fix. Now that I check him regularly it's not a big deal and he's used it.
For awhile Scuzzy was a very quiet guinea pig. One day as I passed by I stuck my finger in the cage to give him a little tap on the head to say good morning. This was when he sniffed it and whimpered a little. "Do you want a carrot?" I asked, since he seemed so disappointed. Sure enough, he did! Now that he's comfortable with me he squeaks at the top of his lungs when I go near the refrigerator! Even funnier is when the alarm clock goes off. He goes into full alert and will yell for me if I don't come out right away to feed him.
I've heard older piggies are less likely to try new things. I guess Scuzzy wasn't given a whole lot since he wouldn't touch most things I gave him. He took baby carrots right away, also lettuce (which I stopped since it made his droppings gross), and celery (he actually purred when he got that!). I read all piggies like Timothy Hay, so I got him a treat bowl that had it and other goodies inside. Scuzzy was so excited to get the hay he put his front paws on the bowl and ended up running to the other side of the cage when it swung up and smacked him in the face. From then on I just put things in his food dish. I tried cherry tomatoes, but he just sniffed it up and down before ignoring with. With sprouts he actually plucked them out of his dish. He actually got mad when I tried to bring him a new veggie.
I went on vacation to Duluth for a week so Scuzzy had to be boarded. He did fine away from me, but I was shocked by the change that happened when I picked him up. He actually pawed and and headbutted my hands to get affection when I held him! He snuggles against my stomach and loves to have my arms around him. If he doesn't get what he wants he pulls at my sleeves and once accidentally bit through the fabric and got me pretty hard with his teeth. He never bites on purpose; he's such a mellow guy. I'm so happy this behavior has stuck.
I'm also glad he's stopped peeing on me. I used to have to always put him on a towel because the moment I put him on my lap I'd be soaked in urine. Since they potty a lot the towel is there more often then not, but he can be trusted for small amounts of time now.
I really am so grateful that we found each other. Due to how things worked out I sort of think it was fate. I just hope I have my little buddy around for many more years to come. I love him dearly and he's the best thing to have ever happened to me.
For a long time I'd been wanting a pet. A cat or dog was out due to my work and financial situation, but I really wanted one that would be affectionate, meaning I didn't want another hamster. They're cute and fun, but not really something that loves your attention. I did research on various rodents and decided a guinea pig would be perfect.
However, the animal shelter in my town had none at the time and the pet store here should have been shut down years ago. Then, one day, I saw a flier on the billboard at work advertising a free guinea pig. I called and made arrangements to see him
Truth be told, when I saw Scuzzy (who was then called Lucky), I didn't really care if I'd like him or not. He was in such bad shape I had to rescue him. When I got him home he hid in the shredded newspaper and froze up when I handled him, panicking when I trimmed his vastly overgrown nails. The worst was yet to come; a day later I noticed how itchy he was. Fur was coming out, it was greasy, and I felt scaly skin on his back. After a vet visit it was revealed he had lice. Two medicated baths later he was lice free and felt much better. Sadly, he has two bald patches by his legs from chewing himself so much. I really wonder how long he had those parasites?
Not much later I found out he has impaction issues. The first time I had to take care of it I nearly threw up. So much gunk came out of his anal cavity that stank to high heaven and he actually had an odor around him for about a day that even a bath didn't fix. Now that I check him regularly it's not a big deal and he's used it.
For awhile Scuzzy was a very quiet guinea pig. One day as I passed by I stuck my finger in the cage to give him a little tap on the head to say good morning. This was when he sniffed it and whimpered a little. "Do you want a carrot?" I asked, since he seemed so disappointed. Sure enough, he did! Now that he's comfortable with me he squeaks at the top of his lungs when I go near the refrigerator! Even funnier is when the alarm clock goes off. He goes into full alert and will yell for me if I don't come out right away to feed him.
I've heard older piggies are less likely to try new things. I guess Scuzzy wasn't given a whole lot since he wouldn't touch most things I gave him. He took baby carrots right away, also lettuce (which I stopped since it made his droppings gross), and celery (he actually purred when he got that!). I read all piggies like Timothy Hay, so I got him a treat bowl that had it and other goodies inside. Scuzzy was so excited to get the hay he put his front paws on the bowl and ended up running to the other side of the cage when it swung up and smacked him in the face. From then on I just put things in his food dish. I tried cherry tomatoes, but he just sniffed it up and down before ignoring with. With sprouts he actually plucked them out of his dish. He actually got mad when I tried to bring him a new veggie.
I went on vacation to Duluth for a week so Scuzzy had to be boarded. He did fine away from me, but I was shocked by the change that happened when I picked him up. He actually pawed and and headbutted my hands to get affection when I held him! He snuggles against my stomach and loves to have my arms around him. If he doesn't get what he wants he pulls at my sleeves and once accidentally bit through the fabric and got me pretty hard with his teeth. He never bites on purpose; he's such a mellow guy. I'm so happy this behavior has stuck.
I'm also glad he's stopped peeing on me. I used to have to always put him on a towel because the moment I put him on my lap I'd be soaked in urine. Since they potty a lot the towel is there more often then not, but he can be trusted for small amounts of time now.
I really am so grateful that we found each other. Due to how things worked out I sort of think it was fate. I just hope I have my little buddy around for many more years to come. I love him dearly and he's the best thing to have ever happened to me.
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