Ophelia

Betsie just tried to settle next to Ophelia but she was having none of that.


We started at 8 as we know it will get hot and we’ll move them back as soon as we can. We have ice pods in, wrapped in tea towel, but Ophelia has chosen to sit in the sunny area, right by me (I am shading her). Betsie has gone to the opposite corner, which is more shaded.
 
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Betsie was not impressed by the camera pointing her way. Ophelia is reassuring me that she’s not dead even though she was lying very still behind the cuddle cup.


That photo didn’t do Betsie justice but we have the curtains shut so the room is lit up by a desk light.
 
We have two fans running (but not directly onto them), the curtains closed, and ice pods and a frozen water bottle. Betsie is lying beside one but I think they’ll be ok. Heatwaves are always worrying, though!

Betsie: how many times do you have to disturb me when I’m next to the ice pad 😑
 
If I recall she came with that name? Are you keeping it? My cat came with the name Barrett and I just kept it.
It’s just as well she came with a nice name as I’d have been tempted to call her Cappuccino with that colouring!

Scrolling through the pictures and names of rescue Guinea-pigs, there are some that we would have had to rename: Scuba Steve and his companion Squid; or an absolutely *gorgeous* long-haired orange-coloured piggy called Wotsit! Not dignified!

Unfortunately, they couldn’t tell us Betsie’s birthday, just that she is four.
 
I’m so pleased it has all gone well!
Such a relief and so lovely to see a happy Betsie. We’re proceeding with caution, though. Some open-ended fabric hideys are coming tomorrow to tide them over until we feel confident that we can put the mini-hutches back in. Presumably, we can eventually put the run back as it was, though?
 
Such a relief and so lovely to see a happy Betsie. We’re proceeding with caution, though. Some open-ended fabric hideys are coming tomorrow to tide them over until we feel confident that we can put the mini-hutches back in. Presumably, we can eventually put the run back as it was, though?

Yes you should be able to.
Remembering that changing the cage constitutes change of territory so all the usual advice of making sure not to use fresh bedding when you change it back and making sure the hutches smell of both of them
 
Yes you should be able to.
Remembering that changing the cage constitutes change of territory so all the usual advice of making sure not to use fresh bedding when you change it back and making sure the hutches smell of both of them
So in this instance (when we reinstate the old set-up) we don’t use fresh bedding. I’ll have to remember to leave the smaller fleeces out for them to walk over, before returning to the old set-up and putting the fleeces in the hutches. Thank you very very much. In the midst of all this washing, I’d forgotten all the times when you need it to smell!
 
So in this instance (when we reinstate the old set-up) we don’t use fresh bedding. I’ll have to remember to leave the smaller fleeces out for them to walk over, before returning to the old set-up and putting the fleeces in the hutches. Thank you very very much. In the midst of all this washing, I’d forgotten all the times when you need it to smell!

Yes - you want scent to transfer from what the set up is right now to what you want it to be to make the change easier on them.

So either use the same bedding; or you can use new bedding but you would need to remember, as you say, to let them walk on it before you change it or run the new fleece with the soiled fleece
 
I was going through photos and I found one of baby Ophelia! (I'm aware that I wasn't holding her that well, by the way).

I got to hold Ophelia a few times recently and it brought back memories of when I first held her in the pet shop and realised that we were now responsible for these tiny helpless creatures with claws.

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Fun fact: I was looking for clover to feed them once and I found a four leaf clover!
 
This evening, there has been lots of Betsie chasing Ophelia and Ophelia squeaking, even continuing to do so long after Betsie has stopped pursuing her. The chasing and squeaking has been more intense than this morning, but when Ophelia lay down in her cuddle cup, still squeaking, it was in a relaxed position: curled on her side, legs extended. I guess this is all to be expected as they continue to work out their relationship?
 
… and Betsie has since pushed her out of the cuddle-cup to sit there instead. Ophelia has settled behind the other one, squeaking.
 
Others will more experience will comment but just wanted to say that our (bonded at a rescue) pair took quite a while to settle down and stop chasing each other around and making some very dramatic noises, until one of them was eventually agreed on as the top sow. They went on to be happy together, with the usual squabbles, but nothing unusual.
 
We bought the largest carrot cottage and cut out a second door directly opposite the existing one on the other side. Betsie’s size is such that while her head takes up one entrance, her bottom simultaneously takes up the other. Betsie was calmly sitting there, surveying nothing much in particular, and ignoring the squeaking sounds that appeared to emanate from within. She’d trapped little squeaking Ophelia into a corner and I had to lift the cottage to release her! My next job is to cut out two more entrances so that every side has an escape route.
 
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