Blog The Helpers

[mufasa]

Every time I clean their cage, Amy and Quinn feel a compulsion to help me. Sometimes I do it when they're in their playpen so I can work without piggy assistance, but if they're in the cage, I can always count on their assistance.

Their home is separated into two distinct parts, kitchen and living area, and they have to go up a ramp and through a door on the kitchen side or onto a step and hop up on the living room side. With all the chaos while I'm cleaning, you'd think they'd go to the opposite side, but no! It's much more exciting to be underfoot.

The cage has a rather odd set-up at the moment. I'm getting a C&C for Christmas, so for now I make do with the Frankencage. I have shower mats down and put newspaper on top of them, then add two layers of mattress pad material on top of that. The newspaper and pads get changed completely every day (I get the pads really cheap at thrift stores and cut them to fit).

The girls think running on the newspaper is a blast. I shoo them to the opposite side of the cage while I'm cleaning, but as soon as I lay fresh paper, they're right back in my work area. They like the mattress pads even better; they try to slip under them and play mole as I lay them down. Then I think it's a content to see who can mark them with pee/poop first.

I think part of the being underfoot might be because I serve up nighttime salad right after I clean the cages. The girls know that as soon as their shelves are cleaned and put back into place, Mommy's going to serve up tasty greens on them. I love seeing those cute, eager little faces and feel the thoughts of, "Hurry up! Hurry up!"

Yes, it would be easier to work if the girls didn't have to supervisor close-up, but I don't really mind. I'm just happy they're healthy, alert, and comfortable enough to enjoy being close at hand.

 

[LifeAsItMayBe]

I clean my cage with my pigs in it too, since they don't get along in their carrier, my bathtub drips, and the local Bed Bath & Beyond seems to have stopped stocking cubes. The girls stay on one side while I am cleaning out the old bedding and scrubbing the coroplast, but as soon as I start putting in new bedding they come over to investigate (and pee).

 

[Wildcavy]

That is so funny! Oink and Triton used to run and hide when got in to clean. Jumble kind of watches. But Picckalo and Grace sound like Amy and Quinn! They have a 2x6 C&C, so I expected them to bolt to the other end, but Grace especially likes to try to climb me. The weirdest thing is that she likes to smell my feet. I don't know what to say about that.

 

[mufasa]

I'd love to know what goes through piggy minds. When I was using Carefresh, Amy loved to run under it like it was snow was I was pouring it in the cage after cleaning.