Introduction and somber first post

[HunterRose13]

I have lurked on here for some time and I am very grateful for the information shared in this forum. I really love GPs for the huge personalities they have in such small packages. As a boy I had two GPs pass through my life that I fondly remember, but I also remember the pain and sadness when they left my life. Until a few years ago I made it a point to not allow small animals into the household because it was too hard on me to have them in my life for such a short time.

Enter my oldest daughter that went to college out of state. While away she adopted a GP from a dorm mate who no longer wanted her. When it was time for my daughter to move home we had to drive out of state to recover her possessions and her adopted GP who she was able to board. I first met Mumu the adopted GP where she was boarded and she melted my heart. A day later she was in her carrier on long trip home that included a stop at a hotel where we had to smuggle her in. Mind you she had not made a sound until we tried to smuggle her in. She proceeds to introduce herself to us finally and whistle all the way to the room.

After getting home and settled daughter (broken link removed) felt Mumu needed a friend and she wanted a GP of her own. Despite my objections to both daughters they conspired to locate the perfect GP. I came home from work one day to find another GP house and a black ball of personality next door to Mumu. Bellatrix had arrived. She had many other names also……Bella, Bell, Bell Pepper, Bell Bell, and a bunch of others.

Through the next few years my oldest went off to college again so I took to spoiling Mumu while daughter (broken link removed) tended to Bella. We had great fun and made a tradition out of ‘destroying Bethlehem’ every year at Christmas. We set up a toy manger scene and hid their favorite treats around the ‘town’ so they could rummage through the stables, buildings, and palm trees.

As years passed the girls matured and eventually Mumu had some health problems and we were able to nurse her back to health more than once. Finally time caught up and Mumu passed on a cold January day. I laid her to rest in a special place under a Lilac bush. To most I appear to be a hard man, but with her passing I sobbed and grieved as deeply as I have for any human.

With the loss of Mumu I knew Bella would need extra attention. I made sure to spoil Bella as much as possible and always stopped to talk to her whenever I walked by her. I really thought Bella would pass shortly after Mumu, but on the contrary. She continued to thrive and showed even more personality than ever. Bella became my baby and we spent a lot of lap and couch time together. While rare, she loved bath time and would happily scurry from the shallow end of the tub to get deep enough to swim around.

Overtime Bella had some health problems and I was able to nurse her back from them. Sitting on the couch cuddling her to make sure she was warm and comfy I felt at peace with the world. Time and age finally closed in and I could tell that she was ready to leave. She passed quietly a few weeks ago on a warm Spring day. I told her it was ok and that I knew she stayed for me. I stroked her fur and told her how much I loved her and she slowly slipped away. She was together with her sister again frolicking in that field of Timothy Hay across the rainbow bridge.

For several days after Bella passing I was certain I would never have another GP in my life….Then as I scrolled through the In Memory of Page. A post caught my eye….”My Will”. After reading that I mulled it over and emailed my daughter a link to a bigger, better piggie home, just a link and not words. I received a text with in seconds. 'Yes'. I asked if she would keep her Mom from killing me when we brought home new piggies in the future. She was on board with that idea so I will continue to lurk and learn. Until we are ready. There is some house work that needs to be done and a move to make, but I look forward to having small fur children with their huge personalities in the home again.

Sorry for the long post, but it was cathartic and punctuated with more than a few tears.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Welcome to the forum.

In more ways than one, you and I appear to be kindred spirits. I was the one who posted "My Will". That was my boy Pooper in that photo, the first pig I had as an adult. I am so glad that had an impact on you, as it was my hope that it would have an effect on someone else as it did when I first read it.

I'll leave this short, other than extend a warm welcome to what, in my opinion, is the best resource on the net for all things piggie. I had come to realize after Poopy's passing, and now Sly's, that my home is not complete without furballs in it.

 

[HunterRose13]

Thank you. It will be awhile before we have the house ready for new fur babies. I want all of the hard, stressful work done so any new additions come into a home that is not noisy, dusty, and with stuff shuffling around. Our current vet is slowly handing off his practice and I need to touch base to make sure the vets taking over the practice will still take exotics. We also want an awesome piggie condo set up in advance of new additions. Lots of advance work so we can enjoy the fruits of our labors and the company of piggies.

 

[spy9doc]

Sitting on the couch cuddling her to make sure she was warm and comfy I felt at peace with the world.

What a lovely, eloquent post! People who don't know cavies can't understand what big personalities they have, and the bond that we develop with them. Our Sparky (the only remaining piggy) will lie on my chest and everything just melts away. Life is so simple for him and he reminds me of what is really important in life....food, shelter, and to love and be loved. My husband lives in chronic pain and he and Sparky will frequently sleep together most of the night on the sofa. We do intend to get him a new cagemate within the next month.

A cavy's life is much too short for those who love them, and sometimes it just seems that the pain of losing one is too much to risk again. But, invariably I look over into this big cage that sits alongside my desk and it is so empty that I can hardly bear to sit at my desk to work. I invariably begin searching for new furballs to fill the void.

Thank you for joining our Forum family, and I do hope that you will stick around and contribute to the growing body of knowledge and camaraderie that we all benefit from.

 

[LittleSqueakers]

I have lurked on here for some time and I am very grateful for the information shared in this forum. I really love GPs for the huge personalities they have in such small packages. As a boy I had two GPs pass through my life that I fondly remember, but I also remember the pain and sadness when they left my life. Until a few years ago I made it a point to not allow small animals into the household because it was too hard on me to have them in my life for such a short time.

Enter my oldest daughter that went to college out of state. While away she adopted a GP from a dorm mate who no longer wanted her. When it was time for my daughter to move home we had to drive out of state to recover her possessions and her adopted GP who she was able to board. I first met Mumu the adopted GP where she was boarded and she melted my heart. A day later she was in her carrier on long trip home that included a stop at a hotel where we had to smuggle her in. Mind you she had not made a sound until we tried to smuggle her in. She proceeds to introduce herself to us finally and whistle all the way to the room.

After getting home and settled daughter (broken link removed) felt Mumu needed a friend and she wanted a GP of her own. Despite my objections to both daughters they conspired to locate the perfect GP. I came home from work one day to find another GP house and a black ball of personality next door to Mumu. Bellatrix had arrived. She had many other names also……Bella, Bell, Bell Pepper, Bell Bell, and a bunch of others.

Through the next few years my oldest went off to college again so I took to spoiling Mumu while daughter (broken link removed) tended to Bella. We had great fun and made a tradition out of ‘destroying Bethlehem’ every year at Christmas. We set up a toy manger scene and hid their favorite treats around the ‘town’ so they could rummage through the stables, buildings, and palm trees.

As years passed the girls matured and eventually Mumu had some health problems and we were able to nurse her back to health more than once. Finally time caught up and Mumu passed on a cold January day. I laid her to rest in a special place under a Lilac bush. To most I appear to be a hard man, but with her passing I sobbed and grieved as deeply as I have for any human.

With the loss of Mumu I knew Bella would need extra attention. I made sure to spoil Bella as much as possible and always stopped to talk to her whenever I walked by her. I really thought Bella would pass shortly after Mumu, but on the contrary. She continued to thrive and showed even more personality than ever. Bella became my baby and we spent a lot of lap and couch time together. While rare, she loved bath time and would happily scurry from the shallow end of the tub to get deep enough to swim around.

Overtime Bella had some health problems and I was able to nurse her back from them. Sitting on the couch cuddling her to make sure she was warm and comfy I felt at peace with the world. Time and age finally closed in and I could tell that she was ready to leave. She passed quietly a few weeks ago on a warm Spring day. I told her it was ok and that I knew she stayed for me. I stroked her fur and told her how much I loved her and she slowly slipped away. She was together with her sister again frolicking in that field of Timothy Hay across the rainbow bridge.

For several days after Bella passing I was certain I would never have another GP in my life….Then as I scrolled through the In Memory of Page. A post caught my eye….”My Will”. After reading that I mulled it over and emailed my daughter a link to a bigger, better piggie home, just a link and not words. I received a text with in seconds. 'Yes'. I asked if she would keep her Mom from killing me when we brought home new piggies in the future. She was on board with that idea so I will continue to lurk and learn. Until we are ready. There is some house work that needs to be done and a move to make, but I look forward to having small fur children with their huge personalities in the home again.

Sorry for the long post, but it was cathartic and punctuated with more than a few tears.

Well said, well said!

You'll find you're not the only one here who fell in love with guinea pigs unexpectedly. There's so much more to them than I think most of us expected when we got our first pig(s). People who haven't had guinea pigs or never took the time to really learn about them can't understand what remarkable creatures they are. My family were always half-appalled at the care and attention that I lavished on "a couple of rodents." But then, they were also amazed and impressed by guinea pigs that would follow me through the house and come up to meet strangers sitting around my living room. They still don't completely get it, but I like to think that I've maybe instilled a little bit of a sense of respect for the little creatures!

I lost my oldest pig a year ago and my foster pigs went back to the rescue, so I am currently pigless... But like you, I am dreaming of and planning for the day when I can bring more into my home. There's some work to be done, logistics to work out, and money to be saved up first, but it's a fond daydream that keeps me going!

 

[HunterRose13]

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I don't know that I will be able to contribute much. I have learned so much lurking here and my girls benefitted from what I learned and had happiner, healthier, and longer lives because of it.

I look forward to the future and a nice cavy condo for the piggies that eventually find their way to my family and home.

In the meantime I'll continue to absorb some of the vast knowledge shared here. Hopefully in time I can contribute something. If nothing else maybe I can let someone else know it's ok to have a soft spot for cavies even when the rest of the world thinks you are woodpecker lips hard.

 

[HunterRose13]

Daughter is fully on board with bringing piggies back into the house. I had to curb her enthusiasm a bit because we have a lot of remodel work to do including lots of drywall. It would not be fair to bring in new family members with so much of our free time being consumed by the house. She agrees it would be better to add new family members after things are settled so we would be able to provide proper care and help them settle in.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Very much looking forward to hearing of your new additions whenever they arrive, and I'm happy that you're going to open a new chapter of your life with new furballs in it.

I'm very happy that you're considering the pigs well being, before they're even in the house. A construction environment with a lot of dust and noise is definitely not the most nurturing, or healthy environment for new additions. That said, looking forward to hearing all about them!

 

[HunterRose13]

Well said, well said!

You'll find you're not the only one here who fell in love with guinea pigs unexpectedly. There's so much more to them than I think most of us expected when we got our first pig(s). People who haven't had guinea pigs or never took the time to really learn about them can't understand what remarkable creatures they are. My family were always half-appalled at the care and attention that I lavished on "a couple of rodents." But then, they were also amazed and impressed by guinea pigs that would follow me through the house and come up to meet strangers sitting around my living room. They still don't completely get it, but I like to think that I've maybe instilled a little bit of a sense of respect for the little creatures!

I lost my oldest pig a year ago and my foster pigs went back to the rescue, so I am currently pigless... But like you, I am dreaming of and planning for the day when I can bring more into my home. There's some work to be done, logistics to work out, and money to be saved up first, but it's a fond daydream that keeps me going!

My wife always gave me a hard time about spoiling the girls. I reminded her I don't have much in the way of vices so spoiling a couple of very loving fur children is not so bad. Those that know me, even casually, know that the fur children are part of the household and calling the girls rodents would have gone poorly.

 

[HunterRose13]

I will, in time, post something special for Bella in the In Memory Of forum, but for now I am going to try to share a picture of her. This was over Christmas and enjoying some very special floor time with the family.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

She was such a pretty girl. She looks like she's enjoying herself immensely.