Mr Bubbles

[renonvsparky]

photos.app.goo.gl/e5fDLjqBo28JJedT8

Best guinea pig ever!

[janlovingcavies]

Clicked on link and got blank page. If you post again and use the box with picture on it you should be able to post pictures on here. There is also an add attachment box you can use to get pictures of your PC.


And for your information I think my girls are the best piggies ever!

[Sef]

Renonvsparky, if you hit the Reply button (not the 'Post Quick Reply' button), you should see the "Add Attachment" button that allows you to attach a photo directly from your computer vs. using a URL. I think the image attaches as a thumbnail, but it's a good work-around if you want to avoid those other sites.

[renonvsparky]

Here you go. I'm over the social media thing.

[renonvsparky]

I just love this guinea pig. He's like my little brother. He's going to be 5 years old this August. He's such a cool, laid back guy. He is also a mentor to the others. The rest of the herd all are fearless outside and they learned that from him. Just look at his eye. He's got that sweet, peaceful look.

[Sef]

Serious cuteness! He is clearly in his element.

[renonvsparky]

He's a very sweet boy. I cherish him every day. He's practically perfect in every way.

[janlovingcavies]

I love his wicked hair style. Love markings around nose too. A real sweetie and looks like he is enjoying himself!

[renonvsparky]

That brown spot by his nose gets me sometimes. Every once in a while I get fooled into thinking his nose is crusty. That's something I keep a close eye on, particularly with my older pigs. With Mr Bubbles, who is nearly 5 I'm especially vigilant. He's led a pretty healthy life, except for his first year when I didn't know any better and was overfeeding him on veggies. Two big lettuce leaves and half a bell pepper twice a day is a bit much. He wasn't getting as much hay as he should on top of that.

Once I was educated, fixed his diet and got him to exercise more he slimmed down to where he should be. I've always worried about that shortening his life and I take every precaution with him and the rest of the boys.

[renonvsparky]

I took Mr Bubbles out to graze yesterday and he just sat in the corner of the pen completely still and wouldn't move, much less eat grass. I wondered what was wrong with him and assumed the worst. Then I noticed the desert hawk circling over the neighborhood. I never realized how sharp his senses are. He knew there was a hawk and sitting totally still is his best defense.

When I take him outside, I use an old folding table to block him off from passing cars and people and to shield him from the wind. Hawks flying right overhead is a new development since they destroyed the giant pasture full of rodents for them to hunt. The habitat they tore up to build more stupid apartments was their home and since it's gone, the rodents, hawks, coyotes and other wildlife has moved over into our neighborhood. My neighbor has a really big boulder as part of their landscape that now has a golfer living under it. Pretty sure that's what the hawk was hunting.

Anyways, I had to put a cover over his pen before he relaxed and foraged in the grass. Guess that's going to be the new normal for them if I want to take them outside. I always kept a very close eye on them even before the pasture was demolished but now I have to add good overhead cover and a good baseball bat to the mix to protect my piggies if I want to take them outside to graze. Also have to watch out for my cats who also love to go outside to roam around and enjoy the nice weather. Coyotes are known to kill and eat cats. The hawks are also big enough to take a cat.

[janlovingcavies]

Good old Mr Bubbles. Very wise! So glad he taught you to put cover on then he went onto work getting that grass. Amazing little critters!

When we had cats(4 of them) we kept them inside to protect the wildlife! Plus too many feral cats out and about!

[Sef]

Oh my! Definitely a concern. I'd also be mindful that the wildlife (particularly, their feces) don't have access to the area where the piggys graze.

[renonvsparky]

I'm relatively sure the grass in the front yard is safe. I don't see any signs of wildlife on the lawn. Gofers aren't the only rodents coming into the neighborhood. My dog has killed two rather large field mice in the back yard over the last 3 days. It's all dirt since I can't get grass to grow out there so there's no cover for them once they come through the fence. She doesn't eat them. She just catches them and kills them; probably not out of maliciousness but in the process of playing with them.

I'm sure the cats aren't doing it because they never go out back. That's the dog's turf and they generally avoid each other. Also the cats actually eat everything but the tail and the two mice I found were whole.

[janlovingcavies]

Can you send your dogs my way? Troubles with normal mice and they are driving us mad!!!

As to your grass we have same trouble, we got raised garden beds(planters on legs) put potting mix in and planted seeds, it is just starting to pop from the soil. You may want to give it a go. Some people here use big wooden wine barrels or even old bath tubs add soil then plant seeds of grass or flowers. Good luck!

[renonvsparky]

Mr Bubbles has a bit of a runny eye. It's not a thick white pussy discharge like Oreo had and it's not a lot. It's a mostly clear thin fluid. I got him some eye drops from the vet before I left town for a graduation and my granddaughter is taking care of it. She's got two pigs to give medicine to and handling it like a champ. As if that isn't enough, her mom (my daughter) took in a little female the day after I left. This despite my telling her no.

So now there's the matter of a little year old female and the 7 boars in my herd. I'll be back in town on the 27th and I'll address it then. In the meantime, they are under strict orders to keep her totally away from the boys. This sucks because she's a really sweet and cuddly little girl and she's an Abby. Is there anyone close to Reno, NV who can take in a female guinea pig? I'm apprehensive about rehoming her, but it has to be done or I'll have to get her spayed, which is very pricey. Maybe I'll make my daughter pay for it since she took her in against my wishes.