Friday 21st Sept 07
Hello. It’s doing that British grey soaking drizzle outside so I have just turned the guinea pigs loose into the tiled conservatory with Tex - a dwarf velveteen rabbit who looks like a normal rabbit with cream accents but is a lot smaller - so the view in front of me is filled with movement. This is mostly because little Columbine the piggie, (scruffy rosette tricoloured teenager) who has only been here three weeks, is exploring and Tex (4 months old) is following her closely, enjoying himself. I do know that rabbits can hurt piggies, so a careful eye is needed, but the guinea pigs do have somewhere to hide in there and the rabbit was lonely. Keeping small animals has given me a lot more understanding about them, it’s inevitable that you learn about your pet. And the love I feel for them is satisfied when they show happy body language and interact with me.
Columbia, the oldest guinea pig (over 6) and least healthy (cancer) is showing happy ears as she attacks Tex’s food dish, picking out all the best bits. When I let the piggies into Tex’s run outside they shave all the grass down, leaving none for him. Such good little trencher women…reflected in the fact that Carmina, my third piggie (one year old), needs to go on a diet. The difficulty there is that I’m trying to get Columbia to eat more. Because of the cancer and resulting problems she is just skin and bone, despite a genuine appetite for food. You can feel the bones in her spine when you cuddle and stroke her, and my fingers snag on her jutting out hip bones. So I worry dreadfully and make sure she has plenty of nice fresh veg, dried food, hay, dried grass…you get the picture! Carmina’s tummy was dragging on the floor at the start of the summer - now she’s a better shape, nicely piggie, but more exercise is the only answer. Hence the run inside - with wire fences - on tiling unfortunately but you can’t have everything. My husband calls it the deathtrap conservatory now!
Carmina has heaved her tubby little shape into Tex’s cage and got stuck! Having investigated thoroughly she wants out again and is weebling - excuse me.
Carmina likes to lick Tex’s ears, Columbine and Tex encourage each other to run around and Tex likes to lie with his nose in Columbia’s side, just behind her elbow, in exactly the same way as little Columbine does. Carmina has become Columbine’s mother, bossing her about, guarding her and watching for trouble when they’re outside, shooing her indoors if needed and making sure she does the right thing despite Columbine’s pathetic high pitched weebles. This means that Columbine sticks close to Caarmina, nose to her bottom following her when outside sometimes. Columbia was Carmina’s mother, just the same when Carmina was new here, and Columbia likes to follow Tex. So, occasionally, they all make a brilliant train - Tex, Columbia, Carmina and Columbine, nose to bottom moving together. This did confuse Tex terribly at first, but I think he’s simply accepted it now. Interesting how one species will get used to the behaviour patterns of another and accomodate it.
I’m a secondary science teacher, taking a break from teaching due to recovering from an op. So I do like to observe and remember detail - sorry if I seem a bit pedantic or fussy sometimes. We can’t have children so I dote on my animals and try very hard to understand their body language and ‘happy’ times. I’m certain hamsters and mice make noises we can’t hear, I’m fairly certain the larger small animals do too. I just have to go by whatever I can personally observe.
Tex has found the open door to the piggies cage and gone in, curiosity in every line of his body. My next job this morning is to clean that out, then the hamster cages. This could be interesting - cleaning out the piggies while Tex wanders around….. Silly little Columbine is trying to eat through the bars right next to the open door…there is no satisfying some piggies! She doesn’t look distressed however, her ears are up and her manner is determined. Maybe she’s enjoying the twanging noises she’s making.
Ho hum. Now to do cleaning. Ahab the hamster thinks the disinfectant bottle is another hamster because it makes a hissing noise. So he’ll get annoyed, hissy himself, and then all masculine, excited and quivery. It’s a good job he likes people and doesn’t bite! He always thinks he’s won because the hissing noises do go away…..so it’s probably good for him!
Sarah