Bonveda's Blog

Day 1: My name is Scooter. I'm a guinea pig - or cavy, if you prefer. I got a new owner today. Kristen and her family came and rescued me from the shelter and took me home. The car ride was a little scary. It's my first day here, and I still feel a little nervous. But I feel a little calmer here in the corner of her bedroom right now.

Day 2: This cage felt pretty cozy after that nerve-racking car ride home. But now it's starting to feel a little cramped. It's one of those commercial cages - my friends at the shelter used to call them "pet store cages." It's pretty small. It would be like a human living their entire life in their bathroom. Ever try to exercise in a bathroom? I had better watch what I eat. (Fat chance... I'm a pig.)

Day 3: I got a new gift today. My humans bought me a nest box. Now that's what I call cozy! I love just being in there. It makes me feel safe. I overheard my humans say that I feel protected in here because of something called "instinct". Supposedly, when my ancestors lived in the wild they always tended to hide under things because they were at the bottom of the food chain. I wonder what a food chain is... It sounds pretty tasty.

Day 4: As I look around, this is not so bad -- food's good. And Kristen and her family seem to like me. It's much quieter here than it was at the shelter. In fact, it's a little too quiet. I feel like I'm always up here all alone in Kristen's bedroom and there's never anyone else around. And I still love my nest box - when I'm in it. But when I go outside... Well... Remember when I said it would be like a human living in their bathroom? Well that's still how it feels - except someone just put a refrigerator in here with me.

Day 5: I'm starting to miss my guinea pig friends from the shelter. Sure, Kristen comes in once in awhile. But she never stays more than about five or ten minutes - and I'm afraid these visits will get even shorter as my "newness" wears off. As I think about it, if I have to stay in here alone, I'd rather be downstairs with my human family so I could at least get to know them.

Day 6: Kristen comes in less often than she did at first. And I used to love it when she picked me up and scratched me behind the ears... or stroked my nose. But now she just looks. It seems like it's gotten to be too much trouble to open the "roof" of my cage for just a short visit. I miss the touching.

Day 7: What's "research"? I overheard my humans today say they were going to do some research on "healthy guinea pigs". They said I don't look very happy. How would they know? I don't really see them that much.

Day 8: I overheard my humans talking again today about buying some sort of cage. I wonder what for? I sure hope they're not getting a cat! They said they visited several pet stores today but couldn't find a cage that was even close to being big enough. And they also said they all cost "an arm and a leg". Boy, humans sure have some funny currency.

Day 9: I heard a lot of excitement downstairs this evening. Apparently a large package arrived today. I heard them say that after they couldn't find a suitable cage in the store, they went someplace called "the internet" and bought something called a C&C or Cubes and Coroplast cage. Apparently, it's a very popular type of cage for guinea pigs and rabbits that you can only find at "the internet" because it's not a manufactured cage. It's generally a hand-built or cottage-industry type of thing. I heard the human father say, "It sure is a lot of cage for the money!" The family sure sounds like it's having a lot of fun putting it together as a family project. I sure wish I was down there.

Day 10: I'm in heaven. I'm in my new cage - and I'm downstairs so I can be with the family all the time. And, best of all, my humans got me a new friend - Pepper. We love it here in our new C&C cage - lots of room to run - and there's plenty of room for two nest boxes - one for each of us. Now this cage doesn't happen to have a "roof" so my humans can easily have lots of contact with the both of us. I guess if we had a cat, we would have gotten one with a roof - but we don't. I like this better. And the very best thing is Pepper! She's still a baby and she's a girl. I like that. It makes me happy. I overheard my humans say they were going to take me to get neutered next week. I have no idea what that is. I sure hope it's fun.

When choosing a cage for your guinea pigs, be sure to use the lessons Scooter has taught us:

1. Guinea pigs are social creatures. Be sure to house at least two guinea pigs together.
2. Make sure your cage is large enough. Two guinea pigs require at least 6-7 square-feet of living space.
3. Give your guinea pigs a shelter or nest box - something to hide under. It makes them feel secure.
4. If your house is free of "domestic predators" (most notably cats and toddlers) consider a pen or cage with no lid. Not only will this encourage more interaction with your guinea pigs, it will take much of the hassle out of chores like feeding the guinea pigs and cleaning the cage.
5. Don't isolate your guinea pig. Make them a part of your family. Pigs are fun! Place them in an area where the family can interact with them. You'll be glad you did.