Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Perfect Pinkies; Coco

Our Coco was selected by the late Igor himself because of her gentle nature and charming looks. She is a real sweetheart, always washing somebody's ears or snuggling next to them.

Coco's first encounter with auntie Mieke
Coco loves to cuddle with humans too. Just give her a lap and she will spread out like a big puddle of piggy hair.

flump
Our Coco is also a little fashionista, her favorite accessory is parsley because it matches her eyes ;-)

Strike a pose

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Friday, January 27, 2012

Introducing Agent Zeppelin

This is Agent Zeppelin, he lives in the Netherlands and has featured on this blog before.

He was named after a famous guitarist from a famous band. His agent name refers to this band (and it also fits because agent Zeppelin is a big LAPS pig, just like a.. zeppelin)

Get guessing!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

3 More wall calendars in stock & nominate your favorite Guinea pig shelter!

Hi all,

I just wanted to let you all know that 17 calendars have been sold, and we have made a nice profit on this to be donated to a guinea pig shelter! (I will have to do the maths, so can't give you an exact number at the moment... sorry)

So you can all send in your suggestions for your favorite Guinea pig shelter, one that is near you, or one that you feel is special, or one that could use a little help from us all. Please motivate why you think they should get our donation.
We will then make a poll for this and let people vote on where to send our donation.

I also want to let you know if you haven't bought a calendar yet, you can still do so by filling out the form. You can get to the form by clicking on the link in the text in the right column below the picture of the calendar.
I currently have 3 wall calendars in stock which can be send to you immediately for the price of the desk calendar (i.e. 12,50 euro, about 16.15 dollars) plus the cost for shipping it to your country from the Netherlands. Desk calendars can be ordered as well, but will have to be printed first, so they might take somewhat longer.
See the preview of the calendars here.

So let us know if you want to order (another) calendar
 & please suggest a shelter that could use our donation in the comments!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Winkyteam First Aid Kit

After visiting the piggyfriends, I was kinda worried about our first aid kit. So I asked J to let me take a peek at it (this is not for the faint of heart, I sat next to nail clippers and shampoo..)

Yikes!

I was not disappointed, and actually feel much safer now (did put in an order for products that weren't past their shelf date). This is what I found:

Medicine
- Painkiller
- Antibiotics leftover. Usually used for Yaya's bladder infections. But always good for emergencies
- Primperan for bloat/gas emergencies

Tools
- an assortment of syringes for force feeding recovery food
- nail clippers
- an animal shaving machine. Once used for grandma's poodle, later for Igor
- the snuggle safe heat pad. A plastic disc that can be heated in the micro wave and stays warm for about 8 hours. Used a lot by Yaya (for the OD) 

Care
- recovery food, both critical care and science recovery to suit our taste (yes we are spoilt)
- probiotics (protexin powder) to help the healthy bacteria in our bowels . Usually administered a few ours after antibiotics
- shampoo for both mites and fungal infections. We use the Knoevel products (manuka neem shampoo with cocos neem) but they actually come from Gorgeous Guineas
- Paxcutol, for cleaning the accidental overactive butt gland (you can also use dish washing stuff, but we are spoilt pigs)
- betadine shampoo. Good for disinfecting pigs. Used for rinsing Jan the Boar's abscess after it burst
- granny Glynis' blanky. For wrapping unruly pigs when they need to be force fed (also good for snuggling)

Okay readers, this was dr. Sjeuff, reporting from the trenches. It there are any other pigs out there are willing to share their first aid kit, drop me a line below ;-)

Friday, January 13, 2012

Happy Birthday Agent Nervous




Our very own Agent Nervous is celebrating a big birthday, he is now 5 years old.

Being 5 means he qualifies to join the Senior Citizen Aging Miracle Pig Society also known as SCAMPS

Congratulations Agent Nervous!!!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Hammock Happiness Interrupted

Just when you are having a nice dream in your hammock... 

*zzzzzzzzz*
*zzzzzzzzzzzz*

Your staff sneaks up on you and takes a pigture.. 

FLASH!

Whut?
Got nom?
Sigh..

Sounds familiar?

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Introducting Agent Yougie

Hello agents! I am an one-year-old red crested piggy and I love yogurt treats. I was adopted and live with two other agents, Agent Butterloaf and Agent Cannonball. I am still learning how to live with other piggies. Right now I shake my bottom a lot at the other agents. I love yougies!! They are a timothy hay treat covered in yogurt. I taught the other agents how to stand on their hind legs to beg for yougies. I am trying hard to get yougies all the time but it's not working. I am also trying to put on weight but I run around so much that it's hard! If only I was given yougies all the time...!

Jimmy is a LAPS pig!

1383 grams!
Our friend Jimmy from the Gekke Flappies recently became a LAPS pig. Hurray! Go Jimmy, well done.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Piggyfriends' First Aid Kit

After my last blogpost, I jumped into the cavycopter to interview the Piggyfriends about their first aid kit. After a generous meal (I now have a secret crush on miss Penny, their slave) the Piggyfriends nominated Pandora aka Agent Avatar, to answer my questions as she is spokespig for the herd when they send messages to the GPDD.
Pandora aka Agent Avatar
(Sjeuf) Before we jump into the Piggyfriends' first aid kit, Pandora, can you tell me a bit more about the Piggyfriends?

(Pandora) Well, I need Slave's help with this one. She says that she had the very first Piggyfriends when she was a little girl ( a VERY long time ago ). The first one came from a litter born to the pet shop lady's Peruvian sow, Lima and the second was passed on to her from her spoilt brat cousin's dad, when the girl would not look after him. There were no piggy rescues in those far off days so I guess that he was the first rescued one. When Slave and her family moved here in 1987, she had six of her own plus the Little Visitors that came to live here during the times when her friend was overseas and also her sons' school piggies that boarded every weekend and holidays. There was plenty of room here to rescue more so she did.

Slave never counts us as she says that it reminds her of lost Piggyfriends. I can't count very high but there are between 20 and 30 of us. Slave says that once she had 35. There is always room for one more.

(Sjeuf) what are the most common piggy ailments?

(Pandora) The worst piggy ailments must be skin problems, particularly mites but we are all protected by regular doses of Ivermectin and Panacur to kill mites and other parasites (tip: worming protocol). Sometimes piggies come in with mite infestations and they are very poorly. Fungal issues are also problem in cold, damp climates like ours in England as piggies originally came from the dry climate of South America.

(Sjeuf) What kind of medicine really really ought to be in the case?

(Pandora) Our Slave has a huge amount of piggy medicine in two overflowing boxes. I think that Ivermectin and Panacur are the most important drugs plus an antifungal and antiparasite shampoo. Slave has Vet Sect Repel. She has painkillers and human cold remedies, which suit piggies too. There are decongestants for bunged up noses plus a bottle of Septrin antibiotic - the best one for piggies. There is a bottle of tonic for when we need a pick me up and a human ladies' remedy for cystitis. There are meds for upset tummies and diarrhoea and Daktarin oral gel for sore mouths after dental work. She has eye drops and a cream to help wounds heal faster. She has Osteocare and a cream for mouth sores ( just in case ).

(Sjeuf) Lets talk tools! What do you really need, next to the drugs?

(Pandora) Tools? A good, sharp pair of nail clippers. Slave has a pair for human nails and she also uses these for overgrown incisors. Not for the faint hearted. Also a lot of 1ml. syringes with no needles for giving meds. With the ends cut off, these are for syringe feeding sick piggies too. Plus good sharp scissors for haircuts for our long haired friends. I don't need these. If she did not have the services of our wonderful Rodentologists, she would have a set of dental equipment too. Also there is a box of cotton buds for swabbing the Daktarin around little mouths.

(Sjeuf) Are there other essential items we've not mentioned yet and ought to be in the first aid kit?

(Pandora) Slave considers all of the contents to be essential but she says that you need to know what you are doing before giving meds.

(Sjeuf) So let's say I'm making a deluxe first aid kit, what else would you put into my kit?

(Pandora) Slave wouldn't be without a diuretic for heart conditions. She also recommends that every first aid kit should contain a copy of Peter Gurney's Piggy Potions. She is very keen on herbal remedies.

(Sjeuf) Wow, Pandora, that was really helpfull, thank you so much for having me here!

Dear readers, I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I did and got some ideas out of this. If you have any questions, post them below, I'm sure the Piggyfriends will be reading this and are willing to answer them.


Lots of wheeks!
Sjeuf

p.s. I added all the hyperlinks to the websites for extra information. Do correct me if I got it wrong or pasted a dead link into this post.
p.p.s. as stated in the sidebar, we are not vets and no rights can be claimed from this blogpost. If your guinea pig seems to be unwell, please seek out medical advise from a cavy-savy vet. Pigs can go downhill very fast.

Monday, January 2, 2012

New Years Resolutions

Tell your slaves not to worry about their weight (big butts are the best anyway) and replace their New Years resolutions with these resolutions for my health:

1. Weigh me frequently and keep track of my weight. We are very good at hiding our illnesses and a drop in weight usually is the first sign something is wrong

2. Check my fur every now and then. Are there bald patches? Creepy crawlies? Wet chin?

3. Trim my nails! I know I don't like it, but if you wait too long I'll get corkscrew nails, which can be very painfull.

So, this is our top 3. Which resolutions would you like to add?

Dr. Sjeuff

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Vote for your favorite Pigmas piggies




You can vote until Sylvester night (31 december 2011 23:59 CET)

Links to all the Pigmas posts:
Flower
Misfits: Agents Tiny and Addytude
Agents Ghost & Iron Hamster
Piggyfriends: Agents Firenze & Mystery
(uncooperative) Guinygirlz
Agents Butterloaf, Cannonball and New Agent
Cali Cavy Collective (Merry Pigmas)
Cali Cavy collective (More Christmas greetings)
Tasty Pigmas

Sunday, December 25, 2011

We wish you a tasty Pigmas

We wish you a tasty Pigmas from the Netherlands! The guiny girlz are staying over at our house, while moms and dad are racing through the Netherlands, visiting grannies, grandads, uncle Rik and friends. Our Pigmas is extra special this year because we have a new boar. His name is Sjeuf, which is a local name from the south of the Netherlands. You can pronounce it like 'shuv', it's short (and dialect) for Joseph. Which is kinda appropriate this time of the year ;-)
Love and Wheeps, Coco and Bo

Coco and Bo enjoying chicory with new addition Sjeuf

A dreamy white Pigmas with Lily, Daisy, Chico and Woopy
nom nom nom
Full bellies, happy piggy faces
Hey mom and dad! *wave*

More Christmas Greetings from the Cali Collective
















Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Pigmas from the Cali Collective








Hello,


Agents Pirate, Magician, Godiva, Acorn and Mango want to wish everybody a very merry Pigmas! Wishing that everypiggy gets heaps of vegetables and cuddles this holiday season.

Merry Pigmas

Merry Pigmas from Agent Butterloaf, Agent Cannonball, and a new Agent that has yet to decide on his super secret agent name (new agent is the red crested piggy)!

Merry Pigmas from the (uncooperative) Guinygirlz

I tried to get some nice Xmas pigtures of my little herd together but they weren't very cooperative...

I did get some nice shots from individual pigs so I'll post those

lil'Woop next to the christmas stable
(I like it because you can burn a candle in it, and it is nice an small)

Daisy in her cutest pose next to the christmas tree

Agent Wheeker

Agent Valentino

lil'Woop peeking out
Lily'explorer peeking over the christmas ornaments...

In the rest of the pigtures they were mostly wrecking the props...
Btw, this is the base of their new cage (will be a 1,22 by 1,22 meter cage :)

Life's hard sometimes for slaves with uncooperative pigs, but I hope you like these single shots!

Slave Mieke

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Igor's PLAY - Baskets



*Yawn* .. a very relaxed PLAY-project this time.. gotta love my job..





What is it?
Concept: A nice and cuddly object to lounge in.


Material: Fabric and stuffing. Preferably with a thick edge to put your head on.

Application: Climb in your basket and start relaxing.. Drape your neckflabs (if present) over the edge, eyes in sleeping position…dream away about carrots and Mavis..

Do-it-yourself-factor?: This is actually something you buy in a pet shop. But my favourite basket has been handmade by auntie Guiny's slave. I don’t know how she was able to get it so comfortable. Sowing a basket like that is something for the more advanced sewing slave.

Variations: Yes of course you can lounge extremely well in a basket, but they have more uses. I myself use it as a toilet. I happen to think this is very hygienic of me, since my slave only has to scoop out the poos and the cage stays nice and clean (if only the ladies would understand this.. *sigh*). It is also makes a nice hayrack, this way you can have a snack while studying for a master's degree in Piggin' out..

Target audience?:

First and foremost, it is intended for the lazy cavies among us. Yes okay, you can eat from it (as suggested above).. but I have a feeling our slave hides the hay just about everywhere nowadays. Not that I mind, by the way ;-)

Dangerous?:


No, not really. Even our wrecker Yaya hasn't done anything dangerous with this. It has no sharp edges and we don't eat it. Our slave can leave the basket in the cage without supervision.

User experiences?:


(Yaya): Yes lovely! The only thing missing are MORE baskets. That way Suus or Igor would not need to kick me out when I am lounging comfortably. The baskets are also very comfy for my painful paws (because of my OD ); it's even better with a snuggle safe or a flat hot water bag below it, to keep me and my bones nice and warm.

(Suus): Yes, the basket is also a lot of fun for under the hammock (I call that setup the bunk bed). It feels just a bit safer with a roof over your head and it sure is funny bouncing your cagemates out of the hammock from underneath *evil grin*.


Well dear pigs, that’s it for now. I’m going back to my basket, and continue to study comfortably.


Professor Igor


Saturday, December 17, 2011

Igor's PLAY - FoodBall



....in the forward line we see Igor.. front right is Suus doing a give and go with midfield player Yaya and skillfully passes the ball to Igor the terrible.. Igor accepts the ball perfectly .. oooh.. he makes an overhead kick and.. WHEEEEEEEK!!!! IGOR SCORES A CARROTPELLET!!

What is it?

Concept:Playing Foodball is playing with a special ball with yummies inside.
Material: You need a foodball. This is a ball made of plastic with a little sliding window in it. With this little window you can determine the size of the hole. You also need something Yummie that will fit inside. We prefer to use pellets from a different brand than our daily pellets. They are tasty and healthy. There is also special candy for guinea pigs for sale that you can use. Allthough this is a possiblity, these snacks tend to be too salty and unhealthy. Usually you are allowed to have two of them (a day), but this is not very practical when you are foodballing with a whole team. Unfortunately veggies are also not suitable; they stick and can leave bits behind in the foodball that go bad.

Application: Your slave should put something tasty in the ball and then lay it on the floor. Then the game is on!! You push the ball with your nose which will make it start rolling. If you do this right, the pellets ought to fall out of the ball every now and then. I have to say, this is not easy! If there's no pig around to show you how, it can take a while before you understand how to play this game. Luckily, I learned from Suus and Yaya, who in their turn, learned from Auntie Guiny (who else ;-) ).

Do-it-yourself-factor?: Not that high; the ball has to be bought in a pet shop. But it is possible to make one yourself. Your slave has to buy a little plastic bottle in the supermarket and empty it. Then she can cut some holes in it with scissors. Add pellets and there you go! (your slave does have to make sure that we cannot hurt ourselves)
Variations: You can do this as a team or solo. Your slave can also put boxes on the floor so you can manoeuver the ball through.

Target audience?

This is certainly something for the intellectuel cavy. Auntie Guiny was always very good at getting the ball out of small corners when it got stuck. Because there are yummies inside, it is also very suitable for the food oriented guinea pigs. And because you also get some excerise it is also a challenge for the sporty cavies among you.

Dangerous?

No, not really. Although I must insist that supervision of your slave is neccesary, you'll never know what we'll come up with. And besides, it is also very entertaining to watch, especially for daddy slaves.

 
User experiences?

Suus: Really cool game! Although it helps if slaves make sure we do not run out of pellets. It is very challenging to get the pellets out of the ball before your team mates. By the way, I always play for the Netherlands.. I'm already wearing orange socks..
Yaya: When slave introduced the ball again I was the only one who could remember how to play Foodball! Hahhah.. Good huh? ;-)

(Igor): Well guinea pigs that's it for this wheek. I will go grab a carrot beer for the third half. *snigger*.. *stagger*.. Laaalala Blaaaaack pants, Ooorange shirt, thaaaaat is the Winky herd. Holahee dee holala...hooolahee dee hoo laalaalaa...*


Professor Igor


*This is actually the song (in adapted form) that the fans of a soccer club from a small dutch village sing to encourage their team. Our slaves were born in this village and accidentely, Igors furcolors match their gear





Thursday, December 15, 2011

Small preview of the Undercover Guinea Pigs Calendar 2012

Today I ordered the first Calendars we are selling.
The profit we make will be donated to a Guinea Pig Shelter.
Here's a small preview of how the standard desk calendar will look:

You can however also order a wall calendar, which is bigger and unfortunately also more expensive (20 euros)! The first 5 orderers will get this version for the low price of the desk calendar (if they want to, of course). The wall calendar looks like this:

You can still order the calendar from us, you can do so by filling in the form that can be found here.

Feel free to order as many as you like, or notify your friends about this calendar!

Kind regards,
Mieke