Vote for your favorite Thanksgiving pigture

Happy Thanksgiving Day

On behalf of all the Piggyfriends and their Slave, Agent Curly ( and friend ) would like to wish all of our friends across the ocean a Very Happy Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving From Newest Misfit Ava and Special Guest AR

Meet the newest Misfit her name is Ava, and AR was here to welcome her. She was brought to the IA humane society by her family. They told the Humane society that she was 4 years old and they were moving and couldn't take her with. She is a very scared girl. She is also pregnant! When we were there to pick out some cat toys for my daughters new cat, we just had to look in the small animal room and there she was scared to death. Andy picked her up and said she is pregnant! we just cant leave her here in this place to have her babies. We do not know anything else about her. Thus she is a mystery to us.. We do not know is she has had babies before or anything. We don't know what kind of food she has eaten before as she wont touch the pellets. (at humane she only had hay!) We have no idea how far along she is. You can feel her sides protrude. And its a mystery how many piggies are in her.



Well done Misfits you must love having minipigs around lol. We love Ava's go faster stripe.

We are going to have a side game like we did for Agent Momma and guess how many minipigs Ava has in her tummy we are going 3, 2 girls and a boy.

Now get sending in your Thanksgiving pigtures we are waiting.

Idea for an Undercover guinea pigs calendar?

Dear readers,

I've had the idea to maybe make a calendar featuring some of our Agent piggies.
With the small profit we would make, we could make a guinea pig shelter happy,
by donating our profit to one selected shelter....
As some of you might know my sister Janneke and I made a calendar of GPDD piggies back in 2008.
It is probably still online, and can be found here: http://www.gpdd.org/calendar
Send us an email for the password...
The idea for the undercover guinea pigs calendar is to order calendars at a printing company, so we will not completely style the calendar as we did for the 2008 GPDD calendar.

But before I start executing my Idea I need your help!
First of all I want to know if you would buy the Calendar at all.
I think a price of 12,50 euro plus Postage an package, should cover the costs and leave some money to donate to a shelter. Is this a reasonable price for you? If not would you buy one for 10 euros??

Then I need your permission for actually using the Pigtures of your agents in the Calendar.
I think it will be easiest if you leave a comment to this post stating:
"I, [insert name], give M and Mieke of the Undercover Guinea Pigs blog permission to use the pictures of my Agent(s), [names of your agents] for a Undercover guinea pigs Calendar."

I'm very curious what your reactions will be!!

Yours truly,
one of the bloggers on the Undercover Guinea Pigs blog,
Mieke

Hay Solutions: Vertical hay rack

This time a special guest post from our fellow agents of the Cali Cavy Collective:

(see the original post here)

Hay is an essential staple of every guinea pig's diet, and should be available for your piggy to munch on freely at all times. One of the things an owner has to decide is how to give hay to their guinea pig. Whee here at the Cali Cavy Collective have experimented with many different methods of hay dispensing and would like to share our experiences with each method.

Revy munching hay from her vertical hay rack

A vertical hay rack is our humans most recent solution to dispensing hay. Ours is a simple DIY version made from bent C&C grids, coroplast and zip ties. It is secured onto the side of the cage with a large binder clip for easy removal.

Whee rather like using vertical hay racks. The one our humans made for us has a coroplast backing and bottom to catch small hay flecks and keep our fleece bedding cleaner. They came up with this idea after seeing the angled hay racks sold at pet stores which they disliked because bits of hay would fall in our piggy eyes. With a vertical hay rack, hay is shoved in through the top so this doesn't happen. Since it is reasonably good sized it can hold a lot of hay at once for your piggy to eat. We can choose to eat from the bottom, or put our paws on the sides of the rack and climb it to reach choice strands. An extra bonus is that this encourages more exercise. Best of all, it keeps us from going potty in the hay so there is no icky odor.

Of course, the vertical hay rack may not be ideally suited for all piggies - lazier guinea pigs might not be motivated to climb or eat from it, we assume this is also true for sickly pigs. It is possible that elderly pigs might not appreciate the extra effort involved to reach the hay. Also, some adventurous pigs could decide to knock down their hay rack - Belka loves to shove it aside and hide behind it, while Revy enjoys tipping it on its side!

So far, we have found that vertical hay racks are the solution that works best for us. Whether you decide this method is best for your piggy though is entirely up to you!

Filled with hay

Front of the vertical hay rack

Coroplast backing of the vertical hay rack

Filled with hay

Revy climbs to reach a tasty strand up top

...and yanks it out!

Piggies aren't supposed to go in the hay rack!

Vertical Hay Rack - Pros
- no odor
- encourages more exercise, can climb it
- vertical design so hay doesn't get in our eyes
- catches hay flecks, keeping the fleece bedding cleaner
- can hold a lot of hay at once

Vertical Hay Rack - Cons
- elderly, ill, or lazy piggies might not be motivated to eat from it
- adventurous pigs can knock it down

Igor's PLAY - Guinea pigs

This time THE indispensable guinea pig accessory! This is suitable for every event; whether you give a wheeking concert, go for dinner, are lounging or running laps around your cage, everything is more fun with two of you (or more).

What is it?

        Concept: an other cavy, just like you.
        Material: Yes, what kind of silly question is this? Hair, teeth, nails, ears and lots of poos.
        Do-it-Yourself-factor?: Ow help, another one...*swallow*...well, if a guinea pig dad and a guinea pig mommy like each other.. *coughcough*
I think I will explain this differently. As future guinea pig owner (slave) you have several options. For all options this applies: take a close look at the guinea pigs condition(s). Is the cage clean? Are food bowls, hay and water clean and at hand? No males and females together? Because if that is the case, there is a big chance the females are pregnant, guinea pigs are fertile from their 4th wheek. There should also be no rabbits together with the guinea pigs. That is not good, we speak a different language. We need different feed and guinea pigs can accidentally be kicked by rabbits. Also watch the guinea pigs themselves, are they active? Are their eyes and coat shining? If that is not the case it’s your choice. Saving the guinea pigs is not a bad thing to do. Do realise you stimulate the owner to continue his practices. I will shortly discuss the options.
        The shelter: the number one of options! There are many sweet guinea pigs in shelters waiting for a loving care taker. Some shelter pigs are a bit more scared because they have experienced some things, but most of us have been cuddled a lot by the sweet volunteers and we all deserve a chance. The volunteers usually have a lot of experience in pairing up and medical problems. My slave is very satisfied with the aftercare she has received from my shelter.
        Pet shop: I think most guinea pigs come from pet shops. When they are taken care of in a proper manner, i don’t think that is a problem. Not all pet shops are very informed about what guinea pigs need. And guinea pigs from a pet shop are not stronger or better then pigs from a shelter.
        Breeder: Breeders usually have very pretty cavies of a certain kind. Good breeders have a lot of love for their guinea pigs and lots of knowledge about them. At these breeders guinea pigs have 1 or 2 litters a year and only when they are more then a certain weight. When you want this pay attention that the breeder really has a heart for his or her animals and doesn't just breed them.
        Home-bred litters: Sometimes guinea pigs are born at home. That can be possible when the pet shop hasn’t sold you two sows or two boars or if the owner chooses for that. If you are one of these people, make sure you will find potential new owners in advance and keep in mind that if you cannot find anyone that you will have to take care of them anyway. There is also a certain risk involved. Sometimes the mommies do not survive. And the vet bills can run up high.

Variations:

        Two or more sows: Sows are relatively easy to be paired up. Herds of sows are quite common (make sure you have enough space). Sometimes there is some bitching among them, but usually this will not get out of control.
        One adult guinea pig with a little one of the same sex: this way of pairing up has a pretty good chance of success. When Yaya and Suus where little ones and joined the Winky gang, Lotje’s maternal instincts were awoken and she has lovingly raised them. Do keep in mind that when the little one reaches adulthood, there can still be a struggle for power.
        Two boars: Two boars together can sometimes be harder. When they fight they are often a little bit more aggressive then sows. But to speak in Jan the Boar’s words there are so many sweet boars in shelters, give them a chance. More boars is even harder and is not advised (but not impossible). When you have a pair of boars, it is unwise to expose them to sows. Then they can still start to fight at the scent of sows. But boars can be put together, see: barmy boars My slave has a weakness for boars. According to her they are just a little bit sweeter and more human oriented. I do not have any scientific proof for that… but I secretly think so too ;)
        One boar with one or more sows: Boars are extremely convenient to put in with a group of sows, in order to keep the peace among them. Of course only castrated boars (helped-boars).
        Cage neighbours: When you do not succeed in pairing them up, this is always an option. See it this way: maybe you are not waiting for a cage mate who eats your veggies, but having a nice chat through the cage bars makes your day just a little bit less boring.

Target audience?

Apart from the occasional hermit guinea pig, this is fun for every guinea pig. Eating together, sleeping, wheeking, fight about veggies, exploring the room together..

Dangerous?:

The most dangerous are the introductions. That is not always easy (I know everything about that, right Suus? Make sure you do this gradually. When someone puts an utter stranger in your living room, you would not like that either. My slave has used the instructions on this website when Suus and me were hard to match: Introductions. We had a bath together, brrr.

User experiences?

        Suus: I love doing racing matches with my cage mates. Of course they should listen to me because I am the alpha pig. Yaya is like my sister. We do bicker sometimes, but I can’t do without her. Igor is cool. Those curls are very comfy to sleep on..
        Yaya: I like all guinea pigs! I have never met one that I did not like. I loved auntie Lotje. When we were introduce I liked her so much I started washing her ears straight away.
        Igor: In the beginning Suus and I did not get on so well. That wasn’t my fault! Because with a boar like Hercules (?), which is presumably harder, it went perfect. Well it just tells us that matching characters are also important when pairing up, not just age and sex. But Suus and I have put our differences aside and now I follow her around everywhere. Suus is such a daredevil, she dares to do anything. I think that is cool.

Mystery Agent Star

Real Name? Guess it! It's a star sort of name...
Secret Agent Name? Agent Cheeky
Why did you chose your Secret Agent Name? Mum said I was a cute but cheeky boy...
Where do you live? In my hutch
Who do you live with? Mika...
Favourite Food? hmm... hard desition, I love my food mix, carrots, cerlary, broccoli, capsicum (bell pepper) and Oaten hay but I'll have to say... PARSLEY!!!
Favourite Hobby? either hogging the cuddle sack, playing tag with Mika around owners room or chewing up the bits I'm not supposed to chew/bite on my cage...
Favourite Toy? celary chew things

Gentleman Jack is a Winner

Check out this years Wessing Photgraphic Portrait Prize Winner

Well done Gentleman Jack.

New Agents

Real Name: Woody

Secret Agent Name: Agent Otter

Why did you chose your Secret Agent Name: Mummy says I look like an otter, what is an otter?

Where do you live? In my pod.

Who do you live with? With my mummy, my Lady, my beloved Boomer, Starbuck and my new friend. I was adopted by my new family after not having a very nice start in life.

Favourite Food? Red pepper.

Favourite Hobby? Being cuddled by my Mummy, purring at other pigs.

Favourite Toy? Cardboard rolls which I destroy in a manly way.

Real Name? You all have to guess. My full name has three words, I am named after the lead male character in a recently ended long-running television series. The first word in my name is a title awarded by the Queen and my second name is a diminutive of Henry. 

Secret Agent Name? Thames

Why did you chose your Secret Agent Name? The river often features in the television programme.

Where do you live? Too close to that idiot Otter

Who do you live with? See previous answer.

Favourite Food? I do something of a fondness for hay.

Favourite Hobby? Attempting to ignore Otter, looking inscrutable.

Favourite Toy? My pigloo, I like to reject the toys Lady buys us in favour of cardboard rolls, this helps to remind her who is boss. ME.

Mystery Agent Ted

Meet Agent Ted. He looks suspiciously like Agent Curly but is not! This
enables them to pull off some secret missions together. In addition to being
a secret agent, Agent Ted's hobbies include eating his favorite food,
parsley, keeping in shape by running stairs, and pining after the 4
beautiful sows next door.







Agent Ted's real name is the same as one of the boys from the Narnia stories with an extra T added in somewhere........get guessing

Vote for the Halloween piggie!

You can vote for your favorite Halloween piggie pigture! Fill in the poll below, you can vote until November 7th (midnight, CET)
We hope you all join in on deciding who is our favorite Halloween piggie!