PLAY: Hammocks

In Memory of Agent I, we'd like to repeat all the PLAYs (Piggies Like Activities and Yummies) Professor Igor wrote before he became an undercover agent. Unfortunately all of the piggies in this PLAY have crossed the rainbow bridge by now.. But as former owner of these piggies I love looking at their pigtures.

PLAY 1: Hammocks

This wheek I evaluated hammocks for you guys. I must admit, hammocks turned out to be an extraordinary versatile and interesting study object.

Agent I inspecting the hammock

I asked my slave to put up the hammock in my cage and have been studying it thoroughly. There was also a lot of photo material in the archives, I did not want to deprive you guys of that..

What is it?
Concept: Hammocks are little mats in which you can hang around. It is a square cloth, raised a little above the ground and you can lie comfortably in it.

Material: My hammock is made of fleece. Hmm..nice and soft. But it is also possible to find or make hammocks made out of other materials. Small towels..... pieces of fabric. Nowadays my slave usually makes a hammock with a bottom made out of fabric to which no sawdust will stick, and the top made of a softer fabric like fleece. Attached to the mat are cords which can be attached to the cage bars. These can be made of fabric, but there are also mats available that have little chains.

Application: Your slave should first set up your hammock. There are several ways of doing this. First of all, your slave can attach the hammock to the ceiling of the cage. My slave usually ties the hammock cords to the side cage bars or she ties them around the bottom part (knot underneath the cage, against the floor) and then puts the cage bars on top. Choose whatever you and your slave finds convenient and pending on the possibilities of your cage. The knot-around-the-cage-method is ideal for cages with a plastic top. But this will not work when the cords are too short. When the mat has been installed, us guineas can get to work. Climb on the hammock (that can be quite a challenge! :-D) and relax.. lie down like a true pig.. ehm did I just say that? I meant start studying for you masters degree in piggin' out.. But be careful of cage mates that will try to bounce you out of your hammock.

Top left: Suus, Top right: Yaya and Jan, Bottom left: Lotje,

Yaya and Guiny, Bottom right: Suus and Yaya

Variations

Other applications of a hammock include; a nice place to study under, or as food storage. Every guinea will appreciate an extra roof above his or her head. And eating from it, is quite a challenge. Imagine balancing while everyone in your cage is pushing and pulling, trying to nibble from the veggies or hay. Ah well.. a little cavy exercise, there's nothing wrong with that, right?

Do it Yourself factor?

Top left: Lotje, all other pigtures: Suus

It is very convenient when your slave knows how to handle a sewing machine. Because if she can, it is just a matter of sewing a square rag and attach the cords to it. For the less gifted slaves, guest towels are ideal (tie shoelaces or something else to the corners and there you go). Slaves can also buy hammocks in a store. There is loads to be found on the internet and some pet stores sell hammocks. If you cannot find any, try looking for ferret toys, the ferret section usually contains some nice hammocks!

Variations
There are also hammocks with pockets in them. These are very comfurrtable. There's the oven mitt model, with an opening in the side But there is also a model with an opening in the middle. The one Lotje is showing on the pigture has boning in it, in order to keep it open. I really thought that was a useful addition, because balancing on the mat while you try to stick your head in an opening is hard enough already. Suus is a big fan of the bunk hammock (see pigture). But I have the impression that Suus is a rat inside a guinea pig body. In my opinion, the bunk hammock can be dangerous. Suus is a very good climber so she can manage, but this concept is not suitable for everypig and your slaves should consider this.

The hammock is a tool that is suitable for both the climbing guinea pig and the relaxing guinea pig. Your can pull the funniest pranks in a hammock (Suus: popcorning in a fleece hammock will launch you to greater heights, Squeeeaaaak!!). But above all, it is very suitable to study for a master's degree in imitating a fireplace rug. In other words, it's really perfect for guinea pigs who like to relax. When your slave puts some food in the hammock, it is also good for the munching guinea pig.

Top: Suus, Lotje and Jan the Boar, Bottom pigture,
from top left to bottom right: Jan, Lotje, Yaya, Guiny, Suus

Well, getting into a hammock requires some practise. I actually find it quite scary. Although I have to admit it's not really dangerous in our cage because I won't fall very far. Yaya used to eat the hammock cords. In the past this has lead to diarrhoea, so now our slave uses materials that are simply not edible (like metal chains) or aren't harmful (like sisal rope).

User experiences?
Suus: I am very pleased with our hammocks. I find it an ideal way to explore the surroundings, while bouncing in it. It keeps me fit, and I like to practice my climbing skills. But relaxing is also very nice. Though it could use a defense mechanism, that would enable me to not get pushed out of it by Yaya.. or accompanying earplugs.. because if I do not make space for Yaya she will start to whine really loudly..

Yaya: I think the hammocks should be made of a more edible material. The fleece is so heavy on my stomach. The material of which my lil' Bahama shack is made would do perfectly... hmmm... SLAVE!!!

Igor: Well this was my first PLAY report, if you have any user experiences, photo's or remarks, let me know!!

Wheeks and lots of Play-sure!
Professor Igor

Guess the Heaviest Piggy Agents Avatar and Firenze.

Here are two of the Piggyfriends. From left to right you can see Agents Firenze and Avatar.

Here is another pigture of them - a risque shot of them in the bath just for the boars. In this pigture Agent Avatar is on the left. This is really just an excuse to plug the best ever shampoo for piggies, Vet Sect Repel, as well as to give the readers another clue. This time Agent Firenze is on the right.



And here is a shot from the rear. This time Agent Firenze is on the left.




Which is the heavier of these two girls?

Guess the Heaviest Piggy Agents Pirate and Acorn

Left to Right Agents Pirate and Acorn

You may have spotted that Agent Pirate is a totally new Agent so here are the clues for her real name, this is a tough one we have been told she is named after a female pirate but when we googled the name for more details she appears to be a computer character whose full name is Two Hands Rebecca Pirates real name is the characters nickname.

Good luck

Hungry piggies!

Hi all,

We just wanted to let you know that we are very hungry piggies too! (starving really..)

We have a nice little routine worked out to get the most out of our slave J;

- in the morning we wheek her out of bed, especially Bo is very good at this (we suspect that she'll become an opera singer when she grows up). As soon as we hear the alarm clock we'll start wheeking. After we've had our fill, J's toilet breaks and trips to the kitchen are a good cue to start wheeking again.

- when J comes home from work, Coco will sit on the wooden shelf in the left hand corner of the cage for a good view and she'll hit J with her most adorable smile when she comes up the stairs. Then Bo starts squeaking up a storm and tadaaa... veggies!

Ow and don't forget to show off paws, noses, and or cute lips ;-)

How do you guys beg for food?

Sleep Research: Pepper in the corner

My friend Pepper is showing of some of her sleep research. Not only is it a very nice version of the banana position, it's also clever because with her head in the corner it's harder for cagemate Jimmy to bother her (ghegheghe.. well done Pepper!)

Agent Chanel
p.s. extra point for the cute paw!

Guess the Heaviest Piggy Agents Godiva, Magician and Mango

Left to Right Agents Godiva, Magician and Mango

Spider dog

I know he's not a guinea pig, but this dog has got some serious skills..
Maybe we should invite him for a guest lecture in the agent training program?



Agent I