Tyrion Piggyfriend here again. When I was at Palace Piggies collecting my new friends, Slave asked the girls if they knew of another worthy shelter for whom you could vote. They told us about East Peckham Guinea Pig Rescue, who helped them in a recent rescue of over 300 piggies. They told us about a lady who had dementia and insisted on putting all her piggies together regardless of sex and the resulting explosion of piggies needed all the help that they could get. They were all collected and distributed amongst any rescue that could help.
Palace Piggies and East Peckham have many pregnant piggies because of this.
East Peckham have a Facebook page, which you can look at.
https://www.facebook.com/eastpeckhamguineapigrescuepage/
And here is their web page.
http://eastpeckhamguineapigrescue.weebly.com/
They have a news page and here is a link to one page that tells a bit about this huge rescue from Bracknell. The poor piggies were just packed into various crates and boxes for collection and you can see a few pigtures of the victims here.
http://eastpeckhamguineapigrescue.weebly.com/10042016-bracknell-part2.html
I think that my new friends might have been part of this rescue but there were piggies everywhere. The rescues were overwhelmed by this piggy disaster and whomever you decide to vote for, anywhere in the world, will welcome the profit from our card game sale.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Kindergarten Agents. New agents in training
Tyrion Piggyfriend here. Readers of the GPDD will know that my dear friend, Gandalf aka Agent Wizard, passed away recently. I am not an Agent but was Gandalf's right paw pig and helped write up his reports as well as taking care of the other Piggyfriends when all the Agents are away on missions.
Gandalf looked after me when I arrived here as a tiny piglet so I was very lonely without him and our Slave decided to find me a new friend.
GPDDers can skip to the pigtures here as they know the story.
Slave took me to Palace Piggies as they had recently rescued over 300 piggies from a very sad situation and Slave felt sure that there would be a friend waiting for me there.
She found a little black and tan fuzzy babe whom she thought that I might like and we were introduced in the Palace Piggies playpen. This tiny babe ran around the pen and then settled down for a nap under my coat so we were ready to come home with him. Then Lynn and Liz, who run Palace Piggies, suggested that this babe might need a tiny friend to play with. Now our Slave has never wanted to have a trio of boars as it is rare for them to get on - we often have groups of sows but not boars - but against her better judgment, she went back to the adoption shed and came back with another babe - a tiny red ball of fuzz, who also ran around the playpen and settled down next to me. So, Slave agreed to take both the babes. Lynn and Liz said that she could always bring one back if a trio did not work out but anyone who knows our Slave will also know that she could never do that.
Now to the pigtures.....
Here we are in the carrier waiting to come home. The babes were named at Palace Piggies.You can just see Ivan, the black and tan one at the back and Magnus, the red one, is nearer the front. They both sat nicely beside me in the car coming back and we nibbled veggies.
When we got home, Slave put the babes into a tub to take this pigture. I think that Slave was persuaded to take the extra piggy as he looks very much like her Rolo from years ago - before there were any piggy Agents. She loves a red pig.
Here we are in what was Gandalf's and my pen just after we got home.
Here you can see how tiny Ivan is!
And here I am with Magnus, who is just a little bit bigger.
This is the last pigure - all of us together enjoying some grass.
Neither of the little boars shows any sign of dominance. We are all getting on well together at the moment but Slave is keeping a watchful eye out for when they grow. I miss Gandalf ( so does our Slave ) but these little fellows are keeping me company whilst I teach them how to be Agents when they get bigger. They have a lot of growing to do.
When we were at Palace Piggies, Slave asked Lynn and Liz if they knew of a worthy piggy rescue that I could nominate for the proceeds of the sale of our card game. We cannot nominate Palace Piggies as they were the winners a couple of years ago. I'll tell you who they suggested in my next post.
Gandalf looked after me when I arrived here as a tiny piglet so I was very lonely without him and our Slave decided to find me a new friend.
GPDDers can skip to the pigtures here as they know the story.
Slave took me to Palace Piggies as they had recently rescued over 300 piggies from a very sad situation and Slave felt sure that there would be a friend waiting for me there.
She found a little black and tan fuzzy babe whom she thought that I might like and we were introduced in the Palace Piggies playpen. This tiny babe ran around the pen and then settled down for a nap under my coat so we were ready to come home with him. Then Lynn and Liz, who run Palace Piggies, suggested that this babe might need a tiny friend to play with. Now our Slave has never wanted to have a trio of boars as it is rare for them to get on - we often have groups of sows but not boars - but against her better judgment, she went back to the adoption shed and came back with another babe - a tiny red ball of fuzz, who also ran around the playpen and settled down next to me. So, Slave agreed to take both the babes. Lynn and Liz said that she could always bring one back if a trio did not work out but anyone who knows our Slave will also know that she could never do that.
Now to the pigtures.....
Neither of the little boars shows any sign of dominance. We are all getting on well together at the moment but Slave is keeping a watchful eye out for when they grow. I miss Gandalf ( so does our Slave ) but these little fellows are keeping me company whilst I teach them how to be Agents when they get bigger. They have a lot of growing to do.
When we were at Palace Piggies, Slave asked Lynn and Liz if they knew of a worthy piggy rescue that I could nominate for the proceeds of the sale of our card game. We cannot nominate Palace Piggies as they were the winners a couple of years ago. I'll tell you who they suggested in my next post.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Friday video: Vote for Sharna's cavy sanctuary
Hi there,
Some time ago we asked for your nominations, and one of my nominations was Sharna's Cavy Sanctuary. The sanctuary is in Australia (Brisbane, I believe), and I do not know her in person. But she has been very active on social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, making me feel like I have an idea what she does for guinea pigs. She seems a nice lady who cares a lot about her rescues, but sometimes other people will not be so nice about what she is doing... I am not sure why though, as I have seen her try to get piggies back that went to someone who then did not want it anymore because they were not babies... I hope we can donate to her as she (as all shelters) can need a little help in feeding all those piggy mouths.
From their website:
Here's video of (part of) her setup
I enjoyed this video of a piggy jumping:
Happy friday!
Mikey and the Guinygirlz Peaches, Tijger and Raani and boar Berke.
p.s. If you still wish to nominate a shelter.... be fast in doing so by commenting here or in the original nomination post who you nominate and why.
Some time ago we asked for your nominations, and one of my nominations was Sharna's Cavy Sanctuary. The sanctuary is in Australia (Brisbane, I believe), and I do not know her in person. But she has been very active on social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, making me feel like I have an idea what she does for guinea pigs. She seems a nice lady who cares a lot about her rescues, but sometimes other people will not be so nice about what she is doing... I am not sure why though, as I have seen her try to get piggies back that went to someone who then did not want it anymore because they were not babies... I hope we can donate to her as she (as all shelters) can need a little help in feeding all those piggy mouths.
From their website:
"We are a small family run, home based, guinea pig sanctuary .
We believe education is the key to changing the future for guinea pigs everywhere.
Our aim is to educate people wherever we can, whilst rescuing, rehabilitating and re homing happy, healthy and bonded guinea pigs.
We offer a sanctuary to guinea pigs that are not able to be rehomed, whether due to old age or re occurring illnesses.
We offer boarding and grooming services as well as food, hay and other piggy products including cages .
We want to support you and your piggies .
We are self funded and every single cent goes straight back into the sanctuary and the daily running costs for the guinea pigs in our care including vet bills."
"We have been helping guinea pigs for 2 years now and have learnt so much in the process and continue to learn more and more .
I kind of just fell into it, you could say i was a little lost at the time with the recent passing of my mum.
Once i saw the huge need for help in the area of re homing and rescuing guinea pigs, i couldn't turn my back .
Once my eyes were opened to the huge problem Australia wide (worldwide too), i couldn't be blissfully ignorant anymore.
Now i just have a burning passion inside for the little fluff balls.
They're amazing pets if you can get off on the right foot with them.
With lots of contradicting products and information floating around, we like to make ourselves available to anyone with questions or help regarding their guinea pigs."
Here's video of (part of) her setup
I enjoyed this video of a piggy jumping:
Happy friday!
Mikey and the Guinygirlz Peaches, Tijger and Raani and boar Berke.
p.s. If you still wish to nominate a shelter.... be fast in doing so by commenting here or in the original nomination post who you nominate and why.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
New Agent-in-Training
Introducing Raani... our newest cage mate. She joined us after we had to say goodbye to Roos.
Why Raani? You might wonder. Those of you who speak Hindi, or any of the other languages where Raani actually means something, know Raani means Queen.
Our slaves have quite a long history of being owned by Rex and US teddy cavies, and with the loss of Roos (a US Teddy) they no longer had a curly fuzzy guinea pig to own them. We think this was one of the first times in their guinea pigs owning time that they were without a US teddy or Rex. So of course they had to change that, which explains how Raani came to be with us. Raani is a Rex, and in Latin (and probably some other languages) this is the word for 'King', as this did not seem that fitting for a sow we went for a translation of 'Queen'.
Raani was 6 weeks old and weighed 290 grammes when she joined us, now she is almost 14 weeks old and about half a kilo (500 grammes) in weight! She just keep munching and eating and thus putting on weight. Even when most of us had a pneumonia, or the snuffles at the least, she was fine (as checked by the vet. So far she seems to be a healthy piggy!
The other Guinygirlz: Peaches and Tijger and boar Bérke
Why Raani? You might wonder. Those of you who speak Hindi, or any of the other languages where Raani actually means something, know Raani means Queen.
Our slaves have quite a long history of being owned by Rex and US teddy cavies, and with the loss of Roos (a US Teddy) they no longer had a curly fuzzy guinea pig to own them. We think this was one of the first times in their guinea pigs owning time that they were without a US teddy or Rex. So of course they had to change that, which explains how Raani came to be with us. Raani is a Rex, and in Latin (and probably some other languages) this is the word for 'King', as this did not seem that fitting for a sow we went for a translation of 'Queen'.
Raani was 6 weeks old and weighed 290 grammes when she joined us, now she is almost 14 weeks old and about half a kilo (500 grammes) in weight! She just keep munching and eating and thus putting on weight. Even when most of us had a pneumonia, or the snuffles at the least, she was fine (as checked by the vet. So far she seems to be a healthy piggy!
The other Guinygirlz: Peaches and Tijger and boar Bérke
Monday, May 23, 2016
Piggy A-Z C is for Charity: Vote for TEAS
What is TEAS?
The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary (TEAS) was established in 2011, to provide permanent care for guinea pigs with additional needs, chiefly dental. We are lucky to have two exceptional vets nearby, who are both knowledgeable and skilled in guinea pig dentistry, with many success stories to their names. It is for this reason that we exist, as the only dental sanctuary in the country.
We are currently HMRC registered, in the process of applying for registered charity status. It has always been important to us to be registered as we wanted everything we do to be official and transparent, rather than just be a ‘back yard’ operation.
Where are we located?
Contrary to popular belief, TEAS is not a large, multi-staffed centre.
The charity is run predominantly by Debbie from her modest, semi detached house in East Hunsbury, Northampton, which is where all the hard work happens. Additional permanent places and supportive care are provided from another modest, semi detached house in West Hunsbury, Northampton.
Who runs TEAS?
There are currently four individuals who form the board and are involved in the decision making at TEAS, two of whom work directly with the pigs. The day to day running of the charity and care is carried out primarily by Debbie Postles, who
accommodates the majority of the residents at her home. Emma and Andrew Hartley currently have nine permanent residents at their home. Steve Turner is the TEAS Sanctuary Treasurer.
What do we do?
As well as providing care for poorly piggies, the board members of TEAS also have to make time for full time, paid employment
No mention of TEAS would be complete without mentioning the Lethals.
A Lethal is usually the product of breeding where both parents have the Roan gene. The result in 25% of offspring is a Lethal which usually suffers blindness, deafness and often has dental issues. There can also be other physicsl issues.
TEAS was founded on looking after Lethals and currenly has 10 Lethals as permanent Residents.
With loving care they can enjoy as long as any normal Guinea Pig.
Stanley came to the Sanctuary from The Littlest Rescue in Bristol, who had rescued several
lethal pigs. Stanley was sent to TEAS because of the specialist veterinary treatment he is likely to need.
Stanley lives with Albert and Basil.
SOME SANCTUARY SUCCESS STORIES
Permanent Residents
Archie - Archie came to the Sanctuary from Cavy Corner. The vet in Doncaster had said he had lost the swallow reflex and he was booked in to be pts. He was brought to see Simon as a last ditch attempt to get help for him, and he began to make progress. Archie lived a wonderful life, but needed ongoing dental care. He survived two abscesses, but his health began to fail over Easter and he was pts. This was almost two years to the day he had been booked in for euthanasia in Doncaster.
Kevin - Kevin was brought to the Sanctuary after being found with his brother Perry in a back garden and taken to BARC. He was in a dreadful state and weighed just 365g. After just three dental treatments from Simon he was fully recovered and is now a strong, healthy piggie, weighing 1.1 kg.
Temporary Residents
Skye - Skye travelled from Wrexham to the Sanctuary to enable her to receive treatment from Simon and the supportive care the Sanctuary offers. She made steady progress and returned home within three weeks.
Cornflake - Cornflake travelled from Exeter. He was a very poorly boy when he arrived but after the first dental treatment he began to eat for himself, and after two more treatments he was ready to return home.
Rose - Rose travelled from Cardiff. She had just started to develop a head tilt in addition to her dental issues and by the time she arrived at the Sanctuary her eye was also starting to bulge. She was immediately seen by Simon who diagnosed a retrobulbar abscess and he feared she may lose her eye. He added lubrication and stitched the affected eye closed and treated her dental issues. Rose needed three further dental treatments and the swift action to close the eye meant her eye was saved. She returned home after spending 6 weeks at the Sanctuary.
The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary (TEAS) was established in 2011, to provide permanent care for guinea pigs with additional needs, chiefly dental. We are lucky to have two exceptional vets nearby, who are both knowledgeable and skilled in guinea pig dentistry, with many success stories to their names. It is for this reason that we exist, as the only dental sanctuary in the country.
We are currently HMRC registered, in the process of applying for registered charity status. It has always been important to us to be registered as we wanted everything we do to be official and transparent, rather than just be a ‘back yard’ operation.
Where are we located?
Contrary to popular belief, TEAS is not a large, multi-staffed centre.
The charity is run predominantly by Debbie from her modest, semi detached house in East Hunsbury, Northampton, which is where all the hard work happens. Additional permanent places and supportive care are provided from another modest, semi detached house in West Hunsbury, Northampton.
Who runs TEAS?
There are currently four individuals who form the board and are involved in the decision making at TEAS, two of whom work directly with the pigs. The day to day running of the charity and care is carried out primarily by Debbie Postles, who
accommodates the majority of the residents at her home. Emma and Andrew Hartley currently have nine permanent residents at their home. Steve Turner is the TEAS Sanctuary Treasurer.
What do we do?
As well as providing care for poorly piggies, the board members of TEAS also have to make time for full time, paid employment
No mention of TEAS would be complete without mentioning the Lethals.
A Lethal is usually the product of breeding where both parents have the Roan gene. The result in 25% of offspring is a Lethal which usually suffers blindness, deafness and often has dental issues. There can also be other physicsl issues.
TEAS was founded on looking after Lethals and currenly has 10 Lethals as permanent Residents.
With loving care they can enjoy as long as any normal Guinea Pig.
Stanley came to the Sanctuary from The Littlest Rescue in Bristol, who had rescued several
lethal pigs. Stanley was sent to TEAS because of the specialist veterinary treatment he is likely to need.
Stanley lives with Albert and Basil.
SOME SANCTUARY SUCCESS STORIES
Permanent Residents
Archie - Archie came to the Sanctuary from Cavy Corner. The vet in Doncaster had said he had lost the swallow reflex and he was booked in to be pts. He was brought to see Simon as a last ditch attempt to get help for him, and he began to make progress. Archie lived a wonderful life, but needed ongoing dental care. He survived two abscesses, but his health began to fail over Easter and he was pts. This was almost two years to the day he had been booked in for euthanasia in Doncaster.
Kevin - Kevin was brought to the Sanctuary after being found with his brother Perry in a back garden and taken to BARC. He was in a dreadful state and weighed just 365g. After just three dental treatments from Simon he was fully recovered and is now a strong, healthy piggie, weighing 1.1 kg.
Temporary Residents
Skye - Skye travelled from Wrexham to the Sanctuary to enable her to receive treatment from Simon and the supportive care the Sanctuary offers. She made steady progress and returned home within three weeks.
Cornflake - Cornflake travelled from Exeter. He was a very poorly boy when he arrived but after the first dental treatment he began to eat for himself, and after two more treatments he was ready to return home.
Rose - Rose travelled from Cardiff. She had just started to develop a head tilt in addition to her dental issues and by the time she arrived at the Sanctuary her eye was also starting to bulge. She was immediately seen by Simon who diagnosed a retrobulbar abscess and he feared she may lose her eye. He added lubrication and stitched the affected eye closed and treated her dental issues. Rose needed three further dental treatments and the swift action to close the eye meant her eye was saved. She returned home after spending 6 weeks at the Sanctuary.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Henry Piggyfriend finds his namesake
I have not been desginated as an Agent but I thought that I would share this pigture.
This big, noisy machine comes along every morning to clear up the hay that our Slave drops on the carpet when she cleans out our pens and look it has the same name as me! It seems very happy with its job so maybe we should throw more hay about to keep it busy. It eats hay just like we do.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
A Piggy A - Z. D is for Dandelion.
We expect that you are all familiar with dandelions. Our Slave grows them for us in her garden. Here is a photo of some growing in her herb garden.
Most gardeners would consider them weeds but our Slave scatters the seed heads around to ensure that there are always plenty for us to eat. She also brings them home from clients' gardens.
Here is a bunch that she has picked.
They wilt very quickly but when there are guinea pigs around, this is not a problem.
Here is Roisin Piggyfriend enjoying a flower.
And then a leaf.
Gandalf ( Agent Wizard ) loves dandelions.
And so does his best friend, Tyrion.
Our dandelions are very safe to eat as our Slave never uses any chemicals in her garden but if your Slave picks them make sure that they have not been sprayed with anything nasty.
We wish that we could have them all year round but, in England, they are only available from Spring to Autumn so we make the most of them whilst we can.
Do you like Dandelions? Do you have a piggy whose name begins with D for our A - Z? If so, we'd love to see a pigture and a story. Click on Contribute at the top of our page and follow the very easy instructions.
Here is a bunch that she has picked.
Here is Roisin Piggyfriend enjoying a flower.
We wish that we could have them all year round but, in England, they are only available from Spring to Autumn so we make the most of them whilst we can.
Do you like Dandelions? Do you have a piggy whose name begins with D for our A - Z? If so, we'd love to see a pigture and a story. Click on Contribute at the top of our page and follow the very easy instructions.
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