The importance of floor time!

Hi there fellow Agent piggers.

We want to tell you something about the importance of floor time...

First of all, what is floor time?
Floor time enables us to see a different part of the house we live in, and is ideal when our slaves need to change the bedding in our cages.
Floor time is also a good way for us to get some exercise, and if we get exercise we will be healthier and probably happier. Our slave Mikey makes sure we always get at least one bowl of pellets (we got three in our cage), some hay and a water bottle when we are out. Ghost has a ramp from his cage to the floor area so he can decide when to come out and when to stay in and eat or drink.
Our slave Mikey likes to give us obstacles and challenges, in the video below our slave made a little maze with fences and in the middle was a house upside down filled with hay!

Plus floor time can be so much fun!!
Here you can see lily'Explorer, Lil'wheeker and not-so-lil'Woop in action, Valentino was hiding somewhere out of view:


Getting used to your slave
Floor time is also a good way for our slave(s) and us to get used to each other. Slave can sit in our play area and not move to much at first, maybe talk softly to us. After a couple of times (or maybe even from the start) he or she can try to get our attention by calling our names, or just the name she used for all of us, like little monsters or guinea piggies. And if we come to her or him, maybe tempted by the sound of a plastic bag or veggies tearing, we get to have a piece. Our slave Mikey always gives us a house or something to hide in. We also have one of our travelling cages lined with newspapers in the kitchen (our floor time area) available in case we need to go... but we don't always use it ;) Ghost likes to sit under the ramp on the floor area and have a poop, his humans would rather he used the ramp to go back into cage and have a poop, silly humans...

Floor time outside?
What is also nice is piggies having floor time outside. We loooove eating the grass or other yummies, but if we have never had grass before (remember agent ghost and his early tummy upset) make sure we get used to it slowly! Your human can cut you a handful of grass with the scissors and add it to your food bowl before you actually get to go out and mow the lawn. Remember humans are lazy and if we don't mow the lawn they have to mow it themselves and they don't like that.

Be sure we cannot reach any poisonous plants, animal droppings or other things we cannot have...
Always make sure we are safe, we don't want any other animals getting in our play area.
Best is to use a pen or run and cover the top. Covering the top also gives us some shade when it is very sunny outside. Some boxes or houses to hide in would be nice too...
Ow yes don't put us indoor piggies outside when it's raining or cold and windy, we might get ill. And don't put us on grass that has recently been mown. But I am sure we don't have to tell you that!!

Here you can see our late leader Agent F and Agent ghost having 'floor time' in the grass


Now its your turn, we want your floor time stories, pigtures and videos, get working!!


Agent Valentino and Agent Ghost

Lets Meet Agent 7

What is your special agent name and why did you chose it? I am Agent 7 cause 7 is a lucky number

Where do you live, which state? I live in Oregon USA

Who do you live with? I live with me mommy slave Sandy

What is your favourite food? Romaine! Romaine! Romaine! organic and dripping wet and crisp

What is your favourite toy? I luv driving my piggloo aroun, I can put it over my food dish when its too cold out.

What is the best thing about being you? I am a pirate and I was a good bruder to da late Manny da Boar, and da very Best is I luv my fiance Jodie Da Pig, she is soft an cuddly she make me happy

Any other comments you would like to add? I like to go each spring on secret agent trips to guard da swimming leatherback turtles and I belong to a group dat guards da nest of turtle eggs and den wee keep away da birds so dey can get to da ocean when dey hatch. Last year da oder secret agent pigs went wit me but I cant say who cause it's a secret.






Welcome Agent 7.

See Agent F I kept my promise

Ghost

Guest Number 25

Agent 7...............

Agent 7 is the least Secret of all the secret agents having already revealed his identity several times tsk tsk.

Your clues are he is a lone pig who lives in Oregon with his Mummy, his real name is alliterative and double barrelled (who says piggy's dont know big words)

Get Guessing

You Got a Hamster I Got a Sheep!!!

I, Agent Incognito, would like to announce that I now have a little
brother! His name is Ethan, and on Sunday he celebrated his three-week
anniversary with us. He came to us from a rescue after his family
surrendered him at two days old.

You know how Hector is really a hamster? Well, Ethan is a little sheep,
I think, although the rescue lady said he is a Texel. He has gray
"pants" and a bit of a gray "mask" around his eyes and is white in the
middle. In his coloration, he kind of reminds me of my older brother,
Tumbleweed AKA Master of Disguise (RIP).

This little sheep is a great friend to me, but, wow, is he active. He
runs all over the cage, popcorning and throwing himself into cozies,
under cardboard "roofs," and into our wooden A-frame. Will send a photo
when I can. He is so fast he is hard to photograph!

Agent Incognito

Welcome Ethan, with all these new mini (pigs??) around we will sooon have more agents in training than actual agents (rolls on the floor laughing)

Ghost

Drumroll Please

Agent Momma's Momma has advised me that she believes both the mini pigs are girls.

I am delighted by this news as it means they get to stay living with Agent Momma.

It also means I am agent of the month for September along with Velvet, Onyx and Agent Aerial.

Now cuteness overload more pigtures of the mini pigs.







Now we just need to know their names!!!

Ghost

Introducing New Agents

Greetings fellow supa sekrit agent peegz!
My name is Irene, a character in the hoomins fav Handel oratorio. Sistys name is Dido, she is named after an opera character too! We iz veh cultured peegz.
My sekrit agent name is Thumper cause I am a bit naughty sometimes and thump my sisty. My sisters is Lettuce cause she likes to nom lettuce.
We live in Northumbria with our hoomin, her flatmate and a number of gerbils. The hoomin and the flatmate are both scientists. We used to live in Scotland and have a Scottish tint to our wheeks.
Our fav dry food is Gertie and our fav greens are parsley, spinach and lettuce. Carrot iz teh sux.
My fav hobby is projectile peeing at my sisty but our hoomin gets cross with me. Dido likes to go for runs. We also enjoy chewing everything and going to visit our aunties what live with our hoomins twin.
Our fav toy is our Chewube, though when we were little we ran in from opposite ends at the same time and got stuck once.


Irene



Dido




Us with our baby sisters who live with a little hoomin next to our house.

Welcome Thumper and Lettuce to the world of secret agent piggies we look forward to more reports from you

Ghost

Honourary Agent

Fugly the chinchill was named after our beloved Agent F and so it is only right that he join us as an honourary member of the Undercover Guinea Pig Society.



He Even Likes His Greens Like Agent F



Looks Like Time For A Nap

Momma Has Multiplied

Yes the babies have arrived yay!!!!

There are 2 babies so we were wrong with our guess.

We dont know yet if they are boys or girls we are sure Momma will update us as soon as she knows

Marvellous Momma

Agent Momma, has agreed to take part in a little friendly competition, the Agent who can guess correctly the number of mini pigs and the sex of the mini pigs in Momma's tummy will win the honour of being Agent of the month.

Here are some pigtures to give you a clue.



How Many Mini Pigs?



How Many Boys and How Many Girls?


We think Agent Momma is gorgeous we love her little stripes

We are guessing 3 mini's 2 girls and a boy

Dont worry you can use the same guess as us, we will just have multiple agents of the month if more than one of us is right ;)

Guest Number 22

Agent Momma

Agent Momma is the latest addition to a mixed herd in Illinois, she arrived recently bringing extra surprises for her new family.

Her real name comes from the Greek for pure/chaste

Her agent name is a real give away

Get guessing...................................

Agent Minty's report.

Last month there was an Open Day at Raystede, the rescue from which some of the Piggyfriends came. Agent F asked if we could write a report about the day. We had delayed sending in our report as Agent F was ill but now we think that we should contribute to the new blog. We all love the background with the grass and dandelions and we think that Agent F would have enjoyed it too.

 

http://www.raystede.org/

 

It was an extremely hot day, the hottest of the year so far, so Slave decided that all the Piggyfriends should stay at home in the cool, except for one secret agent and I,  Agent Minty, was selected as the newest recruit. Readers please note that piggies should not be outdoors in the heat but as a secret agent I have special powers that enable me to keep cool.

 

I went along with Slave who had plants to sell for the cause and we were, unexpectedly, able to park near to the entrance. Slave said that she usually has to park several fields away and walk the rest but, sadly, the very hot weather had an effect on the number of visitors.....that and the fact that England were playing in the football World Cup that afternoon. Not a good choice of days but arrangements have to be made a long time in advance and no-one envisaged the footie being on the same day. Slave's son suggested that they stream the footie match in one of the marquees and offered to set it up using the big screen that he takes to the village hall film shows but the manager declined, thinking ( in error ) that the footie would not make any difference to the attendance. We heard lots of people saying that they were going home to watch the footie and a lot more probably never set out in the first place.

 

There was a wonderful display by a local Dog Agility team but we felt sorry for those doggies out in the heat. The manager delayed the rest of the dog show in the hope that it might be cooler but it just got hotter and hotter and many people wisely took their doggies home.

 

The cakes on the cake stalls were beginning to melt and I think that most of the visitors felt that they were too.

 

Slave's son was working out in the fields with the horses but, in his break, he joined Slave for an ice lolly, which they ate in the shade of the big trees in the picnic area while I snacked on the grass. Slave said that there have been Open Days in the past when they have run out of ice cream ( shock horror - Slave loves her ices ) so maybe it was not too bad a thing that numbers were down.

 

There was a band playing, which Slave and I both enjoyed and we visited the various stalls but had to keep retreating into the Sanctuary, the wildfowl area where there are lakes and tall shade trees.

 

All the animal cages have secure locks but the Cavy House has pens for the piggies so the whole house was locked up for the day so that the piggies were not disturbed ( or even stolen ) by so many visitors. A set of wooden steps was set up so that visitors could look in the window and Slave spent an inordinate amount of time watching the piggies inside. I was sure that she was going to reserve a little agouti in the pen nearest the window but her willpower was amazing. We really are full at Piggyfriends although she will always find room for a desperate piggy.

 

There was a lot of food over at the end of the day, to which the staff could help themselves rather than have it go to waste and Slave's son brought home a huge bag of veggieburgers for the freezer, which should keep him and Slave going for some time.

 

Despite the setbacks, they raised 8,056 English pounds for the cause ( excuse the typing but Slave's new laptop has a US keyboard and there is no pound sign - grrrrr  - she says that she never uses it anyway but I need it now). With the sale of raffle tickets, which has been going on for the last three months, the total came to 13,391 pounds, which will go a long way to helping animals in need. It costs a lot to run a centre as big as this one.

 

They hope to organise another event in the Autumn when it should not be so hot. Otherwise the next event is the Christmas get together, when they sing carols, eat mince pies and drink mulled wine. Some of the staff dress up and they do a little nativity scene using the donkeys and sheep that live at the centre. No place for piggies there!

 

Agent Minty signing out.

 

 

 

 

Agent Valentino reporting for duty!

Just a quick report.

I am agent Valentino,
a ginger, chocolate and white US Teddy boar,
reporting for duty.

Real Name? Chico (or actually I used to be Toby, but slave confused me with Toby (or previously Chico))
Secret Agent Name? Valentino
Why did you chose your Secret Agent Name? My slave was allowed to adopt me and my mate Mr. T as a valentine's present on valentine's day of course.
Where do you live? The Netherlands
Who do you live with? Woopy, Lily and Daisy
You can see us during the (european) day, on our own TV channel: Guinygirlz
Favourite Food? Super Trio pellets, brand is Hope farms
Favourite Hobby? Rumbling at the girls
Favourite Toy? My House

Yours,
Agent Valentino

4th July Report from Agent Cannonball

Agent Cannonball reporting in! Last night me heard some loud pops. Me wasn't scared and me squeaked around to investigate. Me heard that the neighbors are warming up fireworks for the weekend. Me was told I could sit on a cushion and watch the fireworks soon. Me doesn't know what they are, but me hopes that wheee can eat them. Me will widdle on the cushion if wheeee don't get yummies! Actually me may do that anyway!

Here me and piggy buddy with my fancy hat! Me is the fuzzy black piggy. Doesn't me look daper? I let the chubby golden wear me hat too, me is on good behavior for the holiday. Me is ready to celebrate with fireworks!

Agent Cannonball

Happy 4th of July

Me is still having puter problems so me is posting this special report from Agents Bumblebee and Dinosaur early.

Me is still waiting for reports from other US piggies get working.....

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States. We little secret agent piggies will help mommie set off some fireworks, and have pignic!!
Agent Dinosaur and Agent Bumble Bee

[caption id="attachment_842" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Our Piggy Patriots"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_843" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Dont Eat That Agent Bumblebee ;)"][/caption]

Agent Incognito

Agent Incognito has the colouring to be a tortoiseshell or a brindle he has red and black hair.

To be a tortoiseshell he would need to have smooth hair and distinct patches of red and black with no mixing of colours.

To be a brindle he would also need to be smooth haired but this time the red and black hairs would intermingle evenly.

Lets meet Agent Incognito

Hi AgentF, Thank you for your condolences on Agent Master of Disguise's passing. I know that in his short time as an agent, he helped make the world a better place, and I can only hope that I will be able to do half as good a job.

 I am honored that you need a tortoiseshell gp and have invited me to become a secret agent. I am still feeling sad, but my mom said I would feel better if I helped others, so I stand at the ready. Included are my answers to your questionnaire, and a photo.

 Thank you again.

Your friend,Friday

 Secret Agent Name? Agent Incognito

 Why did you chose the Name? I always wear a mask. :)

 Favourite food? Cucumber -- yum!

Favourite hobby? Jumping on my (low) shelf in the kitchen to ask for  food.

 Favourite toy? My bell, which I love to ring.

 Any other comments? I hope to carry on in the tradition of all brave piggies who've worked to make the world a better place.

[caption id="attachment_823" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Agent Incognito with his Black Secret Agent Mask ;)"][/caption]

Guest Number 21

Agent Incognito is a boy piggy living in the SE of America

At the moment he is living with just his Mummy and Daddy but me hopes to report that he has been joined by a new friend very soon.

His real name is the same as one of the best days of the week.

Get guessing.................

Why are Humans so Dumb???

Mummy phoned up the internet humans who told her she needed a new disk and they would send one in 3 working days.

3 working days came and went no disk, Mummy phoned again disk out of stock they would send another one.

Saturday disk arrives me gets all excited Mummy tries it same problem, Daddy looks its the same disk we had already!!! Stupid stupid humans.

Mummy phones again they will send new disk in 3 working days, back to square one.

As you can imagine me is not a happy pig about this.

Health update me has gained a little weight now 943g and me has allowed Mummy to syringe me some food and some herbal medicine.

Dont worry piggies me is still resisting the syringe most of the time and pushing food out with my tongue.

Remember Raystede

Me was going to post this tomorrow but me is having puter problems and have no internet at home until at least next week.

My puter kept refusing to start so Daddy had to reboot it using the disk and now it wont recognise my modem, thanks Vista. Me is waiting for a new disk to arrive to make my modem work but now they tell me it wont be here until next week.

Me thinks Bill Gates doesnt know how important a working puter is to us guinea pigs.

Sunday is the open day at Raystede rescue so anyone who can get there....get there and get pigtures.

That is a Secret Agent order.

Once again we hope they weather is great and that loads of money is raised.

Medical Update

Now me doesnt want you to worry (trust me Mummy is worrying enough for the world) but those of you who have followed my blog for a while will know me has been causing concern with my unexplained weight loss.

Me has been to the normal vet several times in the last few months only to be told they can find nothing wrong.

Mummy was not happy with this and finally managed to find a vet who had trained with Peter Gurney.

Well yesterday they have run all sorts of tests on me including x-rays and blood tests and what they have found is that me has kidney stones.

Me has 2 stones stuck in the uretha (tubes between kidney and bladder) one from each kidney and it looks like me has 2 more forming again one in each kidney.

Well these stones have caused kidney and liver damage and where they are at the moment they are inoperable.

Me is at home with Mummy and Daddy (and Ghost) now but we dont know how long me has left before me goes to join Agents Thunderbear and Master of Disguise at the bridge.

Mummy is going to try some herbal remedies that have been recommended Hydrangea Root Tincture and Chanca Plus Powder to see if this helps break the stones down.

My weight is now down to 925g and me looks very skinny but me is still keen to get my veggies and of course me makes Mummy's life difficult by fighting the syringe and refusing to co-operate.

Me will give you regular updates on what is happening with me, but me doesnt want you to stop your good secret agent work.

Me still wants to introduce new guest and to hear about different celebrations so keep me updated, me needs you lot to keep me entertained.

Mummy says if anyone has any suggestions please let her know.

Now get back to your secret agent work.

Angelic Alpaca

Lets meet Agent Aerial

Hello Agent F,

Sorry about the delay, a few computer issues!

Real Name - Evil Edna
Secret Agent Name - Aerial
Why did you chose your secret agent name - Will o the wisp character
Age - Nearly 6
Who do you live with - Elizabeth and 2 upstarts
Where do you live - England
Favourite food - Very difficult question, too many to choose from, Parsley or cucumber or romaine lettuce or hay cookies.
Favourite toy - Paper bag filled with hay
Hobbies - Keeping younger pigglies off my hay, grass cutting
Anything else you would like to say - As a senior pig, I want older pigs to have more food and hay than the younger upstarts and for them to do as they are told.

Alpaca pigs are long curly haired pigs that come in many different colours. Mummy has to take me to get my hair cut at the vets or else it gets too tangled. I would have a lovely fringe as well if the pesky little pigs hadn't chewed it off.

[caption id="attachment_802" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Agent Aerial"][/caption]

 Alpacas are long coated rexoid peruvian piggies they should have 2 rosettes that are placed so that the hair comes over the face.  The coat should be soft springy and even with undamaged ends and a parting.

The hair should be unmatted so a comb can easily pass through.

The head should be short and broad with bright eyes and drooping well set ears.

Me says Aerial looks at Angelic as she is.