A VIP visit. A Very Important Piggyperson comes to see the Piggyfriends.

Not long ago, we had a VIP visit us here at Piggyfriends. GPDD readers will know Ann Evans, our very good friend and the world's best Rodentologist.

She and her husband, Paul were on holiday in England, visiting lots of friends and they came to see us! What an honour!

Here they are with our Bonbon.

And again with Martin.

We all got cuddles and then it was the turn of our Carter. He had been having trouble eating and our Slave suspected that he had oral thrush and treated him accordingly. He is all better now but it was a while before he could eat properly and when something like this happens, our teeth sometimes overgrow a bit.

As we knew that Ann would be coming, we asked if she could bring her piggy dental kit with her so that, rather than have Carter undergo anaesthesia at the vet, he could have a thorough inspection with the expert.

Here he is, getting ready for the procedure. You can see some of the equipment at the bottom left of this photo. One of the separators and a file.

In the picture below, he has the buccal separators in his mouth so that Ann can see right inside. Ann has him in a little drawstring bag so that his paws do not get in the way. Our retired Rodentologist used to tightly wrap patients in a towel. Both methods work well as we tend to get our feet into everything and the person wielding the instruments needs to see clearly what is going on.

Now for the scary bit. Ann is looking inside Carter's mouth and has clippers and files at the ready.

Carter had some little bits filed from his molars and when it was all over, which did not take very long, he was sitting on Ann's lap tucking into some favourite pieces of veggie.

We do miss our Rodentologist and hope that no pig needs any dental treatment until Ann's next holiday.

Carter says "Thank you Ann! Now I can eat  properly again."

Out-Takes (Sometimes They're So Bad They're Good)

I tend to take many pigtures of the Prairie Pigs, even when I'm not working on a blog post; guinea pigs are so incredibly cute even when they're just going about their regular piggy lives that they make great photo subjects.  Of course, some pigtures turn out better than others --- and then there are the ones that go so disastrously wrong that they are more fun than the "good" ones.  This post is about those pigtures: you know you should delete them, but instead you go back to look at them again and again because they always make you smile.

I was experimenting with the macro focus on my camera and had a perfect portrait of my piggy Jasper all framed and focused, but in that nano-second between me pressing the button and the shutter releasing, Jasper decided to come over for a closer look to see if the camera was edible.  I do love his  punk hairdo, but this might be a little too close a view...

Jasper again, this time exiting Stage Right.  He had finished off the cilantro bribe and decided he had better things to do if the food was gone.  I enjoy this one because it really looks as if he is tiptoeing away, trying to make good on his escape before I notice that my model is gone.

I was taking pigtures of Bonnie McSmithers nibbling delicately on a pile of hay when my subject suddenly disappeared.  Apparently she decided she wanted to go for a more immersive experience and burrowed right into the middle of the pile!

Do these remind you of a pigture that you are keeping stored on your phone for those moments when you need a giggle?  We'd love to see it too!  Use the Contribute button above to share.

New Piggyfriend! Meet Bounty.

Hello readers. We are delighted to announce the arrival of a new Piggyfriend.

His name is Bounty.

He was a long time coming to us.

Long story cut short....... Slave went to our local rescue in the hope of adopting him and another piggy called Carrot. Although many piggies have come to us from this rescue in the past, Slave had to fill in loads of forms and send them photos of our accommodation with measurements of indoor and outdoor homes. She went to meet them both and got to pick them up but was then told of further complications before she was allowed to proceed any further. There had to be checks with the small animals manager before she could take them home and a follow up appointment with the rehoming team.


At first, Carrot's photo was labelled reserved on their website but not Bounty's so Slave called and left messages ( no one ever seems to answer the phone ). Next she called her friend, who works on Reception and eventually got a call back from the small animals section. This time she was told that she could have them both but had to have an appointment to speak to the rehoming team. Then Bounty's photo had the reserved label but not Carrot's.


At long last, she went to collect them both but the rehoming person only had papers for Bounty and she was told that Carrot had already been adopted. No one there seemed to know why she had been told that she could have them both as "no one is allowed to take home two piggies unless they are a bonded pair "! The number of times Slave has brought home several piggies from this rescue counted for nothing nor the fact that our junior Slave used to work there or that Slave used to help him take the rescue film shows out to our local villages. Or that she had previously been asked if she would be willing to take problem piggies as she is an "experienced Piggy owner".

Although Bounty was allowed to come home that day, he was only "on trial" with us in case Slave  wanted to take him back. As if! She was then supposed to go back the following week to pay for him. She was so upset that she asked if this could be done over the phone and this was allowed.

A further call stated that she had not been told that she could have them both. Who is telling porkies then? So eventually Bounty became ours. He is a jolly little fellow who has made himself right at home.

This rescue used to be such a friendly place but how it has changed and Slave is never going back there again. It had better remain nameless on the grounds that we might incriminate ourselves. We hope that Carrot found a good home. Say hello to Bounty!

Piggies and their Pet Cats

Here at the Prairie Pigs, we have always had pet cats.  To tell the truth, the cats were here before we were, but they were just running wild with no one to give them direction (goodness knows our Slave/Waitress/Pig Mum was not up to the task of creating order).  Fortunately, now we Piggy Overlords are here and ready to take charge of everyone!

Here's Jasper with his pet cat Clancy.  Officially, cats are not allowed in the Piggy Room without pawprint authorization from one of the guinea pigs, but Jasper sometimes allows Clancy to sneak in so that he can catch a peaceful snooze away from his troublesome cat brothers.  We think Jasper might have picked Clancy to be his pet because they are almost the same colour.

Oh, no!!!  Here we have a Very Bad Cat!  Her name is Portia and she isn't frightening at all, but she often follows the Waitress in when we are being served our afternoon grass snack, and tries to eat any grass that falls outside our cages. Why???  Cats should not eat grass, especially grass meant for piggies!  Where is the Security Guard when you need him?

Do other piggies have pets?  We would certainly like to hear about them if you do.

Exciting news! New baby piggies

Earlier this month we told you about the new piggies adopted by our Junior Slave. You may remember that Zelda was the victim of a hoarder and it appears that she was part of an attempt at a breeding programme. Oh dear.....

It was not long before they could feel the movement of baby piggies inside her and one morning they came to give out breakfast to their little herd and they found these.

Zelda had given birth in the night to two little mini mes. Two sweet little chocolate babes were scuttling around the cage as if they had always been there. Sadly they did not get to see her give birth but mum and babes are doing well. Our Slave says that watching piggies being born is a magical experience. We are just glad that they are all OK and we got to see them on Skype when they were just one day old.

Here they are again. Zelda is enjoying a well earned rest with her little ones. Aaah!!


So please welcome more Pigpenpals. Ripley has temporalily been transferred to another cage as the babes thought that she would also provide milk and that was a bit much for her. Well done Zelda. Virtual hugs all round.

New Piggyville Girl!

Hello! I am Tilley, the newest member of the Piggyville clan. I am two
months old and a red American piggy. I was born in North Carolina to a
cavy breeder. She decided that I was not show quality so I was adopted
by Ann & Paul. They think I'm a Top Quality piggy. I am named Tilley
after the Canadian hat that my Mum always wears. My nickname is Tilley
put-put because I make little sounds when I'm walking.

Here is a picture of me being introduced to Squirly and Honeydew.
Squirly is sniffing my chin. I think she can smell my favorite
treat....carrots.

It wasn't long after we were introduced that we all sat down for a yummy
pile of grass. Honeydew told me that Mum walks far and wide looking for
different varieties of grass and edible plants for us to enjoy. Squirly
said that Mum always wears her Tilley hat when she goes looking for
grass. There is even a secret compartment in her hat were she hides
edible plants that she finds in the forest. Gosh I am lucky to have been
adopted into such loving home even if my new Mum is a little strange.

New PigPenPals.

We have received some wonderful news from our one time Junior Slave, who now lives in the US. They have had two additions to their family and have sent us some photos.

Please say hello to Ripley.

And also to Zelda.

They have only just gone home and there will be more pigtures later. Zelda was one of 52 piggies from a hoarding case and is settling in well with her new friend. We are delighted to have some new PigPenPals and these two bring their number to six along with Mama Rin, Nico, Maki and Noodle.

We often get to chat to them on Skype along with their cat friend, Nova.

Watch this space for more news.

A story from the Piggyville Girls In North Carolina.

Our friends, Honeydew and Squirly have sent us this true story.

"Hey Squirly did you hear a knock at the door?" asks Honeydew.
"Well yes I did. It looks like Little Red the squirrel is knocking

"Hello Squirly and Honeydew," says Little Red Squirrel. "Please tell your Mum that the bear ate all
the sunflower seeds that she puts out for me and the birds."

"Oh no!!!!" say the Piggyville girls.  "It is not good for bears to eat
birdseed."

"Whew!!! Another exhausting day making sure that all the forest creatures
are fed."

A Piggy A to Z - " H " is for Hay!

Hi!  We're Butch and Sundance from the Prairie Pigs, and we're here to talk about a subject near and dear to any piggy's heart --- HAY!!!  As you can see, we are already experts on this topic and like to keep our skills sharp by sampling as many new kinds of hay as possible.

Any type of grass hay is good for guinea pig tummies and teeth.  There are many varieties to choose from and many places to buy it.  If you're lucky, you might be able to find a farmer nearby who will sell you a bale of fresh hay, and a good pet store will stock different sizes of bags and types of hay.  Piggies are hay connoisseurs and can tell good hay when they taste it, so if your piggy doesn't approve of the first bag you buy, keep trying until you find one he likes!

Here we are with a selection of our favourite kinds of hay: small bags of Meadow Grass and Oat Hay on the left, and a slightly larger bag of Orchard Grass on the right.  Behind us is a huge cardboard box containing fifty pounds of Orchard Grass hay!   We didn't even know you could get so much hay in a cardboard box, but we think it's a wonderful idea!

Our lucky pal Jasper was selected to perform the quality control test on our new giant box of hay.  Here he is, looking quite blissful as he munches away. Who wouldn't be happy if they were sitting on top of fifty pounds of delicious hay?  Mmmmmmm!!!

More photos of the new Piggyfriends. Part 2.

Hazel and Bonny were not quite as amenable as Miss Bonbon and her girls when it came to facing the camera but, after a few rear end views and a bit of climbing up the back of the sofa, they decided that they could cooperate after all.

Here is Bonny.

And here she is again with her sister, Hazel ( on the left.) They are all such sweet girls.

More photos of the new Piggyfriends. 1,2,3.

1. Here is Mama Bonbon.

2. Adding her daughter, Miss Marple on the right.

3. Adding her other daughter, Bella, on the left of the photo.

They all sat perfectly still for their photos. No jumping off the sofa or turning round. No bribery needed. Obviously well trained to be show pigs, as they would have had to sit still for judging. You could learn a lot from them Kiwi! Bella's eyes are not quite as red as they appear in this photo but they have a deep ruby colour.

Introducing a new family at Piggyfriends!

In our last post, we told you about Hazel and Bonny and now we want to tell you about a little family that have joined us. They also belonged to our dear friend, Jason and they are retired show pigs too.

This is Mama pig. She is called Miss Bonbon. She is a big girl and she brought her two daughters with her.

Here she is with her daughter, Miss Bell. They were not keen on posing for the camera but this pigture shows what a large lady Bonbon is. She is the one on the right. It helps to tell them apart as, other than their size, Miss Bell does not have the ginger patch at the back.

And finally, this is her other daughter, Miss Marple. They are all Coronets, which are Shelties but with a little crest on the top of their heads. This pigture does not do justice to her colouring as she has a lot of agouti in her coat.

We will post some more pigtures when they are a little less camera shy. Most of us are used to posing for silly pigtures and we are sure that these five girls will soon learn how.

Please welcome the new additions, who are bringing joy to us all.

Stop press! Slave just managed to take a better pigture of Mama Bonbon and Miss Marple after being bribed with lettuce. Miss Bell snatched hers and ran into a house with it. Please excuse extraneous poo.

Here it is. We won't show you the pigture of Miss Bell as, although she is looking out of the house with her lettuce, someone has deposited a pile of poo right in front of the house. Better luck next time. Slave always says that boars are much more fastidious than sows.

A Piggy A-Z. H is for Honeydew

 Hi my name is Honeydew. I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North
Carolina. My slave also calls me Honey-do-do because I love to leave
lots of do dos in my bed and on her lap.

This is my pink piggy bed that my Grandma Colette sent me for my
birthday. It is my favorite bed but it has many uses.  My slave carries
me around in it. She makes me feel like I am the Queen of Sheba. My bed
is also a piggy hide-a-way. Whenever a rabbit or turkey walks by I just
jump in and become invisible. It is like a piggy Tardis. My slave thinks
it is a Piggy mobile. She lets me drive it around on the kitchen floor.
Wheee!!! Sometimes I even nap on top of my bed. But I would not let my
slave take a picture of me napping. I think my slave enjoys this pink
piggy bed as much as I do. Stay tuned for more adventures of Honeydew
and Squirly in Piggyville.

A Piggy A-Z. H is for Hazel ( and Bonny too ).

Hello readers. It has been a long time since the Piggyfriends posted. Slave has not been able to help us with our typing for a while but now we want to tell you all about some new Piggyfriends.

A dear friend, who shows piggies, asked us if we would like to give a home to some of his "retired" piggies. We did not know that piggies stop going to shows when they are 2 years old. Slave did not know anything about showing piggies but we learn something new every day.

Of course, Slave jumped at the chance to bring some more piggies home so, without further ado, let us introduce Hazel.

Here she is in the carrier that Slave took to bring our new friends home. Hazel is on the right and her sister, Bonny, is under the hay.

They were understandably nervous after their journey but Slave took some quick photos before putting them into their new pen. She put them both in an upturned wooden house so that they did not scuttle away under the furniture. This is a photo of Bonny.

And this is Hazel. It is not the best photo in the world but as it is her first proper photo we thought that you would like to see it anyway.

Here they are enjoying a pile of grass. Bonny is on the left and Hazel on the right. They are what we call Shelties in England but Slave thinks that they are called Silkies in the US and is not sure about other countries. They are like Peruvians but their coats grow back away from their faces.

When they are shown, they have to have their coats intact but our friend gave them both a haircut and a shampoo before they became Piggyfriends. Bonny is at the front and Hazel is behind her. They have settled in well and it was not long before Bonny was at the front of the pen begging Slave for veggies.

Please welcome our new little friends. We will tell you about some more new friends in another post.

A Piggy A-Z. H is for Harvest

Now it is springtime in England and the grass is really starting to grow. Our Slave has just returned from visiting her friend Roly's farm and she brought back this lovely Harvest.

Roly grows lots of veggies on his farm but we all think that his grass is the best so we wanted to share a photo. Now we are going to eat it all.

How NOT to Do An Easter Photo Shoot !!!

Hi there, I'm Butch from the Prairie Pigs and this is me wreaking havoc on Slave's Easter photo shoot!

This is what it looked like before I and my brother Sundance arrived:

I guess we were supposed to sit nicely in that middle spot, but as soon as she put us down, Sundance remembered an urgent personal matter he had to attend to back at home and tried to jump off the edge of the bed, so he was excused.  Slave had told us that all of the "props" were just decorations, not edible, but you can't fool a piggy about food --- those carrots are real!!!

Yup, just as I thought (munch munch munch) !

Then Slave thought she would try something less elaborate, maybe just me and the bunny...

  

Hmmm...you're not the kind of bunny I heard about from the Piggyfriends, are you?  The kind who eats the veggies out in the garden before us piggies have a chance at them?

Maybe I'll eat up these carrot greens right away, just to be on the safe side...

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter and is enjoying springtime wherever they are.  

Better luck next year, Slave!