We came home from work on Friday evening to find our family guinea pig, Oreo, dead. We just got her last fall and she was just 10 weeks old then. Guinea pigs typically have a lifespan of more than a few years -- some as many as 5 to 7 years -- so we were quite shocked. She had not been acting sick and was, in fact, eating normally that morning -- Kelly & I had even given her a couple of carrots before we left for school/work.
Luckily, the girls were upstairs when Dan noticed she was laying funny in the cage. We were able to get her in a box and have a few minutes to think of what to say to the girls before we called them downstairs. Kelly cried and cried...insisted on picking her up and hugging her and petting her. (Yes, a serious heartbreaking moment).
The little one? Well...four-year-olds are a little less emotional and a little more excitable. She quickly put on her rain boots and volunteered to help bury Oreo out back by Cassie . Considering I've got two geriatric cats, we may have to apply for a permit for the growing pet cemetery in our backyard.
So, it was a strange turn of events that Friday also happened to be the day Dan's brother's daughter's guinea pig had babies.
They were unintentional babies -- they never meant to get into the guinea pig breeding biz -- it just sort of happened -- the way things do when the pet store tells you the pig they sold you is a male and you let it play -- and shack up with -- your other male guinea pig (who knew quite well, the new pig was not a boy). "Daddy, why Squirrely keeps jumping on Carmel's back?" Dan's nieces would ask their dad. "Oh, that's just normal for two male animals -- it's how they establish dominance," he told them. You'd think he might have turned the little pig over and took a look at that point, but...they assumed the pet store knew what they were selling.
So, Friday morning Squirrely and Carmel had three little piggies who were -- much to my surprise -- born quite big, hairy and with eyes open and teeth ready to chomp on lettuce and guinea pig food.
The girls could not wait to see their cousin's new babies, so we went over bright-and-early on Saturday morning to have a look. And, dear God, I don't know if I've ever seen anything cuter in my life. Check out these pix.
Can you believe babies this big came out of this little mamma pig? In this photo, these babies were just 24 hours old.
And, yes...of course, we'll be adopting one of these little piggies when they're ready to leave their mamma (which of course, prompted us to inquire about Dan's brother's alibi on Friday when our young guinea pig when to the great guinea pig cage in the sky).
Comments (1)
Hi Heather,
So sorry to hear about little Oreo. I'm glad
I had a chance to meet Oreo last July.
Does Kelly have a new names picked out yet?
Posted by Aunt Cathy | October 29, 2007 1:30 PM
Posted on October 29, 2007 13:30