Part Two: Willow (L) and Pippin (R), past guinea pigs, and guinea pigs in the daily life
"When Vicky had lost Athena, I decided she needed friends. At this point, I knew I needed to find younger pigs, so I wouldn't lose them in a short time. I was looking for another pair, since I knew Vicky's days were numbered, and I didn't want to have to go looking for company for a single pig in another six months or so.
"Again through petfinder, I found young pigs, this time at the main MSPCA shelter at Angell Memorial in Boston, MA. I remember there were 11 pigs in that room when I went to see them, most of the pigs were under 6 months of age. I chose a mother-daughter pair named Alberta and Sheba, and renamed them Willow and Pippin. Adopting them wasn't quite the high as adopting Vicky and Athena, simply because the number of animals in there were overwhelming. But I was so happy to have brought them home.
"Both were infested with mites and were very high strung. Trying to introduce them to Vicky did not go well, and they ended up living in a very long cage that was divided. It suited Vicky fine - it didn't take long for her to eating her favorite foods just close enough to the grids to drive Willow and Pippin nuts, but far enough they couldn't reach through and grab it.
"I've had them for just over two years, now. Willow has mellowed a bit. She actually took Vicky under her protection before Vicky passed away, and they got along during floor time. Pippin, who can be a holy terror, actually likes to be held, and loves exploring during floor time. Unfortunately, they both terrorize other pigs during pignics, much to the amusement of many people there (and the consternation of their mommy). Not as flat-out cuddly and lovable as some of my pigs, they are extremely people-oriented, and will always come to the edge of the cage to see who's come over, and will let people reach in and pet them - even complete strangers. Willow loves nose-rubs, and Pippin's a sucker for chin-scritches.
"My boyfriend has gotten a kick out of these two, and laughs over their antics as much as I do. He takes wonderful pictures of them, and tells lots of people about my guinea pigs. Even my 2-year-old nephew is on board with guinea pigs: When he was just learning to talk, and associate pictures with words, my sister was going through a farm-yard book with him. She pointed at a pig and said "pigs", and he said, "Aunty Sally!" Pigs is pigs, I guess!"I had owned a previous pair of pigs I had purchased from a large chain pet store. One of them died within 18 months due to a congenital heart defect, and the other had battled cysts since she was 6 months old. After dealing with the problems and heartbreak from them, I vowed never to purchase from a chain store again. It took me another pair of pigs before I found out about the option to adopt.
"Over the years, especially becoming active on a couple of guinea pig oriented forums, I have become aware of the overbreeding and mills for guinea pigs and other pets. I now have changed my buying habits to stay out of pet stores entirely. I do my best to advocate that others do the same. I figure it may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but ever little bit helps."
