Bob
is a very special little guinea pig. She came to live with me via a
friend's guinea pig rescue. She'd been left there by a breeder because
her feet weren't formed properly (although they cause her no discomfort
or problems with moving around). The breeder had tried breeding her
anyway to see if she could produce babies he could show or breed from,
but some of her babies also had the same problem with their feet. So
Bob was therefore considered of no use, and only given a second chance
in life because the rescue took her in. There she was treated for mites
and given a good old pampering to get her in good shape and put on a bit
of weight.
Bob hadn't been handled much for the first year of her life, so was very
wary of people and any noise or movement when she first came to live
with us. Aside from her stay at the rescue, she'd not been part of a
home before, so everything was new and scary to her. We spent a long
time each day reassuring her and bribing her with bits of veggies (this
was by far her favourite part of being tamed!) and slowly she settled
down. After her quarantine period was over, she made friends with my
other guinea pigs, and this relaxed her a lot more. There was a bit of
a commotion at first as Bob launched a bid to be top female, but the
others weren't having any of it. Once they were happy they'd put this
idea right out of her head, they all became good friends! Like all
guinea pigs, Bob absolutely adores the company of her own kind and it
makes her feel really secure. She loves to cuddle up to her piggy
friends and always likes to be in the middle of a piggy train when
they're adventuring about the house! And they love having a devoted
follower just as much!
Bob will always be a little more wary of everything than the others.
She doesn't take well to new people and places, and you need to give her
extra time and attention every day, or she soon starts to become less
trusting of you again (not that giving her this attention this is a
chore by any stretch of the imaginiation!). It's been really rewarding
seeing her come from a quivering nervous nelly who trusted nothing and
no one, to a pig who will confidently strut around the house and come
and take veggies from your hand. Despite her shyness, she's a guinea pig
who knows what she wants and she doesn't suffer fools gladly - tickle
her behind the ears the wrong way, or offer her an array of veggies
she's not in the mood for and she'll soon let you know with a frustrated
chunter!
You can see more of Bob and her piggy friends on their website.
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