Blessed Best Buddy

[cassiesmom]

Thank you, tatsxxx11! We are still celebrating with our precious Buddy and he is taking it all in with his usual happy, laid-back, easy-going style ~ he's like the Perry Como of cavies! (It's so deserving when pets are honored as POTD/DOTD/COTD after they were heartlessly dumped at a shelter.) You always leave such beautiful, heart-felt tributes to every POTD! Thank you again for all your kind words about Buddy, Herbie and all of our adopted Scamps through the years and us! We will make sure and give your best buddy, Buddy, and his adopted brother, Herbie, lots of extra love and cuddles from you! God Bless! CavyMom and CavyDad www.guineapigsfun.net

Elyse here ... I hope we're not done celebrating yet because I am still enjoying these pictures of Buddy, and the ones of Herbie too! I was slicing a cucumber last night for salad and thinking of them Cavy Mom, you have mentioned in the past that bunnies need appropriate toys for their mouths, because of how their teeth grow. Do guinea pigs need such toys too, I wonder? Buddy has such perfect fall colors! Some white and some black whiskers, too! What a cutie!

Buddy and Herbie, I hope you get another yummy treat of carrot or cucumber, or maybe some Ox Bow pellets (are those treats?) because we're not through celebrating YOU

[CavyMom]

Elyse here ... I hope we're not done celebrating yet because I am still enjoying these pictures of Buddy, and the ones of Herbie too! I was slicing a cucumber last night for salad and thinking of them Cavy Mom, you have mentioned in the past that bunnies need appropriate toys for their mouths, because of how their teeth grow. Do guinea pigs need such toys too, I wonder? Buddy has such perfect fall colors! Some white and some black whiskers, too! What a cutie!

Buddy and Herbie, I hope you get another yummy treat of carrot or cucumber, or maybe some Ox Bow pellets (are those treats?) because we're not through celebrating YOU

Hi Elyse! Yes, we're still celebrating Buddy's POTD honor with lots of treats and love! We're so glad you're still enjoying our precious Buddy and Herbie's photos! We agree - Buddy's colors are perfect for autumn!

Yes, all bunnies, cavies/gps, gerbils, hamsters, rats and mice teeth continually grow throughout their lives, even their molars. You have to keep an eye on their weight, chewing/eating habits and change in activity because teeth issues can occur quickly at any age and cause sore gums, painful eating and depression. Timothy hay is great for their health and teeth. We also buy KayTee's Timothy Hay Natural Hay Blocks are cube-shaped and help work their teeth as they eat them. Safe wooden toys (like KayTee Nut Knot Nibblers) and chew sticks made for small animals are also good for them to gnaw on to keep their teeth trimmed. (Our Scamps also like to chew on their cardboard houses and toilet paper rolls.) Unfortunately, we have had MANY cavies/gps that have required routine teeth trimming by our vet using the safest anesthetic, Isoflurane, and they have all survived and thrived! (Teeth should NEVER EVER be trimmed with nail clippers by pet owners OR vets!) When they get older, sometimes their teeth shift (including molars) and will not align, which causes overgrowth because they cannot chew properly to keep them trimmed. One of our sweet babies, Jeepers, lived over 8 years old and during the last 3 1/2 years of his life, he had monthly teeth trimming. He bounced back quickly but we supplemented his diet with Oxbow's Critical Care (a healthy dry powder diet supplement mixed with water) given orally with a syringe.

Believe it or not, horses teeth grow, too, and squirrels 4 front teeth continually grow because they gnaw on very hard nuts and food! (The term "long in the tooth" refers to older horses whose teeth have grown too long.)

Thanks, again, for all your kind, wonderful comments on our Buddy and Herbie! Have a blessed day! CavyMom and CavyDad

P.S. Oxbow makes the highest-quality food/treats/supplements for small animals and the Oxbow pellets (their dry pellet-shaped food) is hay-based, which is the best, instead of wheat or corn based, which is junk small animals don't need.

[cassiesmom]

Merry Christmas to Buddy, Herbie and your people!