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| Name: |
Rudy
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Age: |
Senior
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| Gender: |
Male
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Kind: |
Cavy/Guinea Pig
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| Home: |
Illinois, USA
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In Dec. 2021, the Humane Societies were sadly overloaded with homeless guinea pigs and rabbits. I wished I could adopt them all but one senior gp in particular tugged at my heartstrings when I saw his photo. He was the oldest and was at the HS the longest - he was dumped there because he "couldn't get along with the family's dogs and cats," which is absurd because small pets should always be protected from any animals that frighten them. I wanted to adopt this cutie after work on Friday, Dec. 17, but it was raining very hard and I could not make it to the HS before they closed. I was so disappointed but then Divine Intervention stepped in - my boss suddenly announced all employees could leave early with full pay so I excitedly headed to the HS!
When I first held Rudy at the Humane Society, he was trembling all over. It was easy to see he had been living a life of fear and neglect. The long fur on his rear end was matted with a lot of old poop.
My hubby named him Rudy (a.k.a. "Rudolph") because we adopted him so close to Christmas and I think that name perfectly fits him! When we put him in his new cage in our home, he didn't want to come out of his house for a long time so we put his food/veggies near his house. 48 hours after adopting him, he still trembled when I picked him up and it broke my heart, but, thankfully, that was the last time he trembled. Our home is very calm and laid back. Rudy has nothing to fear in his happy, safe, fun, loving surroundings and he has never bitten us.
Rudy loves his new life! His favorite veggies are green pepper, cucumber and celery leaves. He also loves baby carrots, kale, Oxbow food/Timothy Hay/Vit. C tablets. Due to his healthy diet, he has gained 14 oz. in 5 months and now he is a hearty weight of 3 lbs., 4 oz!
Rudy has the softest fur - he must have a Peruvian guinea pig in is family tree because his fur is rather long. His coat is fuller and thicker than when we adopted him in December.
My hubby easily taught Rudy to climb up on our hands for treats! It's so exciting to see that Rudy's fearful personality has been replaced with confidence and trust. We can pet him under his chin or on his cheeks and he loves it! Rudy enjoys lap time but he still is a bit timid about unusual sounds or human sneezes! (LOL) He has not purred or whistled yet but he is spoiled and never has beg for anything! He walks/runs/stretches perfectly but he makes teeny tiny distress sounds when I pet his lower back near his rear end and I fear he may have been hurt in the past at his horrible previous home.
Handsome and photogenic Rudy poses for photos very patiently but, when he tires of it, he just calmly walks away!
Rudy loves sleeping in his house - or curling up next to his food dish so he can keep an eye on all kitchen activity! Rudy often puts all his toys in his house and sleeps next to them, which is so precious!
Rudy has two adopted gp brothers: Herbie the Lovebug and senior Buddy. Our three sweet boys live in separate cages in our living room and we interact with them day and night. They bring so much JOY into our home every day!
Talk about Rudy in Pet Talk!
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