Friday, June 24, 2011

The cavies move out!

About three years ago my daughter wanted to get a guinea pig. As a teacher, I had them in my classroom on and off for years, had a "breeding program" because parents seemed to want them (in theory only, I later found out), and as pets for the kids. They are very sweet creatures.

Erin named the first guinea pig she bought (with her own holiday money) Cocoa.
cocoa in basket

For a while she held the title The Amazing Cocoalinni and Erin taught her to do tricks. Her main trick being, if all the doors in our hall (but Erin's bedroom) were closed and you set her down beside the left wall she would run down the hall and into Erin's room. That never seemed much like a trick to me, personally, but Erin thought she was brilliant and Cocoa had no end of praise and treats for it. Here is Cocoa in the middle of her famous acting career in the lead role of Little Red Riding Hood.

The Amazing Cocoalinni

Cocoa has retired from acting and circus life. A couple years ago she got a buddy (Stretchy) that one of the children I taught lost interest in (he was two) and the two have been sharing a domicile ever since. Stretchy doesn't have enough intelligence for tricks of any kind, but she is super fast when you try and catch her to hold. Oddly I only have one picture of her, in her new home (the old chicken hutch we used when they were peeps).

stretchy in new digs

The reason she looks so suspicions is because the girls were out of the ark and had wandered over and were looking at her, like this

are you a chicken too?

and then like this

chickens check out guineas

I thought it was very cute. The pigs seem happier outside, I sleep better since I don't hear them squawking all night (and rattling the water bottle every five seconds), and Erin's room doesn't smell like guinea pig anymore.

It's the little things!

No comments:

Post a Comment