The Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue - Super Rescue Blog!

Gone in a Heartbeat

2011-04-29T03:28:00.004-05:00

Losing a pet, no matter what circumstance is always a difficult thing. There are some situations however, that go beyond heartbreak. This is the plight of our very dear friend Marsha. Marsha and her family narrowly escaped death when a tornado demolished their home in Alabama this past week. Marsha has been a life-long animal lover and took particular pride and care of her beloved guinea pigs, rats and hammies. She loved to sew blankets, tunnels and beds for her animals and also took orders and sewed these items for others too. All her pet cozies were of the finest quality.
http://www.cozycavy.com/

Marsha, her husband, two children and their pet dog managed to live through the devastation, although her daughter and dog were injured and required medical care. At present, we do not know the plight of the little furries, but the outlook is not good.

The hearts of all of us here at the former Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue go out to Marsha and her family and we want them to know that they are in our thoughts and prayers. At present, this family has lost everything.

If you and your friends want to help a fellow guinea pig lover, there is a site set up to accept donations that will go directly to the family for whatever their immediate needs may be. You can find it here:
http://sponsoraguineapig.blogspot.com/2011/04/for-month-of-may.html

Please consider a donation. Even a small one will add up and be so appreciated.

Update:
Marsha’s daughter is off oxygen and is doing well and slated to be released from the hospital. Also, Marsha and her husband have been able to go back into their neighborhood and they have found all but one of the guinea pigs and 6 of their pet rats. Unfortunately, only 4 of the guinea pigs and 4 of the rats were survivors. We are saddened to hear of the ones that did not make it, but thrilled to hear of the ones that did. They are truly little miracles.

Adoption Tips

2010-02-28T04:40:00.000-06:00

Hello from the PigPen in Janesville!
We still have rescue pigs awaiting new homes (watch petfinder for postings of their "mugshots"), but we also want to bring to your attention all the pigs that are still awaiting homes in your local shelters and humane societies. We encourage people to consider adopting these lovely guinea pigs straight from the shelter.

Shelters and humane societies are being severely hurt by the economy right now. Donations are down, but animal surrenders are up. Many shelters do not have the funds to house and care for the smaller animals and exotics for a lengthy period of time. Be aware that they often do not post the smaller animals on petfinder along with cats and dogs, but it doesn't mean they have no guinea pigs (or rats or hamsters or gerbils) available for adoption. Ninety nine percent of the guinea pigs that come through the Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue are pulled from Wisconsin shelters when their "time is up" and most of them are young pigs that are a year old or younger.

Here are a few tips and ideas if you are considering adopting from your local shelter:

-Do your research and have your cage and supplies all ready before you bring your new pig/pigs home. Remember that petstore cages are way too small for these animals to live in, so consider a C&C cage like the ones at http://guineapigcages.com/ .

-Call your local shelters and humane societies frequently to find out if they have guinea pigs available and have them take your name and contact information down so they can call you if pigs become available.

-Oftentimes you need to visit frequently in person to let shelters know that you are looking for pet guinea pigs.

-Read through the sexing guides on the GuineaLynx Health Care Guide (http://www.guinealynx.info) so you can double check the sexes of available guinea pigs at the shelter (mistakes can happen!). If you are not sure about the sex of an animal, see if you can take the animal to a vet prior to finalizing the adoption.

-If you are looking for a friend for a pig that you already have, do take the precaution to quarantine any new animals in a separate room from your present pets for 3 weeks. It's not a bad idea to take the new pig for a visit to a cavy savvy vet during that quarantine period to rule out any illnesses or the presence of mites or lice. Also have the vet doublecheck the pig's gender. An accidental pairing of a male and female puts the female at serious risk(complications, often resulting in death, are quite common with guinea pig pregnancy and birth).

-Often guinea pigs have been eating an inferior brand of pellets and have not been given hay or fresh daily vegetables when they are surrendered to a shelter. Do provide unlimited hay (SO important to healthy digestion and healthy teeth!) and immediately switch to a decent pressed pellet (like Oxbow brand Cavy Cuisine) which contains no seeds, nuts or bits. Also start immediately to introduce fresh vegetables, but keep in mind it may take the guinea pig time to get used to them if they have not been eating them (sometimes they are even a little scared of a piece of lettuce at first).

-The best way to monitor the health of your new guinea pig is to use a digital scale to weigh the pig weekly. A pig adopted from a shelter will often show an initial weight jump (anxiety from being in a shelter environment can affect appetite) and then it is quite normal to see a gradual weight gain thereafter (from typical growth).

-It's scary for a guinea pig to be in a shelter environment and it will take a few weeks or even up to a month for a guinea pig to start to relax and get used to your home. Be patient. Remember that a guinea pig may not have had a lot of handling before it was surrendered to the shelter so it may take time before it feels comfortable being picked up and held. Of course, young children should never be allowed to catch and hold a guinea pig and that is even more so the case with a pig that is not used to being handled.

-Giving a shelter pig a new home is just as rewarding as providing a home for one of our pigs in rescue (99% of our rescue pigs were pulled from shelters just like yours) and we hope you will not hesitate to look into the option if you are wanting to add a pair of these lovely animals to your family.

-Volunteers from the Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue are more than willing to answer questions you have about pigs you have adopted from the local shelter. Don't hesitate to drop us an e-mail.

Charlene

Recent Adoptions: Oleta, Otis, and Madeline!

2010-01-13T01:59:00.004-06:00

Madeline

Oleta went to her new home to be friends with Sassy. Sassy recently lost her long time buddy and was lonely. But now she has a new buddy in little Oleta! Oleta and Sassy will be living in Middleton with Linda. Yay, Oleta, Sassy, and Linda!

A big HOORAH for our little Otis who was adopted this month to be a friend for his new buddy Popcorn! Otis was doing a lot of "popcorns" when he met Popcorn. Otis and his new friend will be living with Christina in Rockford. Thank you, Christina!

We are so thrilled that Madeline went home this past weekend. Madeline was born in rescue 2 years ago and had been adopted with her mother Gizelle when Madeline was 4 weeks of age. Sadly, Madeline was returned to the rescue last month after Gizelle passed away and we were preparing to post her story on petfinder to start looking for a new home for her. We knew she was terribly lonely. But no more! We got an e-mail from Leah, who was a former adopter. Her pig Jiffy and recently lost her lifelong partner and she also was terribly alone. So it was a wonderful match between two beautiful lonely pigs. How wonderful, Jiffy, Madeline and Leah! Jiffy and Madeline will be living with Leah in Grafton.

Charlene

Warm and Fuzzy Holiday Greetings!

2009-12-23T02:13:00.001-06:00

Recent Adoptions: Perlie and Bonzai

2009-12-14T01:20:00.001-06:00

A big HOORAH for our little girl Perlie who went home with her new friend Bonzai and new family Anne and Patrick of Middleton. Bonzai is a neutered male that lost his long time cagemate, so he was looking for a friend to chase away the lonelies. We are so glad we could make him happy and find Anne and Patrick a new guinea pig to pamper and spoil. Here 's a picture taken by Patrick of Bonzai and Perlie getting to know each other. Don't they make a lovely twosome?

December Pigs of the Month: The Marshmallow Boys

2009-12-05T12:30:00.006-06:00

Magoo

Gilbert

Who are these adorable boys? Why it's Gilbert and his buddy Magoo! This lovely pair might not have flashy colors, but they more than make up for it in personality. They both have a twinkle of mischief in their eyes. Gilbert is the vocal one and his lyrical voice can be heard over all the other pigs, especially when it's veggie time. Magoo is quieter, but he just knows he is something special with his crazy cute hairdo. These boys are friendly, curious and funny and will make great pets. Are they the pigs for YOUR household? Gilbert and Magoo are just one of the lovely pairs of pigs that up for adoption through the Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue. If you are not in the position to provide a home, consider helping to sponsor these lovely boys while they await their new family. Even a $5 donation will help us continue to provide hay, pellets and fresh vegetables to our rescue pigs.

Check them out on Petfinder!
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14820699

Recent Adoptions: More happy tails!

2009-12-05T12:21:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Merlin and Padraic (renamed "Galahad"...how CUTE!), who went home to Rhinelander this weekend. Their new family had a 2 grid by 5 grid cage all ready for them (and lots of veggies!). So lots of space to run and tons to eat. What more could a pig ask for?

Merlin

Merlin getting cleaned up for his new home

Galahad's baby picture (he's grown up a lot since then!)

Also, Crockett and Ike went to live in Stoughton with Lori and her family. Way to go, Crockett and Ike!

Crockett

P.S. Guinea pigs don't actually have tails.

Thank You to Our Friends!

2009-11-05T02:02:00.003-06:00

Hello everyone! Sometimes we are so blown away by the generosity of our supporters here at Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue, that we just feel the need to thank some of them in person.

We offer a round of applause to one special young lady in Neenah. For her recent birthday, Carly decided to ask her birthday guests to bring donations for our rescue instead of bringing birthday presents...and she sent us a check for $115. How wonderful is that?!! Thank you so much, Carly!

We also need to extend a warm thank you to Katie in Appleton. Katie provided one of our pregnant momma pigs with a temporary foster home so the little momma could get lots of attention and care during her pregnancy and delivery. SO helpful, Katie! We are so appreciative and momma piggy Indra and baby Ike also thank you!

We just HAVE to extend a heartfelt thank you to Sally in Madison who supplied our rescue with a large assortment of much needed towels to be used in our cages. Thanks to you, Sally, our rescue pigs will be comfortable, clean and cozy while they stay here with us awaiting their new homes.

No, we are not done yet. Our friend Jane also sent us a most generous donation through our paypal account. How can we express our appreciation, Jane? Oh my goodness...thank you!

Ha! Susan, you're not getting off without a heartfelt thank you either! Susan brought us hay, pellets and some wonderful hidey houses and play tunnels for our rescue pigs. You should just SEE the little pig smiles on the faces of our little rescue piggies!

It is ALL of you wonderful folks that have made our rescue work possible. As you know, our rescue is only here because of your generous donations. We can't do it alone and we are so grateful for the help and support. You are all very special to us and our rescue fuzzballs.

All of us at the Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue

Shelter News

2009-11-05T01:58:00.005-06:00

Recent Adoptions: Godiva, Moxie, Vivi, Oona and Olivia!

Congratulation to Godiva (now named Blossum!), Moxie (Pansy) and Vivi who all went home with Amy and Luciana in Janesville.

Vivi was adopted to live with Amy and Luciana's beautiful neutered boar, while Blossum and Pansy have their own large cage to zoom around in. If that wasn't enough, Amy and Luciana also fell in love with our mother/daughter pair, Oona and Olivia and they also went to their new home in Janesville. We know that all these pigs will be pampered and spoiled. Congratulations to all!

Standing Room Only!

2009-10-08T01:34:00.005-05:00

A big HELLO from the Janesville PigPen! Are we going nuts here?
Why, yes. Yes, we are (grin!). The 13 pigs that recently came here have blossomed...into 21! And there will be more. Three of the 7 sows in this group were confirmed pregnant on intake. Two weeks ago, the lovely little Oona and the equally beautiful little Paloma gave birth on the same night to 9 little pups. Oona had 6 babies (sadly one was stillborn) and Paloma had 3. Initially, Oona and Paloma shared a cage and both took care of all the pups. When Oona needed medical treatment for a hormonal issue, we separated the two families equally to give everyone a chance to thrive. So Oona kept four of her babies and Paloma happily took to raising her own three and one of Oona's. So in one night, we welcomed the brand new Oliver, Olivia, Otis, Oleta, Oscar, Panya, Perlie and Padraic. Okay, okay....Quiz time: What babies belong to which mother? You KNOW you can figure it out!

So what of the other new piggies that came to us to find new homes? Well, remember I said that there will be MORE piggies? Yup! Indra is ready to pop with her pups any second now. And the very beautiful red abby sow, Jezabel has just been confirmed pregnant. So far ("knock on wood") Tallulah, Hepzibah and Yasmine show no signs of pregnancy. These three beauties share a cage. Talluhah and Yasmine are both tan and white Americans, but Hepzibah is a drop-dead gorgeous tan Abby and, Hoo Boy, she's got an A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E, that one!. Maybe I shouldn't have named her after a mythological goddess.

But what of the 6 boars that we took in? I can't help myself, I already have favorites. Merlin, an adult chocolate and tan American, is a big, squooshy lovebug. What else can I say? And Henry is just plain sweet. He's a pale red and white boy with lovely pink eyes, but such a NICE little boy. I just want to hug him. Crockett is the prettiest young abby boar that we've had here in a long time...so many different SHADES of tan on one pig. Shadrach has pretty tans on him too and another really nice, nice little pig.

Warning: Do not read any further if you have an uncontrollable sweet tooth!!! I MEAN it! I'm WARNING you! I just love, love, love the MARSHMALLOW BOYS!! One is smooth and white and one is FLUFFY and white. Does it get any better than this? I'm talking about Gilbert (be still my heart!) and Magoo. Gilbert is an American and Magoo is a fluffy, fluffy, fluffy (did I mention "fluffy"?) Abbyruvian. How cool is that? Someone is going to be SO lucky to adopt these two special boys.

Okay, I'll admit it. I just totally love them all. How can you have a favorite when they are all so wonderful?

So we have quite a few pigs here in the rescue and you will be able to see some of them up on Petfinder within the next few days (so don't change that channel!). Here are some pictures of our new little babies, but DO NOT blame me if you swoon from the cuteness.

If anyone lives in the Madison/Milwaukee/Janesville area and wants to donate food or bedding to go toward caring for all these beautiful little fluffballs, send us an e-mail and we will see what we can work out for pick up. The babies and moms are eating Oxbow brand Cavy Performance pellets and lots of timothy hay (and daily fresh veggies). The other pigs are eating Oxbow brand Cavy Cuisine (and hay and veggies). As to bedding, we can still use gently used towels or aspen shavings and Carefresh brand paper bedding.

All of you have a great day and give your pigs a hug from us!

Hey I was eating that!

Bath Time!

2009-10-08T01:27:00.003-05:00

Some of the new piggies needed a long overdue bath. They fussed and complained but after it was all over they were squeaky clean cavies!

New pigs!

2009-10-08T01:11:00.005-05:00

Here's a random assortment of some of the new piggies at the rescue.
They're not up on petfinder yet but keep checking back, we'll be sure to post about it!

And here's Oona one of the 3 pregnant sows. She's ready to pop!

The Big Pig Transport

2009-09-14T02:52:00.004-05:00

On Friday, the WI Guinea Pig Rescue took in thirteen guinea pigs from a shelter after they were surrendered to the authorities by their owner. The shelter unfortunately did not have the space to house them We took a short road trip to meet up with a shelter volunteer who brought the pigs down to us in the Madison area.

Next stop: Janesville!
The thirteen fluffballs were loaded into the back of our regrettably small two-door and given some fresh veggies, and we were on our way.

Food!

One of the pregnant girls

Food for some of the boys!

After weighing and treating the seven girls and six boys for mites, they were introduced to their nice, spacious new homes. They immediately checked out their new surroundings and went to work munching on their hay and pellets.

Paradise!

Unfortunately, three of the female pigs are confirmed pregnant, with the other four on a pregnancy watch. Sadly, guinea pigs often come into the rescue pregnant, and just a few pregnancies can threaten to double the number of pigs already being cared for. We are hoping for happy and healthy babies and moms.

There are some adorable and funny characters in this bunch! Please check back often for updates and to see our Petfinder list once the pigs are available for adoption.

This is one happy little pig.

Rare ‘lethal white’ guinea pig needs flight from Oz to Canada

2009-09-09T13:27:00.005-05:00

Hello from the PigPen! With this entry, we want to bring to you a true story of love between an animal and a human and the plight of one very special pig that we know who currently lives in Australia.

Casper is no ordinary guinea pig. Born blind, deaf and with severe dental issues, she is only one of a handful of living ‘lethal white’ guinea pigs in the world: most lethal whites die within hours of birth, hence the name. A true survivor at a year and half old, Casper may live another four years. And she needs a flight halfway across the world.

Now that her Canadian owner is moving from Port Hedland, Western Australia back to Vancouver, Canada, Casper needs a ride on board a plane--not in cargo, which is the only way commercial flights will accept her--in order to survive the transpacific trip. As Casper gets all her water from fresh vegetables and hand-feedings, she wouldn't survive the 15-hour flight from Sydney to Vancouver.

“Casper is very special,” says her owner Jenn Ladd, “and not just because she’s beaten the odds to survive. I consider her the ‘Helen Keller’ of guinea pigs for her amazing ability to not only enjoy her life immensely, but to be able to communicate with me. Lethal whites tend to be very affectionate and cuddly, so she spends a lot of time on my lap. She nibbles on my finger when she needs to use her litter box. Even though she’s profoundly deaf, she makes all the right guinea pig noises at the right times.

“I’m like Helen Keller’s companion", Anne Sullivan, which is why re-homing Casper isn’t an option. She’s fed a pellet mush four times a day through a syringe, and her veggies are cut up in to thin narrow strips in order for her to slurp them up like spaghetti, as she can’t take bites. I’ve tried to have other people feed her but she just won’t eat for anyone but me.”

Casper’s dental bills have added up since she was born in March 2008, and she’s seen Perth veterinary dental specialist Dr. Elizabeth Vickridge monthly and sometimes even weekly for tooth trimmings and extractions. Guinea pigs’ teeth continually grow but grind down against each other to keep them neat and trim: Casper has only one front tooth, which needs to be trimmed, and molars that grow over and entrap her tongue, requiring shaving in order for Casper to eat properly.

“I've asked all the commercial airlines that fly out of Australia if they will consider allowing Casper on board in her small crate but none will. She’s only 950 grams, and travels in a small cat carrier that fits under an airline seat,” says Jenn. “My hope is that a commercial airline will make an exception, or a private airline can make space on board for me and Casper. If I were Richard Branson, it wouldn’t be difficult to get Casper to Canada, but I’m just an ordinary person with an extraordinary pet.”

Lethal whites are the result of poor breeding practices by those who do not realize that crossing certain breeds of guinea pigs could produce these severely disabled babies.

For more information on Lethal White guinea pigs:
http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.guineapigcages.com/forum/kitchen/4190-lethal-guinea-pigs.html

Join the cause 'Fly Casper Home' on Facebook http://apps.facebook.com/causes/343808/81161052?m=fb5a6ed7 , and add Casper Ladd as a friend to see more photos of this special guinea pig.

Casper on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khqdxSqVGRo

Photos of Casper:

FlyCasperHome@hotmail.com

Shelter News

2009-09-02T19:53:00.005-05:00

Recent Adoptions: Rudy

Congratulations to our Rudy at long last. Rudy was in the rescue for over a year, but found a new loving home with Cathy, who came all the way from Iowa to adopt him! A big thank you to Cathy for giving our patient little fellow his forever home. We know his long wait will be rewarded now that he has joined her loving household.

We wish Rudy and his new family the best!

September Pig(s) of the Month: Godiva and Moxie!

2009-09-02T19:41:00.008-05:00

Godiva

Moxie

A LITTLE ATTITUDE...
That's what these two girls have loads of. Meet Godiva and Moxie, two lovely chocolate adult females that currently are sharing a cage.
Godiva is the biggest girl (weighing in at a whopping 3 pounds!) and she thinks she should be the one who calls the shots. Moxie is a little more laid back (she might be Godiva's daughter...but neither one is telling!). They are looking for a child-free home where they can be pampered and doted on (and be taught that people are not so bad to be friends with). Are you someone who wants to make friends with some pigs with personality?

These pigs are being fostered in Janesville and they've been in the rescue for three years!
Check out their Petfinder page:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=11997737

Shelter News

2009-08-25T13:03:00.004-05:00

Recent Adoption: Abbott

Congratulations to Abbott! (He's the white pig) Abbott went to his new home in Janesville where he will now live with his brand new buddy, Elmer. Here are some slightly fuzzy pictures of Elmer and Abbott getting to know each other. A big thank you to Andrea for opening her doors to our wonderful little Abbott. We know he's going to have the very best of everything!

Shelter News

2009-08-22T02:59:00.004-05:00

Recent Adoption: Teensy and Sidda

Congratulations to Teensy and Sidda who went home to a nice couple. Have fun, girls!

Teensy

Sidda

Shelter News

2009-08-05T02:34:00.006-05:00

Recent Adoption: Spud and Jasper

Congratulations to Spud and Jasper who went home to Madison (Thank you so much, Sara and Aaron, for giving the boys a home!). We just know those lovely boars are going to enjoy doing their parrot imitations (perching on top of their hidey stools) in their new place.

From Charlene here in the Janesville Pig Pen

Jasper

Spud

Food Time!

Shelter News

2009-07-24T00:14:00.003-05:00

Recent Adoption: Cash

Congratulations to Cash! He went home to Madison with his new best friend, Iggy. Iggy and Cash were so happy to finally meet each other that they had trouble keeping their feet down to earth (lots of leaping for joy!)! Cash is going to get a lot of attention from his new "Mom" and will have lots of fun being buddies with Iggy. Thanks Iggie's Mom for giving our Cash a new home!
(we'll try and get some pics soon!)

From Charlene here in the Janesville Pig Pen

July Pig of the Month: Rudy

2009-07-07T00:42:00.008-05:00

Rudy is a young American boar with beautiful stripes on his side. He also has a really neat marking on his lower lip that makes him look like he has half of a mustache.

This guy has been in our shelter since April'08. All of his brothers have been adopted and he is waiting for his time to be adopted, too. He would get along well with your lonely boar or live side by side with a female.

Rudy is still leery of people and skittish, too. He will come around and be a wonderful pig for someone that will spend time with him and show him what love it. He may be hard to catch but will sit in your lap as long as you let him.

Rudy is located at our Rhinelander foster home.
Check out his Petfinder page:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=10574817

WGPR at Animal days

2009-06-22T11:22:00.004-05:00

Piggie ambassadors - Teensy and Sidda

On June 20^th, The Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue was invited to Animal Days at Oakview Veterinary Medical Center in Plover, WI. We definitely recommend Oakview for those of you up north near Stevens Point. They have a very cavy-savvy vet named Dr. Diane Scott. Anyway, Rachel (Director, Baraboo) took Teensy and Sidda to be our pig ambassadors, and boy, were they put to work!

We had them in a 2 grid by 3 grid pen underneath our table and while Rachel was busy fending off nosy dogs, many many little fingers were in the cage petting Teensy and Sidda. Gentle, gentle! Teensy stood still for lots of love pats while Sidda played hard-to-get. These two make a great pair; they are very easy to hold. Teensy isn't that hard to catch; Sidda is a bit of a runner, but catch her and hold her for a while and she'll tell you lots of stories! After the four-hour event, Teensy and Sidda continued their adventure. They are going to be featured in the front room at Waupaca Humane Society in a C&C cage.

One of our foster moms, Monica, is the director there and is in charge of making sure that the families adopting from Waupaca Humane are held to the same standards as people applying from Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue. So if you're in Central Wisconsin, drop by Waupaca Humane and visit Teensy and Sidda! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth and donated money to help us feed these pigs.

--Rachel Sincere

June Pig of the Month: Vivi

2009-06-04T02:45:00.004-05:00

Baby Vivi came into our rescue from a local Wisconsin shelter and she was hugely pregnant. On April 16, she gave birth to 5 beautiful pups. Despite her youth (we are thinking around 4 months) she set about to take good care of her very large family. We hoped that the pups and Vivi would thrive without a problem (problems with pups and mothers during pregnancy, labor, birth and lactation are many), but it was not to be so. When the pups were 13 days old, Vivi suffered a nipple injury from the constant nursing of vigorous, growing babies. Bacteria entered the wound and Vivi developed a raging mastitis infection and abscess.

Vivi was immediately taken to the vet where she was put on a course of Bactrim (antibiotic) and had to be separated from her pups. Seven days later, she had to return to the vet, as the antibiotic was not healing the infection. The pain was so severe, that Vivi hobbled around the cage, trying not to put any weight on the leg on that side. She returned to the vet the next day and underwent a procedure to lance the abscess and have it flushed. A culture of the infection was also done at that time to try and determine what antibiotic would best fight off the type of infections she had.

For weeks, Vivi had to endure having her abscess flushed and packed with Silverdene and was forced to take her antibiotic (now Chloramphenical). Her weight plummeted and she also had to be force fed. Gradually, the treatment worked and she is well again and gaining weight. We are amazed that she is still sweet and docile despite the pain that we must have caused her during her treatments. What a wonderful baby/momma piggy!!

But now we need YOUR HELP! Vivi's vet bill has come to $245.15 and our medical fund is empty. If we cannot pay for Vivi's bill and replenish our medical fund, we may not be able to help other wonderful darlings like Vivi. Can you find it in your heart to send us a few dollars? We thank you, thank you, thank you, ahead of time! It's your donations that allow us to give pigs like Vivi a chance at life.

Shelter News

2009-06-04T02:29:00.006-05:00

Recent Adoption: Cassie and Carley
Congratulations to Cassie and Carley who went home to live with their new family in Madison this week. (pics to come!)

Tribute to Freddie

We are sad to say goodbye to Freddie, one of our wonderful rescued pigs who passed away on May 15th.
Freddie was a very sweet and special pig who came into the rescue in January of 2008 after being passed around by multiple owners on Craigslist and Freecycle. Unfortunately, they did not see what a great friend they would have had in Freddie had they taken the time to get to know him.

Freddie was only in our house as a foster for a few weeks, and he was such a cool little guy. He was crazy over Critical Care, and he loved attention. He would get super excited when he would hear us coming up the stairs, and his face would be right at the bars when we walked into the room. He was one of the friendliest guinea pigs we had ever met. He had such a bright and mischievous look in his eyes. Freddie was adopted by one of the volunteers for our rescue, where he had the loving care he deserved and new guinea pig friends to play with. We'll miss you, buddy.

If you would like to read more, please visit the All Creatures Rescue Blog.

-Vinod and Emily in Trolltown

An Ounce of Prevention…

2009-05-16T05:11:00.005-05:00

An Ounce of Prevention…

The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared!” It should well be the motto for all guinea pig owners too when it comes to the skill of syringe feeding. Because syringe feeding may save your pig’s life, it should be something you are ready for and are familiar with.

A guinea pig that has stopped eating for any reason is in serious jeopardy. There are many reasons why it may have stop eating. Often it is caused by pain from an illness or injury. A very common cause is an antibiotic intolerance. Malocclusion of the molars will cause a pig to stop eating and require a dental grinding at the vets and often syringe feeding to save the pig.

Because time may be of the essence, a pig that has stopped eating needs an immediate evaluation by a cavy savvy vet to determine the cause of the problem and (except in the case of an intestinal blockage), immediate syringe feeding should be started. To do this, you should plan ahead and have the items available to you BEFORE the need for them arises.

The first item you probably already have and are already using…a digital kitchen scale to weigh your pig weekly. Next, you should have a pouch of Oxbow brand Critical Care on hand (keep it in the freezer to keep it viable) and several 1 cc syringes (no needle).

Cut just the tip off one of the syringes. Mix the Critical Care (CC) with warm water until it is the consistency of pureed baby food (a bit of baby food carrot or sweet potato may be added to make it more palatable). Place the pig on your lap facing away from you. An uncooperative pig can be wrapped “burrito” style in a small kitchen towel. Draw CC into the syringe and place the syringe into the pig’s mouth far enough back so the tip is behind the front incisors. Gently depress the plunger on the syringe.

You will know that the pig is swallowing if it begins to chew. An adult pig should be syringe fed 15 to 20 cc’s of Critical Care during a feeding and should be fed 100 cc’s a day to put back on the weight that was lost and maintain the pig. More information can be found about syringe feeding in the Guinea Lynx online Health Care Guide here: http://www.guinealynx.info . Read up on it before you need it and be familiar with how it is done.

The important thing to remember is that you cannot count on your veterinarian to keep a stock of Oxbow brand Critical Care on hand for when your pig needs it or count on your vet to TELL you to start syringe feeding when it is required. YOU need to be prepared and have the items on hand yourself. You need to take the initiative and start syringe feeding, even if you were not told to do so.

If your pig is dropping weight…it needs syringe fed. It’s that simple. Your pig’s life may depend on it.

From Charlene here in the Janesville Pig Pen

Calling on friends of Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue!

2009-04-22T00:12:00.005-05:00

Freddie wants your vote!

Will you vote for us? The Animal Rescue Site, together with Petfinder, is sponsoring a challenge to grant money for users' favorite animal rescues.

Please go to:
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces
and type in the name of our rescue (Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue, Lake Delton) to help us win money for our rescue. You can vote once a day! Can we have your daily vote? It's so easy to do every day and it could be a lot of help for our rescue pigs. Thank you so much!

April's Guinea Pig of the Month - Bebe (the baby)

2009-04-18T19:50:00.008-05:00

Bebe (in the center) with his brothers and sisters

Please help us raise money for Bebe's surgery! This is Bebe, born April 16 to one of our foster pigs who came in pregnant. This beautiful little baby has a condition called entropion eyelid on his left eye and he will need surgery to correct it. If left untreated, it can lead to scratching and scarring of the eyeball and, eventually, blindness. However, he needs to be around 6 months old to have the surgery (he's too little right now!). Can you help? We need to raise $250 for the surgery and will need an additional $50 for vet care and at home care until he is ready. He's just started out in life. We want to give him a chance to live pain-free and to be someone's pampered little darling. If you can only spare a few dollars (we know things are pretty tight right now) it still adds up and it is much appreciated.

April Showers bring May... BABIES?!

2009-04-12T14:05:00.004-05:00

Some of the babies born in the shelter.

It's SPRING here at the Pig Pen in Janesville! I hope everyone had a Happy Easter and a relaxing spring break. And yes, our rescue is expecting babies! We have recently taken in some rescue females that are expecting. Since spring and new babies are often thought of hand-in-hand, I thought I'd take a few minutes to talk about baby pigs and some interesting facts and thoughts about them.

First of all, we hope that if anyone is thinking of allowing their guinea pigs to have a litter of pups, we hope we can talk you into reconsidering. A guinea pig female can have anywhere from 1 to 7 young, and they grow up very fast. Having two guinea pigs as a pet can be wonderful, but it makes one take pause if you realize that you may end up with the responsibility of 7 to 9 of them. And remember that the lifespan of a guinea pig is 6-8 years, so that is a long-term responsibility. Because there are so many guinea pigs that are awaiting homes in shelters and rescues, it is also not a good idea to allow more pigs to be born.

Pregnant guinea pigs sometimes come into the rescue malnourished, because people don't realize that a pregnant guinea pig needs a specialized diet to help keep her and the pups healthy during gestation and lactation. In addition to having access to an unlimited good quality grass hay (like timothy or bluegrass), the mother must be given an alfalfa-based pellet (like Oxbow brand "Cavy Performance") so that she gets the much needed calcium and nutrients that alfalfa provides. She also needs fresh leafy green vegetables and a variety of other veggies (like cilantro, green or red bell pepper, endive, etc) to provide the proper amount of vitamin C for her body and that of the growing pups. To be on the safe side, additional vitamin C should be provided. This should be in the form of liquid vitamin C (or a portion of a crushed chewable tablet mixed with a bit of juice) that can be syringed directly into the pig's mouth. The vitamin C drops that are sold to add to a water bottle are useless and a waste of money.

The average gestation period for a guinea pig is 68-72 days. It is a long gestation period for a small animal but it is necessary because the babies are born fully formed. They will be able to run around very shortly after birth. Most newborn pigs weigh between 2 and 3 ounces. It is important to note that guinea pigs do not always have easy births and there is a risk of death for the mother and the pups. It is important to be aware of this before allowing a beloved sow to breed. It is also important to know that the mother will come into heat right after giving birth, so she will become pregnant again if she is still with a boar. Allowing a back-to-back pregnancy to occur is extremely risky to the sow and should never be allowed.

Baby pigs become sexually mature at 4 weeks of age (yeah, wow!), so baby boy pigs should be removed from the mother and sisters at exactly 21 days to prevent even more unwanted pregnancies. For the first 4 weeks, they should be weighed daily on a digital kitchen scale to ensure that they are progressing well (Momma pig should also be weighed daily). A pup that is showing a failure to thrive should be taken to be examined by a cavy savvy vet to determine what the problem is in order to save the pig.

Guinea pig sows are typically very good mothers and will spend a good portion of the day cleaning and nursing her new offspring. Since they have only two teats, they can only nurse two pups at a time, but this does not seem to be a problem as the pups take turns. As the pups grow, they will follow the mother around the cage and learn from her what is edible and what is not. The mother pig herself will wean the babies when they reach somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks of age. Baby pigs are a delight to watch as they try out their legs and will run, jump and careen around the cage (sometimes running into things). Because they are so tiny, yet are so energetic and wiggly, they should never be handled by young children (tragedy can and does result!).

Baby guinea pigs should continue to be provided with hay, daily vegetables and alfalfa-based pellets after they are weaned. They can be switched to a timothy-based pellet at 6 months of age to reduce the chance of the formation of bladder stones later in life.

One myth that people commonly believe is that they must adopt a pair of pigs when they are babies to develop a close bond with their new pets. In fact, baby pigs are so energetic and skittish that they are difficult to catch and hold and it can take quite a while before they settle down and get used to cuddling with their humans (why they make very poor pets for children). It is the older pig that makes a great pet. They are more calm, easier to catch and hold and often are more open to learning about their owners.

If you have adopted a pair of pigs for Easter, please take the time to read up on their care to keep them happy and healthy (check out our links for some great information!). Give 'em PLENTY of room to run and PLENTY of good food (you know by now that they LOVE to eat!). Please keep our rescue pigs in your thoughts as we hope for the safety and health of our expectant little girls.

From Charlene here in the Janesville Pig Pen

What YOU can do to help homeless pigs

2009-04-12T14:01:00.007-05:00

We need more stuff for me to poop on!!

Many of you have asked us how you can help out our rescue. We know that not everyone can be a foster home but there are many things that you, as an individual, can do to help. Collecting and providing items for our rescue can also be a great community project for elementary school classes and scout troops. We know of one 10 year old who collected items for orphaned animals at his birthday party (Way to go, Andrew!) instead of having his friends bring birthday presents. Here are just a few ideas.

-Collect the following from your area and contact us to arrange a pick-up:
-Gently used cotton towels
-Gently used polyester fleece blankets (any color)
-New bags of loose bedding like aspen or pine shavings, or Carefresh brand bedding
(No Cedar please)
-Used plastic kennel carriers (small) in good condition
-Used plastic stools (any size or color)
-Small kitten sized litter pans
-Any brand of timothy or alfalfa hay
-Bags of Oxbow brand Cavy Cuisine or Cavy Performance Guinea Pig Pellets
(sold at Mounds and other pet supply stores)
-Donations made directly to KM’s Hayloft (see our list of links) to go toward the purchase
of hay and pellets
-Donations made to our paypal account for our medical fund
-Donations made to our paypal account towards the purchase of gas to
transport guinea pigs

In addition, we are always looking for people who are willing to transport guinea pigs. We often need to get pigs between Baraboo and Madison and between Madison and Janesville.

If you garden and you have a surplus of vegetables in the fall, and/or if you are near one of our foster homes and often have a surplus of fresh vegetables in your home (red or green leaf lettuce, romaine, carrots, red or green bell pepper, cilantro, parsley, spinach, beet tops, etc…no iceburg lettuce, please) then we could use it to feed hungry guinea pigs.

There are a few things that we DO NOT need, so we list them for clarity:

-Pet store cages (too small for housing pigs)
-Wooden hidey houses (too difficult to clean)
-Edible hidey houses (not healthy)
-Exercise balls (cause spinal injuries in guinea pigs)
-Salt blocks (guinea pigs do not need these)
-Any kind of guinea pig food that has bits, nuts or seeds in it (poor food and a choking hazard)
-Harnesses and leashes for guinea pigs (impractical and dangerous)
-Cedar bedding (causes dangerous fumes)

-From Charlene here in the Janesville Pig Pen

Recent Adoption - Eva and Kate!

2009-03-23T01:40:00.002-05:00

Eva and Kate went home to a wonderful family on 3/22. This family also has a pampered pet rabbit, so they already have lots of hay laying about the house!

Have a good time with your new family!

March's Guinea Pig of the Month - Tuxedo (again)

2009-03-14T00:33:00.007-05:00

Until our little blog gets some more traffic we're re-listing Tux as our March pig of the month! Read on to find out more about his difficult life before he came to the WIGPR.

Tuxedo had a tough start in life. He was cruelly abandoned with his friend Louis in a cruddy motel. Both boys got very sick and Tuxedo very nearly died after they were covered with a dog flea treatment toxic to guinea pigs to get rid of a bad case of parasites. A shelter called our rescue and we were able to bathe him immediately, but unfortunately not before Tuxedo ingested the toxic powder while trying to groom.

The result was a bad case of intestinal problems including anorexia and diarrhea, which is deadly to guinea pigs. After his recovery from that illness, Tuxedo came down with a respiratory infection. He was seen by a veterinarian and was placed on a course of antibiotics. Because of his weakened immune system, he developed an intolerance to nearly every antibiotic tried and only improved after many months of special care under the guidance of the veterinarian. Tuxedo will never be perfectly healthy, but he is a wonderful, happy pig.

Unfortunately, we still owe the vet! Can you help us repay Tuxedo's debt so we can continue to save other wonderful pigs like Tuxedo?

March is Adopt a Guinea Pig Month!

2009-03-09T12:38:00.004-05:00

Won't you consider bringing a wonderful new friend (or friends) into your life this month? Please check out our list of adoptable piggies!

MARCH MADNESS...

2009-03-07T00:54:00.005-06:00

Greetings from the PigPen here in Janesville! I am Charlene, the Janesville faction of the Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue. Foster pigs live in my basement. I know, I know....its not a proper home. But it is clean, spacious and warm. It provides a roomy oasis for pigs to hang out until their families come.

This morning, I went downstairs to sweep cages and feed hungry little furballs like I do every morning. I love to hear the chorus of wheeks and squeeks that greet me. As I start my morning "rounds" I come around to two very familiar faces. Moxie and Godiva rush to the front of their cage to see what I am up to.

"Fat bottom girls!" I squeal to them. As if to demonstrate her pudginess, Godiva goes thumping around in the 2x5 with her flappy ears a-waving. These two are beautiful pigs. Gorgeous shades of chocolate with a just a splash of red on Godiva (how I can tell them apart). They are shaped exactly alike and, although I will never know for sure, I always believe that Moxie is Godiva's baby.

We have a routine, Godiva, Moxie and I. Since they have been here in the rescue since July of 08, we have had plenty of time to get it down to an exact science.

"You ready, girls?" I ask them. Of course, they are. They know exactly what is going to happen. They both rush to the middle of the cage and stand poised, looking to the right. They just know I always reach in and start sweeping from that side. I don't disappoint them. As I wield the mini broom and dustpan, first Moxie and then Godiva have to rush over, touch me with their noses and then rush off. Showing me how brave they are... little BRAVE fat bottom girls! I take out their hay bin, rinse it and refill it. While I'm doing this, the girls take advantage of the extra space to go racing around the cage. Hoo boy! You can hear their feet a-thumping on the cage floor. They're some good sized girls, they are!

The minute the hay bin gets put in, they both make a rush for it. At the last minute, Moxie defers to Godiva. I never get tired of seeing Godiva's round little hiney popping into the hay bin. Oh man, that hay is always so darned GOOD! Moxie steals hay from the side, but she knows Godiva rules the roost. But no matter. She knows that in a second, I will fill HER hay bin on the other side of the cage and she will be able to hoist her round hiney into that one (after Godiva checks it out to see if that hay is any better than the hay I put in the first bin).

Now that they have food, they watch carefully. They just know that the BAD THING is going to happen. Oh Lordy, here it comes! The HANDS come in to grab one of them. It's Godiva's turn this morning. She makes a play of running away, but then resigns herself to being picked up (always from the haybin). No, no, no...please don't KILL ME! Three pounds of portly pig freezes in my grasp, and then wiggles...as much as her "port" will allow.

"Oh, knock it off!" I admonish her. She glares at me though and I can just see her little thoughts in there saying, "For the love of life, not the CUDDLING!" So she gets scratched under her chin and on her head and around the ears, and she hates every minute of it. Man, life is rough!
When it's time to put her back in the cage, I tuck her against my arm for the daily "fool a pig" maneuver. If Godiva sees her cage coming up, she will try like her life depends on it, to get back into her cage. Holding a 3 pound kicker is always risky (for her). So I will walk BACKWARDS toward the cage, so she can't see it coming, and then suddenly hoist her in before she can shoot out of my hands. There. Peace has been restored. I sigh and move on. My old girls. I imagine I'll have many more months to torture them in the fashion that they have grown accustom, because no one has asked about them yet. Someday though, there will be someone interested in two very large, plump, funny old girls. I can just feel it.

From Charlene here in the Janesville Pig Pen

Up for adoption, Tuxedo and Louis

2009-02-13T01:28:00.007-06:00

Tuxedo

Louis

Tuxedo and Louis are an adorable pair of friendly boys that came into the rescue in the fall of 2008. Tuxedo is a black and white American with a cute red patch over one eye. Louis is a golden agouti abbyssinian. Both boys are adults, probably about 2 to 3 years old.

They are good friends and must be adopted together. Tux and Louis are looking for a special home with lots of love and a watchful eye. They had a tough start. They were abandoned in a run down motel and taken in by a local shelter. The shelter they were pulled from had mistakenly doused them with a flea powder that the boys consumed as they groomed themselves. Both fell ill and had to be nursed back to health. Soon afterwards, the boys were treated for a respiratory infection. With antibiotics, Louis shook his illness quickly, but it took Tuxedo much longer to recover. Both are doing well now, but a few health problems remain for Tuxedo, which is why these boys are listed as special needs. Despite several vet visits to try and diagnose the cause, Tuxedo from time to time has a slightly runny nose. However, he seems unfazed by this and continues to eat well, is active and playful, and recently he has even gained weight. Tux also has an impaction problem which was most likely caused by his condition before coming into the rescue. It is recommended that his impaction is cleaned out at least once per week (possibly more often) and that he is provided plenty of space and extra floor time for exercise to help tone his muscles. With extra care, it is possible that the impaction problems may improve. Louis is a healthy, plump little guy, but he does have a fatty lump on one hip that was checked by our vet and is considered benign.

Despite their struggles along the way, Tux and Louis are a wonderful pair of pigs! They are both friendly and easy to handle, although Tux can still be a little hard to catch. They are used to people and enjoy being in an active part of the house where all the action is. Louis is always looking for attention. He loves to be pet and comes over to beg for food and to say hello any chance he gets. These boys get along well together and love to play. They're very mischievous and love to flip over their pigloos and roll their pellet dish.

Would you like to open your home and heart to these special boys? Tux and Louis are being fostered in Mount Horeb, WI.

Please click here for their page on Petfinder!

The Good, the Bad, and the Fuzzy - Milwaukee Pet Expo report

2009-02-08T18:10:00.004-06:00

Cassie in her cuddle cup

Our colorful booth!

Our poster about Mia

Talking about the pigs!

Charlene welcomes all your piggie quesitons.

Hello! We are back from the Milwaukee pet expo. We were blessed to have the opportunity to attend this year. Normally, our rescue does not have the means to cover the booth fee (Let’s face it, we’re just too small and bring in too few donations). Thank you so much to the folks who sponsored our booth, as we are very grateful.

It was a wonderful experienced to see so many people coming to learn about the animals in all the rescues. If you dropped by our booth, your kids got a free tattoo and a piece of candy. You may have seen our star attractions… our two rescue pigs, Cassie and Carley who got to show off their cuteness. We also want to thank so many people for stopping to read about little Mia and for donating toward her care. We were able to raise $64 for her, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

When we are at these types of events, we are just amazed at the number of people that have owned guinea pigs when younger. We love to hear the stories about all of them. Of course, we also get a few, “I had a guinea pig when I was young…” followed by, “but it died…” followed by, “but we buried it in the backyard.” THOSE stories we are not so thrilled to hear about (the died and buried part).

I think the most common statement made by people seeing our booth was, “I never knew there was a guinea pig rescue in Wisconsin!” Yes. We’ve been around since 2001. It’s true that we usually keep a low profile because we just don’t have the means to take in ALL the guinea pigs that need re-homed in the state (we would be overwhelmed in no time!). I think the funniest statement heard was an inquiry on how much we get from the government to run the rescue. Oh boy, we wish! Like all rescues, we get by on the generous donations from good folks like you. Sometimes, we have to dig into our own pockets to make up the differences when things get tight (they seem to get tight a lot, unfortunately).

I think the next most common remark from folks was a question about how long guinea pigs live. If you took our quiz and checked your answers, you now know that guinea pigs can live from 7-8 years. People think that their lifespan is much shorter because back only 10 years ago or so, people thought it was okay to keep guinea pigs in aquariums and pet store cages and to feed them only pellets. There was also the prevailing thought that guinea pigs were not deserving of being taken to a vet when sick (“I only paid $4 for it!”). Naturally, that kind of care often led to an early demise for the animal. Isn’t it wonderful that we now know so much more about how to keep our guinea pigs healthy (hay, fresh veggies, plenty of running room, etc) and we can have them to love for their full lifespan?

Unfortunately, if you came to our booth in the afternoon, you were not able to see our Cassie and Carley anymore. All that really loud barking from all those wonderful dogs (where they not just great?!) was just sort of freaking the pigs out. It is a rather stressful environment for a very sensitive animal like a guinea pig. Now that Cassie and Carley are back in their foster home, they are eating hay like there’s no tomorrow and are enjoying the peace and quiet.

If you came to our booth and you are interested in adopting any of the pigs you saw in our book, do check out our rescue website and ask us for an application. Even if you didn’t see any pigs that caught your eye, go ahead and fill out an application anyway. We are always getting in new pigs that need homes, so your special darlings may be just a few weeks away from coming in.

We hope we can be back at the expo next year to see all of you again!

From Charlene here in the Janesville Pig Pen

February's Pig of the Month - Tuxedo!

2009-02-02T01:44:00.013-06:00

This is Tuxedo! He came into our rescue a few months ago and somehow picked up an extremely bothersome URI (Upper Respiratory Infection), his buddy Louis had a bit of it too but after the first round of antibiotics his URI was gone. Tux on the other hand couldn't get rid of it for the longest time!

So we racked up some vet bills during this epic battle. Any donations to the rescue to help cover them will be much appreciated! Our goal is $200.00. This will help cover his antibiotics, office visits, and an x-ray.

Big thanks from Tux and the WGPR!
Tuxedo and his buddy Louis will be up for adoption soon, check our pet-finder link at the right for all the current pigs that are ready for a new home.

Recent Adoption - Milo!

2009-01-25T14:45:00.003-06:00

Milo was recently adopted by one of our fosters as a new friend for Cedric, one of their own resident pigs. After some minor scuffles, they're getting along well. Milo is a super cuddly pig that loves being pet and always comes over to see his new mom and dad. Have fun at your new home, Milo!