Standing Room Only!

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

Recent Adoption: Teensy and Sidda

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

Teensy

Sidda

Shelter News

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!