Cuddlefist

Guinea pig yawns are tiny precious gifts from the universe.

And guinea pig poop is a terrible gift from guinea pigs.

Today was/is rough. While I write tonight, I have one of the peegs snuggled determinedly into a towel on my lap. She is so funny when she nests and tugs the towel around her and finally puts her head down to recline: she has such a great sense of purpose and she wriggles around to get comfortable as though it is the most important struggle of her day. Once she’s comfortable, she sacks out and is happy to be petted. 

After this Princess-and-the-Pea-type act, I feel like I should remind her that the rest of the day, she likes to lay down on newspaper and her own filth. 

Sometimes People Ask Why Cece is bigger than Pip

The short answer is that Cece eats more quickly.

Pip eating:

Cece eating:

Peeg Ambassadors.

The painters are in today (not a euphemism!) to retouch a few spots and re-whiten the ceiling. I was in the office, cleaning the guinea pig cage and one of the painters needed to put a lamp somewhere so I told him to bring it in here. He walked in and saw the guinea pigs in the box they occupy during cage maintenance: “Oh!”

He seemed curious, so I scooped up Pip and held her out to him- not far, just enough for him to be able to take her if he wanted. When he put his hands around her, I saw that he already knew how to hold her, so I let go. He held her for a moment, told me she was beautiful (“thank you!”), asked me where I got them (“uh, a pet store”), and handed her back. 

Most Improved Guinea Pig

I’ve written about this before, I think, and I know that I’ve said it to multiple people, but I want to have it here: I am ridiculously proud of Pip and how much she has changed since I got her three and a half years ago. She used to be terrified of everything, and I remember the vet telling me that she would never like to be held. He recommended that I put her in a towel or a small box near me if I wanted to spend time with her. Since then, she has spent a lot of time climbing on my shoulder to nest in my hair and against my neck and climbing into my lap. This morning, she decided she’d prefer my lap to running around on the bed, so she fell asleep in my lap. While she still doesn’t enjoy the process of being lifted from her cage, she’s gone from being perpetually terrified to being affectionate and trusting. 

And when I let the guinea pigs run around on the floor (we haven’t done it in the new place), she is the one who wants to explore. She’s just a totally different pig. 

We’ve gone from this:

To this:

I love both of my guinea pigs, but Pip definitely wins Most Improved. Cece is consistently Least Afraid and Most Aggressive Eater.