Dude Where’s My Sock? – Part 2

And who do you think you are?

Continued  – Part 2 of 3

I went through the day telling my students the story of how my guinea pig was holding one of my socks for ransom.  They all thought it was a great story and we had many laughs.  I was not worried about finding my sock again.  Besides, it was just a sock…  I arrived home that day and was greeted by the usual “hurry and feed me now” attitude from Alfalfa.  After the feeding I settled down for the evening.  I had forgotten about the sock.

Before bed I changed into my nightwear.  I was confronted with only one sock when I got to my feet.  ‘Oh, that’s right, I have a naughty guinea pig,’ I thought as I got down on my hands and knees to check under the bed.  Alfalfa was not happy to see me when I lifted up the bed skirt.  “Hey, dude,” I said, “Where’s my sock?”  He looked at me as if I was from Mars.  I began to lift up the coverings I as continued looking for the sock.  It wasn’t there.  So I went over to his cage and other known hide-outs to search. The sock was nowhere.

Finally giving up with the search I decided to go to bed.  I was not bother by the prospect of having an unmatched sock.  The only thing that kept running thought my head was that my guinea pig had a secret area to hide stuff from me.  Moreover, what was looming in that area?  These questions plagued me as I drifted off to sleep.  I heard the guinea pig making noises as I drifted off to sleep.  ‘He sounds happy,’ was my last conscious thought.

*  Come back on Sunday, April 1. 2012 for the exciting conclusion of this story!

Dude, Where’s my Sock – Part 1

I think I ate too much... *burp*

I woke up one morning in a cold room covered by warm blankets.  Stretching, I stuck my foot out from under the covers to test the temperature.  I forgot that I had socks on.  So, using my toes, I slipped off both socks and let them fall to the side of the bed.  I stuck both feet out from the warm covers.  The air was chilly on my bare feet and it sent a shiver up my body.  I quickly pulled my feet back under the covers.  These movements made my bed shake and woke Alfalfa up from his slumber under my bed.  I looked over the side of the bed and saw a drowsy guinea pig stick his head from under the bed skirt.

“Good Morning,” I said smiling down at my little buddy.  He looked up at me and huffed.  “Oh, did I wake you?” I asked sarcastically.  Paying no attention to my second comment, he sniffed the air.  He sniffed at my socks next to the bed.  “Yes, I know, they probably don’t smell the greatest,” I admitted.  Alfalfa’s attention would not wander away from the socks on the floor.

Guinea pigs have this unique ability to look short and fat and then stretch out and become long and very skinny.  This ‘Slinky’ ability is neat to see in action.  Alfalfa stretched out from under the bed doing his best ‘Slinky’ impression.  He gingerly grabbed the sock between his teeth and then contracted back to his original position.  “What are you up to pig?” I asked as I saw the sock move, “You like my socks?  Do they smell like your mom?”  I shifted in bed making a noise.  Alfalfa retreated back under the bed with sock in tow.  Laughing at my precocious pig I grabbed my phone and update Alfalfa’s Adventures status:  “Alfalfa just stole my sock.  What are the chances that I will get it back again?”  My phone task accomplished I got up and went about my morning routine.  I got several great responses to my post on Alfalfa’s Facebook page.  I was not concerned that I would not see my sock again.  After all, it was just under the bed…right?

* Come back on Friday for Part Two of “Dude, Where’s my Sock?”

P.S. – Happy Birthday Kate C.  Keep up the good work you are doing with your rescues!  Alfalfa and I approve and support you!

Attention in the Morning

Guinea pigs have a unique way of telling you when they want attention.  And when they want attention, they want it now!   Alfalfa has his rare moments of attention seeking.  He sometimes enjoys my touch and company.  When I see that he wants attention, I go out of my way to acknowledge it and reward him for it.  I hope to reinforce the behavior as desirable.  One morning Alfalfa was in a particularly needy mood.  He wanted to be picked up and held from the moment I woke up.  I happily meet his request as I went about my morning routine.  It was a bit awkward to make and eat my breakfast with one arm.  However, it was worth it.

When I went to take my shower, I had to put him down.  He protested loudly.  I got the ‘pick me up now’ dance and noises.  I tried to reason with my guinea pig.  “Alfalfa, I need to go in the shower,” I said petting his head.   “You don’t like the bathroom because of the water.  You hate going in there because you think I’m going to give you a bath.”   He responded with a loud squeal of protest.  “Ok, mom’s going in the shower now,” I said in a comforting tone.  He squealed in a louder tone again.  I walked towards the bathroom and he was at my heels.

As I walked into the bathroom, the guinea pig followed me.  He was making cooing noises at me.  I turned and said, “Sweetie-pie, you need to wait outside.”  I gingerly picked him up and placed him outside of the room.  He gave me the most heartbreaking look he could muster as I closed the door.  The moment he disappeared from view he began to squeal at the top of his lungs.  I thought that he would stop as soon as he figured I was not letting him into the bathroom….  Wrong.

I started my shower and got in.  Alfalfa got louder as I went through my routines.  My upstairs neighbor must have been brought awake by my naughty guinea pig.  I heard pounding from the ceiling.  Sighing, I got out of the shower dripping wet and went to the door.  When I opened it, Alfalfa darted into the room.  “Fine,” I said relenting to my guinea pig’s demands.  “Fine.  You can stay in here.  Just be quiet.”  He looked at me and cooed.  I sighed and got back into the shower.

Alfalfa began to squeal again.  I stuck my head out of the shower, “Stop, guinea pig.  Just stop,” I said.  He was quiet.  I went back behind the curtain.  He started up again.  “Alfalfa pig!” I chided.  He stopped again.  My silence brought on a deathly squeal.  “What am I going to do with you?” I asked in frustration as I stuck my head out of the shower.  He stopped the noise.  “What?  You need to see me to make sure I’m here today?”  I took the shower head and pointed towards the wall of the shower.  I opened the curtain so my guinea pig could watch me shower.  “Why am I doing this for you?” I asked.

I even look good when mom plays around with my picture...

Taking a shower with the curtain open is very cold.  I turned up the heat to as hot as I could stand it.  I tried to continue with my shower as normally as possible.  But, I had this sense of paranoia and as if someone was watching me.  ‘He’s only a guinea pig,’ I thought to myself.   ‘He doesn’t care what you look like butt naked…’  It took all of my will power not to turn and look at Alfalfa.  The thought kept racing through my mind.  After the hundredth time, I relented to the urge to look.  I turned to see the guinea pig staring at me in fascination.  “You are watching me!” I said.  Alfalfa turned his head and averted his eyes.  He put his head down in what seemed like a gesture of shame.  “Guinea pig,” I said with a tone of disapproval and pulled the curtain closed again.

Alfalfa began to squeal at me.  I did not relent to his demands.  “I am not coming out and I am not opening the shower curtain for you again, you brat!” I told my guinea pig.  I quickly finished my shower and wrapped up in a towel.  Like an automatic off button, Alfalfa stopped his protest the moment I opened the curtain.  “Oh, boy, pig…” I said.  I got out, dried and dressed.  The guinea pig was quiet and content to sit and watch me.  I finished my morning routine and opened the bathroom door.  I walked out and sat on the couch to put on my shoes.  Alfalfa was at my feet.

“Dude,” I said as I petted his head, “You’re going to make me late.  Go eat your breakfast.”  He sat and watched me.  I picked him up when I was done with my shoes.  I petted him and kissed his head.  “Ok, buddy, I need to leave for work.  You’ve eaten up all of my free time…”  I said to his ear.  Kissing him, I put him back down on the floor and went to the coat rack for my coat.  The moment I grabbed it he started to run around in circles and squealing.  “Alfalfa!” I said and he stopped.

I bent over to talk to my guinea pig at his level.  “Look, I need to go to work.  You know those carrots you like so much?” I explained.  “I have to make the money to buy those for you.  If you are a good pig today, I will bring home something nice for you. Ok?”  Alfalfa looked at me as if he understood.  I stood up, gathered my items and went to my door.  I opened it and walked out.  Looking back I said, “Be good!”  I closed the door and locked it.  Alfalfa started to squeal at the top of his lungs.  “Oh, no…” I said as I shook my head.  I needed to get to work.  I had to leave my guinea pig.  Hearing his squeals broke my heart as I left.  I thought, ‘Poor guy…’ as I walked up the stairs.  My baby was sad and wanted to be held.  ‘Oh, my heart is breaking,’ I thought.

The Iced Tea Incident

This is my "NOPE!" pose. I like to give it to my mom as often as possible!

I like to drink my iced tea from a large green cup.  When I’m lazy, I will lie on the couch and place the cup next to it on the floor to the side of the arm.  This prevents me from getting up and knocking it over.  Even with Alfalfa running around, this arrangement has never been a problem…

One Wednesday night, I was lying on my couch watching TV.  I heard a small splash.  I sat up with concern listening to see if it had started to rain.  Hearing no more noise I lay back down on the couch.  I heard a slurping noise.  Sitting up again, I looked around and saw a dark spot on the carpet.  That is when what had happened registered…  My brain screamed, ‘Alfalfa!’

I looked over the couch arm to the spotI had left my iced tea.  My green cup was knocked over and there was iced tea all over the rug.  Alfalfa was happily slurping up the iced tea as fast as he could.  I yelled, “Alfalfa!”  Upon hearing his name, he ran off under the bed as fast as his legs would take him.  “Oh, no…” I moaned and got up to clean up the mess.  Luckily the majority of the liquid was pooling on the runner and not on the rug.  I gingerly picked it up and went to the bath tub to dump the liquid.  I returned to the living room with the rug cleaner from the bathroom closet to finish cleaning the mess.

Alfalfa poked his head from out of the bed ruffles at me.  I scorned him with, “Oh, so now we are knocking things over?  Huh?  That’s the newest trick?  Thanks for the mess.”  He huffed back at me at went back under the bed.  I finished my cleaning and took the cleaner to the bathroom to empty it.  I heard Alfalfa running zoomies as I put the cleaner away.  When I walked back into the living room, he ran under the bed.  I sat down to watch TV again.

Alfalfa darted from out the bed and did a zoomie in front of the couch.  As he was turning, he tripped himself and tumbled on the floor like a ball of rolling fluff.  I laughed at him.  He was not deterred by the slip-up.  He got up and ran another zoomie back to the bed.  He quickly returned and ran back.  Alfalfa was running zoomies like a mad man.  ‘What the heck?’ I thought to myself.  After the fifth one, I realized his behavior was not normal.  He was going crazy.

I got up off the couch and tried to catch my crazy guinea pig.  He would have nothing to do with me and ran away from me.  He had the energy to play a game of keep away for some time.  I was concerned about his health.  Guinea pigs are not supposed to have caffeine.  So, I called the vet.  The receptionist was appalled to hear that my guinea pig had consumed caffeine.  “You gave him iced tea?” she said with a tone of disapproval.  “NO!” I protested, “He knocked over my glass and helped himself!”  She still didn’t believe me but took a message for the vet to call back when he was done with a patient.

I sat on the floor and watched with a mix of amusement and horror as Alfalfa continued his zoomies around the apartment.  His energy seemed insatiable.  The vet finally called back after a half an hour wait.  I was expecting a verbal lashing from him.  Instead, I was greeted with amusement.  I explained to him what had happened.  He could not stop laughing at me or Alfalfa.  “That’s a great guinea pig,” he laughed.  He explained that I needed to watch Alfalfa and let him run off the caffeine.  He didn’t think that I would have a problem.  If there was a change or he got worse I was to call his answering service and he would see my problematic guinea pig.

Luckily, Alfalfa calmed down after about two hours.  I expected it to be a slow process.  However, one minute he was running and the next he flopped down on the rug in front of his cage.  He was breathing heavily.  As his breath slowed, his eyes began to close.  He was falling asleep.  I smiled and went back to watching TV.  He slept quite a while.  I checked on him several times.  His heart was strong and his breathing was deep and regular.  I went to bed.

When I awoke in the morning Alfalfa did not wheek for food when he heard me stir.  I got up and went to his cage.  He was lying in his house awake.  He did not look happy.  “Ha!” I said, “A bit hung over from your iced tea binge?  That will teach you!”  He chattered his teeth at me.  The poor boy spent most of the morning in his cage.  By the after noon he was up to his old tricks again.  My adventurous guinea pig had survived another incident.  Thank goodness.

- KA

Why Only One?

Guinea pigs are social in nature and almost always do better in pairs.  The more pigs, the more they like it.  I’ve read posts from a guinea pig owner describing their group of guinea pigs affectionately as “my herd”.  There is a lot of “my girls” and “my boys” and “my pigs” going around too.  So why then is Alfalfa alone?  Alfalfa has chosen to be alone.  I have made several attempts to pair him with a partner, both male and female.  He did not react well to another guinea pig.

One specific paring attempt illustrates his resistance to a partner very clearly.  I tried to introduce Alfalfa to a female named Juliette.  She was a cute pumpkin colored pig with little spots of white here and there.  She had a quiet demeanor and was very tolerant of everything and everyone.  She was an idea candidate for my super-hyper-rambunctious-high-demanding guinea pig.   If it worked, her mom was willing to let me adopt her because Juliette was lonely.  I wisely agreed to ‘borrow’ Juliette when I was doing a bonding experiences to see how it when before I formally agreed to take her.  Her mom was ok with the arrangement. 

I started off introducing Alfalfa and Juliette on neutral territory.  I placed both in separate fenced in play areas outside with their own igloos.  I would trade pigs after they were comfortable.  Alfalfa would go into Juliette’s play area and Juliette would go into Alfalfa’s play area.  Juliette was excited to smell another pig and ran around smelling and marking spots that Alfalfa had marked.  I would trade the pigs back and they would get a second shot at each other scents.  Alfalfa would freak out.  He would run around like a mad man huffing and chattering.  He would remark all of his spots and loudly protest with sounds of annoyance.  He did not like having another pig around. 

After a dozen mixing experiences, I stated putting the pigs together for some neutral play time.  New hide outs were made out of boxes to ensure no one scent was on anything.  Juliette was excited about the company.  Alfalfa was not.  He would nip and chatter at her.  He would not go near her.  Each time she approached he would huff and chatter in warning.  After several attempts at this, it became clear that Alfalfa was being too aggressive towards Juliette.  I could not turn away from them for a second for fear that Alfalfa would hurt Juliette.

After two months I of ‘borrowing’ poor Juliette, I gave up.  Alfalfa’s behavior towards this guinea pig was not acceptable.  I could not risk leaving them alone.  He was not getting better with each experience.  In fact, he seemed to be getting worse.  My guinea pig was going to be a bachelor for life.  Alfalfa was too aggressive for Juliette.  The whole situation was sad.  It seemed that Juliette loved Alfalfa.  Fait had different plans for these two star-crossed guinea pigs.  Juliette had found her Romeo and his name was Alfalfa. 

Author’s Note:  Please be aware that it is almost always better for guinea pigs to have a partner with them.  This is a very individual thing to each pig.  Some do well with another pig of the same sex while others do well with one of the opposite sex.  Make sure that you treat each pig with the respect and care they deserve.  If you are not sure about bonding your guinea pig with another pig, ask your local exotic vet.  They will have some good advice for you regarding your guinea pig.  Also, if you decide to pair a male and female, make sure you don’t wind up with babies.  Past a certain age, pregnancy can be a death sentence for a guinea pig.  Breeding is not something to be taken lightly.  Finally, if you have questions about guinea pigs, bonding, and breeding you can find some good advice at:  www.mgpr.org  Remember:  “Rescue first, Adopt second, breed NEVER…” 

Poop Wars – Episode 2: Cleaning the Cage

I can be a snuggle pig too!

A guinea pig is a forager and will eat all day long to satisfy its hunger. This fact is the reason why it is important to provide fresh timothy hay at all times.  The source of good fiber makes the digestive track of a guinea pig an efficient machine capable of producing amazing amounts of digested food…aka poop.  Guinea pigs tend to develop ‘favorite’ spots for their movements.   Alfalfa is no exception.  He has his spots and no should move or change something about that area.  This makes changing his house and box out exceedingly difficult for me.

Alfalfa does not like having his cage cleaned.  He works hard all week long to lay down his scent, place his poop in just the right spots, and track litter all though out the apartment.  How dare someone come in a ruin all of that hard work?  But, I like many normal people do not want my apartment to smell like guinea pig litter.  The work must be done.  I usually start by clearing out his ‘alternative’ litter boxes.  There are two under the bed and one outside of his cage.  He likes to make large messes in all three of these.  He seems to like having these litter boxes changed out.  He will watch in fascination when I use the dust buster errant poop beans.  His cage, his home, is where the problems come in…

Alfalfa always protests with a lot of squealing, much snorting, and chattering teeth when I remove him from his cage.  I usually just place him on the floor and tell him to go under the bed for a bit.  An indigent Alfalfa will walk away stopping to look back and chatter his teeth at me.  The first step it to empty out the old litter and wipe down the wires.  Taking the cage bottom to the bathroom, I will place the plastic in the bathroom tub and run hot bleach water over it.  Alfalfa figured out how to capitalize on my cleaning time in the bathroom.

Over the past several weeks, I have returned to the living room to find a pile of poop where his cage used to be.  Being a smart human that would not let a rodent have the best of me, I started to lay down a piece of newspaper to make the cleanup easier.  It seemed to work well.  I would remove the pig, clean the cage, and return to a nice little pile of poop in the center of my newspaper.  Easy fix right?  Alfalfa had other plans for our little game.

I came back one week to finish the cleaning to find the newspaper did not have poop on it.  Being an optimist, I thought, ‘Wow!  My guinea pig is smart!’  I called him and he stuck his head from out of the skirt of the bed.  I cooed, “Good boy!” and he came trotting over to me.  I walked over to the fridge and took out a carrot.  I scratched the top of his head and said, “Good boy!” and placed the carrot on the floor.  Alfalfa took the carrot and ran back under the bed.

I went back to cleaning the cage humming a small happy tune to myself.  I dried the cage and bottom and removed the clean newspaper from the cage’s spot.  There was a large, flat, round area of poop on the carpet.  Somehow Alfalfa had gotten under the newspaper and left a pile for me.  I was shocked and let out, “Alfalfa Pig!”  The guinea pig came running over to me expecting another reward for his ‘good’ behavior.  He pop corned in excitement next to me.  He wanted a reward.

I couldn’t be mad at Alfalfa.  He was just doing his job… all be it with expert care and precision.  He had won another round…

Alfalfa – 2

Kerry Anne – 0

The Death of a Vacuum Cleaner…

I’m an efficient machine…

Vacuums.  Any pet owner will tell you that they are an essential part of keeping a home clean of pet debris.  The come in many shapes, sizes, and price ranges.  Some are worth it and some should be left in the box.  I always get a kick out of the ‘pet proof’ models.  I think, ‘Pet proof?  They have never met my guinea pig and his messes…’  I have developed an illustrious career in destroying vacuums.  I have been through my fair share.  Some last long than others.  The one thing they all have in common is that my guinea pig’s litter was their death.

Now, not to brag, but when it comes to vacuum cleaners, I consider myself quite handy.  And many times, I can fix what is broken on a vacuum.  When my vacuum acts up I take it apart looking for the problem.  I like to think of myself as doctor searching for a life-threatening problem in a patient.  I also like to brag to my mother regarding my vacuum fixing conquests.  A typical conservation is something like this:

Me:  “I thought the vacuum was acting up…So I took it apart to clean it…”

Mom:  “Huh…  Did it work?”

Me:  “Of course…   Works better than the day I got it…”

Mom:  “Right…”

Me:  “What?”

Mom:  “Just surprised you managed to get it back together…”

Me: “Ha!  This is not the first time I’ve done this…”

Mom:  “I know…remember the VCR we had when you were growing up?”

Me:  “You had to bring that up?”

Mom:  “No fast-forward?”

Me:  “I would have found where those parts went…eventually…”

Mom:  “Uh-hu…right…”

So, back in January, the vacuum was acting up.  I decided to pull it apart and clean it.  This was a new type model and it took me a while to figure out how to pull apart everything I could.  I was mad that I could not get into all of the nooks and crannies on the vacuum.  I figured that I had gotten most of the junk out of it.

Looking back on it, I now realize that the time that the vacuum cleaner started to act up was right around when my guinea pig’s litter changed formulas.  The old formula was a brownish colored material in clumps made from chewed up cardboard.  It was heavy and dense and hard for my guinea pig to track out of the cage.  The “new and improved and reformulated” litter better resembled confetti from a New Year’s parade.  It tracked all over the house and was light, fluffy, and paper thin.  Worse of all, it easily stuck to the underside of my guinea pig.  It was all over the place.

I began to clean the apartment with my ‘fixed’ vacuum cleaner.  It took me quite a while to pick up the new and improved litter.  I smelled something…very faint.  I thought that one of my neighbors had burned something.  I turned off the vacuum, opened the door, and stuck my nose out to get a good whiff of the offending odor.  The hallway smelled clean.  Where was this odor coming from?  I walked around the apartment sniffing like a blood-hound trying to figure out what was going on.  Kitchen?  Nope.  Bathroom?  Nope.  Oven?  Nope.  Bedroom?  Nope.  It seemed to be concentrated in the living room…  I walked to the TV sticking my nose next the vent fan.  I inhaled deeply and was rewarded with a nose full of dust.  Sneezing I though, ‘What the heck?’

I went back to the vacuum. As I switched it on I thought, ‘Did I check the vacuum?’  Nope.  It began to spew smoke as it roared to life.  “Oh God!” I yelled reaching to turn it off again.  It was too late the vacuum had begun its death throws.  The smoke alarm in my apartment began to go off.  The smoke got worse as I placed the vacuum on its side to see what was causing the smoke.

I was in full panic mode.  My options ran though my mind…  Water?  Tub?  Outside?  I choose outside.  I grabbed the vacuum and threw open the door.  As I ran out the door I was reminded that I had not unplugged the vacuum.  The cord caught and yanked back at me stopping me in my tracks.  I was yanked back towards the apartment.  I didn’t care about properly unplugging the cord.  I grabbed it and yanked back.  It came free.   I ran up one small set of stairs to the lobby and out the front door with the smoking vacuum cleaner.  The foyer door started to close behind me as I ran down the stairs.

I made it half way down the stairs before the cord fully caught in the door.  I kept going but the vacuum cleaner stayed.  I tripped and somehow managed to jump or leap or throw myself down to the base of the stairs.  Landing on flat feet, I heard a resounding crash from behind.  I turned to see parts of the vacuum cleaner tumbling down the bottom half of the stairs.  There was a cascade of parts down the stairs.  The nearly full collection bin rolled down the stairs throwing litter and guinea pig pellets every where.  It managed to roll and stopped at my feet.  The vacuum cleaner was in no less than 100 pieces all over the stairs. The main part of the unit was still smoking.

Once my shock started to abate, I heard the laughter from the kids playing outside.  I was quite a sight for them:  dirty from cleaning, jumping down the stairs, and carrying a smoking vacuum that was destroyed on the steps.  I gather what dignity I had and walked back up to the foyer door.  Opening it, I released the vacuum for its final journey down the stairs.  As it tumbled, I got applause from the kids.  I bowed and said, “I’ll be back!”  I walked though the door to gather my cleaning materials for decomposed vacuum cleaner.  I hope to find my dignity back in the apartment where I had left it…

Hold That Pig

Alfalfa enjoying a blow dry after a bath.

Any guinea pig parent will tell you that it is important to hold your guinea pig and get them used to human touch.  This act will make the guinea pig experience more enjoyable for both the parent and animal.  Alfalfa’s first parents did not handle him as much as was needed to get him used to human touch.  Also, he was a pet for a pair of small children that were very rough with him when they were ‘playing’.  As a result, he does not like to be picked up and cannot stand having anyone touch his belly.

Alfalfa’s dislike and fear of being held was something that was causing bonding issues between us when I first adopted him.  I thought that I had to hold and pet my guinea pig each day to love him.  When this was not happening, I sought advice.  Again, I turned to the internet.  The general consensus was to make him like being held by picking him up and holding him until he calmed down.  The goal was to desensitize him to the bad experience.

I tried the technique.  I picked him up, waited for the calm, and put him down with a reward.  After he finished his reward, I would repeat the process.  Alfalfa hated it.  I hated it.  After trying this for a week, I gave up.  I could not continue to torture my guinea pig.  He was starting to nip at me each time I went to pick him up.  He succeeded in biting me a couple of times.  Alfalfa’s fear and discomfort were breaking my heart.

Again, I turned to my vet for assistance.   During a visit, he saw how much Alfalfa did not like being held.  I broke down in tears and said that I didn’t know what to do.  I admitted that I was contemplating put him back up for adoption.  The vet was not surprised to hear that Alfalfa wasn’t an ‘idea’ guinea pig.  He talked to me about the problematic behavior.  His solution was to give it time and patience.  He told me that Alfalfa may never come around to being held and cuddled.  However, he explained that through rewards and lots of patience I could make handling him a less traumatic experience for both of us.

So, the painful process of catching, picking up, and rewarding Alfalfa began.  This time I only did it when he was in a calm mood.  Even with the decreased frequency, we were both miserable.  When Alfalfa was in a calm mood I would try to bond with him.  He slowly got used to me picking him up.  Clearly he did not like it.  Alfalfa would sit on my lap and stare back at me.  It seemed like he was counting the minutes until I put him back down.  He did not want to be pet or cuddled.  His maximum time on my lap was five minutes.

I wish I could end this story with a tale of my success with Alfalfa.  However, it is an ongoing process.  I think too much of his negative behavior was established by his previous parents.  He does not try to nip me when I am holding him.  That alone is major progress.  He will sit on my lap for about five minutes without complaining.  Alfalfa does let me pet his face between his eyes and let me gently stroke his back sometimes.

I cannot stress the importance of establishing positive behaviors with guinea pigs at an early age.  In fact, that is important for any pet.  Many people are not as tolerant or willing to deal with a willful pet with negative or unwanted behaviors as I am.  A small amount of time at the start will pay off in the end.  I am committed to Alfalfa.  He is not an ideal pet but I love him for that.  My life has been enriched and challenged by him.  I have learned a higher level of patience, a new way to love, and found an inner peace with my pet.  I love him and will work to make his life better.  I will work to make our lives better.  He is awesome.  He is adventurous.  He is Alfalfa.

- KA