Guinea Pig Connection

Thoughts & Prayers Needed For The Cozy Cavy

For those of us enslaved by our guinea pigs, dedicated to spoiling them at every opportunity, Marsha Weaver and The Cozy Cavy down in Alabama is a go-to source for comfortable indulgences. Devoted to her own guinea pigs, Marsha has always been very supportive of rescues throughout the years...including ours. Just this past Monday, she'd announced a customer appreciation sale to thank folks for helping her build a beloved and well-respected small business.

And now she needs our support, thoughts, and prayers.

The Cozy Cavy's Facebook page this morning (Thursday) is reporting that Marsha's home was wiped out by one of the many tornadoes that have been stampeding across Alabama. Marsha, her husband, her kids, and their dog are safe, but her daughter was badly injured (and is in the hospital) and the family dog was injured on one side of his face (and may lose his eye).

The family has lost their home, their car, and most likely their piggies (their "little kids"). Quoting Marsha's sister's post on Facebook: "I am really not sure about the "little kids". I am praying that perhaps they made it, but honestly I don't think they could have. From what I can tell...the house is gone and only the cement slab remains."

This is every family's nightmare. It is every pet owner's nightmare. It is every business owner's nightmare. One day you're happy in the company of loved ones and beloved pets, living in a good home, and celebrating success. A day or two later, everything is gone in minutes.

Folks, this is my personal appeal for a woman I am fond of and grateful to. If there's a prayer group in your church or your temple, pray for the Weavers and all the other victims in the South and the Midwest. If you have some money to spare, donate it to the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, or whatever other aid organization is working down there that you want to support. (You can also donate to a campaign started for Marsha over at Sponsor A Guinea Pig.) If you live down there and your life and belongings and companions are all still where they're supposed to be, volunteer to help with the cleanup and the rebuilding; to bring warm food, clean clothes, and even hugs; or to offer temporary shelter if you have it to give.

For whatever reason, Mother Nature is on the warpath. She's doing a helluva of job of "housecleaning," and seems okay with tearing apart lives in the process. Houses and lives will eventually get rebuilt, but I'm hoping that something even bigger and more transformative will happen in the process: that we'll get back to basics, to the things we learned in kindergarten, in Sunday school, at our parents' knees. That obsessive attachments to computers, cell phones, texting, emailing, social networking, and all the rest of the technology-driven stuff give way to the face-to-face relationships. That we get back to "Love thy neighbor" the old-fashioned way. Techology is useful, even in times like these, but it will never be a substitute for the human touch -- and right now, that's what is needed the most.

For all of us whose lives are still intact, may we take the time today...and each day going forward...to express love to our human and animal companions, to be grateful for what we have, and to be supportive when we're needed.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for offering whatever help you can.

10 Ways Guinea Pig Owners Can Help Mother Earth

Today, April 22, is Earth Day -- a day for each of us to reflect on how we can better care for Mother Earth and help ensure the healthy survival of all the species who live here. This year, Earth Day organizers are coordinating an effort called "A Billion Acts of Green," and are "encouraging people to observe Earth Day 2011 by pledging online to do something small but sustainable in their own lives to improve the planet's health." In the words of one spokesman, "Millions of people doing small, individual acts can add up to real change."

So I've done a quick inventory of things that guinea pig owners do routinely, and where there would be opportunity for us to change a habit or two...or more.

1. Use paper towels made from recycled materials. Seventh Generation and Marcal Small Steps brands are easily found in many major grocery stores and general retailers like Target.
2. Use trash bags made from recycled materials. This appears to be a growing category, and Seventh Generation and GoodSense/EarthSense are among the first brands I'm aware of seeing widely available.
3. Use eco-friendly laundry detergent for cozy cups, fleece sacks, fleece pads, play area towels, and so on. Seventh Generation laundry detergents are easily found in major grocery stores, and Method products are easily found at Target. Mrs. Meyer's Scent Free detergent and Ecover products are stocked in natural food stores. (Admittedly, these products are a little more expensive, requiring you to watch for sales or check online for coupons, but even swapping out a couple bottles of your usual detergent in a year will help.)
4. Recycle the plastic bags that hay and cage bedding like CareFresh comes in. Plastic bag recycling bins are found at grocery stores, some general retailers, and sometimes special bins at municipal landfills.
5. Buy larger sizes of hay and food pellets. For example, buying a 10-pound bag of Oxbow Cavy Cuisine instead of two 5-pound bags puts one less bag in the landfill.
6. Buy bulk bundles of paper towels and trash bags. One 3-pack of paper towels means 2 less plastic wrappers are being thrown out.
7. Recycle the cardboard boxes that bulk orders of hay are shipped in.
8. Compost used CareFresh bedding and old fruits and vegetables instead of sending them to the landfill. (This is difficult for apartment and condo dwellers, but if you own a house with a yard and want to learn more about composting, check out this resource for starters.)
9. In good weather, line dry cozy cups, fleece sacks, fleece pads, tunnels, towels, and so on. A large load of these items typically takes 50-60 minutes to dry in a clothes dryer (unless you have one of those high-efficiency dryers).
10. Replace paper towels for cage cleaning with microfiber cloths, microfiber sponges, and reusable synthetic or natural sponges. Companies like The Fuller Brush Company, 3M, Don Aslett, and others are expanding product offerings in this category. (If you decide to try microfiber cloths, don't overlook sources like QVC who frequently sell bulk packs of high-quality cloths at insanely good prices.)

Whew! Okay, so I've come up with 10 ideas. Can you suggest more? Please share in the Comments section!

Moving On Without Minerva

"And can it be that in a world so full and busy,
the loss of one small creature
makes a void in any heart, so wide and deep,
that nothing but the width and depth of vast eternity
can fill it up?"
(Charles Dickens)

 

When I first visited Cindy's house in 2005, I was most struck by a small, special-needs guinea pig named Minerva -- and the obvious and tight bond that had formed between her and Cindy. When we launched the rescue's first real Web site later that year, it seemed logical to crown Minerva...from several dozen worthy candidates...as the rescue's mascot and post her photo at the top of every page.

Born on February 1, 2005, Minerva and her mother and siblings came from a home that had 20 guinea pigs. The authorities had forced her owner to turn all the pigs over to the Animal Refuge League shelter in Westbrook, Maine. Because the shelter was filled to capacity, Minerva and 14 of the other guinea pigs came to Cindy because they were in danger of being put to sleep. Minerva was just two weeks old when she arrived and was understandably scared, but with Cindy's patience and TLC, Minerva learned to trust humans and became an extremely personable guinea pig.

Tragically, Minerva had a condition called micropthalmia, a genetic defect due to inbreeding. The condition left Minerva blind, and susceptible to recurring infections. Where others might have given up on her, Cindy and the vets at Pieper Olson vet hospital tried a "Hail Mary": surgery to remove her eyeballs and stitch her eyelids closed.

Miraculously, Minerva pulled through the surgery and the post-op recovery, and grew to be a big girl with a lot of attitude, a strong will, and a ton of personality. An affectionate piggy with all, she clearly favored Cindy over all humans and seemed to radiate joy and light when Cindy picked her up and carried her around.

Finding Minerva a roommate was no easy task. Her attitude clearly stated: "I may be blind, but I'm not going to let just anyone in my cage." On her own, she did just fine navigating around her C&C cage, and knew just where her food, water, hay, pigloo, cozy cup, and treats were. Knowing that a roommate could enrich Minerva's life, Cindy patiently tried multiple matches. Minerva ultimately accepted Gracie (another special-needs pig with paralyzed back legs) and happy-go-lucky Pogo (a neutered male happy to have a couple of girlfriends).

This tightly knit trio lived together happily for years, hamming it up for visitors and photographers alike. Minerva seemed to always be aware of a camera's presence before it made a sound, and quickly struck a pose, like Madonna "vogue-ing" in a video. She always seemed to have a smile on her face, as you can see in the photo here and the other photos on our Web site. Together, Minerva, Gracie, and Pogo gave us some of the best guinea pig photos we've seen anywhere.

Gracie and Pogo passed on first, and Minerva -- now elderly -- accepted Tally and Summit as her new roommates. Unfortunately, the effects of old age began to take a toll on Minerva and for the first time in a very, very long time, she and Cindy resumed the old routine of vet visits as everyone worked to cure her or, at least, make her comfortable.

On February 17, 2011, we lost Minerva. While every loss riddles Cindy's heart with more holes, losing Minerva...her partner and her touchstone...was a devastating blow -- and giving Cindy time to grieve in peace seemed the kindest thing to do. (And, honestly, it's taken me a while to get through writing this without crying.)

More than 800 guinea pigs have been helped by this rescue in 7 years of operation, and we have many sanctuary pigs right now with stories that would qualify them to pick up the mantle of Rescue Mascot. But that title will forever be Minerva's. She is why we continue doing this work: A guinea pig who needed a second chance and someone kind enough and wise enough to fight for her.

Rest in peace, sweet girl. We hope you're happy romping in Heaven's lettuce patch with Gracie and Pogo. Holding that picture in our minds softens the grief of missing you.

Mother Nature Kicks Us While We're Down

It's been five weeks of shoveling and shivering and shoveling and shoveling some more. The end of 2010 saw fewer holiday donations coming into the rescue, and 2011 saw us swimming upstream before it even started.

And now this.

On Thursday night, the roof on Cindy's and William's quonsett hut collapsed, resulting in the probable loss of everything that was stored in there -- personal items and a large inventory of rescue supplies. The latter includes (but is not limited to) extra C&C cages, carriers, hay, and $300 in cage bedding that Cindy bought two weeks ago.

(Rest assured, no animals or humans were hurt in the collapse.)

Some things may be salvagable, but Cindy and William aren't yet certain how safe it is to go in and try to retrieve anything. The sides and the front door are still standing, but the whole center collapsed. With the threat of another storm next week that's big enough to dump another foot of snow on Connecticut, they'll have to move quickly if they have a chance of saving anything. Much as they're trying to be optimistic, the reality of the scene in their backyard tells them that only pessimism is in order.

The need to replace $300 worth of bedding is a huge burden. If all the rescue supplies have to be replaced, the cost will be financially devastating to the rescue.

Our regular readers know that things have to be bad -- really bad -- before we put fundraising appeals on the blog. But dire circumstances force a direct appeal.

At this point, we're asking for monetary donations (only) so that Cindy can restock as soon as new storage space becomes available. You can donate by

• PayPal (the donation button appears on the right side of every page on the blog, our main Web site, and our Petfinder site)
• check (mail to The Critter Connection, P.O. Box 371, Durham, CT 06422)

Donations of all sizes will be gratefully accepted, and acknowledged with a mailed receipt (to help with tax-deduction documentation). Some folks feel awkward about making donations of even $5 or $10, thinking them too small to be helpful but forgetting that everything collectively adds up to big help.

We thank you in advance for all your help!

Housekeeping Note: Our Blog's Comment Policy

After five years of writing this blog, I had to break down and do something I never thought I'd have to do: publicly publish a comment policy.

The majority of folks who leave comments here are cool people who love their guinea pigs, love talking about guinea pigs, and respect us as animal rescuers and authors of care information. But just as it takes only a few apples to ruin a bushel, it takes only a few folks to drag down the energy of a blog (and its owner). Over the last year, we've been persistently bugged by a gaggle of blatant self-promoters who became so obnoxious and intrusive on the blog that I threw comments into moderation until I'm sure they've gone off to bug someone else.

What made these commenters so irksome is that their comments were spam in disguise, and were posted only to drive traffic to sites that were

• stealing and repackaging content from sites like Guinea Lynx
• selling information products that contained guinea pig "care" content that was so erroneous or irresponsible that no reputable rescue would want the remotest hint of association with them
• phishing sites masquerading as e-commerce sites
• clearly designed for the sole purpose of creating Google Adwords revenue
• possibly legimitate, but negated because the posting frequency of their owners' comments was so excessively frequent that we knew they were more interested in their own site than in intelligent dialogue on ours
  

There's been a host of other instances of bad, disrespectful, childish, and flaming behavior that I won't go into (otherwise, I'll have to de-ick myself all over again). All of this tomfoolery is time consuming to deal with, and takes away from more valuable efforts. These comments also drag down other readers' experiences with our blog -- and that I can't abide by.

Most of our readers have nothing to worry about...but the "miscreants" have been put on notice. I hope our loyal readers will forgive the "intrusion" of this kind of housekeeping post as a necessary and well-intended measure designed to look out for their interests as much as ours.

You can read our guidelines on the Comment Policy page. Thanks, in advance, for continuing to respect them.

Six Male Guinea Pigs Urgently Need Help This Week

We're trying to help a woman out with her 6 male guinea pigs. She's broken her leg, is facing a long stretch of healing (and the possibility of further surgery), is unable to care for them herself, and doesn't have a source of help that she can rely on for daily guinea pig care needs for many weeks at a stretch. Much as she'd like to keep them, she realizes the best thing for the boys is to rehome them with new families.

Ultimately (and ideally) we'd like to find adopters for them, but in the short term we need foster homes to help care for them. (The rescue was already full, and we're also in our peak season for vacation boarding.) These boys simply have no place to go.

All the boys are 7 to 10 months old. There are 2 bonded pairs (who will not be split up) and two single pigs. So we're looking for 3 or 4 foster homes who can step forward and help immediately this week, or adoptive homes, or some combination of foster and adoptive homes that will help us get these 6 pigs safely situated somewhere.

If you're able to foster, or are interested in adopting, please e-mail Cindy immediately. Thanks, in advance, for whatever help you can offer!

GiveCamp Gives Us A New Web Site

Five years ago this summer, my father and I launched this rescue's first bona-fide Web site, substantially increasing the rescue's online visibility and attracting new adopters to our door with the site's content and a color scheme that matched the deep, rich colors so often found in guinea pig fur.

The site served us well -- very very well.

But expanding content needs, difficult finances, and the creation of our first real logo (by Aimee Belair) created a need for some Web site changes. The challenge was in finding volunteer resources who could do a lot of work in a very compressed period of time.

Enter New England GiveCamp, a 48-hour weekend of generosity that paired up 120-plus technology professionals (developers, designers, database developers and administrators, etc.) with 24 non-profits to blast through urgent needs for Web sites, databases, content management systems, and more. The talent available to all of the non-profits congregated in Cambridge, MA, on June 11-13 exceeded anything that any of us could have ever afforded -- even with the best grants.

The team assigned to the rescue was Jennifer Morris, Jeff Morris, and Abe Rosner. The direction was straightforward: give us a site that is easy to expand (and relatively easy to maintain) and a site design that matched the warmth, gentleness, and love exuded by the logo that Aimee drew for us. (I also wanted to avoid self-hosted WordPress, but had to be flexible on that point when it became clear that my first choice would not meet my most important requirements.)

Our team, like the others in Cambridge that weekend, worked long hours in dogged persistence, relieving me of so much of the agita that comes with site design and deployment, troubleshooting, and more. They gave the rescue the same professionalism, creativity, and commitment they would give their biggest paying customers. They met all of our must-have requirements and many of our nice-to-have requirements.

In such intense circumstances, there's not a lot of time for conversation that doesn't pertain to the work at hand. There was no time to get to know each other, but I did find out that Jennifer had a guinea pig as a child. In a testament to the bonds that can form between guinea pigs and humans (when the humans will open their hearts to the opportunity), Jennifer's eyes consistently teared up whenever she talked about the guinea pig who crossed the "Rainbow Bridge" some 30 years ago.

I've been working with so-called "geeks" and "nerds" for 12 years, and have always had a soft spot for them. But after this GiveCamp event, I have a whole new fondness for them and "geek" and "nerd" will never mean quite the same thing to me again. Most regarded their skills as "no big deal" but I believe the weekend left them seeing themselves with new eyes. The simplest skills to them are hugely valuable contributions for others. Life-changing contributions.

I said a few words during our before-and-after demo that Sunday night, which someone from another team emailed and asked me if I would post somewhere. I'm happy to oblige.

It's rare for people to have such a significant impact on the lives of others, and none of the techies in this event may ever know how far out their impact will ripple from this building and this weekend. What you can be sure of is that none of the non-profits here will be able to tell the story of their development and progress without mentioning your names. You are part of us now. We may never be able to repay you for the huge boost you've given us...but we can cast out prayers that when you reach a point in your individual lives where you could use guardian angels, that you are graced with the same blessings of guidance and support and expertise that you've given us here. You all are as cool as it gets.

Please take time to browse our new Web site. Be sure to check back often as we will be continuously expanding the site's content in the coming months.

Thank you to everyone who made it possible!

Back To Our Regular Programming

Things have been more than hectic, and just short of insane, for the last few weeks for those of us at the rescue. There never seemed to be enough time or enough energy or both, and some things regrettably slipped through the cracks.

We are back now, fully equipped with lots of fodder for the blog (on top of the backlog of ideas we already had) and some announcements that we'll be making before the end of July.

We thank you for your patience during the quiet spell, and hope to see you back here!

Catch Our Web Interview On April 19

The rescue will be interviewed on a Blog Talk Radio Show (A Variety of Pets) by Glo, a proud mom of multiple pets who launched a business to help educate current and prospective pet owners.

The interview will be on Monday, April 19 at 7 p.m. (Central Time) for one hour, and Whitney (the rescue's vice president) will be answering Glo's questions. You can listen to the interview live on her site. The show will be recorded and posted on Glo's site immediately afterward so you can listen at your convenience.

For "Parents" Of Furkids

With Aimee Belair's help, a pet project of mine is coming to fruition in the rescue's Zazzle gallery. As someone who lives with (mostly) well-behaved furkids, I've been looking for a "badge of honor" specifically geared to guinea pig owners. Featuring another one of Aimee's delightful drawings, the sentiment is simple but proud:

To start with, she has the artwork on a magnet, a card, and shirts. More product options are on the way. Thanks Aimee!