Ask the Cavies

Sundae: What exactly would you like to know? Here are a few very important things to keep in mind.

His enclosure should be at least four square feet. We love to run and jump and play. Mama calls our jumps popcorning because she says we act like popcorn seeds in hot oil. Right now, Wheeker and I are cramped into about four and a half square feet. You see, when Wheeker first came home a year ago, she was really small and did not take up very much room. Well, mama and papa did not realize that she is really getting big and that we are getting a bit squished in here. Now that Truffles has gotten rid of the parasites she brought home from the pet store, mama wants to put her with us, but there is not enough room. We do have a new enclosure being made for us that is ten square feet, but it takes about three weeks for the company to make so we are all waiting patiently. Until then, Truffles has to stay in her separate enclosure.

He needs vitamin C in his diet. My favorite high vitamin C veggie is parsley and Wheeker has decided she likes it too and always steals mine. At first, she would not even touch it, but that all changed as soon as she saw I liked it. We also like endive, but it has less vitamin C so mama doesn't give it to us as often. Truffles' only vitamin C veggie that she will eat (except for endive or maybe a parsley stem or a tiny mouthful of kale) is spinach.

He also should have access to as much hay as he wants to eat. We love to munch on hay all the time. My favorites are timothy hay and oat hay. I would love to have more oat hay, but the doctor said that it has too many calories. Wheeker's favorite is alfalfa hay, but we do not get very much since it has a high amount of calcium so she eats mostly timothy hay. Truffles also likes timothy and alfalfa hay. Mama just found out about bermuda grass, but she has not brought any home yet.

As for what type of pet we make ... we are absolutely wonderful and charming.

Sundae: Along with nutrition comes health. His coat should be fairly dense, even, and have a bit of a shine, even if he is not a satin. His ears should be clean (I hate it when mama cleans out my ears, though). His eyes should be shiny, and his eyes and nose should not have any discharge coming from them. His teeth should be even with each other and his gums should be pink and not have sores on them.

Sundae: We can live up to around thirteen years. I'll be turning three in a couple months, Wheeker just turned one, and Truffles is now two months old.

Sundae: Generally we are. Some are late bloomers, but they probably won't grow more than 10-15% of their weight at age one. I stopped growing when I was two years old, but Wheeker seemed to stop growing when she was eleven months old. Please also remember that we do need exercise and can get overweight if we do not get enough.

Sundae: I was an only child for two years before mama brought home Wheeker. I was okay by myself, but mama started working more and I was alone all day. I was really lonely. If you are home most of the time and play with him all the time, he should be happy. Mama used to have lots of time for my favorite games like hide and seek and follow the leader. We still play sometimes, but when she is busy, I just play with Wheeker.

Sundae: We make many different sounds. Usually when I am scared, I run away or freeze and try to roll myself up really small so no one sees me. When mama holds me, I usually sit really quiet and cuddle with her. I love to cuddle. Or I purr when mama strokes me and scratches me on my back and the top of my head. Sometimes, when mama moves around, I murmur and ask her to stop since I want to enjoy the cuddle. Wheeker usually complains and complains unless mama is holding both of us at the same time. Truffles starts screaming because she just wants to be fed ... but then, she is always screaming and wants to be fed. I guess she does not stop just because mama is holding her.

The second (and hopefuly the last time) I was bathed I was so annoyed I sneezed out some white stuff at my owner's aunt while she was drying me. And for 2 days I stayed in my box whenever Violet (my owner) came near me.

Sundae: Hi Zelda! I'm 2 years old, too. Actually, I'm almost 3 (in October). One time one of my humans, mama, took me into the big bathtub and made me swim laps ... but I absolutely hated it. When mama put her hands in to catch me, I jumped up into her arms and got her all wet. She hasn't put me in the big bathtub ever again, even though I get put in my bathtub every week. Wheeker has never been in the big bathtub, but mama's been thinking about trying her in it now that the weather's getting warmer.

We used to be really fat, but our human moved us from the ocean to the mountains. I wonder why we are thinnner here in the mountains. Do you know why?? We didn't join Piggie Craig Weight Loss Center!!

My human built us a really cool habitat. We live on the floor the spare bedroom. She put a tarp down and then covered it with yummy hay. Then our human put logs all around the edge of it and some really cool ones inside. The best part is that half of it has a bamboo top over it, we really like that because we LOVE to hide out in dark places. We feel very comfortable in little hiding spots.

Our human took us to her garden and we ate ourselves to oblivion. It was scary though because there are birds of prey in the sky, and if you don't already know this, we are definately PREY. That is why we hide so much. What about you guys? Do you like to hide too? Do you have a little dark spot in your cage?

We are glad that you have each other during the day. Please write back soon. -- Piggle & Wiggle (spallott@deltanet.com)

Sundae: Hi Piggle and Wiggle. Wheeker's eating as usual. You must like your big house and your garden. We have a pretty nice house and we have a gigantic grassy lawn that is fun to hide in when papa doesn't cut it for weeks. I really don't get scared much, even when I'm outside since I know that mama is watching out for me. But Wheeker gets scared at every little sound and runs into me. Mama doesn't give us things to hide under, but we do find places to go under (like our cart, papa's desk, the piano, etc.).

Sundae: I have never had any problems with my teeth, but then I do not chew on cage bars. I used to, but papa would squirt me with water and mama would say "NO" every time I tried, so I stopped. They think it is a bad habit and not very pleasant looking. Mama has never had a cavy that lost a tooth, but they will grow back eventually. Just keep watching the teeth and file down the one that is still growing if it gets too long. If you feel uncomfortable with doing this, you can have a doctor do it. Mama says there are special doctors for cavies and you should look for one who knows us, not just dogs and cats.

Sundae: I have never been pregnant and neither has Wheeker. Mama says it is true that some pet stores do not know very much about cavies and brothers and sisters are left together and make babies together. Babies usually are born after nine or ten weeks. Whether or not Pepe is pregnant, she should be getting lots of yummy food high in vitamin C. You already know my favorite foods. Other foods that some cavies like that are good for them are kale and dandelion leaves. The important thing is variety. Sometimes mama forgets about that and we get bored of having the same thing every day.

The important thing to remember is that if you are worried about your cavy because he seems different (he is not as active as usual, he is losing weight, he does not eat or drink as much as normal, etc.), you should take him to the doctor. Although I do not like to go to the doctor and have him poke and prod at me, he really is a nice human and I usually feel better after I see him. Last time I saw him, he gave Wheeker and me a handful of yummy meadow grass because we were munching on our records and he wanted them back.

Sundae: Aha! One of my most favorite subjects. If I am not actually eating, the next best thing is talking about foods. In my introduction, I said that romaine lettuce, sunflower seeds, and timothy hay are my favorites. I also absolutely adore carrots. That reminds me, I have not had a single carrot for several days. Anyone reading this, please remind my mama that this is one of my favorite foods. I think she has forgotten about them. I also like parsley, spinach, radicchio, and endive. So, Wheeker, what do you like?

Wheeker: Huh? Crunch, crunch, crunch!

Sundae: What do you like to eat?

Wheeker: Crunch, crunch, crunch!

Sundae: Sorry, folks! Wheeker is finishing her carrot. Carrot!!! Mama, you had better get me one when I finish writing this article! She pretty much likes the same veggies that I do. She does not try anything unless I eat it first ... actually, she always wants the piece that I am eating, even when she has her own piece. She likes to steal my food and put it into her pile of food.

Sundae: I absolutely hate kale, and so does Wheeker. Mama says that there are many cavies that love kale, but I do not like it. When mama puts it in front of me, I put myself into reverse and get out of the way. There are a few other veggies I do not like, but I do not know what they are called.

Sundae: Mama, you really need to have your own "Ask the Humans" page. So, where did we come from?

Mama: Well, Sundae, both you and Wheeker came from pet stores. You came from a store called Parkway Pets. You lived on the floor of a tall bird cage. Do you remember that?

Sundae: No. What was it like?

Mama: The birds were very loud and screeched often. For the longest time, you sounded like a bird. You also had a sister at the store, but I was only looking for one cavy at the time. So I chose you. I also told the store owners that it was not a good idea to put cavies at the bottom of a bird cage, even if the birds never landed on the floor. Wheeker came from a store called Pet Metro. She was in a cage with eight other little girls.

Sundae: Why did you choose Wheeker?

Mama: I thought she would make a good friend for you. Remember how I was out of the house more often and you were home alone and very lonely?

Sundae: Yeah, but sometimes I wish I had my own room again. I guess I am glad that I have Wheeker when you are gone during the day. Anyway, keep those questions coming. Wheeker and I will answer your questions ... when we are not eating or sleeping.