Literary Guinea Pigs

I know I haven’t been posting anything lately; thing are just so hectic with life and trying to keep both guineas healthy. Dorian ended up with ringworm all inside of his ear, which I didn’t notice until he was losing fur from scratching so much.

Moriarty has been the biggest problem since he had what could have been mites, but that was unconfirmed. And then he ended up with a urinary tract infection, so we’re on Day 4 of antibiotics.

Annnnnd then. Because I can’t catch a break, the vet pointed out that he had some conjunctivitis (pink eye) going on and that I should keep tabs on it. Well, it hasn’t gotten any better AND Dorian has it pretty severely in one eye and only moderately in the other. So I’ll be getting eye drops for both of them this week.

I’m trying my damndest to get both pigs healthy before I’m supposed to leave the country in two weeks. I’ve got a very rodent-savvy friend keeping them in my absence, so if anything happens I know they will be taken care of.

Not really, but I'm helping them work on it. Because Moriarty is still so young, he's full of energy that Dorian doesn't want anything to do with. They definitely don't hate each other, it's just that Dorian would rather be a little ways apart from Mori. I'm hoping once Moriarty is older they will both get along. Right now it's like having a grumpy, old man and a teenager who won't stop talking.

(This picture was a lot cuter before he opened his eyes and glared at me.)

This is probably one of my favorite pictures to-date of Dorian. Without a doubt this is his "Mom, can we go to bed now?" face. I get this face a lot actually. If I end up staying awake later than the boys are used to, he will sit there and pout until I turn the light off and let him sleep. His brother couldn't be bothered.

This was taken when I was first trying to introduce him and Moriarty to each other. Basically, it was three hours of us sitting on the bathroom floor while the two of them tried to decide who the dominant pig was. I think to this day, they still don't know who's boss.

Lesson #2: If there is a way under an object, even if you have shoved pillows and towels to block any openings, pigs will find it.

Dorian is bigger than Moriarty, so I misjudged the size gaps I could have. Moriarty is a small, squirmy little pig, and managed to get himself under the couch. And refused to come out. For over an hour.

Dorian likes to sit as close to my face as possible, so it's really impossible to get a picture of him without my face being in it. He was literally leaning his weight against my jaw.

I am constantly learning things in my life and some (maybe most) seem like things I should probably realize, but I don't think about it much. So this is the start of things I learn regarding owning, caring for, and generally living with guinea pigs.

Name: Moriarty

Age: Maybe four months, we aren't sure

Literary Reference: Sherlock Holmes

Favorite foods: Carrots (only cut in small strips) and Cucumbers (but only the skin)

Favorite activity: Exploring the world

Name: Dorian

Age: Almost a year

Literary Reference: The Picture of Dorian Grey

Favorite foods: Green beans and orange rinds

Favorite activity: Snuggling with mommy

"Hi, Internet! Our names are Dorian and Moriarty, and our mom decided to make this blog dedicated to us so that people don't hate her for all of our piggie pictures on Facebook!"

I love hanging out around the house with my pigs and taking pictures of them when I can. I really felt bad about spamming Facebook with so many pictures, so I decided to give them their own blog where I can shamelessly talk about them. My guineas are like my children, and they may be the only grandchildren my mother will ever get.