I did it! I now have 14 piggies!

Hope the inspection goes well. Pleased Sassafras came through the op. You may need to syringe feed her a bit tonight as she will be drugged up to the eyeballs and not really feel like eating that much. Don't be surprised if you get stringy poop from her over the next couple of days. Betsy had stringy dry poop as a reaction to the anaesthetic and not eating anything during the operation.
 
Betsy said:
Hope the inspection goes well. Pleased Sassafras came through the op. You may need to syringe feed her a bit tonight as she will be drugged up to the eyeballs and not really feel like eating that much. Don't be surprised if you get stringy poop from her over the next couple of days. Betsy had stringy dry poop as a reaction to the anaesthetic and not eating anything during the operation.
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Thank you. I have some critical care and some syringes just in case.
 
Aaaaaaaah! Inspection complete! I think it went really really really well!

They said they were impressed with my piggy ranch and that it all looked very clean and nice. I answered a few questions for them and they seemed satisfied with my answers. Everything went super positively. They had never really looked at guinea pigs up close before and were taken in by the cuteness. I definitely got the impression they were expecting chaos and filth and were pleasantly surprised.

I think they will be sending a favorable report to their supervisor. Apparently he's out of town right now but he should get it when he returns.
 
Just caught up.
I’m so pleased that the inspection went well for you.
Sorry to hear about the oral thrush - hope you’re feeling better now.
 
Sassafras is continuing to recover gracefully, I am so grateful. I was ready to syringe feed her but she's eaten everything I've offered her including quite a few fistfuls of hay so I decided to let her be for now.

I've also discovered that medicated guinea pigs are extra great for snuggling, I've been taking the opportunity to let her rest against my chest and do some bonding since she's so relaxed and floppy right now. Hopefully she'll remember it, lol.
 

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Also I stupidly threw in this cilantro thinking it would distract everybody while I vacuumed their cages but it only lasted about 2 seconds mission not accomplished. Don't know why I thought that was a viable plan.
 

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Do you ever catch your guinea pigs staring at you like you're a zoo exhibit? Sometimes I feel eyes on me and sure enough someone is perched there, watching. Sometimes three or four of them in a row. Makes me wonder who the pet is...

Also I saw this guinea pig meme on Reddit and I can't stop laughing at it. Probably belongs on the meme thread but I'm lazy.
 

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Featheryfriend said:
Do you ever catch your guinea pigs staring at you like you're a zoo exhibit? Sometimes I feel eyes on me and sure enough someone is perched there, watching. Sometimes three or four of them in a row. Makes me wonder who the pet is...

Also I saw this guinea pig meme on Reddit and I can't stop laughing at it. Probably belongs on the meme thread but I'm lazy.
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Have you ever seen The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1980s TV version)? Our hero sees some mice in a cage and wonders what experiment they are for, then he learns that it's the mice who are in charge and the humans who are part of an experiment....
 
Finally got everyone's weight recorded. Took me long enough but it should be easy to make it a habit every Sunday now.

I could definitely do it quicker. I spent most of the afternoon on it because I also took the time to give each pig an extra big cuddle and carry them around the apartment a bit showing them things and talking to them. "This is the coffee pot. Here are the fish. Yes that's a good pig." 😂

I do give out random rubs and affection all the time but this is the first time I've methodically gone through snuggled the heck out of all of them in a row. I've got a lot of guinea pig hair on me.

Also, Juniper is the Biggest Pig and she knows it.
 

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Featheryfriend said:
Finally got everyone's weight recorded. Took me long enough but it should be easy to make it a habit every Sunday now.

I could definitely do it quicker. I spent most of the afternoon on it because I also took the time to give each pig an extra big cuddle and carry them around the apartment a bit showing them things and talking to them. "This is the coffee pot. Here are the fish. Yes that's a good pig." 😂

I do give out random rubs and affection all the time but this is the first time I've methodically gone through snuggled the heck out of all of them in a row. I've got a lot of guinea pig hair on me.

Also, Juniper is the Biggest Pig and she knows it.
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My husband cuddles our two and takes them on tours of the house too.
 
Sooo I checked in with the office again, the supervisor has received the report and the decision should be made within the next day or two. I'm optimistic but super nervous. 😬 It's hard to get anything done. Sort of hanging out to dry.

Sassafras is more lively, which is good and bad, because now she's got the energy to start thrashing around when I pick her up. Yesterday her incision got a little bloody/scabby (pic) but today the scab fell off and it looks better. I had my mother take a look at it to see what she thought (she was a human nurse for 20 years) and she said it appears to be healing normally but to keep an eye on the slightly raised area.

One thing I need to thank the vet for next time I see her, she must have de-crusted Sassafras's nipples while she was under as well. They were pretty icky but I didn't want to hurt her trying to scrub them while she was awake. They look so much better.

All the other piggies are also well. I tallied up all my cage parts, came up with a final plan for their permanent cages, and realized I need even more grids and connectors and coroplast. One of the cages is going to need to go *underneath* the stand for logistical reasons, which means it needs to be made firmly inaccessible to the dog with a cover and such. It's best to order everything at once (to avoid extra shipping costs) but it's kind of a lot so I'm borrowing a bit of money from Grandma. Her other grandkids have been known to "borrow" money and make it vanish forever, so I'm going to try to get it paid back within 2 or 3 months and earn grandchild points, ha. Thankfully it's a one-time investment. Excited to get them all into 2x10 grid enclosures so they can really zooooom whenever they please.
 

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Still waiting on the office. They said maybe tomorrow. It's another Big Hay Day where I fill the cages with lots of extra hay and let them make a bunch of tunnels! I also returned Sassafras to her herd so she's happy.

I'm weighing everyone again and also it's time to do a boar cleaning. I'm still a little baffled... I've cleaned Clover's anal sac a couple times now no problem, but I have yet to succeed in getting him to show me his naughty bits. I can feel it under the skin, but no matter where I press it does not pop out. I know it's there, I think I've seen him whip it out while chasing the ladies. 😂 I'd bet he's healthy and not clogged up or anything but I'd still like a closer look to be sure. I wasn't going to give up today until I saw it, but after a few minutes of being prodded he started to bite. Understandable. So if anyone has any advice on that I'd appreciate it. I've read a couple different sets of instructions and I'm still scratching my head. Maybe I'm nuts but I almost think he is actively not letting me see!
 

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George is also coy. He won't thank me for telling you but the tip of his penis is actually hidden in the opening of his anal sack. George was neutered, but gets mild impaction so he has to be flipped over and assisted with lumps of stuck poop. When you apply a little pressure around the base of the anal opening things invert a bit and the tip should appear!

George had his only UTI when this impaction problem started and his anatomy probably explains why. I've not had too many boars so I don't know how common this arrangement is. I don't poke around his penis too much but just use a little warm water to rinse him clean when it appears. Although he doesn't get badly impacted and can still pass his waste poops easily, the bit left behind is still cleared every evening in the hopes of preventing another UTI. He pees plenty which is a blessing as he probably rinses himself clean!

It's kind of tricky to get photos of this to show you... see how you get on.
 
Free Ranger said:
George is also coy. He won't thank me for telling you but the tip of his penis is actually hidden in the opening of his anal sack. George was neutered, but gets mild impaction so he has to be flipped over and assisted with lumps of stuck poop. When you apply a little pressure around the base of the anal opening things invert a bit and the tip should appear!

George had his only UTI when this impaction problem started and his anatomy probably explains why. I've not had too many boars so I don't know how common this arrangement is. I don't poke around his penis too much but just use a little warm water to rinse him clean when it appears. Although he doesn't get badly impacted and can still pass his waste poops easily, the bit left behind is still cleared every evening in the hopes of preventing another UTI. He pees plenty which is a blessing as he probably rinses himself clean!

It's kind of tricky to get photos of this to show you... see how you get on.
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I watched a couple of videos on how to do it and I think I've got it now! Thank you for the pointers. I do wonder if his anatomy might be slightly quirky and that's what's making it challenging.
 
Okay so I have good news finally... it's not official yet as the legal document is still being drafted, but I'm told that things appear to be going my way!

The main office lady says she read part of it and it looks like my 17 piggies are going to be approved! Conditions will most likely include an inspection a couple times a year, and an agreement not to aquire any additional piggies. (Reasonable, lol.) She says she will hand-deliver the document once it's finalized.

I'm so relieved. I'll finally be able to sleep easy at night once I've got the documents in-hand, but knowing that it's probably all going to be fine feels so great.

She said "we've definitely never done anything like this before, it's a unique situation which is why it's been a long process."

The management company is in charge of a lot of properties, so I hope this precedent can help someone else someday! Maybe it'll help someone keep their emotional support rats or something, ha.
 
Featheryfriend said:
Okay so I have good news finally... it's not official yet as the legal document is still being drafted, but I'm told that things appear to be going my way!

The main office lady says she read part of it and it looks like my 17 piggies are going to be approved! Conditions will most likely include an inspection a couple times a year, and an agreement not to aquire any additional piggies. (Reasonable, lol.) She says she will hand-deliver the document once it's finalized.

I'm so relieved. I'll finally be able to sleep easy at night once I've got the documents in-hand, but knowing that it's probably all going to be fine feels so great.

She said "we've definitely never done anything like this before, it's a unique situation which is why it's been a long process."

The management company is in charge of a lot of properties, so I hope this precedent can help someone else someday! Maybe it'll help someone keep their emotional support rats or something, ha.
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Fantastic news! The herd is safe. What an achievement 👏😁
 
Really well done! What a challenge for you but you have been magnificent in how you've tackled this - those piggies have really fallen on their paws 💕
 
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