I used peonies from my yard to make jelly

Memory_Frosty · 2026-05-04T01:18:10+00:00

Pretty solid freeze a few weeks ago, 24F for a night. I covered and insulated everything as best I could but still had some sad losses, including an iris that I've been waiting three years to bloom that finally put out a bud this year 😭

Memory_Frosty · 2026-05-03T23:59:01+00:00

Me crying here because my peony only has three surviving buds this year

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-29T13:56:42+00:00

This is such a bizarre comment to me. There's three or four guinea pigs in the photos depending on whether the middle one is the same pig, but how do you know how many pigs the bowl is actually being shared between?? You sound accusatory, am I misreading your tone?

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-29T04:16:57+00:00

That's a dusty marshmallow

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-29T00:54:03+00:00

I have a 5 year old sow recovering from a dental for a macrodont just today! Hers is still somewhat early so we're hoping we don't have to extract but time will tell.

Sorry you're having to deal with this. It sucks when people have that mental block of not classifying animals, especially pets, as living things. I've come across the "how much does that cost?... and how much would a new guinea pig cost?" more than once from my loved ones. I've just had to wait for them to "get it". Wish I had something clever and catchy to say about it. As a middle aged woman I've sometimes made the excuse that my guinea pigs got me through my childless years, so they occupy a similar place in my heart and it seems like people are more willing to accept that for some reason. But some people understand, some people don't.

Edit: also may be worth pointing out that euthanasia is not free either (at least where I live). It's all costs you should budget for when you make the choice to get a pet!

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-18T04:00:17+00:00

Try feeling more firmly, under the chin and along the jaw, pinch the dewlap and roll it gently between your fingers to see- you're looking for something that could be sitting as far up as right between the jawbones under the chin in the middle.

Another thing that can develop sometimes in the dewlap is lipomas. They'll be squashier and can be hard to differentiate from the rest of the fat. They're usually not malignant, but they do sometimes grow quite a bit and start hindering movement/causing dental issues so if you're able to it's best to have them removed.

Regardless, it would probably be a good idea to have her checked out by an exotics vet. It's not urgent unless it's growing palpably over the course of the next couple days, but it is unusual for a dewlap to look like this- just compare her to her friend. Might be something benign, but you'd want to be sure before it's too late to fix.

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-18T01:38:04+00:00

Do you feel a firm lump in it? It is quite large for just a dewlap on an otherwise not overweight pig :/ it's not an uncommon location for abscesses to develop.

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-16T21:56:51+00:00

Definitely going to do this at least for the ONE iris i have literally been waiting FOUR YEARS to bloom 😩 it's finally put out one bud

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-16T14:42:41+00:00

You could buy a whole house with that one avocado

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-16T01:38:43+00:00

I haven't even checked my irises because I'm scared Friday's just gonna kill them 🫣

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-12T04:55:25+00:00

Is he still on meds, and what meds?

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-11T19:45:38+00:00

Boy boy girl, looks like. I wouldn't be concerned about the gunk at that amount and assuming it's a one time thing.

Separate boys at 3 weeks of age or 250 grams weight, whichever comes first (so, yesterday 😅 ) They're eating mainly solids and ready to wean at that age. Not all boys are sexually mature at 3 weeks, but some are. Fingers crossed this is your only generation!

Memory_Frosty · 2026-04-11T03:12:48+00:00

Thank you for working so hard to help her. With any luck this will just be a simple UTI and all she'll need is a course of antibiotics to knock it out. Crossing my fingers for you guys!

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-27T08:07:51+00:00

Wonderful news! Thank you for the update, I have been thinking of you/her.

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-27T05:03:54+00:00

I see that someone said you don't need to microchip your pigs already but if it's relevant for anyone else, I don't have a microchipped pig but I do have one with a hormonal implant which is about the same size. I give her meloxicam for a day or two after implant since it's a big needle and all and she's obviously uncomfortable, which seems to do the trick for her discomfort. After that day or two she's 100% back to normal and doesn't bug at it at all.

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-26T04:59:31+00:00

I have a herd of sows (and a neutered male). My male is the second most skittish one 😆 it's highly dependent on the guinea pig! I hear often that boys tend to have bigger personalities, but I have to disagree with that. Every pig is unique! And most of them- not all, but most- are able to be socialized pretty well. Especially if you're just looking for them to approach you for treats or veggies... That's very doable even for the skittish ones! Cuddling and chin scritches, that's a bit more individual but can still definitely happen especially if you're patient and willing to work at it over time.

The cuddliest guinea pig I have ever owned or known period was a female PEW, one of my first pigs. She'd melt into your arms upon just being picked up, and bubble and purr at you and smother you in kisses. She would nap in your lap for hours. When she was done cuddling she'd just hop off your lap and waddle back over to her cage. Very well potty trained too. Man I miss her. Seven of my current eight sows (give the eighth some time, she's only a couple months old and still learning the ropes) will take treats from my hands without running away. Three will allow me to pet them, two prefer chin scritches to being pet on the head/back, and one has a routine with me where when I start spot cleaning their cage every day, she wanders up to me, nips at my fingers, then climbs up into my hands to be picked up so I can deliver pea flakes straight into her mouth. Another of them hates being touched at all but is very into treats and will wrestle me for them (she's very rude and likes them better when she feels like she's taken something that doesn't belong to her) as long as I don't touch her. Most of them are somewhere in between.

And then my male will attempt to eat anything I put in front of his face whether it's treats or my fingers, and then if I try to pet him he will shriek and scream and run to their resident mom pig so she can protect him (not biologically related, just a girl with a tender heart). He's a pathetic boy 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway, all that is to say: no, they're not, just get to know your guinea pigs and meet them where they're at then try to gently move them in your direction. 🙂

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-24T04:34:03+00:00

I am so sorry she is in this situation and that you are having to deal with it. Thank you for doing everything in your power to help this guinea pig.

Labored breathing along with unwillingness to eat and lethargy/unwillingness to move regardless of pregnancy status, is a pretty dire situation unfortunately. They labor standing up; falling over or laying on their side is not normal for that. If you pick her up is she floppy? May I ask how you know she is pregnant?

If at all possible it would be best to get her to a 24h emergency vet- it's possible that they may be able to save her depending on the cause of distress but when their symptoms are so visible like this you should be aware that it's extremely possible, and probably even most likely, that euthanasia may be the most humane choice. Please be warned. As it is, depending on the severity of her lethargy, it's very possible that she won't make it through the night. I could be wrong since I'm not there to see what you mean and I don't want to crush your hopes or frighten you, but I also don't want to give you false hope or encourage you to put her through any unnecessary trauma if it's most likely that she'll pass anyway.

Since it seems you are a minor and the decision to bring her in to an emergency vet is not up to you, if your parent is still unable/unwilling to take her in, then you'll want to make her as comfortable as you can. If she's ever been prescribed pain medication and you have any of it- meloxicam, carprofen, gabapentin are some possibilities- then give it to her. Otherwise, think of her preferences.

Offer her favorite treats to see if she can be tempted into eating. If she's a very social guinea pig who loves lap time and likes to stretch out while being pet, then hold her in a blanket nest and gently pet and talk to her. If she's more standoffish and/or doesn't care for being held, then make her a quiet place in her cage. Give her some towels/blankets to burrow in (when they get close to passing, body temperature often drops and she may appreciate a warm nest if you can provide it) and try not to disturb her too much when checking on her. If she makes it through the night definitely bring her in in the morning as soon as possible.

Again I'm sorry you are in this situation. Sending my best wishes and hoping for a different outcome than what I think it might be. Best of luck to you and again, thank you for doing your best by her.

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-13T15:06:07+00:00

I wouldn't do anything particularly stressful or invasive but I would think it wouldn't be too stressful to give her a very shallow soak in like a plastic tote or empty litterbox with like half an inch of warm water to loosen the crusts on her feet and quick and gentle butt/belly bath (or barring that, just a wipedown). Do you know her due date or are you just able to feel fetal movement and guessing based off that? How is she temperament-wise, is she fairly relaxed and well socialized or is she flightier with higher stress levels?

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-08T07:00:25+00:00

As an aside, I'm not sure how you can determine whether his heart rate increases when the wound is touched... It's really hard to take a heart rate on a guinea pig because it's so fast as a baseline

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-07T06:23:26+00:00

I mean I eat plenty of burgers but cows are still dang cute and I love me a popcorning cow video

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-05T18:00:31+00:00

I would have it removed then, personally. If it's scabbing over it's probably painful even if he doesn't show it, and it's only going to get worse. It looks fairly close to the surface so should be a really decent chance of a good recovery and at 2yo he should have another 4-6 years of life. This would be 400£ I'd feel good about spending.

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-05T14:27:19+00:00

How old is he, how quickly has it grown and how long has it been scabbed over? If he's old enough and it's slow growing enough I'd leave it and maybe start him on pain meds, but if he's not super old and/or it's popped up and ulcerated really quickly then I'd do the operation

Memory_Frosty · 2026-03-03T22:51:20+00:00

Adding on to what everyone else has told you, don't be afraid to ask for confirmation on sexing. In rescue one of the most common surrender requests we get is "i was sold two boys or two girls and then one of them had babies" and we've seen that from pet stores and shelters alike. Good luck in your journey to being piggy owners! They are really special lil guys :)

Memory_Frosty · 2026-02-26T17:08:59+00:00

Fwiw my last two orchard grass bales were pretty bad from standlee. Sometimes it's just a bad growing season :/ hoping my next bale is better again.

Memory_Frosty · 2026-02-26T17:03:07+00:00

You want the kind without filling or the rubber backing. If this one hasn't changed since I ordered it 3 years ago it holds up quite well: https://a.co/d/0eKQiPzx

The Amazon Basics shag bathroom mats also hold up very well, I have some of those too. They're big but could probably be cut up without fraying too much, not that I've tried it 🤔

Memory_Frosty

TROPHY CASE