It's a puzzle

how the dead doe came to lie in my backyard. Our backyard is completely fenced in. The back fence is about a 7 ft high solid wooden fence, the sides are wire (5 ft high) and wood. So, I know she had to come over the wire portion,, but why didn't she go right back out? I saw her down below in the wooded section and went to examine her,, getting only as close as her fly blown body would allow me to ascertain that she was a doe and that the bottom leg looked like it had what one might call road rash or street pizza marks on it. So I think she had been hit by a car. I never saw her thrash around in the backyard, and we have a birdbath out there, so she would have had water to drink had she not been mortally wounded- I think I would have noticed a live deer before she died of hunger and thirst. But I will honestly tell you, it is very disconcerting and puzzling.

Someone's been eating my hibiscus!

Early this summer I bought two lovely hibiscus bushes, one a yellow, the other a deep pink. As soon as I got them home and put on the back deck, I noticed that the yellow one started missing leaves, and then branches. I have been watching the squirrels cut branches from the maple trees and drag them into their nest boxes for new nesting material, so I figured that they were the ones doing it. Well, they ARE the ones doing it, but they are EATING the hibiscus leaves like spinach. They sit up on the railing of the deck and eat the leaves with wild abandon. Now both plants are denuded and just shells of their formal glory. I was just gonna throw them out, but I figure - ah, what the heck- if they grow new leaves, just more for the squirrels to enjoy. This is a picture of a young squirrel on the railing of my deck- this spring's model. His mom will eat from our fingers and she has within the last week or so had a second litter.

Find the orphans

The two little orphans are a week old today. Still small but they eat from the syringe enthusiastically. This sow had four babies on Tuesday evening and so once she got used to her own babies, I put these two in. She is a very laid back sow. This is her first litter. She tolerates the newbies and will care for them as much as she cares for any of the babies,, but she is not obsessive like some sows. If they are close, she gives them a lick. If not, that's OK too. Some sows keep their kids herded up and put in a nest. This sow is not like that. It's catch as catch can for the nippie. Some of her kids are getting supplemented too. I offer it to everyone, including the sow (who LOVES it). Be thinking of names or they will be stuck with what I come up with. These guys aren't out of the woods- and won't be in my mind until they are eating on their own and gaining wt.-but I am cautiously optimistic.

Yesterday I went to the feed store about 20+ miles from here to pick up a half ton of bedding. I left it in the 4 runner hoping husband would offload for me-which he did this morning. But he put the stuff right in front of my freezer, which means I will be shifting it soon anyhow. Oh well.

Back to folding laundry which my girl ratties enjoy helping me with.

Feed me, Mama!

This is one of the babies that I am handrearing. Right now, they can take about 1 cc at a time,, probably more later. These guys come out looking just like real little pigs- born with eyes and ears open, fully furred and adult teeth already in place. Gestation is long in these guys,, it averages about 70 days for my pigs. They will get weaned at three weeks, but start nibbling solid food quickly after being born.

Hard times come again no more

There are tragedies in the caviary too. For the past 10 days I had been force feeding a pregnant sow with pregnancy toxemia (not terribly uncommon, unfortunately). She was heavy pregnant as is always the case and you could see her babies kicking in her. Four times a day I would get her out and give her a "potion" to provide some nutrients for her and the kids. On Saturday night she went into labor and with assistance delivered four pups- the first two were dead and had been for at least 12 hours. The last two were alive, but small and weak. She didn't have the energy to care for them at all. I continued to force feed her, but she died yesterday morning. The two babies I have been feeding every two hours- last feeding at 2AM. Initially they looked pretty bad, but this morning I actually have some hope that they might live. We will have a shelf naming project. I believe that they are two little sows (although, keep in mind, these small parts are indeed,, small).

Frangipig

Last night about midnight, Frangipig (Faranna's pigsake) went into labor and had these three little white satin babies- two boars and one sow. This morning I woke up and when I came into the caviary, another sow had had her babies as well. Everyone seems to be doing fine at this point. All they need to do now is find the nipples (2), latch on and grow. Frangipig is a very good mother and is very attentive to her babies. (I believe that there are only two shelf pigs left,, frangipig and biff)

Yesterday was pretty much like all days- this time the errand was out for rat food. The thing that is fun about the rats is that you can share your food with them. Last week I had to make a run about 50 miles away to get a pig for some other folks and I stopped by a fast food place for a fish sandwich. I ate about half of it and brought the other half home for the rats. They were in heaven!

Watermelon

My days follow pretty much the same pattern: get up, check email, feed pigs, water pigs, go around with notebook to mark down which cages need cleaning, clean cages, vacuum floor. This takes up most of the morning. If I am lucky, I am done by noon. Afternoons are for errands and corresponding with fellow cavy enthusiasts. Yesterday I went to feed store to pick up 10 bales of pine shavings. They have a new feed person, so I discussed the trouble I have had with various feeds and wondering if we could get something worked out so that my feed which I order from Indiana could be freighted into their store, saving me big money on shipping costs. Right now, I get 400 pounds of feed at a time shipped UPS. The shipping is about two thirds of the cost, which is significant. It remains to be seen what can be worked out.

Today for a treat the pigs got watermelon. It is so funny to watch them draw back their lips from the cold melon while trying to sink their little teeth into it. And they slurp. When I give them lettuce and they are all crunching away on it, it sounds like rain. Right now I am about to start evening rounds, checking to see who is out of water or who might be by morning.

I have started watching the Sopranos on DVD (and it is also on A & E here I think it is). I am in the middle of season three. Had to skip over one DVD that couldn't be located at any of the stores,, but that doesn't seem to have messed up things- or maybe ignorance is bliss. Several months ago, I said I was working on a baby quilt. I am almost finished with it,, I will see the folks in August (yes, at a pig show) and will give it to them then. Kid will be almost a year old.

This is a trio of solid sows,, two are silver solids and the one on the left is a dilute(choc based) solid.

Ratatouille

I saw this movie on Friday and LOVED it! It got a little draggy thru the middle section (is like an hour and 50 minutes long) but overall,, two thumbs up. Gentle Disney social commentary- as in anyone can do/be what they want with a little ingenuity, creativity and perserverance. Someday I'll try to get a picture of my rat girls and post- they don't stay still like the pigs do.