Saturday 26th February 2005
Well, we managed to get down to the CCT ok....(we've been having some snow which had made me worry about the possibility of not getting Harvey to Cambridge).....and Harvey had to have an x-ray which revealed that he has 2 small bladder stones in his urethra. :( They have had to keep him in so that they can give him gut relaxants to try and get the stones to move into his bladder. Then he will have to have an operation to remove them. If they don't move then it will mean a more complicated surgery. :( I'm so worried and scared that I'm going to lose him. :(

Friday 25th February 2005
Still no change in Harvey. I'm glad we're taking him to the CCT tomorrow.

Thursday 24th February 2005
We've booked an appointment to go down to the CCT on Saturday for 11.30.........Harvey is no better, although he looks ok one minute and then is miserable the next but is still urinating blood sometimes.

Wednesday 23rd February 2005
Harvey is all fluffed up and miserable again today. I had him out for a run earlier and he seemed ok and then I noticed that he'd urinated on the floor and there was blood in it. :( Now, I am extremely worried about him. I can feel another trip to the CCT coming on.

Sunday 20th February 2005
:D Harvey is back to his good old cheeky self today! I'm so relieved!

Saturday 19th February 2005
We took Harvey to the CCT today and he had a full examination and Vedra couldn't find anything wrong with him! She said he may have indigestion and told me to give him colic drops and gave me some anti-inflammatory tablets in case he isn't better in a couple of days time. It's a relief to know that there's nothing seriously amiss. Oh, and the lump I found on him a while back is ok, nothing serious.

Friday 18th February 2005
Harvey is no better today and I'm really really worried about him. He has managed to eat a little bit of parsley by himself which is something I guess.

Thursday 17th February 2005
I'm very worried about Harvey today as he's stopped eating and is very fluffed up and miserable. :( If he doesn't perk up we'll have to take him to the CCT on Saturday. I'm syringe feeding him and giving him lots of cuddles.

Monday 10th January 2005
Ooh! I haven't done an update for almost 2 months! :O I didn't think it had been that long! Things have been well in the caviary, apart from finding a lump on Harvey's dewlap area, I'm going to keep an eye on it for now as it isn't bothering him at all.....the little ones have grown quite a bit and are getting tamer all the time...Bailey especially is a right little tinker now. :)

Tuesday 16th November 2004
Things have been well in the caviary the past month.....Amber, Ruby and Bailey are getting tamer all the time and Harvey, Purdy and Georgia are fine. :) Bailey is driving me a bit potty at the moment because as soon as it gets dark he starts chewing the bars of his home and he does this on and off all evening and after we've all gone to bed! I'm trying to think of something that I can do to stop him.....maybe make some sort of screen that I can put in his home at night that will deny him access to the bars.

Tuesday 19th October 2004
I've not updated the diary for a while now, due to one thing and another lately. Things have been ok in the caviary.....the young ones are coming on nicely and Bailey and Ruby are getting quite tame now. Amber is still very shy but I won't give up with her. :) The rest of the clan are fine.

Thursday 16th September 2004
I'm really fed up at the moment as I've caught a cold off my little niece who is staying with us this week along with my sister. This, of course, means I can't spend time with my piggies. :( It's made worse by the fact that I need to be taming Amber, Ruby and Bailey. Bailey is slowly getting used to his new surroundings....it's taken him a bit longer than the girls but I've discovered that he likes sitting on top of the cardboard box I gave him and he'll sit there when he thinks I'm not looking. :) Still missing Jasper and Sherry......it's so hard getting used to them not being around anymore.

Tuesday 7th September 2004
I've given another piggy a home today. His name is Bailey and he's a tri-coloured Abby. He is sooooo cute! He's very timid at the moment which is understandable so I'm leaving him alone to settle in to his new surroundings.

Monday 6th September 2004
I finally felt well enough to update the site today. Still missing Sherry and Jasper terribly but I know they are happy wherever they are. Ruby and Amber are starting to feel at home now and have started squeaking at mealtimes. I'm going to start trying to get them tame now.

Tuesday 31st August 2004
Sherry passed away today. :( We took her to the CCT on Saturday and she was given an x-ray which showed she didn't have any bladder stones and so we were given more antibiotics for her. She went downhill yesterday and I really struggled to syringe feed her......she just wouldn't swallow anything. She died at about 2pm after slipping into a sort of coma and really wasn't with us at all. Rest in peace my sweet dear old lady. :(

Wednesday 18th August 2004
I've been missing Jasper terribly since he passed away on Friday. It's not the same in the caviary without him. :( As a tribute to him I decided to give another piggy a home and ended up getting two! I think they are rexes but it's a bit hard to tell as they are so young and have only just left their mother. They are females and since Jasper was named after a semi-precious stone I decided to give the babies similar names. I have called them Amber and Ruby. I'm giving them a few days to settle in and then I'll take some pigtures of them to put on the site.

Monday 16th August 2004
Jasper was doing really well at the CCT and was getting better but on Friday 13th August, a day before he was due to come home, he suffered a heart attack and passed away. :( I just can't believe he's gone and I miss him so very very much. We went to the CCT on Saturday and brought him home and buried him in the garden under a tree. Rest in peace my sweet little boy. :( We also took Sherry as she's still having problems and she's been given some medicines and if she is no better in 2 weeks time we have to take her back to the CCT for another check up.

Sunday 8th August 2004
The past couple of weeks have been rather hectic in the caviary.......Harvey's poops have improved although he still can be a bit loose at times. Sherry is having another bout of cystitis so I'm treating her for that. Jasper's wheeziness got worse and I noticed that his breathing was becoming a bit laboured so we rang our rodentologist but unfortunately she can no longer see us so we then took Jasper to see the vet. The vet said that he had a chest infection and he was given an anti-inflammatory and put on a seven day course of Baytril but on Friday he got worse and stopped eating and became listless/lethargic so I stopped the antibiotics as I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to keep him on them. Yesterday my partner drove me to the Cambridge Cavy Trust as I was really worried about Jasper and they have kept him in so that they can give him some medications and hopefully get him well.

Wednesday 21st July 2004
The boys are still pretty much the same although Harvey's poops have started to look more formed now so maybe it will just take a while for him to get back to normal. Jasper had a small nosebleed yesterday. :O I cleaned him up and he's been ok since then so maybe he'd just hurt his nose with all the sniffling he's been doing. I gave him some sudafed and put some vick's on his nose and it seemed to ease his symptoms a little.

Tuesday 13th July 2004
The weather has been pretty bad the past few days so I refrained from bathing Sherry. It has brightened up a tad today so I was ok to bath Harvey and Jasper again. I'll do Sherry tomorrow if the weather holds out. Both the boys still have their respective problems and I just don't know what to do.

Thursday 8th July 2004
I decided against giving Sherry a bath today as the weather has turned chilly and with her being elderly I don't want to risk her getting too cold. As soon as the weather picks up again I shall get her bathed. Harvey still has diarrhoea. :/ I've bought some new dry food today to see if that helps any. Not sure what else I can try if that doesn't work.

Wednesday 7th July 2004
Today I again gave the lads their doses of Daktarin Oral Gel........still concerned about Harvey's diarrhoea though. :/ Purdy and Georgia both had a bath! They were as good as gold, bless them!

Tuesday 6th July 2004
Today I gave the lads their Daktarin Oral gel doses and a bath. Needless to say, they did not appreciate my efforts to make them all nice and clean. I've made sure that they have kept nice and warm all day and now they are just about dry. I think I'll give Purdy and Georgia a bath tomorrow and then Sherry on Thursday.

Monday 5th July 2004
Well, we took Harvey and Jasper to the CCT on Saturday as they hadn't improved. Jasper had to have his molars trimmed as they had overgrown slightly and they said that his snuffly nose could be due to a fungal infection so he has to have a weekly bath for the next 3 weeks and then one monthly after that. They didn't need to trim his incisor as it has almost grown back since last week. Harvey still has diarrhoea but is eating again! :D I have had to withdraw all fresh food from his diet for a while and, he too, has to have a weekly bath for the next 3 weeks as well as having a course of Daktarin Oral Gel for any soreness or infection in his mouth but his molars were fine. They were both wormed and had their claws clipped.

Monday 28th June 2004
Things have been ok in the caviary for the past few weeks but the past 5 days have been rather worrying. First, I've noticed that Jasper has broken one of his lower incisors right off (heaven knows how he did it) and Harvey has been pretty ill........he started to have diarrhoea which worsened even though I gave him diocalms to the point that it was almost fluid. :( Our rodentologist was unavailable to help so we had to go and see the vet who put him on a course of antibiotics. He has since perked up a little and his poops have firmed up a bit although they are still loose. He has stopped eating normally and only picks at bits and bobs so I'm having to syringe feed him. I've noticed that he makes a fuss over anything he eats and acts like he has something stuck in his mouth so I suspect that his molars may be overgrowing. Obviously, I can't take him to the vets as I know they will knock him out and last time this happened he was severely ill afterwards and almost died......so there's no way I'm putting him through that again. The only option open to me is to take both the boys down to the CCT on Saturday. I've never been before and I'm rather nervous about it because of my social phobia but it has to be done.

Thursday 27th May 2004
Sherry is still ok after her bout of cystitis. It did seem to come back for a day or two but she's all dry for the time being. :) I'm a bit worried about the boys as they've both had diarrhoea today. I've given them both a dose of diocalm so I'll see how they go and will keep a firm eye on them.

Wednesday 5th May 2004
Just a quick update on the piggies! :) Sherry's cystitis seems to have cleared up now after I gave her a course of treatment. Jasper's hay allergy has finally cleared up and is now under control. Harvey, Purdy and Georgia have been well. :D

Tuesday 20th April 2004
The past few days I've been treating Sherry for cystitis as it seems to have come back again and I'm hoping that it doesn't turn into another urinary infection. She seems to be responding to treatment at the moment. Harvey has levelled off and is pretty much ok now.

Monday 29th March 2004
Harvey has been improving over the past few days and I had him out for a run last night and he didn't fall over! He's still a bit wobbly but definitely seems to be starting to adjust to his disabilities.

Wednesday 24th March 2004
We went to pick up Harvey today and bring him home. Poor lad is still very wobbly because of his deafness and blindness and I've just got to take extra care with him and make sure that I keep all of the things in his cage in the same place so that he doesn't get confused. I hope he'll adapt to his disabilities soon.

Monday 22nd March 2004
Got a phone call from the rodentologist today to say that we can fetch Harvey home on Wednedsay. :) He has got a bit of arthritis and is deaf in one ear. He is also blind in one eye and partially sighted in the other. :/ Other than that he's ok and is eating again. But he is 5 now so it's only reasonable to expect him to be showing signs of old age I guess.

Saturday 20th March 2004
We took Harvey to see the rodentologist today as he's been very wobbly on his legs and hasn't been eating properly. I've been very worried about him. The rodentologist thinks it could be arthritis and is keeping him in for a few days to assess him.

Thursday 4th March 2004
Everything has been fine for the past month. I had a bit of a holiday so I haven't been able to update the diary. I've recently given Jasper a change of bedding material and have put him on carefresh bedding as I think he has an allergy to the haydust. He has improved now but still has a sniffle. :/

Wednesday 4th February 2004
Harvey has been ok since last night so the bead must have gone straight through him, thank goodness! He gave me quite a scare!

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
Yesterday I dropped a tiny decorative bead on the floor and searched the carpet for it for ages and I just could not find it but I had Harvey out for a run tonight and guess what? He found it and started to eat it!!! I tried my best to hook it out of his mouth with my little finger but just as I'd got a grip on it he bit down on my finger with his molars!!! OUCH!!!!!!! I withdrew my very sore bleeding finger and he then swallowed the bead! It was an incredibly tiny bead so I'm hoping it will go through him without difficulty.

Friday 30th January 2004
We fetched Sherry home today!!! :D I'm so happy as I've missed her sooooo much!!! She's 100% well now! YAY!!!

Thursday 29th January 2004
Thanks to the snow we had yesterday we were unable to fetch Sherry home today. :( But (fingers crossed!) she'll be coming home tomorrow!

Monday 26th January 2004
Got some news about how Sherry's doing today! Her urinary infection has cleared up and she'll be able to have her stitches out soon! Also she is eating normally and can walk again now! :D:D:D:D:D We are going to fetch her home on Thursday! YAY!!! I can't wait to see her again. I've missed her heaps!!!

Tuesday 20th January 2004
All has been well in the caviary today. Had some news regarding Sherry from the rodentologist. She has had the lump sorted and has had to have a couple of stitches. She also has a urinary infection and is going to have a course of antibiotics.

Monday 19th January 2004
We took Sherry to see the rodentologist this afternoon and she's keeping her in for a few days. She thinks that her lump is a sebaceous cyst and she's going to drain it tonight! She also thinks that the problem with her leg is likely to be arthritis. She'll be giving her urine tests too to make sure her kidneys are ok.

Sunday 18th January 2004
I'm still syringe feeding Sherry to help keep her topped up with food. She seems to be almost back to normal apart from her one bad leg. We're finally getting to see our rodentologist tomorrow afternoon so we can see what exactly has been wrong with Sherry.

Saturday 17th January 2004
Sherry has regained the use of her right hind leg! :) She's not eating as much as normal so I'm syringe feeding her.

Friday 16th January 2004
Appointment to see our rodentologist has had to be cancelled as she has had an accident. She's ok luckily but now we have to wait a few more days before she can see Sherry. But there's some good news! Her runny nose has cleared up!

Thursday 15th January 2004
Sherry has gotten worse today. She still has a runny nose and is very reluctant to move. I've noticed that she has completely lost the use of both her hind legs. :(

Wednesday 14th January 2004
Sherry hasn't improved today so we've got an appointment to see our rodentologist on Friday morning. I'm still giving her calpol for the pain.

Tuesday 13th January 2004
All has been well in the caviary over Christmas and the New Year..........until today. I've noticed that Sherry is very reluctant to move and her left hind leg seems to be causing her some pain. I've given her a dose of calpol to see if it helps. She's also got a runny nose and a bit of a sniffle. If she doesn't improve soon I'll take her to see my rodentologist.

Sunday 7th December 2003
Everything has been hunky dorey lately. :) Sherry had a slight respiration problem but a dose of Sudafed soon sorted it out.

Sunday 16th November 2003
All has been well in the caviary the past couple of weeks so I haven't felt the need to update the diary.

Monday 3rd November 2003
Harvey has completely recovered from whatever was wrong with his leg. :D I guess his leg could have just gone to sleep. Everyone else in the caviary is fine and dandy.

Sunday 26th October 2003
I was very worried when I went in to see the piggies first thing this morning as Harvey was reluctant to move and when I finally persuaded him to budge I noticed that he was very wobbly on his left fore limb and it kept giving way. I think he may have sprained it as he managed to jump out of my arms Friday night as I was putting him back in his cage. He seems much better now though and is almost 100% steady on his feet again. I'll keep an eye on him and see how he is in the morning. If he's not 100% I'll have to take him to see our rodentologist or the vet.

Thursday 23rd October 2003
Harvey has been a bit fluffed up for the past couple of days but I can't see anything wrong with him and he's only like it when I can't give him attention, so maybe he's doing it out of boredom!

Monday 20th October 2003
I've had a bit of a bad week as I got a sore throat and thought I was coming down with another cold but luckily it went away and didn't develop into anything so I don't have to keep away from the piggies!!! :) All has been well in the caviary thank goodness!!!

Monday 13th October 2003
Jasper seems to be pretty much back to normal now! :D His nose has dried up and he's back to his old lovable self. The rest of the clan are well. :)

Thursday 9th October 2003
Jasper has not been too bad today. He still has a slight runny nose but I took his temperature and it's normal. He made me laugh after I'd cleaned out his cage. :) I'd nipped downstairs to wash his water bottle and when I came back he stood up at the bars with a huge pile of hay on his head and it looked just like he was wearing a wig! LOL!!!

Wednesday 8th October 2003
Jasper's still not his usual self today. He did pick up yesterday afternoon and he has been eating. I noticed that his eyes were a bit watery so I flushed them out with a little Optrex and he seems ok now. He's still a bit quieter than normal so I'll keep an eye on him. Everyone else is ok. :)

Tuesday 7th October 2003
I was awoken this morning to the sound of a chirping guinea pig. I found out that it was Jasper who was making the racket and he sounded just like a bird! I'm a bit concerned about him as he's not been his usual insane self since then and isn't eating as much as normal. Even though I'm full of cold I'll have to keep an eye on him and see how he goes.

Monday 6th October 2003
Drat! I'm having to keep away from the piggies as I've caught another cold!

Thursday 2nd October 2003
Harvey gave me lots of kisses today! :) Georgia has been squeaking a lot again and I still don't know what it is Purdy does to her to make her squeak!

Monday 29th September 2003
All has been well in the caviary. :) I had Harvey out for a run (as I do every night) and he sat on my lap, curled up and settled down to sleep! Awwwwwwwww! ;)

Tuesday 23rd September 2003
Been a bad few days as I found out that an online friend had passed away. :( Everyone in the caivary is doing fine. Had to give Sherry another bath as I don't want her botty to attract flies. She'd been sitting in her poops this time!

Friday 12th September 2003
I'm still treating Harvey for diarrhoea but apart from being a bit on the loose side he's ok. I had to give Sherry a bath today as she sometimes gets poop stuck to the hair round her rear end and I don't want it to attract flies so I used an insect repellent small animal shampoo.

Thursday 11th September 2003
Harvey has had the trots again today so he's still being medicated.

Wednesday 10th September 2003
Today in the caviary Harvey has had diarrhoea. I've given him some medication for it and will just have to keep an eye on him and see how he goes. Poor lad.

Tuesday 9th September 2003
Today is the 6th anniversary of the day I gave Sherry a home. My sweet little old lady!

Monday 8th September 2003
Had a lovely time with the piggies last night. Harvey settled down beside me again and gave my face lots and lots of licks! He also tried to eat my hair! Jasper was in an extremely jolly mood as he was popcorning and running around and around his apartment!

Thursday 4th September 2003
All has been quiet in the caviary for the past few days. Well apart from Georgia's squeaking! LOL!!!

Tuesday 2nd September 2003
I got Harvey out for a run last night to help exercise his tum as he's still a bit bloated and he had a great time running around chortling! I decided to have a bit of a lie down on the floor while he was still out and he came up to my face and licked me! Then he snuggled up to me and settled down for a kip. He is such a sweetie!!!

Sunday 31st August 2003
Harvey has had a bad tum for most of the weekend. I've been treating it so I've just got to see how he goes. Everyone else has been fine.

Friday 29th August 2003
Harvey had a bit of a bloated tum today so I gave him a rennie and some colic drops and gave him a bit of a massage too. He seems a bit better now but I'll have to keep an eye on him.

Thursday 28th August 2003
Today in the caviary everyone got their claws cut!!! I always get mum to help me coz it's too tricky a job for one person. I hold them still while mum does the clipping! But Jasper bit mum today!! He's a naughty boy!!!

Wednesday 27th August 2003
All has been well in the caviary today except for Purdy making Georgia squeak again! I'm coming to the conclusion that maybe Georgia is just a squeaky piggy!!! The past couple of days I've been getting lots of "kisses" from all my piggies!!! :D

Monday 25th August 2003
All has been well in the caviary over the weekend. I'm really pleased that Sherry is eating a bit more and is a lot less lethargic than she was during the really hot weather.

Friday 22nd August 2003
I can spend time with my piggies again now!!! Woohoo!!! Sherry was croaky again last night but a garlic pill sorted her out.

Wednesday 20th August 2003
I'm still only popping into the caviary to feed the piggies and check on them coz of my rotten cold. They all seem to be ok. Whenever I have to keep away from them I feel so terribly guilty like I'm ignoring them...............but if a piggy catches a cold it can be fatal so I don't have a choice but to leave them all alone. I think I should be past the contagious stage in a day or two so that will be nice!

Monday 18th August 2003
I've had to stay away from the piggies today as I've caught ANOTHER damn cold!!!

Sunday 17th August 2003
Well, no prizes for guessing that Purdy has been making Georgia squeak again. Jasper completely trashed his cage yesterday, there was hay everywhere, in his food bowl, on his stone and where was Jas himself??? Hiding underneath a big pile of hay, that's where!!! Sherry is still pretty active which is great!!! And Harvey has been his usual stunningly attractive self. I got around to framing a pastel portrait I did last year of him on Friday. I just hope it doesn't go to his cute little head now he's a work of art, LOL!!!

Friday 15th August 2003
Well, Purdy has been annoying Georgia again! It's really frustrating because every time I walk in the room she stops!!! So, I haven't a clue what she's doing to her. She sits there like "what is it mum? I'm being a good girl I am, honest!". Maybe Georgia is just a squeaky piggy, who knows. Good news regarding Sherry!!! She's been more active the past couple of days. Yay!!! Let's hope that it was just the heat making her lethargic.

Wednesday 13th August 2003
Today was another warm day in the caviary. All residents spent the day relaxing, eating, drinking etc.

Monday 11th August 2003
Today is the 10th anniversary of the passing away of our old westie Robbie. God bless him. The weekend has been ok in the caviary. Sherry seems to be eating a little more now!! Yay!!! Everyone else is hunky dorey.

Thursday 7th August 2003
Another blindingly hot day in the caviary. All residents have been taking it easy again. I'm a bit concerned about Sherry as she seems to be losing a bit of weight so I may have to put her on syringe feeds so that she gets some extra food inside her. Everyone else is fine and dandy.

Wednesday 6th August 2003
Well, today was extremely warm wasn't it??? Everyone in the caivary has just spent the day relaxing and keeping cool.

Tuesday 5th August 2003
All was extremely quiet in the caviary yesterday save for Georgia's squeaking and Harvey's bar chewing! Sherry is still lethargic but then again the weather is still very hot. Jasper has pulled up the lining of his cage and left it strewn about. Naughty little boy!!!

Sunday 3rd August 2003
The past few days have been pretty quiet in the caviary. I've started Sherry on a course of garlic pills as she's been having a bit of respiratory trouble and has been rather croaky. I'm going to keep an eye on her as I've also noticed that she seems a bit lethargic. I'm hoping it's just down to a combination of the hot weather and her age.

Wednesday 30th July 2003
Today in the caviary....................Purdy and Sherry got hair cuts!!! I am their hairdresser and I think I did a pretty good job of them if I do say so myself!!! Purdy struggled like mad and would not sit still while Sherry was as good as gold, bless her.

Monday 28th July 2003
Today was quiet yet again in the caviary. As soon as I'm well I'll have to clean Jasper's grease gland. It's something I have to do regularly to the boys. I did Harvey a couple of weeks ago.

Sunday 27th July 2003
Although I only went in the caviary today to feed my babies (damn cold), I know that Purdy has been annoying Georgia AGAIN from her constant squeaks of "leave me alone". I really don't know what to do with that little madam!!!

Saturday 26th July 2003
Not much has been going on in the caviary in the past 24 hours. Purdy has been annoying Georgia AGAIN!! She's a naughty little girl!! Not sure what's been cracking off in there today as I'm having to restrict my visits coz I'm not feeling well and don't want to run the risk of the piggies catching my cold, it can be life-threatening for a cavy. I do hate having to stay away from them.

Thursday 24th July 2003
All was peace and calmness in the caivary today. Just five piggies chillin' and snoozin'. Harvey has developed a liking for salt and vinegar crisps although I should say the smell of them as I would never let him eat crisps!!! No matter how much he may try to grab hold of one!!!

Wednesday 23rd July 2003
Today was rather uneventful in the caviary. Purdy was up to her usual habit of annoying Georgia and they've been busy wrecking their home....typical!!! Harvey seems to be over his little bout of diarrhoea (thank goodness) which I had to treat. Jasper has been rather lazy all day and Sherry has been sitting in her igloo (she is an old girl now, just turned 6, so I let her take it easy these days).