Telltale Signs

There are a variety of telltale signs when a guinea pig is in residence.  Granted, there's no hiding a cage or the loud wheeking.  But so many things you don't ever think about shout:  Guinea pigs live here!




Hay.  It's everywhere.  On the floor.  In every. single. room of the house.  On my clothes.  I've even found it in my suitcase once.  How did it get there?!?



Poo.  It's nearly as bad as hay.  I've heard some crazy stories from others where they've found poo.  In this household, it mostly contains itself to the living room, occasionally wandering as far as the kitchen.

Poo doesn't happen quite as often as I find these post-it notes on the floor - occasionally Wedgwood gets blamed for sunflower seeds or a stray coffee bean (and sometimes gets a counter note stating: Not a poo.)




Grids.  Those of us that make C&C cages always seem to have stacks of grids zip-tied together in some corner of the house.  They're so darn useful.  Transportable cages.  Indoor or outdoor pens.  Temporary dividers for bickering guinea pigs.






Pig-proofed areas.  You might not see this in a household that doesn't do floor time.  But Wedgwood has time she roams at will and I need to discourage her from hanging out in certain locales.

(Grids, zip-ties and binder clips - don't leave home without them!)






Cozies (or fleece or towels).  I swear these things multiply when you're not looking.  Not that I'm complaining.  They're darned useful.

 





Hamper(s) of pig laundry.  This may not be so obvious as the others.  It may be hiding in some closet.  But I guarantee the pigs have their own hamper full of fleece and towels (or cozies) somewhere in the house.





Chewed cords.  Not found in all piggy households.  However, if you find chewed cords, there's some kind of unsupervised rodent hanging out on the floor.  (Hopefully a domesticated one!)  Ah, the surprises of unsupervised floor time (see Poo above).


Dedicated greens drawer.  Any guinea pig household has at least one section of the refrigerator all to the pigs.  Granted, now that I eat more salad, it's harder to see where my food ends and Wedgwood's begins.

Guinea pig paraphernalia.  People know you're into guinea pigs and find cute things.  Or you stumble across some adorable mug you need to have.  Or you're crafty and create the artwork yourself.  Cards, magnets, calendars, jewelry, whatever - betcha you have guinea pig stuff (probably depicting a pig you've never had) somewhere in the house. 

Bagged.  And your pigs haven't even started wheeking yet.