BEAR HIDING FROM SNIP-SNIP: If I can't see you, then you can't see me!

YUM-YUM IS SAD TONIGHT

Just look at that face! Well, it's all because today mom had to take Bear up to our vet in Lynden for the big "snip-snip. He had developed certain man-problems which can afflict un-neutered older male boars.

Problem is, Yum-Yum misses him so much he has cried, squealed, and wheaked until his voice reached epic proportion which caused mom to put him in Bear's cage to calm him down because she has a migraine tonight. And give him carrots. Yummy gets upset enough when mom picks one of us up for lap-time, but he's never had an overnight away from Bear and she has a new set of ear-plugs so she can sleep. He is now just lying sadly in his little square soft-house, bereft of joy.

But mom made one magnificent discovery whilst cleaning Wee Willie Winkie's cage tonight. She bought him a wooden toy to chew on (that's how we keep our teeth from growing and growing and growing.)  The chew toy was easy enough for a learning-impaired Teletubby to construct in 5 minutes; it took mom all night to put square things in round holes.

Cleaning Yummy's "secret garden" she discovered he had carefully dismantled hours of work in a matter of minutes, dragged half of his chew toy into his special place, then gnawed on it until it was unrecognizable. He casually left the other half lying dismally face-down against his food bowl.

But tonight Yum-Yum is not chewing on his new toy. He misses Bear and it really shows how sensitive we guinea pigs are to separation and loss.

We grieve.

Our hearts are tender, like yours.