The Ruby Sue Review

[ItsaZoo]

Ruby Sue has been here 24 hours and she’s got a social media presence. She’s not an influencer yet, but who knows. Here is a link to first pictures:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C61nlDfufu ... 1jZDR1Znpt

She’s scheduled for a wellness exam next Saturday when Charlie goes in for annual vaccinations. Lucky Millie will be relaxing at home, missing out on the growls and wheeks.

[Lynx]

Thanks for the pics! She has such an interesting coat pattern. What a cutie!

Looking forward to more Ruby Sue!

[Renonvsparky]

She's beautiful. Glad she has a great home to be in.

[ItsaZoo]

Vet visit went well today. Ruby Sue was a favorite. The vet just cuddled her up. She seems healthy all around. I mentioned she has callouses on her front feet and I’m putting salve on them. The vet said that can come from poor quality bedding or lack of vitamin C. She’s getting a supplement so we’ll see if that helps.

It seems everyone there is a fan of the National Lampoon Christmas movie and had a good laugh about Ruby Sue being named after Cousin Eddie and Catherine’s little messy girl.

Charlie fought as bravely as he could while wearing a muzzle, but he got all his shots and a blood test. His thyroid reading was low so he started a new med. He’s whiped out tonight. It was a stressful day for him.

[Lynx]

Glad to hear Ruby Sue looks healthy! Is she getting along with Millie okay?

Hugs to Charlie. Hope he is recovered today.

[ItsaZoo]

Charlie is still tired today. I gave him some pain meds and hope he feels better tomorrow..

I haven’t put the guinea pigs together yet. It’s only been a week and I want to make sure everyone is healthy.

I ordered new grids and want to expand the cage. Right now I have a 2x3 grid cage which is the minimum size for 2. I would like a 2x4 size which means I need to build a new floor as well. The floor is wood wainscotting framed with 1x2 edge and the cage sits inside the frame.

And I’ll have to replace a display shelf that’s next to it with something more narrow to make room.

So I have a lot of work to do. In the meantime, I’m using a pop-up play pen for Ruby Sue to get exercise when I’m around, which is several hours morning and evening. Otherwise she’s in a smaller cage. Not ideal but better than living in a park under a shrub, or in a small cage at the humane society.

[Lynx]

Ruby Sue is one lucky girl! I have the feeling the two girls will get along fine once you have completed the setup.

I hope Charlie feels better today too.

[ItsaZoo]

I hope they get along. I plan to do a thorough cage clean and divide the cage so they are side by side for a while. Millie is fussy and nippy and doesn’t want to be bothered. Ruby Sue is laid back and curious about everything. Millie likes timothy hay, Ruby Sue likes orchard grass. It should be interesting.

Charlie is still taking lots of naps.

[ItsaZoo]

Finally got the new cage and the floor completed. It’s a 2x4 grid cage with a wood floor framed with 2x2s. The whole floor is covered with a layer of vinyl and a waterproof mattress pad. Then I have fleece on top.

The cage is divided with grids right now so Millie and Ruby Sue can get used to each other. There’s been teeth chattering and rumbling. Ruby Sue wants to get in with Millie. Millie warns her, then lays down right at the divide and rumbles. When I do put them together, I might have to fence off the hallway so they’re in neutral territory with plenty of space. Otherwise they may defend their space.

[Lynx]

Exciting times! I hope the end result is friendship/love.

p.s. what fleece would you use (with an absorptive layer underneath) that is the best at staying dry and not irritating feet?

[ItsaZoo]

I like the anti-pill plush fleece from Joann’s. It’s thicker than blizzard and has a softer, smoother finish. The hair and hay doesn’t stick as much.

I made large cage pads with plain cotton on the bottom and a recycled mattress pad inside. Each one is a little bigger than a 1x2 grid section so I can switch out the wet ones and overlap the edges. They’re like a mini-quilt and the fleece feels dry even when the cotton feels damp. I’ve also used beach towels inside but they take longer to dry when I wash them.

The minky fleece is really nice but I hate sewing with it. Fuzz everywhere!

[ItsaZoo]

Ruby Sue and Millie had their first floor time together without a barrier between them. I think it went okay, but Ruby Sue just kept pestering Millie and Millie was so scared. She was panting and had big eyes, and kept coming by me hoping I would help her. I left things go for about 1 1/2 hours.

I didn’t trust them to be together unsupervised overnight so I put the grid partition back in their cage. So they’re sniffing each other, eating and relaxing.

I’ll try floor time again tomorrow night for a few hours and see how it goes.