Critter Terms (Vol. 1)

Critter-Lovers can be...well, odd to the general public.

What is a cavy?? What about a binky?

Here is a short guide to help you out.

cavy - a 'scientific' term for those little squeaking creatures that look like a furry brick, a.k.a guinea pigs, wheekers, piggies, and other less professional but still-cute terms.

binky - When a rabbit wildly jumps in the air, twisting its body as it lands and ending up in a new direction than which they started. A bunny that binkies is a happy bunny indeed.

rattie - A cute term that we rodent owners call our pet rats. Far better than 'rodent.'

lagomorph - A VERY scientific term that classifies rabbits and pikas. NOTE: Rabbits are noooot rodents. Nuh-uh. NOOOOPE.

bunny 500 - When a rabbit runs crazily about the house, going in circles and zipping past your feet at break-neck speed. It isn't quite like a binky, but it still is a sign of immense happiness.

eyelights - I just made this up, but it is a great term for those cute eyes our pets make at us. Here's a visual example -

bunnimom/bunnidad - A rabbit 'parent', or as our bunnies like to put it, slave.

bun - A shortened term for bunny. Far more civilized. It can also describe this -

dook - The sound a ferret will make. This onomatopoeia-ish word is a sign we truly endear ourselves to our wittle weasels by making an official word for a sound they make. Just a thought.

wheek/wheep - Yet another onomatopoeia-ish word, but this time, it's a sound guinea pigs make. They are very well known for this sound, and I hear it a million times a day.

My LIFE:

glider - A shortened term for 'sugar glider', which are little exotics that many of us keep as endearing pets.

piggy - A cute term for 'guinea pig'.

pig - Another name for 'guinea pig.'

chub - The rolls of fat on small pet's bodies. Fun to pinch. Especially on those Shar-Pei dogs or my hamster Mickey. 

adurable - 'adorable' and 'durable' mashed together into one word. It describes animal that is small but acts fiesty and tough. An Example of this -

Our chicken Primrose is adurable.

wittle weasel - A term of endearment to our furry ferrety friends.

bruxing - A sound a happy rat makes. A bruxing rat makes a deep throaty sound, grinding its teeth and bulging its eyes out a bit. It's actually a very sweet expression.

bed-binkying - Where a bunny binkies on a bouncy bed. There are oodles of YouTube videos on this - Look it up.....You will be amazed at such cuteness.

chubular - See chub. Basically, it's descriptive term to describe a chubby pet.

hammie - Cute-speak for 'hamster.'

wheeker - What some of us call our wheeking guinea pigs.

boar butt - A less than eloquent term to describe the buildup in a male guinea pig's anal gland. Whether you like it or not, ya hafta clean that gland out, piggy owners!!

boar - A male guinea pig.

sow - A female guinea pig.

popcorning - The guinea pig version of binkying. While pigs 'popcorn', they make a popping noise, also called 'chuttering' or muttering.

kangaroo rats - Another word for 'gerbil.'

What Do I Call My Pets?

Yesterday, I recieved this question: 

"Do you have nicknames for your pets? If so, what are they?

Also, do you have pet middle names??"

I thought this was a very interesting question. Prepare yerselves, folks. Here is my very extensive list of my pet nicknames. After I do those, then we have middle names.

Ignatius Sir Pig ~

Iggy

Igs

Igster

IgPig

Sir

Sire

Red(I don't really know why)

Blue Eyes

Maple Syrup

Maple

Mapie

Mickey ~

Mickster

Mickey Hamster

M-I-C-K-E-Y

Key

Mick

Blackie

Chubster

ChubChub

Daisy ~

Daze

Dazed

Day

DayDay

Pepper(Not sure why I call her this, either.)

Cadence(Her middle name)

Petal

Daisy Petal

My Inspiration

TheBinkMaster

Minnie ~

Min

Mineral

MinMin

Loving Girl

Sweetheart

Minnie Moo

Moo

Rose

Girly Girl

Lily ~

Midnight

Darth Bunner

The Dark One

Silent But Deadly (Emerson actually made that one up for Lily. It's not thaaat funny.)

The Midnight Hour

She Strikes At MIdnight

Vampire Bunny

Bunnicula

Red Eyes

O Evil One

Tiger Lily

Next up, Middle Names.

Daisy's full name is 

~ Daisy Cadence Anastasia ~

Minnie's is

~ Minnie Petal Rose ~

Ignatius's is  

~ Ignatius Sir Pig ~

Mickey's is 

~ Mickey Khomyaka McHammie ~

Lily's is

~ Lilliana Midnight Star ~

 

Fun Rattie Activity - Pea Fishing (Reader Tips)

Peas + Rats = FUN!

To give ages of fun to your rat buddies, prepare a shallow bowl of water and drop a handful of peas into it. INSTANT Rat Boredom-Buster!

This tip was provided by Kelsey(and her whole 'zoo' of pets, including several hairless rats!) Thanks for submitting!

Zzz....Zzzz...Wheek...Zzz....Wheek....

When you think about it, guinea pigs are pretty odd critters. 

At birth, they are fully-furred with wide-open eyes and can eat solid foods. Cavies wheek and squeal like pigs.

Guinea pigs have portly little bodies with floppy ears and no tail. They were previously classified as a rodent, but scientists are considering changing this because it was discovered they have no family ties with them.

Piggies also have fairly strange sleeping habits. They learn to sleep when we do, taking a few afternoon naps to catch some extra Z's. 

They typically like sleeping houses but Ignatius chooses to doze out in the open where he has no fear of being 'caught'. A comfortable little guy, isn't he?

While their sleeping habits are somewhat simple, if you delve deeper into these wheeking creatures's minds, you will find that they do in fact dream.

That's right!!

Dream.

Studies have shown that guinea pig's minds are intelligent enough for them to dream. 

This also means piggies can remember hundreds of images, linking them to other senses like smell.

They can recognize faces of people and other animals as well. 

So, what do they dream about? 

Guinea pigs usually dream simpler than we humans do. Mostly, the dreams are bits of the day playing back to them, just like video clips. If there is a new piggie that has been introduced, or a brand new toy or cage, your pig is very likely to dream of these things. 

The next time your piggie is snoozing away, leave him be! His incredible mind is at work - and that is nothing to mess around with.

Why I'm Getting A C&C Cage For Ignatius

Here we are again. It's been a week since I've last 'seen' you, and I already miss this blog! (oh, and....Hellllooo, Free WiFi! I thank you for your presence!!)

(Also, my BlueTooth keyboard is working again, so my posts'll be more fluent and longer. :3)

As you may know, I am getting little Iggy Pig a brand new C&C cage. The 'model', if that's how you put it, is from GuineaPigCagesStore.com, and it's a 3.5 x 2 sized cage. On this site there's no such thing as a 'small' cage. The 'smallest one' is a 2 x 3. The one I'm purchasing is a Medium sized one, and it'll fit perfect in my space and give Iggy the home he needs. 

Why exactly am I buying this?

Well, for many reasons. The main factor is that the new cage will be very big - just right for my growing little guy!

A few other reasons - 

~ Ease of Access

~ Less Smell

~ Easier to Clean

~ More Room For Items

~ Less Stress and Health Issues

The list goes on and on!

I highly recommend these cages - I think I've fell in love with the one I'm getting already.

I can't wait 'till I buy it! Can you? As soon as it arrives, pictures will be on their way!