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Mr. Wiggles - GPF's Mascot (July 24, 2004)Mr.Wiggles was one of our first rescued guinea pigs. We found him, along with a few other unfortunates, at the Montreal SPCA. We took him home, cleaned him up, and got him ready for adoption.
It didn't take long though for us to notice his sparkling personality and charming good looks!! We had been talking about doing some pet therapy with senior citizens and Mr.Wiggles seemed the perfect man for the job. We decided not to put him up for adoption after all and he became our P.R. pig.
Wiggles also spent time traveling to elementary schools with Jodie, as she spoke to kids about rescuing guinea pigs and the responsibility of owning pets. Making appearances at community events was also part of Mr.Wiggles job description. Also, Mr.Wiggles has always been a big hit with the children who visit Jodie's Jiggley Piggley Farm!
During this time Wiggles began to share a cage with our oldest and dearest guinea pig, Jinkies. They really bonded nicely. As Jinkies eyesight began to fail her, she always stayed near Wiggles; I think he kept her sort of grounded and safe feeling. It was during this time that we decided to retire him from traveling and he became Jinkies full-time companion. Jinkies health finally failed her and she passed away Dec.30, 2003.
Being the trooper that he is, Wiggles was soon scouting out the girls for a new companion. It wasn't long before he was sharing the "super cage" with three of our hard to-adopt girls. Seems all the girl guinea pigs like Wiggles as much as humans do! Most of those girls have moved on now, all except for Bridgette, who has stayed with him since Jinkies death.
At one point we noticed a lump on Wiggles side. At first it was small, but if grew alarmingly fast! It was the size of a Kiwi! At the same time we had a person interested in him for their older female guinea pig. We decided to let him go at that time, but first we would have the lump surgically removed. Well, we darn near killed poor Mr.Wiggles! Once it was off, the wound was quite HUGE, but it healed up nicely. Mr.Wiggles, on the other hand, did not bounce back well at all. We fed him Critical Care with a syringe for a week and a half.
All he did was sleep all the time. I had to rouse him with my hand to wake him at feeding time. He did finally bounce back though, and is quite well now, gaining back lost weight. Poor little guy ... I should of just left it there, but it was still growing quickly! The lump [cystic tumor] was analyzed at a lab and it turned out to be benign.
Since we came so close to losing Mr.Wiggles and we all spent so much time trying to bring him back from the brink, we began to have doubts about our plan of letting him leave. Then Wigs got an offer to come out of retirement and become a “mascot" for Guinea Pig Fun. Working from home with Bridgette by his side ... well, that was on offer he couldn't refuse! Wiggles will live out his life here with us, as a mascot, and most importantly, as a companion to some of our special-needs girls. We're glad to have him here at Jodie's Jiggley Piggley Farm!
UPDATEBridgette, whose age is unknown, has a large abdominal mass that is likely involving her ovaries. We don't know how long Brigette's health will hold out, and surgery is not an option for her, but she's feeling quite well at this time. As long as she can enjoy her food,and her cagemate Mr. Wiggles, we intend to spoil her rotten! She is a very sweet little soul.
UPDATE: 10-16-04
We had Bridgette put to sleep this morning. She had grown weak, and this morning somehow turtled (turned over) onto her back and couldn't right herself ... she didn't even really try much, so our vet came over and put her down for us. It was sad, and Jodie was quite upset.
I will update you on who will become his new cagemate in the next few days. I think it will be Patty and Glow Worm, providing they all agree! GlowWorm is a satin Abyssinian. She's one of those precocious, fearless piggies and she's just gorgeous. I couldn't resist her, so we didn't put her up for adoption. A month or so later Patty, a satin Rex, arrived. Although a little shy, she is absolutely adorable too, and when Jodie was very taken by her she stated, "if you can keep Glowy, I can keep Patty." Well, what could I say to that??? I guess we've each earned a keeper at this point! So if they both are agreeable to Mr.Wiggles moving in with them, they would all look very cute together. Plus, it would be one less cage to clean, and that's a BIG selling point for
me :)
UPDATE: 9-5-05: Mr. Wiggles died in is sleep this morning and will be missed by all, particularly his latest companions Zip (his favorite), Squeak, and Annie.
Jodie's Jiggley Piggley Farm
Halfway House for Unappreciated Guinea Pigs
Beaconsfield, Que
www.geocities.com/jiggley_piggley
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