Thursday, May 29, 2008

Guinea Pig Therapy

I am certain a new therapy should be developed for adults and children alike. It should be called, "guinea pig therapy". I wish I would have known years ago how amazingly relaxing holding a guinea pig can be. Susie and I spent a great deal of time discussing our guinea pigs today. We sound obsessed. Describing the unique little behaviors, that empty yet loving stare, the soft purr as you cuddle. The secret joy of watching Susie's husband Tim profess that cavies are disgusting rodents and yet he is slowly warming up to the little critters. Tim has been trained to bring big Louie fresh veggies when Louie makes special cooing sounds. Too cute! Yup, we are in love...with our kids' guinea pigs. It is so bad in fact that when I am in a pet store and see an adorable guinea pig I feel over come with the urge to bring him or her home.Today I took Chloe and Maizie to the pet store to buy some Timothy Hay. We saw a baby white guinea pig with the messiest fur and the brightest blue eyes. Love at first sight! Don't worry I resisted.Over the weekend we were at Brian and Janeen's house and I brought over Salem for Nevaeh to see. It became obvious that Nevaeh has an intense love for animals. She made it clear I did not need to help her hold Salem. After a long while I had to convince her that Salem needed to go home and get to bed. To see a two year old sit still for a long period of time, gently petting, kissing and talking to a guinea pig is an amazing sight. Such concentration! And yet, it does not surprise me since guinea pigs have the same affect on Maizie when she is feeling easily upset or unable to rest. Place Salem and Zebra on her lap and watch her immediately feel a sense of peace.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, we all know that The Guinea Pig Way is the best.

I love guinea pigs. So good to see Maisie playing with them...

Casdok said...

Sounds like a great idea for a business!! :)

Bonnie said...

Ah, one must get their therapy where they can! I think they are such cute little animals, but unfortunately, I fear if we got one, our cats would think it less cute and more delicious! Enjoy your little creatures. I had a teddy bear hamster at one time (pre-cat) and couldn't believe how much I could care for something so small.

little.birdy said...

Animals are amazing in that way. I did my observation hours with a woman who kept a poodle in the room with her during therapy. His name is Jasper and people give him treats as rewards when they do well. I thought it was a fantastic idea and I want to try it someday. It would be lovely to have a small, cuddlable animal, but some people may be allergic to guinea pigs. :/

Bobbi said...

Awww, that is great. Now I want one. I think they would be great therapy. I just love love love holding Molly's hamster. Dang, i wish he purred!

Travis Erwin said...

I'm deathly allergic to guinea pigs, which I found out the hard way.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I am convinced that Tim secretly loves "the rat"! They really are great pets...very underrated. I got curious and read about breeding them, and found out that it isn't a good idea at all unless you really know what you are doing...20% of the mothers die during labor. Guess we better just stick to spoiling them.
Have fun this weekend~

Susie

Anonymous said...

I have to agree that the little purr/warble that they do is just awfully cute! :) J's still enamored with the name 'Zebra' for a guinea pig :D