Pigtastic Project No. 1: Tepee, Attempt #1

Last week, I made a sorry excuse for a tepee. Well, it wasn't that bad, but it could look much better. The boys liked it alright, but aesthetically speaking it's an eyesore, and I'm reluctant to add it to the new cage.

I've decided to share the steps I took to make one, as well as the mistakes I made in making the pig tepee.

You'll Need:
Three wooden dowels, twine (or thick wire), scissors, measuring tape, chalk, fabric (not shown), needle and thread (not shown).







Step One: Fasten two of the dowels together with twine to form two sides of a triangle.









Step Two: Fasten the third dowel to form a tripod.











Step Three: This is where I made the mistake, so read on.

Measure out and cut the fabric. When you cut the hole DO NOT cut it the way I have (shown here). Leave a border and cut a hole an inch or two away from it. In other words, there should be a hold in the middle of Spidey's head, not a "bite mark."





Step Four: Drape the fabric around the tripod. If you cut the fabric properly, there will be no need to sew the top the way I did. You live and you learn.









Step Five: Let your dear little furbabies enjoy!








Of course, there are better methods of creating a tepee... simpler ways... like towels and clothes pins. I could just smack myself. Anyway, be sure to visit this link to view photos of cavy tepees.
And if I ever decide to do mine the right way, I'll be sure to post it.

Completed Cage

Finally! The cage is done, and the boys are making themselves at home. It was great to see them so curious and excited about their new home. For the time being, we've decided to keep them in the living room until we move the Bear's computer desk to the future game room.

I admit, I'll miss greeting them first thing in the morning (they were in the loft, a few feet away from our bedroom door), but they'll get to see us most evenings, and they'll see me practically all day during my days off, like today. That reminds me, today is weigh-in day.

The Bear picked up an adorable sofa chair for the boys. While he wasn't sure they would care for it, I was positive at least one of them would take to it. Leave it to Mr. Curious to take a sniff at it. Bobby seems to be the one to like it. Phin prefers his pigloo.

To see some more photos of the cage, click here.

My next order of business is to start sewing up cavy cozies. I haven't sewn by hand in a very long time (aside from mending the occasional hole in a shirt, or loose button). Not too long ago, I picked up some fabrics: Spider-Man (which I used at my first attempt at a pig teepee), USA, baseball, and white fleece. I still have a great deal of Spider-Man fabric left, so I might make an extra cozy, or try making a better teepee.
I couldn't believe how hard it was to find a fabric that wasn't incredibly feminine, and while I was tempted to pick up some animal print fabric, I decided that sticking with the bachelor pad theme was best.

I'll be sure to post the end product of that venture, as well as my first (and second) attempt at a teepee.

Motivational Pigtures: Courage

Under Construction

The construction of the piggy condo has begun. Pictured to the right is the first level, along with the storage level beneath it. So far, so good.

I called the vet today, and so far the culture taken from Phin is negative. They had a marvelous time during floor time today, playing with their new toys -- a double tunnel, a crinkly tunnel, and a pigloo we picked up yesterday (we also picked up some organic wheatgrass and a hanging basket for veggies/treats). Speaking of which, yesterday marks a full week since the boys have been with us.

They had a ball but Phin was pooped after a bit. Such is the life of Uncle Phin -- playing hide and go seek with little Bobby, then tag, and then pig racing all over the play pen. The Bear and I had a few good laughs over the boys. I took so many photos I'm going to have to upload them to Flickr.

I will have photos of the new condo once we've finished building it. For now, enjoy a couple of pigtures.



Bobby enjoys his new crinkly tunnel.











His royal highness Phineas Q. Butterfat is the king of his own little castle -- a pigloo modified for his large frame.









"OH HAI. I HAS YOOSURPT UR CASSUL."

Motivational Pigtures:

Photo Of The Wheek: 06/03/07

Taken 06/03/07. After dealing with Bobby's popcorning insanity, Uncle Phin gives up and plops down while Mom and Dad begin setting up the skeleton of their soon-to-be cavy condo.

First Vet Visit

I took the boys to the vet on Thursday for an exam and got more than I bargained for. I ended up paying twice what I though I'd pay which, of course, means something was wrong.

The reason I was in a rush to get the to the vet in the first place was the fact I noticed Phin constantly scratching and barbering himself. The vet gave him and Bobby a shot of Ivomec (despite their protests) and poor Phin had to have hairs plucked for a ringworm culture. Now I'm sure Phin doesn't have ringworm, or else the foster family that cared for him would have had it, too. But it's better to be safe than sorry, and ruling it out is worth it.

Aside from that, it was just business as usual -- some poking, prodding, blinding, and general humiliation to make sure they're all clear. I didn't receive a phone call about the stool sample, which is great news. They were just glad the nightmare was finally over after everything.

That same day, the C&C cage arrived for the boys but the vet and I decided it would be best to keep in the temporary cage for the time being. While I hate to do so, it's just not worth it to put potentially infested pigs in a new (and much larger) cage. When this nightmare of waiting for the culture and their follow up visit (Tuesday after next) is over, we can rest easy and set up the piggy condo.

They were over the trauma after some rest and Orchard Grass, and Bobby's back to popcorning and annoying his Uncle Phin when he's trying to sleep.