Piggy Pics of the Day: Introducing Cinnamon and Caramel

Cinnamon (left) and Caramel (right) enjoying the grass

These much loved little piggies are Cinnamon and Caramel. They were the humans first cavies ever! They were sisters and very closely bonded to each other. They went to Rainbow Bridge quite some time ago, but are still fondly remembered by our humans.

Cinnamon munches carrot tops in a lovely patch of vegetables

...while Caramel eats happily away next to her. Every pig's dream!

Piggy Pics of the Day: Easter photo shoot outtakes

Truffle gets hungry

It isn't always easing modeling for these humans.. sometimes whee can't help it, we get hungry, or bored! Here are some of the outtakes from our photo shoot for Easter, click to see more!

Peaches has a nibble on the watering can

Belka wasn't ready for the shot yet!

Piggy Pics of the Day: Baby Piggies!

Just for fun, here are some pictures of Sharky and Coppy as babies! This was on the first day they came to live with the humans, they were so little! They were both only about six to seven weeks old, and such adorable squeaky little balls of fluff. Even though they were shy and a bit nervous, they quickly got to work investigating all the new and different foods they had never seen before.

Toys: Tubes and Logs

Even though cozies and huts are fun to snuggle up in, sometimes a simple cardboard tube or log works just as well! One of Morry's favorite things to do is cozy up inside a tube and take naps. Other times he likes to perch inside while keeping watch over his domain. Here he is sitting inside an empty Quaker Oats container with the top and bottom removed. Sharky likes this log tunnel that has another opening up top and small viewing holes on the side. When laid on its side, this also works as an alternate entrance.

"My tube is better than your tube!"

Piggy Pics of the Day: Earth Day photos outtakes

Belka tries to walk off the set

Like in many photo shoots, there are always some shots that don't make it to the final selection. Here are some of the funnier piggy bloopers from Earth Day!

Once back in her spot, she looks around plotting an escape route

Truffle wasn't quite ready yet!

Giant Armadillo

True Wild Life | Giant Armadillo | The giant armadillo is the largest of all armadillos and found in South America, east of the Andes, from northwestern Venezuela to northeastern Argentina. Adults grow as long as 35 inches and can weigh over 70 lb. The necks and backs of armadillos are covered with flexible carapaces (shells) consisting of 14 to 17 moveable bands of horn and bone. Their heads are also covered with a similar oval shield. The head, tail and lower edges of the giant armadillo are nearly white, and the rest of the body is dark brown. Underneath the carapace, its naked body appears wrinkly and pinkish in color. It has powerful claws with a very large central claw similar to the claw of the giant anteater. Giant armadillos are very fast on the ground and can sometimes balance themselves on their hind legs and tails, with their forefeet off the ground.

Giant armadillos prefer to live in burrows near water in grassland, brushland, woodland, and forests where termite mounds are present. It is believed that they are very good swimmers. They are active mainly at night and prefer to sleep in the daytime. They are very powerful and quick diggers enabling them to find insects and escape predators by hiding in the ground. Preferred diet is ants and termites, but they will also eat other insects, worms, spiders, larvae, snakes, and carrion. Giant armadillos can consume entire termite mound populations once discovered. Little is known about the mating behavior of this species. Other armadillo species are known to pair up during mating season and share a burrow. Females give birth to one to two young after a gestation period of 120 days. The young armadillos are born with tough leathery skin to protect them from dangerous predators.

Giant armadillos have suffered from loss of habitat due to agricultural development and human settlement, and they are also overhunted by humans for food. Some are killed by farmers because they are thought to damage crops. This species was listed as endangered in 1976, and the continued study of the species and its habitat is necessary to plan additional conservation efforts.

Babirusa

True Wild Life | Babirusa | The Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) is a very special member of the pig family. Up until now the relationship between the Babirusa and the other pig species hasn't been resolved completely. There are pieces of research, which suggest the conclusion, that it is closely related to Hippopotamuses, close relatives of pigs themselves. The babirusa is a very strange looking member of the pig family. They are only distantly related to other pigs, and have been given their own subfamily, the Babirousinae. There are three subspecies of the Babirusa corresponding to the areas where they are found; the Sulawesi, Togian, and Moluccan babirusa. These subspecies have different hair covering, hair color, and tusk and body sizes. Fossil studies seem to show that the babirusa may be more closely related to hippopotamuses than pigs.

The name babirusa in Malay means "pig-deer". It got this name from its bizarre tusks. The upper canines actually grow up through the skin of it snout from the inside. These 12 inch long tusks then grow up and curl over towards the forehead, sometimes touching the snout again. The lower canines are also very long and protrude from the sides. The two sets of tusks give the appearance of the antlers of a deer. Only the bottom tusks are used offensively. The top tusks can't be used for foraging or as weapons because they are very fragile and lose in their sockets. Females have shorter tusks, or none at all. Babirusa are smaller than domestic pigs. They are 2.8-3.6 feet in length, and 2.1-2.6 feet at shoulder height. The tail is 8-12 inches long and not twisted. Babirusas weigh from 95-220 pounds.

This curly-tusked pig has a rounded body with almost hairless, bristly skin. The sparse hairs are yellowish in color. Their skin is gray to brown, with a lighter colored underbelly. Their legs are thin and longer than on most pigs. Mature babirusas have large folds near their necks and bellies. Babirusa reach sexual maturity from 1 to 2 years. After mating the pregnancey lasts 150 to 157 days. The babirusa only gives birth to 1 to 3 young at a time, unlike other pigs who will have 7 to 9 piglets. The mother babirusa will lie down to nurse her piglets. Although the young will begin to forage within the first week after birth, they aren't weaned until they are 6 to 8 months old. The babirusa has a life span of 24 years.

The babirusa is usually a solitary animal, although it will sometimes live in small groups. Its habits are duirnal, and it tends to feed in the morning. Its diet consists of fruits, nuts, mangos, mushrooms, leaves, and insects found in rotting wood. Unlike other pigs it doesn't root around the dirt for food with its snout. It moves along well-worn trails along the rainforest floor within their territories. It is a fast runner and a good swimmer, and has been seen swimming to off-shore islands. It has a good sense of smell and makes grunting and moaning sounds. When it gets excited it chatters its teeth. Like most other pigs it loves to wallow in mud baths to rid itself of parasites. In the past babirusa were kept by rulers in Sulawesi and given as gifts to visiting diplomats. Masks of Balinese demons often resemble the stangely tusked babirusa.

Unfortunately the future doesn't look good for this amazing creature. They have always been scarce, but are an endangered species today. Although the babirusa avoids farmlands, and isn't persucuted by farmers, it is a favorite target for poachers. Their limited and small pockets of rainforests are also being converted into agriculture. Their wild population is estimated at around 4,000 to 5,000 animals. The IUCN put them on their vulnerable list in 1996, and the U.S. ESA considers them endangered They are on CITES Appendix I.

Piggy Pics of the Day: Piggies, Flowers and Ladybugs

"Okay, just a few pigtures!"

Coppy and Morry patiently pose for a few pigtures before running off to munch grass in the great outdoors. They also met a ladybug in the grass! Thankfully, they wisely opted not to eat it. Now Peaches on the other hand, might have had other ideas.

Getting antsy

"Wonder if he's storing any food under that mop of fur..."

Plotting the getaway

The uneaten ladybug

Piggy Pics of the Day: Happy Easter!

Piggies from the Cali Cavy Collective would like to wish everyone and everypig a very happy Easter holiday! For your enjoyment, whee have a selection of pigtures from our latest photo shoot. Our humans made us pose with all the funny brightly colored plastic objects they called "eggs", and with this creature whom is definitely not a guinea pig that was sitting in a watering can. We tried to wheek at it, and instead of wheeking back, it chirped at us! Most confusing, and very startling. But anyways, have a happy Easter!

Whee are being festive here with our very dignified headdresses 

Truffle: "Why is it chirping at me?!"

Poof: "It speaks guinea?!"

"Well, maybe I can have this as a snack while working..."

Being festive

Peaches is not sure what she is more upset at, the chicken or the hair bow

"Is it dinner time now?"

Piggy Pics of the Day: Sleeping Peaches, Hidden Truffle

Peaches is sleeping in her hammock in the background while Truffle snoozes away, hidden inside the hut. She looks very comfy snuggled up in there. Hmm... whee must remember to put in a request with our slaves to get several more so each of us can have our own!

Cali Cavy Collective Celebrates Earth Day

Representatives from the Cali Cavy Collective would like to raise awareness for and celebrate Earth Day, on April 22nd!

Earth Day was founded by a U.S. senator who saw the devastating effects of an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969. His goal was to bring environmental issues into a more prominent position on the national political agenda. Today, Earth Day is meant to raise public awareness for the environment and bring attention to environmental causes, such as the need to create a healthy, sustainable environment for future generations and the planet we all share.

Personally, we cavies are planning to celebrate by consuming large quantities of fresh vegetables and cranberry juice, then creating lots of organic poops that would be excellent for compost and fertilization purposes. Our humans also had us pose for a recycling themed photo shoot in various recyclable containers (plastic, glass, cardboard, and aluminum foil) as a reminder to recycle! After the very exhausting and time consuming photo shoot (whee had to take five whole minutes out of our busy daily lives!), they gave us a pile of baby lettuce leaves to chow on. Good for getting started on our celebration of Earth Day!

"I'd better get paid extra for this..."

"I wonder if this thing I'm sitting on is edible?"

Sloth Bear

True Wild Life | Sloth Bear |  The Sloth Bear also known as the Labiated Bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral Brown Bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution. The population isolated in Sri Lanka is considered as a subspecies. Its favourite food is primarily termites and other insects which it snorts and sucks out of termite hills on the ground with a vacuum-cleaner sounding roar that can be heard several hundred yards away.

Using its narrow tongue and long lower lip, which it can extend far beyond its nose, the bear has no difficulty scooping up the tiny morsels. The bear has special adaptations for feeding on termites. It has gap between its front teeth which allows it to suck in the insects, and also the top of its mouth is hollowed and tube-like. The Sloth Bear also eats different insects such as ants and bees, and it also includes fruits, blooms and honey in its menu.

The Sloth Bear has a coarse, shaggy ebony pelt, a white V-shaped mark on its chest and has a protruding lower lip. After mating, there is a period of about 6 to 7 months before the young are born. Generally they breed in June and July and cubs are born from November to January. In South Sri Lanka there appears to be less breeding convergence and cubs may be born at any time of the year. They reach a length from 150 to 190 centimetres. Females reach a weight from 55 to 95 kilograms, while males are clearly heavier and between 80 and 140 kilograms in weight. Although Sloth Bears are rather shy animals, sometimes they are considered as aggressive as other breeds of bear. The total world population of the Sloth Bears is estimated at approximately 7,000 to 10,000 animals, which means that the IUCN lists it as an endangered species .