Hola, Olivia! Que pasa, bonita chiquita?

(That means, "Hello, Olivia? What's going on, pretty little one?" in Spanish)

Here's your daily dose of Wok-Woks...

A pair of new-born Guinea Pigs:

guinea pup:

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/6929/dscn3872mz4.jpg

another guinea pup:

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/9168/dscn3875xy5.jpg

These were born last autumn, but right now, we have THREE Guinea-Ladies about to become mothers.

Here's something funny (well, funny for your MOM, even if you don't get the joke, lol!)

En Español (in Spanish), being pregnant is called embarazado, you know, like, being EMBARRASSED !!

:eek:

anyway, by next week, I'll have a whole BUNCH of new Wok-Wok Guinea Babies to show you!

and honey? YOU get to help me NAME them, okay?

I hope you're having a nice day today, Olivia, and being a GOOD little girl while your sweet Mom is feeling cruddy.

Olivia? It's WOK-WOK time once again!


sorry I haven't done pictures for a few days, but I've been so busy...


so, HERE we GO !!



http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5696/dscn5031nx9.jpg
"This EATING is HARD WORK !! Think I'll lay down on the job!"



http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6518/dscn5043vc3.jpg
All the goosies RUN down the path, and FOLLOW me around the farm.



http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6214/dscn5045ox2.jpg
I put down my bags of duck-food to snap a picture of the geese following me, but they are too FAST! They catch up, and start RAIDING the ducks' cabbage and corn!


http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/8421/dscn5047hf5.jpg
"Hey, this is good, but where's my LETTUCE ??"



http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/1139/dscn5033zc5.jpg
"Wonder how Mom's JEANS taste?"



http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/2180/dscn5040bs7.jpg
"My FEATHERS are growing in now. Aren't they PRETTY?"


http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/5561/dscn5048oy5.jpg
"Ahhhhhhh, here's our LETTUCE, at LAST!! Thanks, Mom!"



Hope you liked today's Wok-Woks, brought to you by Auntie Kay-in-the-jungle.

:):cool::)

Thank God, the wok-wok thread is back!!! Thank you, Good Friend Kay-in-da-jungle!!! :hug:

ya know what's funny, Carolina?

Larry actually had a FOLD of my jeans (at the knee) clamped in his little beak!

I was squatting down, trying to pick up all the cabbage the Wok-Woks spilled, and he just had to see if I was edible.

just like human babies, puttin' EVERYTHING in their mouths, lol!

:winky:

Yo! Olivia!

It's WOK-WOK time again, brought to you by your friendly friend in the jungle...

***

Today's pictures are of baby chickens... hatched right here in our house!

This is our little incubator:

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/484/dscn5078cz8.jpg

It holds 42 eggs, and they take 3 weeks to hatch...

Yesterday was the big event... when I woke up I heard *cheep-cheep-cheep" coming from my living room!

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/9543/dscn5081vy1.jpg

Here's the new babies getting their first view of the big wide world!

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/3161/dscn5084mc7.jpg

Here's a WET chickie-baby who just cracked out of his shell:

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/1754/dscn5085iv6.jpg

The first thing I had to do was find a nice BIG box, and get all the stuff ready:

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/4904/dscn5079so5.jpg

Here's what you can see inside the box... there's a feeder which holds ground corn, a self-filling water dish, and absorbent wood chips layer the floor to keep things clean.

Next, we have to transfer the new hatchlings from the incubator to the box...

Here they are, all cozy and warm in their new home:

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/8969/dscn5088te5.jpg

We put a strong screen over the top, so our Kitty-Cat can't bother the new chickies.

Also, we put a light bulb at the top, to keep the babies warm.

Here's two of our chickens that did it "naturally" and hatched their own eggs:

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/3263/dscn5090ge8.jpg

These baby chickens hatched last week, and here, their Mom teaches them how to peck for food:

http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/2372/dscn5092mj3.jpg

Thank you very much Kay! I was starting to worry about the Wok Wok thread!

I missed it so much!...........:Thanx:




Guess it's nearly time I thought about an Australian animals thread for Olivia as well.
That's if Olivia wants it of course.

ahhhhhhhh... I've been busy moving house.

only two hundred yards, but... tiring nonetheless!

Olivia, here's some more critters for you:

This is where my guinea pigs live... in rows of roomy, airy outdoor cages, with water bottles, and feeder-trays:

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6176/dscn5001us8.jpg

and here's some pix of my bunnies and guinea pigs all moved in to their nifty new home:

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/2016/dscn4169dw1.jpg

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/3486/dscn4953ll2.jpg

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/9910/dscn4177gg0.jpg

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/915/dscn4958vb7.jpg

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5675/dscn4180zu2.jpg

Thanks for posting all the pics of your animal family! I do not see how you keep them safe from the bad critters??

:confused:

Janie, at the base of every post in the palapa is a bug-blocker metal plate that keeps out the scorpions, army ants, and crawling things.

the strong cage wire mesh keeps out snakes and wildcats.

the sturdy wood cage frames protect my animals from almost everything except hurricanes.

for that, we have a concrete underground emergency bunker-shelter, that fits the goats, pigs, and all the cages.

I so enjoy Olivia's Wok Wok thread. Thank you for sharing it with us.

BTW, my GrandDaughter's name is Olivia..:)

Olivia loves her wok wok thread too!! Her favs are the baby piglets and the new baby chicks, we have now added them to her personal Kay's farm wallpaper on her wall! Before long I'll have to start using the ceiling and it just dawned on me to scrapbook them for her!!

Ready to Rock 'n' Roll, Olivia ??

We have more WOK-Woks for you tonight !!

At the moment, three of my guinea ladies are pregnant, and two of them are quite far along, almost ready to deliver their babies.

so......... I'm getting a wee bit jittery about the upcoming birthing events...

hoping everything will turn out well, it's nerve-wracking!!

these photos were taken this afternoon:

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/391/dscn5102eu2.jpg
Peyton - prodigiously preggers (anyone remember Peyton Place?)

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5403/dscn5101jt7.jpg
Peyton's hiding her head, but you can see her HUGE pregnancy better in this pic

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/4876/dscn5103fh8.jpg
Padmé - pretty pregnant (yeah, she's named after Padmé Amidala, lol)

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/3660/dscn5106yf2.jpg
Pearl - perfectly pregnant (named after Pearl S. Buck)

Olivia, as soon as the babies are born, I will take more pictures for you !!

Okay, I know that Olivia is little and cute and everything but what about the rest of us???? :Sob: I guess we will have to settle to live vicariously through Olivia!! ;) :D

*sniffle*

here, Carolina, have a :hug:

if this thread was for adults, I would've said WHY I was so nervous...

***

okay, I guess our little cutie-pie Olivia is too young to read, so I'll put it here:

one of my guinea pigs (Petunia) delivered 5 babies last week, but she failed to lick them clean or nurse them... and they all died,

Petunia survived but has been hiding under her hay all week... I've been giving her extra-special food, and checking on her frequently, but I'm very worried about her.

I feared Petunia was going to fail at mothering, as she is so young (6 months) and... I also got worried when I noticed that she didn't pluck any fur from her belly to line the birthing bowl I gave her, and make a soft little nest for her babies, before delivery.

and... two months ago, we lost a mom (Pansy) and her whole litter (incomplete delivery) and that was very sad, and a horrible learning experience about the difficulty of farming and raising animals.

I've been perusing a bunch of websites regarding guinea pig pregnancy, and saw some disheartening and scary facts:

Getting pregnant: This is a really bad idea. Your guinea pig can easily get hurt. A guinea pig who is under 5 months is at very high risk. Guinea pigs over 8 months old who have not bred yet are also at risk. There is a high risk for the sow if she is under 1 1/2 lbs. Never cross roan x roan or dalmation x dalmation. Over a fifth of pregnant pigs die. There is also a 25% chance of producing a "lethal," an offspring that has a high chance of dying due to mutations. You cannot forget the over-population, either. Knowing all this, you shouldn't intentionally breed your cavies.

http://www.wikihow.com/Help-a-Pregnant-Guinea-Pig

well, THAT was depressing... I'm really sorry I read it !!

The female piggy is capable of having babies from about a month or so old but obviously is only a baby herself so to breed from her at such a young age would be completely irresponsible at the very least !! She should be bred from for the first time, at approx. 5 - 6 months of age and be a weight of over 500g. She must have her first litter before she is 10 months old - as after this the pelvic bones fuse together and the mother will more than likely have problems giving birth to the babies, this may result in the death of both mother and the babies.

http://www.diddly-di.fsnet.co.uk/breeding.htm

:(:confused::(

Oh dear Kay! :hug: That's terrible. :Sob:

I hope these new little mamas do well at delivery.

me too, Koala...

I'm on pins and needles here... and it could be another WEEK of waiting and nervousness...

:(

Who knew guinea pigs were so delicate? I hope they appreciate their very devoted surrogate mother! ;)

Oh, Kay, I am so sorry. This just breaks my heart. The poor things. Why is pregnancy so hard for them? In light of this, will you continue to breed them?

I don't think I would be cut out for it. I would be best at selling eggs, I think.

Saying a prayer for Petunia, Padme, Pearl, Peyton and of course, you. :grouphug:

it's the 1 out of 5 thing... that's a horrible mortality rate...

and see, I'd never READ that before.... I only recently found it online, when I was researching guinea pigs and pregnancy care.

and my first four went PERFECT, all with gorgeous healthy babies, that were sold as pets in my village, and to a Christian camp down south...

all the moms and babies did fine and were healthy.

so I thought... "This is easy, and fun, and I'm good at it!"

I started with Paula, Patsy, Peta, and Pammie... and two boys, Pancho and Pablo.

Pancho the boy... turned out to be Poncho, a GIRL... and hiding a secret pregnancy under her "poncho", lol!

I can do this... yeah! I thought... I can chop celery, and carrots, and cabbage, and scrub water bottles, and my husband can build me cages, and I can supplement my SSDI, with only two hours a day of enjoyable work... and the rest, playing with my little sweeties...

then, one went badly, and three more good... so I thought it was just... well, I'm still learning, I'll try harder, read more, watch more closely, then two more went wrong.

so, I've lost three mommas by now, after a year of raising guineas... and now I'm not so sure I'm cut out for this.

I have to either harden my heart (and then not enjoy it so much either), or maybe I'll just ONLY raise birds (ducks and chickens) instead... I tend not to get so attached to non-mammals for some reason... maybe it's wired into our DNA?

:o

thanks for the support, ladies... you're good friends to me...

being a "mommy" to all these critters is harder than I ever imagined!

Dat's OK CayoK.....http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/i...eay6nrx4dp.gif

Well, Olivia...

I have no guinea-babies to show you this evening... because none have been born yet.

but LOOK what I found... a beautiful baby duckling !!

she showed up for breakfast over by the pond this morning:

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/931/dscn5127ta4.jpg

Olivia, I want YOU to help me think up a NAME for her!

:grouphug::hug::grouphug:

Good morning, Olivia !!

What do we have for the little lady today?

Well... we have WOK-WOKS galore !!

Today's pictures are relatives of Linea the Guinea...

Peyton Piggie had her babies this morning:

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/9194/dscn5155qz2.jpg
Proud mama Peyton and her new litter dining on lettuce, cilantro and carrots

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8404/dscn5165ds0.jpg
A brave little one comes forward to investigate my camera

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8730/dscn5172pw7.jpg
"Hey, I've got an idea! Let's play Twister!"

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8642/dscn5166fw0.jpg
"Hello! Who are YOU?" (one curious baby checks out the next-door neighbors...)

Peyton birthed 3 very large babies (no surprise, considering how HUGE she was!)

they are beautiful, healthy, alert, nursing and eating well.

unlike bunnies, (which are born hairless, pink, and with closed eyes), guineas are born with open eyes, fully-furred, and ready to travel with the pack.

up next (after breakfast) I'll show you some FUN little Larry got into yesterday...

Cute!!!!!:D

Awwwwww....Sweet little Wok Woks..:)

Larry Has a Little Fun
 

Here's some more Wok-Woks for you today, Olivia!!

Remember how SMALL Larry was, just a few short weeks ago ??

Well, he's almost ALL grown up now.

Larry, and his brothers Curly, and Moe have lost their soft downy baby feathers, and are now a beautiful dove gray.

I can tell them apart, because Larry has a SPECIAL marking of WHITE feathers, shaped like a SMILE, under his chest.

Curly has a curled wing (it's called "Angel Wing" and scientists aren't sure why it happens, but think it's genetic. That sounds right to me, as his mother Gwynneth has it too.)

Moe is the "other one" of the triplets, and Connor is the smallest one, he still has bits of baby feathers behind his head.

My Wok-Wok baby goosies like to explore our farm, and are VERY curious about how everything works.

Here, Larry tries to figure out the FAUCET on our water storage tank:

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/7210/dscn5149hb1.jpg
"Well, THAT looks interesting!"

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/5964/dscn5145dz4.jpg
"Wonder what will happen if I..."

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/4927/dscn5147ur0.jpg
"Ooooooooooh! This is GOOD stuff !!"

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/8619/dscn5143xv8.jpg
"Whooop, whoooop, whoop! Hey, MOE, check this out!"

Oh Kay, I am so happy about your new arrivals!! That's one worry off your mind - two to go..... :smileypray:

YAY, Carolina! and amen !!

the beebies are all doing VERY well, I'm pleased to report.

bouncing around their habitat like yo-yos, and eating solid food already.


:grouphug::hug::grouphug:



I'll add some more pix after my nappy-time.

Olivia, guess what ??

little baby DUCKLINGS hatched today !!

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/9660/dscn5219pm2.jpg

the duck-mamas get VERY cranky during this time, so I didn't want to get too close, or bother her too much... so that's the best photo I could get...

but I promise more pictures tomorrow.

I didn't get close enough to count the hatchlings, she will bring them out of the nest box when she's good and ready... maybe in a day or two.

and........ guess what ELSE ??

PEARL is giving birth to her guinea-piglets RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE !!

she's licking them all clean, in between having more babies.

I will show you her brand new babies tomorrow too.

hugs, and kissies from Auntie Kay in the Jungle

OMG, how cute are those duckies!!

And congratulations again on the guinea babies!!

Geez! It's a mighty fertile six acres in that jungle....... :D Someone's having fun!!

yeppers, Carolina, there's a whole lotta lovin' goin' on 'round here !!

must be because I take really good care of everyone ??

here, Peyton is having her dinner... and taking a short break from nursing her beebies.


http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/4333/dscn5191bg6.jpg


lettuce, celery, cantaloupe slices, carrots, cabbage, all sorts of yummy stuff...

next up, pictures of the baby chickens growing up !!

Olivia, I have a few more WOK-WOKS for you this evening, before I go eat my dinner.

this silly chickie-baybee seems to be saying:

"Hey, I've got an idea... let's pretend we're giraffes!"

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5553/dscn5215dd7.jpg

and here's the proud mama chicken, looking after her younguns:

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8610/dscn5216hj4.jpg

Oh, my goodness, Olivia...

Have I got WOK-WOKS for YOU, today !!!

both Padme' and Pearl had babies last night!

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/2213/dscn5222ci9.jpg

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/4369/dscn5225xe0.jpg

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/987/dscn5228kw1.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/5638/dscn5230hd5.jpg

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/8545/dscn5232lg3.jpg

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6821/dscn5233hc9.jpg

There's FIVE babies, and I'm not sure which belong to whom... because they ALL seem to be nursing off of BOTH mamas !!

hmmmmmm... "shared parenting"

what a great idea !!

Hey Olivia, look at this!

http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Anim...Duck_bends.gif http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Anim...Bored_duck.gif http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Anim...Duck_bends.gif http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Anim...Bored_duck.gif

Oliva LOVES the babies! She says the baby should be named Cinderella or Pooh or Scooby Doo! LOL mermaid was another suggestion......you can tell she's two huh! I swear I'm come to chez kay one of these days just to gets my hands on all those babies...while momma isn't watching!

Are your piglets pets or do they eat them there? I know they do in like Nepal and places

Mornin' Olivia !!

Yes, I'm up early, that's the best time to get things done in the tropics...

Now, I KNOW I promised to show you pictures of TURTLES a long time ago, but I have been having difficulty getting them to POSE for me.

See, turtles are not REALLY like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/4...otmnt01cp4.jpg

In real life, they're not very much like your Wok Wok Turtle Tuck either:

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6...derpetszp9.jpg

They're very SHY, and HIDE their heads (arms, and legs too!)

Here's my friend with a large turtle he found crossing their driveway in Belize:

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/4...nturtleui2.jpg

Luckily, he knew what KIND of turtle it was (a Belize Slider)

so, I looked it up on the computer, and found a photo where the turtle puts his HAID out, and SHOWS all his pretty colors !!

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/4...esliderrk0.jpg

Belize Slider (a.k.a. Meso-American Slider) - Trachemys scripta venusta

Description: Large basking species with the classic slider form, with ornate carapace - lacking red head patches. Omnivorous - more carnivorous as hatchlings, more herbivorous as they mature. Native to Central America (Mexico to Honduras). Size: Females up to 19"; Males smaller. Large adults, a tropical species that can't hibernate.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Art...c%20Turtle.htm


**************


ahhhhh, NaeNae... we probably shouldn't discuss what's on da menu... little pitchers have BIG ears !!

but... Cuy, as it's called in Peru, is their main meat dish, mostly because (I suspect) few people have refrigerators, and with Cuy, there's no leftovers to store.

here's an article on Cuy as fine dining, from AP:

Guinea pigs appear on the menu in Lima restaurants

By Leslie Josephs, Associated Press Writer - December 28, 2007

LIMA, Peru — Ever wonder whether a cabernet sauvignon or merlot would best complement your childhood pet?

It might be a dilemma if you visit the coastal Peruvian capital, where chefs have turned guinea pig — a staple protein of the Andes — into a gourmet dish.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/...igs-lima_N.htm

:eek::p:eek:

Thanks so much for all the pictures, Kay! I showed my son last night and he looked through all of them! He loved them - said he wished we could live in a place like you do. I'm sure it does get hot but it looks so relaxing. I doubt I could keep up with you and your routine of tending to all these critters!! :)

oh, that's cool! glad he enjoyed it...

but forgive me Kitty... I've forgotten how OLD your son is ??

(I re-read all my posts in the whole thread to make sure it was all rated G, lol !!)

and NaeNae? Tell Olivia that the adorable baby duckling is now named Mermaid !!

and the other baby duckling is Cinderella.....

:hug::grouphug::hug:

like THIS:

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/6...ekingindi3.jpg

now, look VERY closely, Olivia...

and you might see Sandy peeking out at us, from behind a Mango tree !!

:D:):D:):D:):D

LOL...he's 20 (21 in July). Don't worry - I don't think anyone could say anything he hasn't heard before! :p

LOL Mermaid and Cinderella are perfect her two favorite things! Now to name one bubbles.......