I let the guinea pigs out for a romp this morning. I let them out of their home several times a week. Not as often as I should, simply because I don't trust them yet and I have to watch them like a hawk, make sure they don't chew on power cords.

It's kind of hard to watch two guinea pigs at a time, I've found, and so they are regulated to the front half of the room. And so far, so good, they haven't gotten into any trouble and they are suitably chastised when they try nibbling on the one cord that does run through their area.

So this morning, after I blocked off the computer area, they got the run of the room. Tegan, ran laps in the safe area, and then boldly wandered off into the new area, checking out this and that. Tess, holed up in a pile of quilts. When I heard chewing sounds, I scooped her out, "Go Play." I'd rather like my handmade quilts to remain in one piece.

I play with Tegan for a second, and then, "Uh oh. Where's Tess?" The room is supposed to be guinea pig proof, there are a couple of fun hide-outs, easily checked, Tess is nowhere. When I stand up, I see her in the computer area. "hey!"

And then she's under my bed. Great. I've got a day bed with a trundle under it... There's not much room under there, but Tess is just petite enough to barely fit. I crouch down, wondering about the options. She'll start chewing on the network cables pretty soon. And there's no way I'm going to pull out the trundle because I could easily crush her.

Tegan comes over to see what I'm about. She tries to fit in the spot that Tess apparently found... But Tegan is bigger, her head fits but her shoulders are too big for the space. She backs up and goes back to running around.

I get treats to lure Tess out. Tess is very food motivated, so I'm pretty sure there won't be a problem. Tess comes close, I reach to put the treat under her nose, and she runs off. Hm, maybe she didn't smell it. Same thing happens next time. I've just learned a valuable lesson. When it comes to Tess, it's a safe bolt hole first and then it's food. shoot.

So the next time she comes around, I just block her escape. Dragging her out from under the trundle produces a squeak, poor baby. But she gets treats when she's back in my arms.

So now, I just need to figure out a way to block off my bed for the next romp. Or feed Tess enough to get her fat. heh.