A sweet farewell to Toffee

This morning, the last of the sweet piggy duo that was Nougat and Toffee went to her final rest.  It never gets easy losing a pet but the thought that the little friend didn’t have to suffer very long is relieving.  Toffee was an energetic guinea pig and like her sister, Nougat, she loved berries and melons.  She has even eaten bitter melon in the past with little hesitance.  But her favorite melon is watermelon and before she bade us goodbye, she ate a small piece “for the road.”

Though shy and usually disliked being held, Toffee was outgoing and loved to run and hop; if she had long ears, she’d be a bunny.  The piggy service bell was also thoroughly used by Toffee and she was relentless with it.  How I loved the spry little pig.  There will be so much to miss about Toffee, just as there were a lot of things that I missed and still miss about Nougat.  I was once told that grief ultimately fades and the memories only get sweeter…

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Sweet farewell little piggies.

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A sweet farewell to Nougat

Seven days ago, Nougat, one of our two dear guinea pigs, bade us farewell.  Burrowed into her bedding with her legs neatly tucked underneath her, she peacefully went to a deep, endless sleep.  Losing someone is hard.  Losing a loved one is even harder.  We love that little piggy.  Nougat was sweet, calm, cuddly, and demanding.  Her service bell rang regularly, our signal that the piggy wanted something other than pellets for food.  She loved to eat and we couldn’t help but humor the gourmet pig.

Aside from being a foodie pig, Nougat was also a photogenic pet.  As my tribute to the guinea pig that stole my heart, here are some of her best moments in front of the camera.  Hope you’re being fed well, little piggy.  Where ever you are.

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Toffee and Nougat and citrus

Toffee and Nougat are epicureans.  They have a discerning taste for cruciferous vegetables, berries, melons, carrots, sometimes ice cream and wine.  Yes, you read the last part correctly.  What’s more they’re natural Raw Foodies/Vegans, something I will never be nor ever want to be, but that’s a different tale altogether. 

Their daily fare consists of pellets, alfalfa hay, lettuce, and carrots.  Because I found their diet rather limiting, I used to continually ask Ryan what foods can I give them.  So when Ryan and I decided to dance the dance of shame, I self-appointed myself as Nougat and Toffee’s personal dietician.  Ryan checked different sites to see what foods are safe for piggies.  It’s a pretty long list.  In the end, I asked him what foods should we NOT feed the piggies.  The good man compiled a list and posted it on our fridge.

These are what Toffee and Nougat have actually eaten outside of their daily diet: apple, nectarine, cherries, cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, oppo (a type of melon popular in Asia), cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, kale, cabbage, bok choy, collard greens (the very foods listed as “best offered sparingly”, they eat with gusto), carrot tops, and more recently, citrus.

Their taste for citrus began this past winter when I gave them kumquat because I was curious.  The piggies would turn their heads away if they don’t like what’s being given to them, and to my surprise they actually ate the pieces of kumquat I offered.  They even wanted more.  So I wondered… if they like kumquat, then maybe they’d like tangerine.  Yes!  Clementine?  Yes!  Orange?  Yes!  Grapefruit?  Lemon?  Hrmm, watch this vid made by the Hubz and find out for yourself.

Macaroni and cheese

So the pasta isn’t exactly macaroni and the cheese part isn’t singular.  It’s more of lanterne and cheeses.  We used pasta with a lantern shape thus lanterne, since names of pasta are consequent of their shapes. As for the cheeses, it’s plural since we ended up mixing mild cheddar cheese, traditional English farmhouse cheese, and Colby Jack Longhorn.

Thanksgiving starts tonight in our small household of four (Ryan, Toffee, Nougat, and me), the casserole which was supposed to be a part of our T-day dinner became tonight’s dinner instead.  However, only two of us will get to partake in the pasta and cheese casserole—our piggies will have to settle for their favorite greens and pellets.  I have a feeling that Nougat and Toffee won’t mind that arrangement at all.

Nougat versus strawberry

It’s summertime.  The guinea pig wants a berry.  A showdown occurs between Nougat and a strawberry.  Which one will dominate?  Would it be the cuddly but ferocious piggy?  Or the sweet, juicy strawberry?

*Big thanks to my Ryan for the vid captures and captions.*

“I HAS A STRAWBERRY!”

NOM NOM NOM

“MOARRRR!!!” roared the pig, fur still dripping with strawberry blood.