Guinea Pigs - Emilia and Desdemona

I've been getting lonely when I'm the only one in the house.  I pondered getting a dog and did a bunch of research into what I would get.  I kept reaching the same concerns of cost and what to do when I wasn't able to let a dog out due to work or activities.  I ended up going back to guinea pigs like I've had in the past.  I found 2 females that someone in Lincoln wanted to rehome.  They came in a wire cage that was ok but not what I prefer.  I looked for an aquarium, but they were so expensive.  The Petco put the size I wanted on 50% off and I had a coupon so I bought it!  I really like the set up now and it is so relaxing to cuddle the guinea pigs.

The girls were really excited to meet the guinea pigs.  When I told Maggie about it, we were in the car on our way to ETS.  She looked at the pictures and then said, "Wait!  Are they ours?  Are they at home?!"  I named the guinea pigs after characters in Othello.  Emilia is the long haired guinea pig and Desdemona is the short haired one.  When I texted Philomena pictures of them, she replied "LOL" that I named them after Shakespeare characters.

Philomena is a natural with animals.  She did so well with the guinea pigs.  Maggie has a learning curve.  Maggie was home alone for a couple hours one afternoon and decided to clean the cage for me.  When Philomena and I got home all the bedroom doors were closed.  Maggie told us that first she was cleaning the cage with the animals in it, but the guinea pigs acted scared so she laid a hand towel on the floor and put them on it.  She turned her back to clean the cage and when she turned around they were gone!  "I had to quick shut the bedroom doors because Desdemona was all the way to Mom's bedroom!"  I pointed to the travel cage and said that was what it was for!  "Oh, I forgot we had that!"  Later that night before bed, Maggie asked me to make a list of what she did wrong so she wouldn't do that again with the guinea pigs.  I said, "Just remember to hold them in your hands or put them in the cage; never let go!"  "Really?"  Yep.  Maggie's come a long ways and is doing better with them with more practice.