Any other new piggy owners with anxiety?

[cocodapig]

I just got a 5 week old female guinea pig about three days ago, i have really bad anxiety and I'm always worrying about if somethings wrong with her. whether it’s with her droppings or bumblefoot or even her teeth. i feel like I'm not doing good enough. we have bonded very quickly and she seems very attached to me, she even will sleep with her eyes fully closed on me. i’m really worried about her 24/7 though, what if i’m not doing good enough?

 

[Mo & Stubbins & Vani]

Take a deep breath!
I am sure that you are doing an amazing job! Asking questions on this forum, you will find, will ease your anxiety!
Is your piggy a single pig? What is her enclosure like?
There is such a wide variety of information on this forum! I will link a guide that you may find helpful:
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
When I rescued my first two piggies, I felt that I couldn't even leave them alone for 10 minutes! Going to school and leaving the piggies behind? No way!
Although our piggies rely on us for food, ear rubs, food, (did I mention food?), and so many other aspects of their lives, guinea pigs are actually highly social creatures and mainly rely on their companions for comfort and interaction.
I hope that this helps!
P.S.
This is a UK based forum, so you may find that it is not particularly active this time of day.

 

[Lady Kelly]

If you feel that you are struggling with anxiety you should always speak to your doctor. Having guinea pigs can be great support for mental health but it sounds like you are in danger of the anxiety being at the forefront of everything you do. With the right support for you, you should be able to enjoy your time with your piggies more

 

[Sweet Potato]

I am lucky that my piggies are a great support for me with my anxiety but I understand that's not the case for everyone. try to seek support from your doctor. in the meantime maybe try to keep a journal write down your worries and blessings each day to get it out of your system then you can work through in a systematic way to categorise your worries into things you can do something about, and things you cant do anything about. I also like to rate my worries 1 to 5 on how likely they are to come true.

 

[Claire W]

I suffer terrible anxiety like others have said, reach out to your GP

 

[CMaz13]

Hey! I got my boys about 3/4months ago and I was exactly the same. I’d never really had pet experience and I thought ‘what the hell have I done..I’m not good enough or I can’t do this’ but I promise you...everything will be ok. You’ll slowly get the hang of it and then you will build in confidence! One day it’ll click and you’ll realise how happy your piggy is and it’ll all be worth it and you’ll realise your doing a great job. The fact you’re on here researching and asking questions already means you’re doing great. The anxiety will die down and your confidence will grow

 

[CMaz13]

Ps. The fact she’s attached already and sleeps with her eyes closed is amazing! Xx