Did you get these feelings?

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ninz

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So I am very excited about getting guinea pigs... everything has been ordered. I am just waiting for Windwhistle rescue to let me know if my questionnaire was any good. I tried my best :red

Although it's all good... I am getting these weird feelings. Sort of overwhelming feelings. Emotions like a bit worried, scared, anxcious.... nervous!

Is it normal to feel like this? I know all this sounds stupid but I honestly am worried that I am acting weird.

I want my piggies but I am scared for them. Just wondering if this is new owner feelings? I am worried about the future... Sometimes the forum scares me :red So many piggies go through hard times and it is life of course but I just hope that if anything happens, that I can catch it quick, that I can manage treatment e.g. syringing etc and be able to nurse them back to health. I think I fear that soon as I get them, I will lose them :(

I try to stop myself from feeling this and remind myself how badly I want my guinea pigs. I think the lack of support at home is annoying too... mum keeps going on about how clean I must keep them. My brother is not too bothered, he says he prefers budgies. (I am hoping he will like the piggies once they are here as he felt the same about budgies when I first bought them)

Hating these mixed feelings! But it won't stop me from getting my piggies... perhaps it's just the whole settling in emotions?
 
I'd feel more worried if people didn't have those feelings, they show how much you care. :)
I'm sure you'll be fine when you get your piggies and your concerns will become a distant memory. Although it's good that you know the sort of things that can trip new owners up. It means you're more prepared.
The forum is always here as a support network of very clever piggy people if you need help.
Hope you soon get some piggies and look forward to seeing their pigtures! -c
 
It is very normal to be at the same time excited and worried when you are about to take on new responsiblities!

If it helps you any - your feelings are the sign of a good pet owner! Even 20 odd piggies on, I still get excited and I still worry about losing a piggy.

What you need to accept however is that pet ownership, like parenting, is an on-the-job learning curve and that nobody is expected to be perfect. All you can do is cherish your piggies for as long as they are living with you, act to the best of your facilities and knowledge and try to learn from your experiences and mistakes.

Sometimes, mistakes can actually bring a lot more good down the line so it is not something that turns you into a failure - it is the refusal to deal with it in a positive way and move on that is! Sometimes, pain and loss can be turned into life and joy for another being later in your life because you have acquired a deeper understanding.

And lastly - you never stop learning throughout your whole life.
 
When I was first getting my piggies I was so excited but nervous and worried I would not be a good enough owner. Even after I got my two I had all the same feelings when I addded to my herd by getting another.

Your feelings show you are a king and caring person who would make a great owner.
 
Wiebke said:
Sometimes, mistakes can actually bring a lot more good down the line so it is not something that turns you into a failure - it is the refusal to deal with it in a positive way and move on that is! Sometimes, pain and loss can be turned into life and joy for another being later in your life because you have acquired a deeper understanding.
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This is so true, my first piggie was alone at first and bedded on sawdust for a while, but I learned and hes now four and a lovely if not grumpy happy little piggy. I cant be angry at myself as I never knew any better and when I did I changed it. I'm always learning about my piggies, every day. Just when you think you know them they do something spontaneous and funny that reminds you just how happy they are.

Piggies do get ill but a lot of them get better, the main challange is keeping them eating and the guts going with sick piggies and when a piggy is truly ready to go you can tell just like any other pet, they just give up. But as you know where they are coming from and are well prepared I doubt you will come up against life threatning illnesses for a while.
 
Last sunday and monday just after I lost flash I was very obviously devastated and felt a complete failure, wondering if I should consider a future with keeping piggies, if I could keep going through the heartache of loosing them and then I walked into the pigs room, saw three very beautiful female piggies that were sad themselves and lost but still very much needing me and my care, I realised that I had not made a big mistake and nothing I could have done more could have prevented the sad events.

I realised too that they were missing their herd member and I needed to help them through and find another rescue one, which I am currently looking at. I now wonder and worry that rescues would not consider me to be suitable, as I did when I first adopted flash a year ago. I had pigs before these guys and had rescued pigs, was nervous about the homecheck and still have a lot to learn today about making their lives better.

Its perfectly normal to be worried and the fact that you want to learn more and improve or perfect the way you look after you pigs is spot on, how we all are.
 
I got my piggies on saturday, two 8 week old boars.Before i got them i felt exactly the same way as you have just described. I was also worried because up until getting my Guinea pigs i did lots of research and came across piggiepigpigs on youtube and i watched all of her video's. On saturday morning i found out one of her piggies had died and instantly this made me doubt whether i should go through with getting mine. But as soon as i saw them i fell in love with both of them. I know i might not be the best Guinea pig owner in the world but i can guarantee i'll do my best for them i might not even know everything i need to know about them but i'll learn along the way and there are fantastic people on this forum that will answer your questions and help you with any concerns you may have, there are people out here that will offer you support and guidance. :)
 
I'm so glad I am not the only one. I just find it so weird. I didn't really feel too much like this when I bought my budgies. To me personally, I find budgies easier to look after than piggies in terms of health issues. However, this may be because I have kept budgies for years and I feel so confident.

One of my questions from WindWhistle Questionnaire sheet was on how I would check for illnesses. I just hope I wrote enough. At one point I wanted to go run to my Peter Gurney books and the Pigloepedia book but I thought what's the point in cheating? I just wrote all I could remember.

These piggies have been reserved for me until the homecheck is complete. After that... hopefully they will be coming to London. Yey! All my happy feelings are coming now... I feel like a pregnant woman :(|) All the ups and downs...rolleyes
 
I'm sure everything will be fine, as soon as you see your new bundles of fluff you'll know it was all worth it:). Just do the best you can that's all you can do.
 
ninz said:
I'm so glad I am not the only one. I just find it so weird. I didn't really feel too much like this when I bought my budgies. To me personally, I find budgies easier to look after than piggies in terms of health issues. However, this may be because I have kept budgies for years and I feel so confident.

One of my questions from WindWhistle Questionnaire sheet was on how I would check for illnesses. I just hope I wrote enough. At one point I wanted to go run to my Peter Gurney books and the Pigloepedia book but I thought what's the point in cheating? I just wrote all I could remember.

These piggies have been reserved for me until the homecheck is complete. After that... hopefully they will be coming to London. Yey! All my happy feelings are coming now... I feel like a pregnant woman :(|) All the ups and downs...rolleyes
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Which ones are you having ninz? I was there on Saturday boar dating Pop.
 
It's so lovely to hear you feeling all these ups and downs, it gives me great confidence that you'll be a great piggy mummy!

Yes, they bring us joy and heartache. Inspiration and laughs, sadness and tears.

and for all those we have lost: don't cry because they are gone, be glad because they were here. :)
 
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