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Eating Cardboard - Clutching At Straws?

Thank you all so much.
I really am very touched that so many of you are thinking of us (well Ruby mostly).

Things have been a bit up and down but I do feel we are finally over everything.
Ruby is fully eating on her own, and slowly (ever so slowly) gaining weight.
I will be happy when she gets back to 1000 grams (her pre illness weight was around 1200 grams) but she is now around 990, so we are close.
She is no longer being syringe fed any food or meds, although she does get a small portion of recovery formula twice a day on a dish.
She is back eating small amounts of fresh food too, and yesterday for the first time she actually ate some banana (her absolute favorite food prior to getting ill).
So that part is all good, and I think it will just take time for her to be fully back to her old self.

The downside was that despite multiple attempts she has made it totally clear that she will simply not tolerate any other guinea pigs in her personal space, and even visual contact through a grid causes her to fly into a manic teeth chattering rage. Her fury is a sight to behold!
But thanks to some excellent suggestions from forum members, I have come up with a plan and built her her own 4 x 2 under the table with the other piggies, so she has lots of space and seems very content.
Sadly this leaves Lucy on her own (with lots of contact through the bars to Eddi ad Oreo.
Lucy would love to be with another pig and Eddi adores her. Oreo is kind through the bars, but the minute she is in a bonding pen with Lucy and Eddi she makes it quite clear that Eddi is her boar, and she will not be sharing him directly with Lucy. So this leaves me with 4 pigs in 3 cages, and whilst Ruby is happy I know that Lucy would love a companion to live with.
So I am still trying to decide what to do about that.
Of course the obvious thing is to go out and get a neutered boar (easily available here) and bond him with Lucy, but after a long and grueling (and expensive) few months with Ruby, I really don't feel I am ready to take on a fifth guinea pig right now. Longer term I hope this will change as I know I need to offer Lucy a companion, but right now I just can't.

Thanks again for thinking of us.
I hope to start being a bit more active on the Forum again too.
 
Glad it’s better news for Ruby even if it has left you with another problem.
There are so many times in life when we wish for a simple solution or a magic wand but life is not a fairy tale.
I’m sure you will do right by all your piggies but you need to look after yourself too.
You need some recovery time after all you’ve been through.
 
Glad she is hapoy in her new pad. Hope you find a good solution for Lucy when the time is right.
 
I have just caught up on all this, I am so glad Ruby is improving despite her insistence of living alone right now. You have been through such a rolllercoaster and honestly there were a few moments that feared scrolling for the next update but fortunately...soooo thankfully fortunately she is still trekking on!

Big hugs to you for having to endure not only the emotional strain of it all but also th3 shear lack of sleep required to fight for that little life.

Ruby if you are reading this, I do hope your disposition will be a bit more pleasant to the bigger and very dedicated slave in future when you are feeling 100% well again.
 
Oh bless her she really wants to keep you on your toes! Sorry she's being so stubborn, but at least she's fighting back now :D
Poor Lucy having to be lonely because Ruby has a cob on!
Good luck with whatever you decide. We know you'll do whatever's best for them all xx
 
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