Husband is reluctant to get new guineas. How do I persuade him?

Louby

Louby

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We have two sows and just lost one. One of our sows is 6 years old, the other is 9 months old. I'd like another in case the older one hops over the rainbow bridge at some point. Plus I'd just love another guinea. Help! How do I persuade him?
 
Louby said:
We have two sows and just lost one. One of our sows is 6 years old, the other is 9 months old. I'd like another in case the older one hops over the rainbow bridge at some point. Plus I'd just love another guinea. Help! How do I persuade him?
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Tie him to a chair, gag him, and tell him your getting another, simples lol 😂 sorry for your loss, heartbreaking, thinking of you
 
Does he say why he is reluctant?
I think your reasoning is sound, maybe he hasn't understood why you are keen on this. Maybe he wasn't really listening!

e.t.a. I should also have said, I am sorry for your recent loss x
 
Sue and Smartie said:
Does he say why he is reluctant?
I think your reasoning is sound, maybe he hasn't understood why you are keen on this. Maybe he wasn't really listening!

e.t.a. I should also have said, I am sorry for your recent loss x
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I think it’s the cost. We’ve had some pricey vet bills and plus their corner makes the room look a bit *ahem* unkempt! And also I feed them, before everyone else/him. 😁😁😁
 
I am sorry to hear you have lost one of your piggies.
Explain you wouldn't want your youngster to be on her own and now would be a good time to find her a friend.
I just say I've seen/heard about/need/want and my partner says "where do you want to go, what time do you want me to take you", he's as piggie mad as I am!
 
We're probably the worst people to ask. Most of the time we're just minding our own business and the next thing we know we're driving home and there's guinea pigs on the back seat and we don't know how they got there 😅 (true story, it's happened to me 4 times now!)
 
I think explain your reasoning with regards getting a third companion. It is, in a way, more logical to do it now than wait a while down the line given her age.

I woke up one day and wanted another pair of piggies. I spoke to my husband (not in a demanding way) and he wasn’t happy about it. So I left it. But I did bring it up several more times. One day he said it seems I had decided so I could go ahead. I wanted a clear yes from him, which I did eventually get. When I went to see them, I loved them on sight (of course!). And when they came home, he was in love from the very beginning. We unfortunately lost one of the pair this year and I think he was as shocked as me - just not as emotional.

Perhaps the other thing to consider is bulking up the vet fund then speaking to him about it again. I can understand his view of them being expensive though. It’s a tough onen
 
So sorry you‘ve lost a piggie - I’ve had two cross the rainbow bridge in the last 6 weeks and it’s been traumatic! My heart goes out to you. I talk with my husband when a new pig is needed (or not!) but he’s come to accept that I will do whatever I want! I must admit, he is very encouraging though - but I think that’s because while I’m messing with my pigs, I’m leaving him alone to do his own thing!
 
I am so sorry for your loss :( Whenever I have wanted a new piggy, I have always explained that it’s for their benefit rather than my own and 3 piggies really isn’t any more work than two.

My eldest is 6 and a half and there is a 2-3 year age gap between him and Elizabeth.

Hubby agreed that I could have another piggy so that when Edward does pass, Elizabeth isn’t alone but Ella and Esme came as a pair and I am back up to 4 piggies :D but that’s my limit as my cage isn’t big enough for 5 and I have to consider vets bills etc

I can understand his reasoning behind the vets bills but offer to pay them yourself. I take my piggies to the vets to have their nails cut and I pay for that out of my own money. I also have money put aside for vets bills that again, I have saved up myself

Just explain to him that if you leave it until your eldest passes on, your youngest will be lonely and there may not be a suitable piggy available at that time which will cause more problems for the one left behind x
 
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I'm so sorry for your loss. It's always a shock - we all understand that 💕

3 isn't much more work than 2 (I have 3) but I bet he's seeing this as an unending piggy line-up. Rather than looking ahead to the point where 'you don't want any more pigs' try re-phrasing to 'you don't want pigs any more'. And you don't sound like you're there yet!

There are rescues which can arrange for a 'foster piggy' to live with your 'last' pig so they don't spend their life alone. Or rescues which can take in a 'last' pig and pair them up. Or people like me who mop up local 'last' pigs when looking for a newbie! But a new companion for your little sow will be more for her sake as she's so young and could have many, many years of life ahead. Explain that if he's truly had enough one day and wants a pig-free life you can rehome a pair (via a rescue, that will vet adoptees) as easily as a singleton and that will be that. Chances are he'll realise that's true and then just let you get on with it!

PS: We'll want pigtures 😉
 
My gut reaction to this post was "divorce him instantly" lol but maybe that's not practical!
If the vet bills are the issue maybe you could identify areas in your budget where you could cut down on expenditure a bit to free up money for piggies.
You might make a spreadsheet showing where you spend money and are willing to cut back, and also counter that by looking at areas where he spends money and won't be willing to cut back- and compare how much disposable income you each use for your hobbies.
If piggies are important to you they should be a priority, as much as whatever your husband likes to do best as a hobby.
Or you could suggest getting a more expensive pet or having an extra child or sponsoring a refugee or something that needs much more financial and emotional investment, and watch him suddenly want more guinea pigs!
Or you could divorce him lol :)
I am very lucky my husband is completely obsessed with guinea pigs too, it is perhaps his most endearing quality- he is just mad about guinea pigs and often suggests our 9 guinea pigs isnt quite enough piggies lol :)
 
My OH had never had pets as a child. When we first set up home together it took a lot of persuading before I could get our first cat, and he was a grouch about it until she walked out of the cat box on arrival. Then he was smitten :)
Then we moved, and I wanted a horse (we had a field so what else was I going to do with it?). Slightly less persuasion required that time. When our lovely cat died, he was the one who wanted to go straight to the cats' home & choose more. He has learned the joy of caring for animals (also the pain of loss) and is now hands on with them all.
Because he is doing some of the caring they have responded in a positive way to him, so the bond grows. But this sneaky campaign to get him on side took YEARS!
Costs can be a huge issue especially right now with everything going up and I can see his point about that. I like PigglePuggle's advice about really looking at your outgoings and working out what's important to you.
 
Hello, I'm sorry for your loss. I understand your reasoning and agree with you, however I can tell you I was/am in the same situation. Husband didn't want piggies and especially MORE piggies, but his only reason was that he feels the pain of loss too strongly and fears having to go through that again and again. He loves the piggies and he's become a great piggy dad, but I do understand his argument as well. When our senior piggy passed he was so distressed and still can't talk about him. Might this be a reason why your husband isn't keen?
 
It might also be worth considering if your husband might be more welcoming if you adopted a neutered boar?
Could be a gender thing, he might see lady pigs as ladies' pets, but if you brought home a little neutered boar he might find he has more in common with him- my husband has a very close bond with both our boars, he loves the lady pigs but it was our first little boar who really put the paw prints on his heart- boars often have hilariously straightforward personalities and like food, naps and pretending to be manly and dominant even though they aren't usually, and they are less complicated than lady pigs- they will adore anyone who brings food!
 
@PigglePuggle may well have a point. MrA is very tolerant of my need to keep piggies. But he has always had a much deeper bond with our neutered boars than with our sows (with the exception of our RB sow Holly who he did adore). When we have had (albeit fleeting) discussions in the past, I have explained about issues with planning for the future (succession planning) which has helped to put the whole idea into perspective so that there isn't one lone grieving piggy. I have also looked pragmatically at what the piggies have cost me and then compared that cost with what MrA's hobbies (archery and live music events) have cost over the years and when presented with the evidence the resistance level has always waned. Does your OH have any hobbies or interests that have costs attached @Louby ?
 
LunaticPoodle said:
Hello, I'm sorry for your loss. I understand your reasoning and agree with you, however I can tell you I was/am in the same situation. Husband didn't want piggies and especially MORE piggies, but his only reason was that he feels the pain of loss too strongly and fears having to go through that again and again. He loves the piggies and he's become a great piggy dad, but I do understand his argument as well. When our senior piggy passed he was so distressed and still can't talk about him. Might this be a reason why your husband isn't keen?
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No, he's only really attached to one of our piggies - the eldest one. The others really haven't interested him that much. He will occasionally put them out n the garden, or feed them for me, but usually when I am running late (so it makes his life easier if he helps me)!
 
PigglePuggle said:
It might also be worth considering if your husband might be more welcoming if you adopted a neutered boar?
Could be a gender thing, he might see lady pigs as ladies' pets, but if you brought home a little neutered boar he might find he has more in common with him- my husband has a very close bond with both our boars, he loves the lady pigs but it was our first little boar who really put the paw prints on his heart- boars often have hilariously straightforward personalities and like food, naps and pretending to be manly and dominant even though they aren't usually, and they are less complicated than lady pigs- they will adore anyone who brings food!
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It's a thought, but the only piggie he has ever really bonded with is our senior piggy (who is female). She's really fluffy and such a pretty pig. None of our other piggies have ever really appealed to him.
 
VickiA said:
@PigglePuggle may well have a point. MrA is very tolerant of my need to keep piggies. But he has always had a much deeper bond with our neutered boars than with our sows (with the exception of our RB sow Holly who he did adore). When we have had (albeit fleeting) discussions in the past, I have explained about issues with planning for the future (succession planning) which has helped to put the whole idea into perspective so that there isn't one lone grieving piggy. I have also looked pragmatically at what the piggies have cost me and then compared that cost with what MrA's hobbies (archery and live music events) have cost over the years and when presented with the evidence the resistance level has always waned. Does your OH have any hobbies or interests that have costs attached @Louby ?
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Our main hobbies are escorting our daughter to her various interests, these days! 😂😂
 
I often find that involvement and making him think it's actually his choice can help.

Me: Look at all these piggies that need a home. I really like piggy A - what do you think?
Husband: Oh no, I don't like piggy A at all - her hair is silly. Piggy B is much nicer. I love that black spot over his eye - he looks like a pirate.
Me: Hmm, you do have a point. I can't believe no one wants to adopt that sweet little pirate piggy.
Husband: I know - it's crazy isn't it.
Me: I am sure he is probably reserved now anyway as he is so handsome. Maybe I will just send a quick e-mail off to check.....
 
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