I did it! I now have 14 piggies!

Featheryfriend

Featheryfriend

Junior Guinea Pig
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So, today I was able to help six guinea pigs in urgent need of a new home. They're a little scraggly and a little smelly but otherwise seem to be in fighting form. First thing on the agenda tomorrow is probably some baths and haircuts!

The little red-eyed white is mostly blind according to the vet, I'm told, but she seems to get around just fine.

I love them already. 😍❤

I don't think they've been anywhere, but I'm thinking I will probably observe them for a while before allowing them in the same room as my other piggies, just to be extra cautious. I'll read up on quarantine guidelines.
 

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Aaaand here comes the first vet bill already, lol. I was trimming the mop of hair off of the blonde texel and saw that she had rather sore and crusty nipples, and I've heard that crusty nipples equal ovarian cysts. So she needs to be spayed sometime soon so she can be more comfortable. Her previous human says she got a clean bill of health from the vet in February so the problem must be relatively recent, at least.

She looks and feels so much better now with her summer haircut, though! She seems to be strong and in good shape otherwise. Just gotta take care of those crusty nips.
 

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Aw what a lovely looking new herd you have there. Keep is informed as to what the vet says on the blond texel. It's a good idea to have all new piggies vet checked anyway.

A lot of us have a vet fund where we save up a bit each Month into a separate account so when those unexpected bills arrive just before payday we can afford them without having to rely too much on the credit card. If you don't have a vet fund, it may be an idea to start one with so many piggies.

Have they got names yet?
 
That's exactly what I was going to start doing! 😊Don't want to beat up the credit card too much. I am planning on taking everyone in at once for a routine check pretty soon. I asked the vet if they have a bulk discount! (Spoiler, they don't.) 😂 But now I'll probably focus the $ on this issue first, since everyone else appears perfect.

I'm thinking of naming the blonde texel Sassafras. I've kinda got a botanical theme going. The others I'm not of sure yet. 🤔
 
I would book all the new ones in at the same time if I were you. I take it they’re all sows? And do you know if they were in with any males in their previous home? And how old are they all?

They’ve landed a good home, that’s the important thing. Gorgeous bunch of fluff 😍😍
 
Siikibam said:
I would book all the new ones in at the same time if I were you. I take it they’re all sows? And do you know if they were in with any males in their previous home? And how old are they all?

They’ve landed a good home, that’s the important thing. Gorgeous bunch of fluff 😍😍
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Yes they're all sows, I double triple checked. 👍🏻 They've been in a bonded herd together for a while, no boars. They range from 1 to 3 years old. I got it mixed up who was what age but I'm in contact with their previous human so I'll get that written down soon. She told me all about their personalities and group dynamics as well. She was taking good care of them until recently when she became physically disabled due to a car wreck and things went downhill. 😥
 
Though speaking of the bonded herd part, I am seeing a little bit of bullying between certain pigs. Some are very, very demure and some are very, very feisty so we've got a broad range of personalities coexisting. I've got at least one big dominant food hog who might need to be fed in a seperate corner. 😂 I'll give them time to settle into their new environment and get used to the new routine before I pass any judgements, but perhaps they might benefit from a breakup down the line. I'm kinda hoping at least a couple of them will be compatible with my lone pair of sows, Parsley and Sage, so they can also live the herd life.
 
Just snapped a decent picture of Miss Food Hog. My family and friends keep asking "what's wrong with her face?" but it's just an optical illusion with the black and white making her look like a Picasso. 🤣
 

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Featheryfriend said:
Though speaking of the bonded herd part, I am seeing a little bit of bullying between certain pigs. Some are very, very demure and some are very, very feisty so we've got a broad range of personalities coexisting. I've got at least one big dominant food hog who might need to be fed in a seperate corner. 😂 I'll give them time to settle into their new environment and get used to the new routine before I pass any judgements, but perhaps they might benefit from a breakup down the line. I'm kinda hoping at least a couple of them will be compatible with my lone pair of sows, Parsley and Sage, so they can also live the herd life.
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When piggies enter a new environment they need to re-establish the hierarchy. It works from the top down so that is what you are seeing.
 
Betsy said:
When piggies enter a new environment they need to re-establish the hierarchy. It works from the top down so that is what you are seeing.
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It just seems a wee bit more intense than the usual reestablishing. Maybe they're just more intense piggies than I'm used to!
 
Vegetable_Monster said:
£300 at my vets for just a checkup on 6 pigs 🤪
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It'll be about $950 / £670 for all 14 here. 🤪 I really feel like I get my money's worth however, my vet is thorough. They've definitely caught/diagnosed some things that I couldn't have just easily seen or felt for myself so I appreciate them a lot.
 
Vegetable_Monster said:
You cant put a value on a life. If you can afford it, go for it. 👍 My boiler recently cost me £500 to be repaired. I'd love to smash the living daylights out of it and
Add that money for vet bill savings instead
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Side note, living in Arizona my whole life I had to look up what you meant by a boiler and what they do. 😂 Your house actually gets cold and you have to warm it up? Lol.
 
What lovely piggies!

Hopefully they are just sorting themselves and their hierarchy out in a new environment and they can remain together but its something to keep an eye on. You seem to have a good back up plan though if they do need to be split.

Let us know how things go
 
Piggies&buns said:
What lovely piggies!

Hopefully they are just sorting themselves and their hierarchy out in a new environment and they can remain together but its something to keep an eye on. You seem to have a good back up plan though if they do need to be split.

Let us know how things go
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Will do! Yeah, there's many possible options for how they can be housed and who with. I've gotten so many free c&c cage parts and pieces of coroplast in addition to what I've bought that I'm now contemplating building a 3-story Pig Empire in the living room, haha. That'll be something.
 
There's some good light coming in the window now and they let me get a few close-ups. 😄

The black & white texel is the oldest at 3 years of age and she is the mother of Sassafras, who I learned is 2. I got her coat trimmed too, but not as well since she was much more wiggly, so I'm going to give it another go later. I think I'm going to name her Pepper.

I realized the blind one is actually a Teddy and not an American shorthair. She feels a little crispy, haha. Her name is already Cotton which suits her perfectly. She is 18 months.

The white Aby with the orange around the eyes is a bit of a wild one! She plays a solid game of keep-away when she doesn't want to be picked up. Fortunately, I am an expert piggy catcher. She is 2 and I'm naming her Buttercup.

Miss Food Hog McFunnyface is probably going to be named Pistachio, as she deserves some dignity. 😂 She has a cute light blonde spot on her flank. I'm curious to find out how much she weighs soon. Seems rather dense and muscular for her size. She is 2.

I haven't thought of a name for Miss Skinny Pig yet. Any ideas? Something vaguely plant-related. She is 18 months. I think she might be the bottom-ranked pig due to her small size and mild nature. I love the sound it makes when she shakes her head and her ears flap around.
 

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Oh lord have mercy on my little soul, I just got a response on a casual inquiry I made like two weeks ago. I'd almost forgotten about it. Someone else is having a crisis, related to housing, and has been forced to keep their 3 guinea pig sows outside at friends place in the blazing summer heat. It's been like 105+ degrees F here. I happen to have the habitat space/building materials for exactly 3 more and that's it. The inn will be at capacity. I literally cannot take on any more after that and meet or exceed housing space guidelines. I guess I'm basically a guinea pig rescue now? My heart is absolutely racing from the mild terror of so much responsibility for so many lives. They're getting dropped off tomorrow. I know they will be better off with me than where they are now. That I can promise. Let's get those babies inside in the air conditioning. 🥺

My girlfriend is going to be so super peeved... but she'll get over it... oh. my. God. I need to lie down. This is a lot of guineas. This is probably the nuttiest thing I've ever done. But I know I can do it. I'm not even religious, but please pray for me. 😅

I'm going to be doing so much pig laundry. On the bright side, there will be SO MUCH fertilizer for my mom's garden that I probably won't even have to buy any cilantro or leafy greens...
 
Whew, okay, I've caught my breath and now I'm just working on getting ready for the piggies. Someone came by with two huge bags of pig gear and fleece so that'll help immensely. 💛 I'm going to have 17 pigs. Nobody bring me any more! 😅

Does anyone know of anyone else on here with a herd that size or larger? I'd love to have a quick chat with them and ask for any advice they might have.
 
I save £300.00 a month for my vet fund.you need to learn to say no,as I had to rehome some piggies because it was to much.my limit is 20 piggies.it is a lot of work and you need to be organised.I'm feeding 2 separate piggies 4hourly syringe feeding each,this is long term at present. So please be realistic with what you cope with.it is very rewarding.i have 8 six feet cages I have to clean out,I use disposable bedding,as the washing of fleece was too much for me.that costs £60.00 a month for bedding!.
 
Vegetable_Monster said:
That's a lot of nail cutting. 17 pigs = 238 nails. By the time you finished the last, the first will need doing again 🤪 that makes me feel tired, even if you have 17 pigs that don't squirm much. 🐛
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"238 nails omg" has actually been playing in my head already! I texted my sister "Holy cow I'm going to trimming 238 nails." 😂 Luckily the 8 more established pigs are all very well behaved about it. Additionally, I have someone else to hold them while I just focus on clipping. I'm going to be clipping the new herd of 6's today so we'll see how they do. And the incoming 3 just had baths and nail clips yesterday so they'll be set for a little while.
 
eileen said:
I save £300.00 a month for my vet fund.you need to learn to say no,as I had to rehome some piggies because it was to much.my limit is 20 piggies.it is a lot of work and you need to be organised.I'm feeding 2 separate piggies 4hourly syringe feeding each,this is long term at present. So please be realistic with what you cope with.it is very rewarding.i have 8 six feet cages I have to clean out,I use disposable bedding,as the washing of fleece was too much for me.that costs £60.00 a month for bedding!.
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I'm definitely hanging up the "no vacancy" sign after this. If any more somehow manage to come my way, I will just be cleaning them up and adopting those out. I definitely am feeling the need for a rigid organized schedule already, I have alarms going off on my phone for pig things and I am working on making some charts.

I once syringe fed and medicated 8 sick birds several times a day/night for period of several months. That was a long long time ago, when I was only 13 or 14 years old, I was very proud of myself. So I feel you there on the syringe feeding situation. Lots of work.
 
Featheryfriend said:
Whew, okay, I've caught my breath and now I'm just working on getting ready for the piggies. Someone came by with two huge bags of pig gear and fleece so that'll help immensely. 💛 I'm going to have 17 pigs. Nobody bring me any more! 😅

Does anyone know of anyone else on here with a herd that size or larger? I'd love to have a quick chat with them and ask for any advice they might have.
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Hi, l have 28 piggies 3 neutered boars, 25 girls. 26 is the big herd,that live in "the hutch" ,a 14 foot x 12 foot summerhouse,and are free range over about a 1/3 acre of lawns, plus forage, fresh hay 24/7, vegs in winter, My vets budget is £400 a month, which can get eaten up very quickly. You really have to think very hard about taking on multiple piggies. Piggies l take in are here though no fault of theirs, l give them forever homes and do not rehome them ever, males are neutered, l do not breed them, but have had babies born here, missexed ,careless owners, had 7 females hand to me by my vet,all were expecting, 22 babies in all. Most were females, 3 boys, which were neutered when 6 months old,£80 + extras each. And need extra care till healed, the list gos on.
 
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