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Little Melvins rescue

I know it's not an ideal situation but Melvin will have some extra time to build up his weight and be in the best of health when he is neutered. I know that some people put a soft toy in the cage with their single piggies so that they have something to snuggle up to until they get a piggy friend.

You are doing an amazing job. Melvin must think he is in heaven. 😀
 
My friend came over today... she had pigs and rabbits and worked her whole life in rescues, vets, rspca,
She said Melvin not the full ticket... he may have low sight but not blind, he reacted to a shadows. She thinks he’s about 4, and from the state off his torn ragged ears not had it easy. Also she said he had never met his full growth potential and that in her opinion he would never survive the ordeal of neutering. He just sits, no noises, no zooming, nowhere fast. Bless him. So really feeling he may just have to be a loner.
Really sad tonight 😔
 
He may not have reached his full potential but I think discounting neutering is a little extreme. If he reaches the ‘right weight’ for him there’s no harm in going for it. Yes he’s older but there have been guinea pigs on here who’ve been neutered or spayed at an older age, and they have come through fine. And some who’ve come from bad beginnings and have thrived after some care.

I would say see how he is in some months and make a decision with your vet. It’s a difficult decision and honestly speaking I wouldn’t want to be in your position. I feel that you will ultimately make the right choice for him.
 
I can see how you feel disheartened but the option of a boar friend is still an option too. Our less dominant pig Pringle is a lovely chilled character and he puts up with his nutter brother pepper, I’m sure there may be some other older boars in a rescue just waiting for a friend!
 
Don't be disheartened. You have taken him from a dreadfull situation to a home with warmth, love, care, a filled water bottle and all the food he needs. Whatever happens in the future he is safe and comfortable which is most important right now. Whenever I see posts on this thread I think of your photo of him in all that warm clean hay and how good that must feel to him.
 
First thing I’ll say is that piggies do very well blind. I have a piggy who is fully blind, how they get on depends how long they’ve been blind. For the first few months, they’re in an adjustment period essentially. So you might notice a piggy to be more cautious and more jumpy. After that time, they’re perfectly fine. They come to know their surroundings without relying on sight. Sometimes they can have a minor set back, for example thinking no one is in the hidey and going in only to be greeted by an annoyed cage mate who has been woken up. This can startle the blind piggy and you might notice them being more wary and cautious for a few days. But then they’ll go right back to normal.

Second thing, he does look like his growth has been stumped. He has what looks to be a normal sized head but a small body in comparison. I’d recommend using the vet of the rescue near to you as mentioned a couple of pages ago on the thread. I think that vet will have seen a wider range of guinea pigs, such as drastically unhealthy ones that have been rescued. They may be able to give you a more informed and educated opinion than your friend and the vet you’re seeing purely because they’re a rescue vet. I think it would be worth doing. Try not to panic, if he can’t be neutered, that rescue will do their best to find him a suitable boar friend :)
 
I’ve had (through our rescue) dwarf piggies and neurological piggies. I’d recommend having him seen by a vet who’s experienced with exotics. The vets used by your nearest reputable rescue would be a good place to start as they will be able to give him a more detailed examination.
 
If he can't be neutered a quiet older boar may suit him. The rescue will be able to guide you. I do feel if he had a friend he would pick up no end once he is stronger and got used to being in a loving home. Don't feel sad you have made his life so much better.
 
Thanks all,
Just felt like a bit of a kick for both of us tbh. I have a silly picture in my mind of seeing him interacting and spending his old age with a best companion, doing their piggy thing in the sunshine on a warm beautiful day, tunnels and hay in a run, warmth and shade ect ect.... silly ideals but they are what I talk to him about and look forward to giving him. silly as it may be as I’m a adult, wish I kinda hadn’t seen her tbh she knocked on my door to chat as she passed by I showed him to her because she’s my friend but now wished I hadn’t.
Must be the grey January making me more sensitive and the fact Melvin is just Marvellous to me weather he’s “not quite right or not” x
 
Still tell him about it, still believe it and there will be a beautiful day! It is certainly not silly. Your love for him shines through, just as the sun will do one day. It does not matter if he is "not quite right", he is right for you (and us) and that's what counts. Maybe your 'friend' is not quite right - lol. Please do not feel disheartened, you have done wonders for Melvyn so far - so again, there will be that beautiful day xx
 
You have had a bit of an emotional rollercoaster these past few days.
Remember that you have given Melvin a wonderful chance of a great life.
Special piggies need special slaves which is exactly what Melvin has now.
Don’t get stressed out by not being able to get a companion immediately - the circumstances are beyond your control but lockdown won’t last forever.
Enjoy Melvin for who he is and remember there is always support here for you
 
No please don’t feel disheartened - you have rescued Melvin. You’re showing him love, giving him stable home and lots of good food ! It’s still early days and I think you’ll see how he is as each day passes. Enjoy him and know you were meant to be there THAT day to save him. Take each day as it comes and to quote munch monster ‘ your love shines thru just as the sun will do one day’ 🥰 We’ re all here for you and the marvellous Melvin
 
That future you want for him can still happen :)
Digby came to us about a month or two ago. He had been alone for 5 years and was now 6. He had major fear aggression issues due to being uncertain of how Little would act. Sort of a get him before he gets me mentality.
Little, our blind pig, is a very patient 6 year old. And I mean very very patient. He let Digby relentlessly hump him non stop (literally) for just over three hours straight. Normally, we’d have called the bonding quits but Digby was a special case.
Now they’re best friends, Digby loves the company even though he had a rocky start. Little had ended up being top pig which surprised us all given Digby’s extreme dominance during the bonding.
Don’t give up hope, there will be a match for him out there - whether that ends up being a sow or a patient older boar like Little.
 
Sometimes even good news can be a shock if we have to shift our direction of travel so hearing someone say something gloomy like that can make it very hard. Tomorrow you can ponder the future but maybe this evening you can take a leaf out of little Melvin's book and dwell in the present, because he so very nearly wasn't here at all. I'm not sure how you can tell a pig that has 'never met his full growth potential' from one who had been starved as an adult down to his birthweight - he's a miracle pig. And it sounds like he has some sight! If we can tell how much you love him through the virtual world he must surely know with you right there next to him. There will be the right companion out there - sow or boar - and the rescue will be the people to find them. And if he's still got a bit of weight to gain it's maybe good that he does it without feeling nervous about competition for food, at least for now!? There's always a ray of sunshine... we just have to find it 💕
 
Little Ones said:
That future you want for him can still happen :)
Digby came to us about a month or two ago. He had been alone for 5 years and was now 6. He had major fear aggression issues due to being uncertain of how Little would act. Sort of a get him before he gets me mentality.
Little, our blind pig, is a very patient 6 year old. And I mean very very patient. He let Digby relentlessly hump him non stop (literally) for just over three hours straight. Normally, we’d have called the bonding quits but Digby was a special case.
Now they’re best friends, Digby loves the company even though he had a rocky start. Little had ended up being top pig which surprised us all given Digby’s extreme dominance during the bonding.
Don’t give up hope, there will be a match for him out there - whether that ends up being a sow or a patient older boar like Little.
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Gosh I love this... and shows I need so much more guidance yet..... thank you! And just brilliant your perseverance through knowledge/experience has given a scared soul a wonderful friendship x
 
Free Ranger said:
Sometimes even good news can be a shock if we have to shift our direction of travel so hearing someone say something gloomy like that can make it very hard. Tomorrow you can ponder the future but maybe this evening you can take a leaf out of little Melvin's book and dwell in the present, because he so very nearly wasn't here at all. I'm not sure how you can tell a pig that has 'never met his full growth potential' from one who had been starved as an adult down to his birthweight - he's a miracle pig. And it sounds like he has some sight! If we can tell how much you love him through the virtual world he must surely know with you right there next to him. There will be the right companion out there - sow or boar - and the rescue will be the people to find them. And if he's still got a bit of weight to gain it's maybe good that he does it without feeling nervous about competition for food, at least for now!? There's always a ray of sunshine... we just have to find it 💕
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Thank you x just felt down earlier and like I’d been kicked in the wotsits. A bit. Don’t think I want her knocking on my door for a quick “hi” again for a while! I’m going to stick with Melvin as my lead as doing just fabulously as we are with the help of this wonderful forum x
 
Eyesight is thankfully the weakest of the guinea pig senses (it is our strongest in humans); piggies learn to compensate for its loss.

There is still a future and happiness for Melvin out there, whether it is a suitable female or male companion. You have saved his life and have made him happy beyond anything he could ever imagine. Everything more is just more decoration on an already iced cake. ;)

Perhaps my Mali's story will help you?
When I adopted her sight unseen as an emergency to help clear an urgently needed rescue cage for a large intake of piggies in a very bad state, she was newly bereaved (her companion had been blind), she was 5 years old and had been surrendered with a very heavy heart by her owners not being allowed to bring pets with them when moving into sheltered accommodation. She had herself by them started to develop cataracts; the sight on one side was already about 80% gone. She'd failed to integrate into the residential old ladies rescue group. Bonding here was not quite easy but my master diplomat Terfel managed to trot happily after her or let her trot after him and allowed her to mount him all day while ever so gently and carefully taking over the reigns before she even noticed. Once Mali realised that her two other female companions had the same eye problem (cataracts) as her, she dropped all reservations and happily joined in to become Tegyd's devoted sidekick. Her new piggy family gave her such a renewed zest of life that she lived for another 2 1/2 years to around her 8th birthday, happily creating new zooming scent loops until two days before her death; even though by that time she was so blind that she had to follow her nose and her arthritis had turned her running into more of a waddle.
You can see a video of her buzzing around, aged about 7 years in this video here: Wiebke's Tribe on Facebook Watch

My ever so skittish black Nosgan 'Nightsong' (because you never saw him and just heard him) who managed to bash in his eye on a grid the morning I was off to pick up a last minute added extra piggy surrender as a hopeful mate for him, so we had to drive up straight from the out-of-hours vet's with him in tow to a rescue fundraising event with loads of homebaked Christmas biscuit tins in the back of the car so I could give him his 9 lots of eye meds he needed daily in an attempt to save his eye (thankfully we did and he even regained a modicum of sight). Anyway, he and little happy-go-lucky Nye who joined us on the way home from the Christmas rescue fair became a very attached yin-yang bachelor pair; another piggy that arrived here pretty much sight unseen...
Kidsgrove Rescue Fair November 2016.-02_edited-2.jpg Kidsgrove Rescue Fair November 2016_edited-1.jpg

PS: Since Nosgan's death neutered Nye (my smallest husboar) is happily married to my largest sow who'd refused any other boar I introduced her to. Since Nosgan didn't have much interest in the ladies and never got on with any, the boys had been living in the next door pen to big Hyfryd and her daughter Hirael for a number of months without any problems. The girls loved to flirt with a very appreciative Nye through the bars!
Nosgan And Nye Roaming Video

Just to show you that there is still a future for Melvin out there, even if it may not quite happen as you would expect; especially not this year. But something will surely come his way... :)
 
Wiebke said:
Eyesight is thankfully the weakest of the guinea pig senses (it is our strongest in humans); piggies learn to compensate for its loss.

There is still a future and happiness for Melvin out there, whether it is a suitable female or male companion. You have saved his life and have made him happy beyond anything he could ever imagine. Everything more is just more decoration on an already iced cake. ;)

Perhaps my Mali's story will help you?
When I adopted her sight unseen as an emergency to help clear an urgently needed rescue for a large intake of piggies in a very bad state, she was newly bereaved (her companion had been blind), she was 5 years old and had been surrendered with a very heavy heart by her owners not being allowed to bring pets with them when moving into sheltered accommodation. She had herself by them started to develop cataracts; the sight on one side was already about 80% gone. She'd failed to integrate into the residential old ladies rescue group. Bonding here was not quite easy but my master diplomat Terfel managed to trot happily after her or let her trot after him and allowed her to mount him all day while ever so gently and carefully taking over the reigns before she even noticed1. Once Mali realised that her two other female companions had the same eye problem (cataracts) as her, she dropped all reservations and happily joined in to become Tegyd's devoted sidekick. Her new piggy family gave her such a renewed zest of life that she lived for another 2 1/2 years to around her 8th birthday, happily creating new zooming scent loops until two days before her death; even though by that time she was so blind that she had to sollow her nose and her arthritis had turned her running into more of a waddle.
You can see a video of her buzzing around, aged about 7 years in this video here: Wiebke's Tribe on Facebook Watch

My ever so skittish black Nosgan 'Nightsong' (because you never saw him and just heard him) who managed to bash in his eye on a grid the morning I was off to pick up a last minute added extra piggy surrender as a hopeful mate for him, so we had to drive up straight from the vet's to fundraising event with loads of homebaked Christmas biscuit tins in the back of the car so I could give him his 9 lots of eye meds he needed daily in an attempt to save his eye (thankfully we did and he even regained a modicum of sight). Anyway, he and little happy-go-lucky Nye who joined us on the way home from the Christmas rescye fair became a very attached yin-yang bachelor pair; another piggy that arrived here pretty much sight unseen...
View attachment 163919 View attachment 163915

PS: Since Nosgan's death neutered Nye is happily married to my largest sow who'd refused any other boar I introduced her to. Since Nosgan didn't have much interest in the ladies and never got on with any, the boys had been living in the next door pen to big Hyfryd and her daughter Hirael for a number of months without any problems. The girls loved to flirt with a very appreciative Nye through the bars!
Nosgan And Nye Roaming Video

Just to show you that there is still a future for Melvin out there, even if it may not quite happen as you would expect; especially not this year. But something will surely come his way... :)
Click to expand...
Thank you, so much for sharing your stories and videos! It all helps so much to have such a wonderful forum full of so many like minded piggy mad people with so much information and experience x I appreciate this form untold
 
Ali-bongo said:
Thank you, so much for sharing your stories and videos! It all helps so much to have such a wonderful forum full of so many like minded piggy mad people with so much information and experience x I appreciate this form untold
Click to expand...

Just be patient and continue to make Melvin happy as he is. Age and state are irrevelant; joy of life and happy days matter - and you are giving those to him already. At some point some kind of opportunity that is right for him will come his way.
 
How lucky Melvin is to have you and a loving home now. He does look so happy in his abundant hay!

I have only had un-neutered boars (9 over the past 11 years). Boar-pairs can form close bonds and be very sweet together and thankfully I've never had to make the difficult decision to have any neutered. I agree that a gentle (perhaps older) boar could be a wonderful friend for Melvin. A reputable rescue will be able to help when rehomings can commence.

Please give Melvin a little chin-stroke for me. He's gorgeous :luv:
 
He looks so amazing now, just caught up! ❤️
Try not to feel disheartened, my Jasper who I rehomed in September was quite underweight (nowhere near poor Melvin though!), had been picked on for over two years by his cagemate who then beat him up pretty badly. He has lots of little scars and ripped ears, he’d been fed pellets and that was it, no hay or veg!
He’s since put on over 250g, is much more settled and now after fattening him up and getting him healthy, had his neutering op (we had to wait weeks due to Covid but he just spent that time munching and having fun after being alone for three months in a garden!), has a little wife and is a very happy chap! I think it was actually quite good for him just to have a bit of ‘alone time’ to sort his little head out after his bad past and eat what he wanted without another pig pinching it all to be honest!
Like others have said too, piggies cope brilliantly with sight loss and blindness. I’ve had a piggy that was completely blind due to cataracts and he coped amazingly, my boar Luigi was also diagnosed with cataracts not long ago and he’s losing his sight in both eyes atm. He was very quiet for a few weeks but he’s now adjusting so well, you wouldn’t even know if his eyes hadn’t changed colour! Still an utter pig and knows where the food is at all times! :nod:
All the best with him, you’ve done an amazing thing taking him on and he looks so much healthier and happier :luv: x
 
How is Melvin getting on? I was thinking about him earlier when I heard my cousin has got a puppy for her children. I can see their piggies being forgotten about like poor Melvin.☹️
 
Can't believe I missed this thread. What a stunning boy Melvin is! Totally unrecognisable from the scrap of bones and fluff you picked up back in December! I'm so glad he has you as his Hooman. Whatever you decide for his future will be the right thing because it will have been made out of love.
 
Hello all!
I'm so sorry for a long delay in posting, an up date! Life has been so busy...

So Melvin was doing fine, eating like a pig.. tee hee, and getting all the attention from the family as possible.
He still wasn’t really bothered by his new indoor house with a mezzanine floor, garden view and fleece carpet mainly sat in same spot day in day out but seemed as content as we could keep him. Untill........
My friend (who some of you may remember and left me upset) txt me to give me a number of a lady who in her own time rescued, and rehomed unwanted pigs and had recently helped a guineapig rescue by fostering about 20 pigs from them to make way for new surrenders.
She had said she would be happy to take Melvin and over a few days find him a mate.... so I chatted at great deal with her, over FT and discussed a lot and in the end trusted her and her knowledge enough to take My Melvin to see her.
she had so many friends for him to try.... from really old boys to tiny babies.....
and he found one he loved 🥰

We spoke each day untill day4 she rang me to say “ I think he’s picked a friend, I’ve put them in a hutch together now and he’s cuddled up with him
So. I went to get him! Not knowing what to find and so excited to meet melvins mate and I burst into tears!
sat cuddled up to him munching away in a pile of hay was this fluff white and brown fluff bomb.A 5 week old pink nosed boy
We’ve named him Peawee Petey! He’s the happiest popcorning little boy, and that’s Melvin! He makes noises! and runs! And eats and is like a baby himself......
We swapped from fleece to care fresh as they are smelling quicker between hutch changes. I’m aware they may be tests along the way as pee wee grows but I’m feeling prepared and have help ready
touch wood 🪵 so far so very good.
pics to follow
 
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