Looking to rescue

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Alice2

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Hi,
I'm new here and am hoping to get opinions on my intentions to adopt a group of piggies.
I am looking at rehoming a group of pigs as I have the space, and am looking at rehoming those that are currently kept as solitory unwanted pets/pairs that again are unwanted and live in pokey cages (those found on gumtree for example) . My concern is time... I have room to give them lots of space (say a homemade permanent enclosure of 3.5 meters wide x 4 meters long), time to keep them clean and well fed and money for vets as needed. What I don't have is time to sit with them/play with them, but they would have each other. I realise introductions take time and don't always work, but if I am able to group female pigs does this sound like a good quality of life for them? Is it unfair to leave them to it so long as they are clean etc or should they be handled daily? They would live inside an out building which is dry and draft free. There is access to electricity if needed although their beds would be stuffed with hay/heat pads in winter. My second question is would living in a large enclosure like this still require an outdoor area on the grass in the warm months? Is it unfair to keep them inside either all of or most of the time? Thoughts would be appreciated. I have had pigs previously a long time ago but do not currently have any. Thanks
 
Welcome to the Forum
:wel:

I think your idea is lovely and it sounds like you are really taking the time to think things through carefully.

In answer to your question about human interaction, my own personal expereince would be that as long as piggies have piggy companions, human interaction on a daily basis isn't that important.
There are exceptions to this rule (we have a piggy who craves human company) but in general I feel they are happiest interacting with their own kind.
The other caveat would be a weekly weigh and health check.
Even for piggies who aren't handled daily, I do feel it is important to make time to pick them up, check them over and weigh them weekly. Both of the guinea pigs we have lost recently looked outwardly fine, but the weekly health check revealed weight loss and a small lump.

As for living in an outbuilding I also don't think this would be a problem as long as they have fresh air and natural light. We have lots of member though who have a piggy shed and have managed to attach an outdoor run to be used in good weather. That might be something to investigate.

However (and this really is just my personal opinion) I feel that given what you plan to try and do, you might be better at least setting up an initial group by working directly with a rescue.
This supports a worthwhile cause, it gives you back up and support ,and ensures you don't burn through your entire vet fund in the first month by taking on piggies with a host of medical issues from owners who are just looking to dump their problem onto someone else.
So I would start by approaching a rescue to discuss your idea and seeing if they have any suggestions.
Supporting rescues also inadvertently supports owners who no longer want their piggies, but have chosen the responsible path when it comes to finding them a new home.

Good luck and please do let us know what you decide to do - it sounds like a very exciting project.
 
Hello, welcome to the forum.

Our indoor girls never go outside there is no issue with that and if you have a huge enclosure they won’t need run time either as their living accommodation is more than enough space for them to exercise and move around in.

First off start slowly, piggies are a commitment especially a financial one with vet bills but also unexpected time commitments at times in their lives so that needs factoring in. We used to have four piggies in a group it was so much fun but a one time two were poorly at same time - this became very stressful with both needing syringe feeding at same time and this was extremely time consuming and became physically draining as well as emotionally. So while piggies would be fine without much human interaction and be happy with their friends as you say you wouldn’t have the time to sit and pet them that’s okay jay the aware that at some time possibly they will need time for nursing and the more piggies you have the more time that may take depending on illnessess.

What I am trying to say is it sounds like you can give some piggies a nice home, just factor in that at some point time commitments happen and have to be provided so they have to fit your circumstances.

Hope that helps
 
Sounds like a plan to give some piggies a lovely home... I agree that contacting a local rescue is a good idea. Mine are indoor piggy's and dont go outside - I feel guilty about this at times but it's just the way they live and are happy... x
 
Hi, thank you for your replies. Regarding checking them on an at least weekly basis, I would definitely do this. I wouldn't have thought to weigh them necessarily, but this is a very good point and I will encorporate this and invest in some suitable scales!
I can't attach a run to the building however, I can get a large freestanding run to put on the lawn in the summer. I could probably put them in it a few times a week for a couple of hours at a time. This is dependent on my work commitments as I'd need to be around when their out as I live in the country and have seen foxes during the day. The run would have a roof and I would weigh it down with bricks and be close by. I also have dogs who would bark at them so would need to be kept indoors whilst the pigs were outside so they are left in peace. Also catching them could be interesting as they will not necessary be tame, so the time it will take chasing them around getting them into and out of a run could be a factor.
Regarding linking up with a rescue this is something I will look at. My only initial thought is that those pigs already taken in are safe/looked after, whereas those being given up are not necessarily being taken care of that well/or being given everything they need, so in some ways I think getting those makes a bigger difference to them if that makes sense, although I take on your point about vet bills.
Regarding the proposed size of the run, how many do you think could live in that space? I know this is also pending introductions and how they get on. From what I know I would be looking at a group of girls maybe with one neutered male, as I understand multiple makes cannot live together, with females at least is that right?
 
Could you please check out this page on Instagram: mainelyratrescue the first post about rehoming 3 pigs
If you live in the US near CT this trio might be perfect
 
Sorry I'm in the UK! Thanks for the message though :)
 
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