Mummy, can I stay at Uncle Dindys a bit longer?

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Dindypig

Dindypig

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Some time ago Wiebke and I were discussing Caron and her problems with The Tribe. Sometimes when a herd has new piggies join or the herds make-up changes for some reason, the whole dynamics of the herd can change. In Caron's case it changed for the worst. The short story is that she began to be bullied and started to lose weight. Wiebke tried everything she knew to try and bring Caron's weight up and Wiebke knows a lot about herd dynamics. Eventually Wiebke accepted my offer to let Caron have a holiday here at Dindy Towers in a smaller and more laid back group. We agreed that if she didn't settle or integrate with Tufty and crew that she would return to Mummy.
I am very happy to say that Caron is steadily putting on weight (some would say that's not difficult at Dindy Towers), and integrating with Tufty, Cupcake (Caron's Lymmington rescue sister), Lucy and Patty at a steady pace. The initial dominance face off's have been dealt with and we are fairly confident that all is progressing nicely.
I will hand you over to Caron now



Hello Mummy, this is my lovely holiday chalet, it's on the same level as all the other piggies houses so that I can see them all the time. I am being visited by The ASBO Twins, they seem a nice pair of boys.




The food here is excellent Mummy, I'm having tea in my chalet tonight as it's my first night and Uncle Dindy says that we all need to get used to each other a little longer before we all eat together.




I have some more visitors today Mummy. These are The Beanies, I think they must be very old because they don't have much hair left. They are mad, running around popcorning everywhere.




Look Mummy, Tufty is being very nice to me on Alison's lap. He's quite dashing don't you think.




Teatime is so relaxed here Mummy, this is Tufty, Cuppers, me, Patty and Lucy. We're all eating quite civilised at the moment but I'm sure that will change when we get to know each other more.




I'm getting on with everyone quit well now but still unsure where I stand with Cupcake. I thought I would show you that we can actually share our space quite well when we want.




We have lots of fun here Mummy, one of our favourite games is marching around the floor with Colonel Tuffington.




Well Mummy, I think it's nice here. Can I stay a little longer? I don't want this holiday to end, in fact I think I could live here forever.


Thank you Wiebke for trusting me with your little girl, I consider it an honour that you have done so.
 
Well Caron you appear to having a lovely holiday at Uncle Dindy's house! I am glad to see you are eating lots and keeping good company and I am sure your Mummy will be happy too!

They say change is a s good as a rest so enjoy it!
 
Oh that it just so lovely and sweet to see. What a great holiday you are having ^_^

Amy
x
 
It's great Caron is enjoying her holiday at Uncle Dindy's, her mummy must be very pleased. Some lovely photos there really showing their interactions and of course some Caron double Chookies at the end :))
 
sport_billy said:
It's great Caron is enjoying her holiday at Uncle Dindy's, her mummy must be very pleased. Some lovely photos there really showing their interactions and of course some Caron double Chookies at the end :))
Click to expand...

Caron is quite the chookie girl, she even lays with her front paws out beyond her chin.
 
It was a very heart-breaking and upsetting decision for me to let Caron go to another place to see whether she would be happier there!

Unfortunately, I have been dealing with a multilayered, very complicated situation in the Tribe over the last couple of months; the bullying (which broke out during the heatwave) was unfortunately only one aspect of it! I ended up with having to find individual solutions for three difficult sows.
Thankfully, Nesta ("Ms ASBO" ) did pair up with the other Tribe teddy Nerys ("Mrs Grumpy", who has been plagued by a recurring skin problem this year and who failed to bond with either my elderlies Troop or the cataract Train), even though it has meant starting a permanent fourth group for me.
That still left me with Caron, who unfortunately had lost her own bid for top spot when Ffwlbri took over from Nia in the winter and had ended up at the bottom of the Tribe together with the former leader Nia. Sadly, Caron didn't pick up any weight she'd lost in the three weeks after Nesta had been removed and a trial meeting with the (dominant) elderlies husboar Bryn wasn't too promising. I had Caron thoroughly checked by my vet and had been advised to consider letting her go to another group if things didn't improve for her.

Dindypig not only has another girl from the same Lymington rescue action that used to be very close with Caron (Cupcake), but he also has a very similar generous set-up and roaming lifestyle to my own. His group has sadly lost their matriarch this year and doesn't have a very dominant leader.
Even if it hadn't worked out, Caron's "holiday" in a slightly different setting has reveiled a new side to her personality and it would have given me a new direction to take with her in order to make her happy. I am glad that Caron did walk herself into her new life at her own pace; she has made herself quite at home right from the start. Dindypig has been very careful to remove or minimise any of Caron's particular trigger points and situations during the introduction phase and he has been very kind to keep me constantly updated over the last three weeks.

I am ever so glad to see Caron happy and well again, and even up to some of her old sly tricks, which have got her into so much trouble with the Tribe!

Of course, I am most grateful to Dindypig for the excellent love and care that he has given and is giving to my precious girl; Caron couldn't be in a better place! A BIG thank you from me!

Keeping a fully operational big guinea group as closely to their natural instincts and behaviour over any length of time brings great joy, but the dynamics change over time and can give you truly major headaches, as like in a human group, not everypig will get on with everyone all the time. The intricate social life is fascinating, but also challenging to cope with. I have had this group for 4 years now, with young ambitious piggies slowly coming up through the ranks. Nerys is the last of the surviving original piggies to leave the Tribe.

PS: The rescue Caron is from has been informed within 12 hours of us deciding to give it a try and has been able to home check before any bonding went ahead.

PS2: I am also happy to say that Nerys' skin problem has calmed down considerably and will hopefully say good bye completely soon!
 
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Well done to you Wiebke. It's so hard to see them unhappy and even harder to find a way to let them go to somewhere they are happier.

Having had to rehome Arran to a friend after his massive bust up with Suilven, I struggled for ages with that decision but now he's happily bonded with a wifey pig and having a whale of a time and I can still visit them for cuddles.

It's hard but there is nothing better than a happy healthy pig even though sometimes it's not where we thought they'd be!
 
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