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My Journey With "an Evil Pig"

Haylee25

New Born Pup
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Hello!
My name is Hayley and i would like to share my experience thus far as a guinea pig owner to give new pet parents a new perspective on raising boars and/or sows. My first interaction with a guinea pig was when i started my job in pet care at my local Petsmart. We were a brand new store at the time and i was excited to gain more experience with exotic animals.
A couple months into the job we received another bunch of cavies to sell. One of the piggies immediately became an issue. He would bite and attack any cage mate we placed in with him. After four incidents he was removed from the floor and put in a smaller enclosure in the back. A lot of the staff would barely interact with him and dubbed him as an evil pig. I was a bit fearful but made a point to interact with him and give him exposure to human contact. Eventually, i adopted him out of the store and began my journey with the little pest ( i say that in a loving manner).
When i brought him home his age was an estimated five months old and he was very under his recommended weight limit. Additionally, he was quiet and didn't seem to move a lot. At the time i admit that i had limited knowledge on the species and made some mistakes. I first purchased a Petsmart cage for him and a month or so in I learned that he needed a minimum space of 7 square feet of space. I upgraded his habitat and began to look at different sources and youtube channels for a better understanding on how to really care for my beloved pest. I began the process of feeding him fresh veggies on a daily basis and monitored his food intake. He was also allowed an hour of free roaming in my bedroom every other day. As time went on he began to trust me and would allow me to hold, pet, and feed him treats. Additionally, the changes i made helped him gain weight and he became less lethargic. However, i was still worried about him and would often check on him every chance i got, even if was 3am in the morning. I brought him to several different vets who all claimed he was "fine."
After a lot of debating i began to look into finding a play mate. I read countless posts, articles, and manuals. On two different occasions he became extremely aggressive with any piggy i tried to introduce and i had to return them to their previous living situation. As time passed my piggy appeared to be improving slightly, but he wasn't up to my standards of a healthy, happy animal. He was very anxious and didn't eat without me in the room with him and remained completely silent.
A few months later, three new born boars and one sow were ditched in front of my work in the freezing cold and motherless. I took the runt of the bunch back to my home. I was able to get him to trust me and put a little weight on him. I still decided to introduce the baby to my piggy, before taking him to a local shelter. I did not expect it to work out. When Percy ( my current pig) met the little runt i was ready to provide immediate damage control. After him fighting with six other cage mates i expected them to not get along. After a five minute introduction, Percy was like i have never seen him before. He was speaking, and moving with vigor. I wanted to cry seeing him so content. He would purr and would popcorn so often i felt guilty for not introducing them sooner. Today, a few weeks later they both are attached at the hip and are truly happy, healthy pigs. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN EVIL, UNSOCIABLE GUINEA PIG . I remain with the belief that some piggies are just picky about who they chose to lead their life with.
 
That is so lovely.
Good for you - they are very lucky piggies.
Pictures please.
Welcome to the forum
 
A very compelling story as to why all piggies need company even if it is through a divider.I'm so pleased that this piggy found his way to you.if he had been sent to a shelter as a biter,the consequences could have been very different.:hug:
 
Welcome to the forum to you and your wonderful piggys. It's aways lovely to hear a happy ending.
 
Glad that he has found you! Sadly still far too many boars become victims of human ignorance; too many pay with loneliness and some in the US even with their lives if they end up in shelter labelled as 'biters'. :(

A number of my neutered boars that now live the happiest of boar lives are fallen-out or in some cases difficult to bond boars that were lucky to end up in a good rescue. There are only very few guinea pigs that do not at least enjoy living alongside others.

I am currently still in the process of finding the right mate for a dumped sow that has obviously never lived with another piggy in her previous life and has not the first clue about handling social interactions. Until then she is living alongside my other piggies with plenty of interaction through the bars. Just waiting for the right piggy coming along to rescue date with her.
 
Awww lovely story - they are lucky to have you x
 
Thanks for sharing your lovely story!

There are no evil pigs. Just like humans, they are choosy who they'll be living with for years. I have a very naughty sow who would always be a nuisance and cause troubles to the other 2 I have but I still love her very much!
 
What a beautiful and heart warming story @Haylee25. What a lucky piggy to have such a lovely piggy slave. Look forward to hearing more of Percy's and his friend's antics!

Welcome to the Forum!
 
What a lovely story. Thanks for adopting the 2 boars to become friends.
 
I want to thank you all for your warm welcomes and comments. I wanted to put my experience out there and hopefully change people’s misconceptions about pig behavior and lifestyle. I notice most owners are sadly not informed and many Guinea pig’s have been deemed evil for the wrong reasons. I have attached a photo of their current cage for anyone interested.

B63E380F-76D7-42E4-8CE6-E6EDB58408A5.webp
 
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