Piggylove82
Adult Guinea Pig
Well, so much has happened!
Milly, one of my beautiful piggies, passed away Monday 16 March. Her sister Molly was still trying to keep her dead body warm when I went to feed them in the morning before I went to work. Milly was always the braver girl, and Molly always seemed to need reassurance from Milly. My heart broke, as all of our hearts break when we lose a piggy
. This is the last picture I have of them both, taken two days before Milly left us. Milly seemed to have lost her sight the week running up to this, so it was as if Molly stepped into the role of carer and protector.
Knowing I would need to find a new friend for Molly, I looked into local rescues. Molly herself came from the adoption centre at Pets at Home 3 years ago this April, given up because their owner didn't want them any more. My pigs are outdoors. They have a well made, solid, sturdy double storey hutch, 6ft x 2ft, acrylic windows to keep the wind and rain out. But this time of year, most pigs in rescue are being kept indoors, and understandably my options are limited regarding available pigs I can adopt.
I came across the Coseley Guinea Pig Rescue, and Reta had a pair of one year old girls who had been previously living outdoors and had been surrendered to her because their teenage owner didn't have time for them any more. I loved them as soon as I saw them. One was called Millie and the other (Bramble) was an agouti like my Milly had been. Something told me I was going to adopt these girls whether Molly liked them or not. So I brought them both home...
I set up my run in the garage for the 3 of them to meet, but long story short, there was a lot of confrontation between Molly and new young Millie. So I divided the hutch into two separate floors and Molly stayed on the upper floor, with Bramble and Millie living on the lower floor. I was lucky to get these girls, Reta closed the rescue centre to rehoming (due to Covid19) the same afternoon I collected them.
There are limited rescues near me, the next nearest that had guinea pigs was the RSPCA Walsall and when I enquired, they had a single neutered boar called Shrimp, who had been transfered from a branch in Wales. He was currently fostered and was living in a shed so could be housed outdoors. Because of the Covid19 situation, they were unable to do a dating session, so it was a bit of a gamble if he and Molly would get along. I decided I'd adopt him and was told although it was likely they would close down the rehoming side of things, that if things didn't work out I could return him. I went to collect him last Monday. The handover was a social distancing one. I had to put the carrier down on the foster carer's doorstep and step back while they opened the door and took the carrier inside, then returned with Shrimp inside it. The RSPCA closed down rehoming later that day. I brought him home and it was love at first sight...
His ear had been damaged and he was quite a timid boy. Just needed some love and to be able to trust people...
When I set up the run in the garage, I put the carrier (containing Shrimp) in and let Molly and Shrimp be aware of each other before I opened the door of the carrier. She went over and teeth chattered for a few seconds and he went from being a quiet boy keeping himself to himself to chewing the bars on the door!
After a few minutes I unlocked the door and let him take his time coming out into the run. He sniffed Molly quite a lot and followed her, attempted mounting her a few times and she took it all in her stride. She wasn't stressed or angry at him. Sometimes she did squeak a bit at him and he'd just trot away. Sometimes she was the one that followed him. She would put her nose in his long hair on his side when he was eating the hay and they just seemed to accept each other from the off.
They now share the upper floor of the hutch and Molly seems happy and looks so well, lovely clear eyes and a good appetite. She will snuggle up to Shrimp in their bedding area or log cabin, or sometimes just stand and watch when he eats, because he does have a healthy appetite!
They go outside in their run in the sun. I have bought a second run and they go out in their pairs but can have contact through the mesh. When it's cooler like today I set it up in the garage and they have floor time either with the garage door open or closed if it's too cold.
I feel so lucky I adopted them when I did, so that Molly has a new friend, and three beautiful guinea pigs now have their forever home
Milly, one of my beautiful piggies, passed away Monday 16 March. Her sister Molly was still trying to keep her dead body warm when I went to feed them in the morning before I went to work. Milly was always the braver girl, and Molly always seemed to need reassurance from Milly. My heart broke, as all of our hearts break when we lose a piggy
. This is the last picture I have of them both, taken two days before Milly left us. Milly seemed to have lost her sight the week running up to this, so it was as if Molly stepped into the role of carer and protector.Knowing I would need to find a new friend for Molly, I looked into local rescues. Molly herself came from the adoption centre at Pets at Home 3 years ago this April, given up because their owner didn't want them any more. My pigs are outdoors. They have a well made, solid, sturdy double storey hutch, 6ft x 2ft, acrylic windows to keep the wind and rain out. But this time of year, most pigs in rescue are being kept indoors, and understandably my options are limited regarding available pigs I can adopt.
I came across the Coseley Guinea Pig Rescue, and Reta had a pair of one year old girls who had been previously living outdoors and had been surrendered to her because their teenage owner didn't have time for them any more. I loved them as soon as I saw them. One was called Millie and the other (Bramble) was an agouti like my Milly had been. Something told me I was going to adopt these girls whether Molly liked them or not. So I brought them both home...
I set up my run in the garage for the 3 of them to meet, but long story short, there was a lot of confrontation between Molly and new young Millie. So I divided the hutch into two separate floors and Molly stayed on the upper floor, with Bramble and Millie living on the lower floor. I was lucky to get these girls, Reta closed the rescue centre to rehoming (due to Covid19) the same afternoon I collected them.
There are limited rescues near me, the next nearest that had guinea pigs was the RSPCA Walsall and when I enquired, they had a single neutered boar called Shrimp, who had been transfered from a branch in Wales. He was currently fostered and was living in a shed so could be housed outdoors. Because of the Covid19 situation, they were unable to do a dating session, so it was a bit of a gamble if he and Molly would get along. I decided I'd adopt him and was told although it was likely they would close down the rehoming side of things, that if things didn't work out I could return him. I went to collect him last Monday. The handover was a social distancing one. I had to put the carrier down on the foster carer's doorstep and step back while they opened the door and took the carrier inside, then returned with Shrimp inside it. The RSPCA closed down rehoming later that day. I brought him home and it was love at first sight...
His ear had been damaged and he was quite a timid boy. Just needed some love and to be able to trust people...
When I set up the run in the garage, I put the carrier (containing Shrimp) in and let Molly and Shrimp be aware of each other before I opened the door of the carrier. She went over and teeth chattered for a few seconds and he went from being a quiet boy keeping himself to himself to chewing the bars on the door!
After a few minutes I unlocked the door and let him take his time coming out into the run. He sniffed Molly quite a lot and followed her, attempted mounting her a few times and she took it all in her stride. She wasn't stressed or angry at him. Sometimes she did squeak a bit at him and he'd just trot away. Sometimes she was the one that followed him. She would put her nose in his long hair on his side when he was eating the hay and they just seemed to accept each other from the off.
They now share the upper floor of the hutch and Molly seems happy and looks so well, lovely clear eyes and a good appetite. She will snuggle up to Shrimp in their bedding area or log cabin, or sometimes just stand and watch when he eats, because he does have a healthy appetite!
They go outside in their run in the sun. I have bought a second run and they go out in their pairs but can have contact through the mesh. When it's cooler like today I set it up in the garage and they have floor time either with the garage door open or closed if it's too cold.
I feel so lucky I adopted them when I did, so that Molly has a new friend, and three beautiful guinea pigs now have their forever home
So happy for you and your piggies.
. But in a way, something good came from her going over the rainbow bridge - 3 piggies found their forever home 
. But I think the piggy rescues deserve some donations too!
really pleased things have worked out and looking forward to following their journey x
if I mess up its hardly like they are going anywhere so I'm seizing the opportunity! Good thing for me, whether its a good thing for them remains to be seen....
went to pick a huge bag of grass to temp them into the outside run so they can stay outside while I get on with cleaning the shed x
. The girls I have, the love for them (after still missing my Milly girl) is starting to grow. I know it will get stronger, as it has every time when I've had a 'new pet'. Sorry if that sounds harsh.