need good luck vibes

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Oh shes just getting 2 more piggies off a rescue but i think shes considering opening a boarding for piggies soon so i dont think shes going to rescue any just yet ? I'm not too sure myself
 
I have to agree 100% with pumpkin there....and if you have rescue piggies, they may need more love, affection, and care, in order to learn to trust and be happy...4 guineas is maxing out on the number of piggies you can have close relationships with in my opinion...I dont want to upset anyone, but why not get to know your piggies, and then think about the type of piggies you want, and will 'work' for you, instead of just getting the first ones that come along? Lots of people end up hoarding guineas, rather than seeing them as pets, its a slippery slope, so just be careful :)
 
I agree with you PP as i have 23 piggies now and i dont think its alot of hard work really :) but cuddling them all well i only give mine a few cuddles every other day however i am thinking of rehoming a few more maybe 4 piggies but am gonna think very hard about it forst as my college course and that but i think I'm giving that up soon so will dedicate all my time with my piggies :smitten:
 
Merry_and_Rosie said:
was that sarcasm? and I highly doubt I'll ever meet the right man, well not in 3 months :'(
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Have been reading this thread but I may be being thick, but eh? ?
 
I started with 2 sows, sadly lost one last july,ended up rehoming 2 babies which I adore,then jakie took up residence to complete my clan of 4 :smitten:
A few weeks ago I helped with a piggy train and had an extra 3 visitors for the weekend and honestly I couldn't believe how much extra time it took,I
loved having them and shed a tear when they went,but I really feel that my piggies missed out on their usual time and attention,I sincerely take my hat off to all the people who take in homeless and needy piggies but I feel it is a full time job....more than full time probably and can prove very costly.....just my opinion though ....saying that if someone was desperate I wouldn't be able to turn them away... :smitten: :smitten:
 
yeh well when mum and I go on Monday, I probably won't get any, I'm just going to see which ones she has and just play with them :smitten:
 
piggy said:
Merry_and_Rosie said:
was that sarcasm? and I highly doubt I'll ever meet the right man, well not in 3 months :'(
Click to expand...

Have been reading this thread but I may be being thick, but eh? ?
Click to expand...

it might not have been this thread, but someone mentioned that i might meet the man of my dreams, move out and were saying about what I would do with the girls
 
Thanks for that Merry and Rosie! I was a bit confused! It doesn't take much believe me :D :D
 
Merry_and_Rosie said:
was that sarcasm? and I highly doubt I'll ever meet the right man, well not in 3 months :'(
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Please dont think that anyone is being sarcastic. All the people on here that have posted on your thread are all experienced at keeping piggies and rescues. All good advice has been given so far.

I have seven piggies and they are all pampered and spoilt to bits by myself and my partner. I have started to foster for the RSPCA and at the moment have only had one piggy to stay which is good news as id like to think people are looking after their piggies round here. Murphy was my foster piggy who I have adopted as my own as i could not bear to let him go.

When he came to me he was ill and that meant feeding him by syringe every three hours which meant getting up in the night. After 5 days of this he picked up and he is back to full health now. :smitten:

As people have mentioned before with rescues this sometimes means poorly piggies which means alot of hard work. Just another thing you have to think about when thinking of fostering.

So please dont think anyone is against you on here everyone is just trying to give you as much info as possible based on their personal experiences etc. :)
 
I appreciate that, sometimes I think that i kinda put ideas out and they seem a bit gung-hoe - I appreciate everyones concerns, but right now I have no other responsibilites other than work, so i can put time into bonding with the piggies.

I probably wont get anything on monday, just going to go and test the water, I might see if i can lighten her load, but as you guys say it might be too much too soon,

the home check lady did say she thinks there are a pair of girlies at the centre perfect for me, so i cant wait to see them! she also thinks Rosie is pur abby :laugh:
 
Well, you never know how your life is going to change....a lot can happen in 6 years :)
 
Merry_and_Rosie said:
piggy said:
Merry_and_Rosie said:
was that sarcasm? and I highly doubt I'll ever meet the right man, well not in 3 months :'(
Click to expand...

Have been reading this thread but I may be being thick, but eh? ?
Click to expand...

it might not have been this thread, but someone mentioned that i might meet the man of my dreams, move out and were saying about what I would do with the girls
Click to expand...

That was me in another thread and I was playing devils advocate but what I said was

You live with your mum and say in 6 months time you find the man of your dreams and then 3 months after, you decided to set up home with him, what will happen to the piggies....
One of the things was is your mum willing to take on all the piggies...
I do think you are looking though rose tinted glasses!
I think other people may think like I do and I am 39 and I say what I think, you may not like to here what I say but thats just me.
 
In fact it was in R&M diary so far and what I said was...

my other half says I should play devils advocate.....
At the moment you live with your parents.....
you want to rescue piggies....
Now in 6 months time you may meet the man of your dreams, 3 months later you have fallen madly in love and want to set up home together.....
Now would your mum have the time to take on all the piggies etc?
Piggies are a commitment and just remember boys are girls, piggies are like otters they are not just for Christmas or a whim.
 
I think if you're sure piggies are something you want to devote a lot of time and energy to them go for it!
 
Have you thought about this from a financial point of view too? I went from having 2 pigs to having 7 pretty quickly, and was amazed at how much more expensive it was. I reckon I spend about half my earnings on hay and fresh veg! There will also be vet's bills. If you have more piggys, the chances of having to spend a fortune on getting a sick piggy better will be much much higher! I also think some of the other peoples views on here I right. You don't ever know what will happen in the near future. Something may happen and you may not be able to keep all of the guinea pigs. I deeply respect you for wanting to help out all the pigs in rescues. Thats what we all want to do. But you need to look at it from all angles before you can make that decision. If you think you have the time, resources and knowledge, then go for it. Just don't jump in head first. Sleep on it for a while.
 
thanks for the support and advice guys, I'm going to take the 'constructive' criticism and take it - like I said we will visit on Monday, but I don't know what will happen. Like I say I have no other responsibilities and even if I did, i'll always make time for the girls. Money wise, they dont cost me alot AT THE MOMENT, but even if they did, i have an aunt who can provide hay and straw to me for a little bit of money. But I do understand the responsibility of looking after animals. :)
 
Merry and Rosie if you have decided to adopt two, my advice would be to take your ad off the ad trader for taking in unwanted guineas, I only say this as I know how heartbreaking it can be to turn guineas away. We are full at the moment and having to find alternative placements for guineas needing homes and at this time of year, unfortunately there may be several guineas needing to be re-homed :( which means you may get several phone calls.
Good Luck O0
 
Merry_and_Rosie said:
thanks for the support and advice guys, I'm going to take the 'constructive' criticism and take it - like I said we will visit on Monday, but I don't know what will happen. Like I say I have no other responsibilities and even if I did, i'll always make time for the girls. Money wise, they dont cost me alot AT THE MOMENT, but even if they did, i have an aunt who can provide hay and straw to me for a little bit of money. But I do understand the responsibility of looking after animals. :)
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First of all do not put straw any where near a guinea pig or you will have vet bills for eye problems....
I hope your aunt can provide you with Timothy Hay............
 
I think you have a great heart and want to help which is fab but you have just started out and there is so much you could learn from your 2 first before taking on any more. I know you have kept piggies before but this time you want to take in piggies that may have problems and it would be good for you to know how to cope with them and to find a good vet to help you out that you can afford. Holidays are a issue to if you go away and your mum you have to find some one you can trust to do all the things you do for them.

I started with 3 I now have 12 they are hard work which I love they have also cost me a tiny fortune. I have thought about taking in more piggies but I am realistic and know that my 12 would get neglected separating my time between them all is hard. Over the past month Digby my oldest piggy has been poorly and has needed a lot of time spent on him and money as he has required the vets I certainly wouldnt have been able to give my piggies the best care with out this forum so you need to have time to do research and have people to chat things over with.

Here are just a few things you will need some of which you will have already but you will need more if you are to adopt more piggies.

bottles, dishes, hay racks and toys
hay, wood shavings, food, veggies, treat stuff, redigrass
cages, runs
money for vet bills
fuel to get stuff and tip runs
Holiday care
storage
medicines basic piggy first aid stuff
grooming items: nail clippers (different sizes and makes) brushes and combs
shampoos
pet carriers
indoor cages for possible extra care piggies
towels
piggy care books
use of a washing machine
A BIG garden that you dont mind them pooing all over and eating all the grass
the list is endless if you wait and just spend time with your piggies you can build up the knowledge and stuff you need and spread the cost.

we all understand why you love piggies soooo much and why you would want to have more we just want to help you out O0 O0
 
Ideally, you also need a couple of spare cages, as most guineas fall out at some point :)
 
Great advice from Dazie and PP. We all hope that our piggies will stay well, but when they do become ill they can do it BIG time. One of my boys cost me £250 in a six week period over the summer and I still lost him :'(. By the very nature of taking on unwanted piggies you won't necessarily know (or be truthfully told) their medical histories, I would highly recommend starting a vet fund and make sure you put plenty of money in it!

I admire you for wanting to help these adorable animals, but like some others have said I would seriously consider enjoying the two you have for a bit longer first.
 
I think its great that you want to help but the difference between keeping 2 pigs and keeping even 3 or 4 is huge. I started with 2 and now i have 5, they take up loads of room, i spend more money on them than anything else, they take up a lot of time through cleaning and cuddles, its amazing how much more they cost even in just veg. I dont think its possible to get to know more than 2 piggies well at the same time. And these are just pets, not rescue piggys who will almost certainly need a lot more vetinary treatment and care etc. Ive got one who has cost me more than £400 in vet bills since september and thats not even been a serious illness, just an x-ray and lots of medication and he's not even an old pig. Can you afford that if not more for at least one sick piggy at a time? Can you cope with the heart ache of caring for an ill piggy? i know its not something i want to go through again any time soon, with a recue you'd be doing this a lot, the more pigs you have the greater chance there is that one of them will get ill. I didnt know half the things i know now when i first got mine, if i'd started a rescue or got more so soon i wouldnt have bonded with my 1st 2 and would have got in too deep, you need to build up knowledge of common illnesses, best medicines etc for different things, you need to know what you're talking about so you can help advise your vet too, many vets are not good with pigs. You need to think of everything that could go wrong and know you'd know whats best to do for the pigs in that situation. I just think you need to think long and hard about this and get to know your current pigs well before getting any more, never mind starting a rescue and boarding. x
 
i added a 3rd piggy 2 days ago and have already spent £50 on him in vet care, within 2 weeks i have spent a total of £95 at the vets on 2 piggies, plus need to put in an order next week for more treatment for both of their skin problems which will cost me about £15 once ive got everything i need. this is just to solve varied fungal and mite problems 2 of my pigs have at the min. imagine if you had to pay that for 4 or 5 piggies :o

then imagine if something much more serious happened, and you were spending hundreds of pounds on more than 1 pig could you afford it?

yes you said you can get cheap hay/bedding etc but that is only a tiny amount of a piggys expenses

i agree with everyone on here, i also want to start a rescue or foster one day, but i wont leap into it i intend to wait at least a year or 2 until i have a stable financial backing, and a stable house hold.

plus you have only had your current piggies for at most a week? personally i dont think thats long enough to gain enough experience to take in more piggies, i agree with others that you would be throwing yourself in at the deep end.
 
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