okay okay i cant hide from this and need to make a decision

[daleksarah]

as you know i got 2 little unexpected house guests on xmas eve. well my plan (not that i really had time to formulate a plan) was to care for them over the xmas weekend (couldnt expect anyone to come to get them off me late xmas eve/xmas day) and then send a SOS to one of the rescues. However they have settled in rather too nicely and I'm getting rather fond of them. ive not found making a third bowl of food up or changing yet another cage a problem.
However i never intended to have more animals as i must consider that i do have 2 piggies, 2 hamsters and 2 rabbits already.(my rabbits were never meant to stay either, i rescued Hobo off the street and Skye was dumped on me,but they ended up staying here!).
ive got to think realistically about whether i can afford them, id need to get a new cage as the hutch they are in is too small and a bit damaged, it will do for now as they are tiny but they wont stay tiny for long.
i need to buy more fleeces and more towels, I'm struggling to have enough in between washes ive been having to wash and dry asap.
i dont think the food would be too much more expense although id have to buy veggies more often and risk people thinking i have a cucumber obsession!
but there are other things piggies need and i have to consider whether i can afford everything.
all my piggie are boys,Mac and Rascal live in the living room but the babies would live in the kitchen.is it ok to keep all boys?they wont meet but the babies will be brought into the living room at times, will that be ok or will Mac and Rascal smell them and go mad?
ive got to think about vet bills as well, theres no way i could afford it if all 8 of my animals fell ill, not that i wouldnt seek vet care, i would but i would struggle to pay.
also i assume the babies are brothers and are both the same age.but will they continue to get on or will they be likely to fall out as they reach their teenage stage?theres no way i could pair them off with new piggies and keep everyone.
id appreciate some advice and opinions,even if you think i wont like what you think id still appreciate your advice
thanks for listening and helping me

 

[skrikopanik]

Aw... I understand it's tough. You are thinking like a very responsible pet owner!

The money issue is one thing and the relations part another. Apart from vet bills I think you can keep piggies with very little expenses. Maybe someone will offer to donate/lend you a cage they are not using considering the circumstances? I know a lot of people over here keep piggies in tipped over bookcases and you could probably get one of those from freecycle.

With the relations part you'll never know... But I think that right now it's fine and if it stays fine you might be able to keep them. If it doesn't one or both may have to be rehomed given the circumstances you're describing but that would happen in ANY home. So if you try to keep tham they will end up having less homes in the end Maybe I'm not explaining it too well...

 

[Modwyn]

I'm sorry I can't help you with how the boys will feel about there being other boys in the house or about the wee one's continued relationship staying stable as I've never dealt with only boars.

Only you can calculate if you can afford to keep 2 more piggies as you say the cleaning etc probably isn't that big an extra and getting more veggies on offer probably won't cause the bill to rocket but the biggest thing is vet bills and of course boarding if you have to do that when you go on hols if you go on hols that is.

How does the rest of the family feel about this?

Sorry I'm not a lot of help hun.

 

[stargrrlclaire]

i think you should keep them. write a list of pros and cons, then go with your heart...
x

 

[Niki]

Being brothers won't guarantee they won't fall out when they hit their teens but the only pair of boys i've ever had that stayed friends were a pair of brothers. Wether your older boys will be bothered about the little ones depends entirely on their personalities; i have piggies who don't mind other piggies; boys or girls & have piggies who go mad at the sight of others - you know your boys the best

Regarding vet bills - i save a certain amount every week purely for vet bills; i'd be lost without it but there's only you who knows how you're fixed financially to accommodate 2 more fur-kids.

Whatever anyone says, only you knows what is best for you & if you keeping the 2 little ones won't cause you any problems nor compromise what your existing furries have then you have your answer

 

[Farquhar]

What a dilema. As you you say, its the long term care and financial implications that need to be considered. I know you have become so attached to these little bubs and that any decision wont be taken lightly. I'm sure everyone would love for you to become the babies piggy slave but it is also understood that this is a huge undertaking on your part. I'm not sure if Mac and rAscal would be too bothered with other piggies. If they are not in the same cage then they can just chat to each other through the cages. As you dont have any females, then that should keep the hormones under control with the boys. I couldnt bond my Mimsi and Montgomery, but with Matilda & Lady Penelope in the same room, the boys hormones must be doing somersaults and they each want to be top pig. Just remember that these two piggies are extremely lucky to have been cared for by you and how different things could have turned out for them. Whatever you decide we are all here to support you hun..

 

[elle100]

I don't have any useful advice for you, I just wanted to say I don't envy you having to make a decision like that. It must be incredibly hard to think about giving them up after you have bonded so well with them, but I am a practical type so I would write a list of pros and cons and make a decision based on that but that's really easy for me to say cos I don't have to do it.

Whatever you decide, know that it was the best decision for all concerned or you wouldn't have made it. If I can get all mystical for a moment - the answer lies in you

 

[Logiebear]

With regards to them smelling other piggies of course they will but it shouldn't cause them any undue stress or cause them to fight or anything like that. I have stacks of cages with rescue piggies in all over my house and my bathroom has 1 male rabbit, 2 male piggies and 2 female piggies. They are all happy and aside from the odd dominance dance they don't really mind. They just get used to smelling other animals so don't worry about that.

As regards vet bills etc I always say that you have as much chance of the animals you have causing you a huge vet bill as having 2 more. Besides, with them being you can make sure they get a good diet from the start to avoid many bowel probs and also dental probs etc etc

The choice is yours and you have to do what you think is right for you. hope that helps hun xx

 

[flintstones]

hiya! Obviously I can't tell you what to do as I dont know your circumstances! Yes the boys may fallout you cant predict these things. As for Mac and Rascal i dont believe the smell will make them fallout as they are well bonded boars! Niki idea is fund is very good if you can afford it! As for the cage off cut of vinyl £5 And the grids are £10 From costco theres a cheap cage ideal for two boars! You know Sarah only you know whats for the best

 

[daleksarah]

thanks everyone for your advice it is much appreciated.
Yes Joanne i am considering C&C if someone would be able to hopefully help me get the grids from costco
I think my main worrys are that either having them around will upset Mac and Rascal,i love those boys so much and dont want them to suffer (i already feel mean that some of their xmas presents were given to the babies),they are my piggie priority as when i adopted them i promised that i would give them a good home where they would be looked after and given the best, they deserve that after being in a rescue(not that the rescue they were in wasnt brilliant, they tell me it was)
my main worry is the babies will fall out,i could not get them both new friends and keep everyone, but if it came to it who would i choose to go and where would they go?the babies deserve better then to be dumped again
money is a bit of an issue at the moment, bad time of year what with xmas and it is my daughters birthday on 3rd jan, so i have double the expense, so the poor babies would have to live in that crappy hutch for a couple more months and i cant really afford to get them non essential but nice to have things like tunnels,beds, toys etc.

 

[ILoveGilbertTheGuineaPig]

i don't think you should keep them, sorry to guarantee the best for them, it'd be better if you opened your heart (i know it hurts) and passed them on to a family you trust. it would be hard on you and the piggies if they got sick. maybe you could find someone you know well who is interested in piggies, that way you could give advice easily and visit the piggies

this is a really tough decision..good luck

 

[KingBoris&HisFollowers]

you sound like you are thinking very responsibly
If you think you can care for them and will do anything you have to to keep them happy then go ahead but if you are having big doubts then maybe take them to a rescue,it all depends on what you and your family can doAlso some pigs can cost alot of money when they get sick so you really need to have a large vet fund that you contribute to each week to help if this occurs.
Boys and boys are fine,i have 13 in the same bedroom and it will soon be 22,if they get use to it there is no problem,the only issue you may find is if you have the 4 boys in the room for some time and then add females in the same airspace as it may unsettle them a bit.

Smokey & Bandit arent brothers yet the same age and never fell out
Basil and Ralph are only a few weeks apart and never fell out
I also have a trio 2 nephews and an uncle who have lived together happily for over a year
so they can live together through teenage years without issues although given the chjoice i would always go younger with older x

Just to add out of my 13 boys the trio are the only ones who are related and all the rest are in pairs with no problems

 

[Little Piggles]

Aw Sarah, I don't envy the situation you find yourself in. You must be going mad wondering what to do for the best for everyone! You have already offered the babies a safe and loving home for a few weeks and that in itself is a wonderful thing, especially at this time of year.

I can't really offer any useful advice. It's really up to you no matter what everyone else may feel. Whatever your decision, I'm certain it will be the right one xx