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Please Talk Some Sense Into Me!

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Twice as much poo:yikes: and also twice as many fleeces to wash and dry:doh:! OK when you can hang them out to dry but think of the winter:hb:. How will you dry them if you not got a tumble dryer? Even if you have .... Can you afford the extra expense? And the vets bills, food, hay ......
 
Thank you so much everyone! You've given me a lot to think about.
Tried to post earlier but phone was playing up but the computer is free now everyone has gone to bed!
Heart ruling head at moment , guilt I think, as I saw these guys first, but at the time I had it in mind to get baby sows after reading the newbie thread here. Had my name down on waiting list when I saw Ronnie and Geoff and fell in love. Here are my lovely boys with their three types of hay, oxbow pellets, half the kitchen floor time and fleece lined c&c cage and then here are the ones I left behind, unwanted with an uncertain future.:(
Sorry bit tired now and rambling but I didn't want to go to bed without some kind of reply! Thank you all again I totally understand about the extra time needed as I was surprised how much my boys take.
Will do some research, boars living side by side, quarantine etc. Please keep the advice coming you are very wise people!
 
I just don't go into pet stores anymore because I always feel bad for the animals and it upsets me when yesterday there was three and now there is only one. Luckily our rental contract states we can only have two piggies otherwise i'd have a whole room of them so it keeps me from buying anymore. I'd love a bird (and some gold fish) and I saw one at the pet superstore the other day when I was getting some more hay that I would just love but a bird is not in our rental contract.
I guess it depends on if you have the space, the time and the money for more piggies? You know in your heart whether you have all three of those. Sometimes you have to listen to what your head is telling you.
 
flowerfairy said:
Think carefully before doubling your numbers. I am going through a similar thing atm. Just upgraded the cage and now have plenty of space for two more sows.

BUT i am really enjoying the fact that Mistletoe and Jingle are really tidy and that their water bowl is always clean and that i only need to wash their fleeces once a week ... Two more would mean twice as much poo ... Also they may not get on.

Good luck with your decision.
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two weeks ago I had to take a great and agonizing decision. The lady of the rescue sent me an email and told me about two boars, who are 2 years old and nobody want to adopt (in Italy guinea pigs are not a popular pet). They are healthy, neutered, calm and tame... she wrote: "why don't you enlarge your family?" and she sent me their pictures! I spent the day and the night thinking about them, they are so cute! and with two funny names (Rufus and Brindisi; Brindisi is a city of southern Italy) But then I started thinking about the balance I have now at home... what could happen if the boars and the girls didn't get along? and what's about the cost of vets? now they are all healthy, but then? and the cage is comfortable for two, not for four... yes, my piggies spend half day free on the floor, but it is like having 4 children instead of two (I have two).
My advice is: think about your means, about vets' bills and practical issues which can arrive in the future.
 
rome_italy said:
two weeks ago I had to take a great and agonizing decision. The lady of the rescue sent me an email and told me about two boars, who are 2 years old and nobody want to adopt (in Italy guinea pigs are not a popular pet). They are healthy, neutered, calm and tame... she wrote: "why don't you enlarge your family?" and she sent me their pictures! I spent the day and the night thinking about them, they are so cute! and with two funny names (Rufus and Brindisi; Brindisi is a city of southern Italy) But then I started thinking about the balance I have now at home... what could happen if the boars and the girls didn't get along? and what's about the cost of vets? now they are all healthy, but then? and the cage is comfortable for two, not for four... yes, my piggies spend half day free on the floor, but it is like having 4 children instead of two (I have two).
My advice is: think about your means, about vets' bills and practical issues which can arrive in the future.
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This is a great post by @rome_italy
I am currently at 4 piggies, who all lived together for almost a year before falling out and needing to be separated.
I was recently offered a very sweet lone female (almost unheard of in Switzerland) and was very, very tempted.
I feel she would have easily settled with Eddi and Oreo.
But in the end my head ruled my heart, and I realized that this would increase the amount of time I needed to spend each day caring for the piggies.
Plus it is all very easy right now, but having recently nursed a very sick rabbit, I also know it can suddenly get a lot harder and more expensive.

So I talked it through with DH and we decided that for us we have reached our comfort level, and if we always added another piggie every time a cute or needy one appeared, it would be never ending, and we would eventually be overwhelmed and not able to care for any of them in the way we feel they deserve.
Everyone has a different upper limit, but for us I feel it is four.
 
It's so hard to know where to draw the line, but if it's any help you could think about giving the absolute best to those you do have. We saw one up for rehoming at the weekend and kept talking about him, but I am sure it wouldn't work with my two existing bonded males and there's no room for more hutches, so I just have to hope he'll find a good home. Guinea pigs are absolute masters at winning your heart and getting pampered to the max as a result, so these two are probably no exception and hopefully someone kind will come along, like so many of the people on this forum, and give them a really loving home even if you decide you can't in the end.
 
Thank you everyone I appreciate your time and advice. I read and re-read your responses and had a sleepless night after my last post.
I decided to go look to see if they were still there yesterday and they were lying flat out in the heat, in that glass box. So after dropping my little one at nursery this morning I went and got them. xx
 
spock said:
Thank you everyone I appreciate your time and advice. I read and re-read your responses and had a sleepless night after my last post.
I decided to go look to see if they were still there yesterday and they were lying flat out in the heat, in that glass box. So after dropping my little one at nursery this morning I went and got them. xx
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I can understand why and personally think that you did the right thing in the circumstances, but the shop conditions bother me. Have you considered reporting it? They probably will just put two more unfortunate little things in the cage and I'm fretting about them too now. x
 
spock said:
Thank you everyone I appreciate your time and advice. I read and re-read your responses and had a sleepless night after my last post.
I decided to go look to see if they were still there yesterday and they were lying flat out in the heat, in that glass box. So after dropping my little one at nursery this morning I went and got them. xx
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yours is the best decision, because you have taken it after long days of deep reflections. This is the main thing every owner should do: thinking and thinking again about everything, asking for advices and then every decision will be the right one for sure. Because there isn't a right number of pets at home and also of children! My neighbours have 10 children but they are well educated, everyone is studying at University, they have love and necessary things. I would never offer such a great life to ten children or ten piggies or even four piggies. But this is my life, not yours.
Waiting for the pics of your new arrivals!:love:
 
Well done! You have obviously thought long and hard over your decision. Whichever one you had made we all would have supported it.
 
Tiamolly123 said:
Rome_italy
think if you had plenty of money for the vet & money to expand the C&C. I'd say go for it.
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I agree with you of course; I have no room and I would not even like to spend all the family money in vets bills and here insurances for exotic pets don't exist. But we are all different... the only right rule you should follow is thinking about the future. What I did also when I decided to have two children and not three...
 
spock said:
Thank you everyone I appreciate your time and advice. I read and re-read your responses and had a sleepless night after my last post.
I decided to go look to see if they were still there yesterday and they were lying flat out in the heat, in that glass box. So after dropping my little one at nursery this morning I went and got them. xx
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Good news for the piggies. Look forward to seeing pics and hearing more about them :luv:
 
Aw you guys are the best! thanks for all your support!:hug:
Their reaction when I put them in their new cage will stay with me forever, you could see it on their faces, they just couldn't get over the fact they could run around, instant popcorning and zoomies!
I now know for sure I made the right decision, whatever the future holds.
Will post some more tomorrow with photos of Samson and weasel as I've just got in and need to cook etc. x
 
spock said:
Aw you guys are the best! thanks for all your support!:hug:
Their reaction when I put them in their new cage will stay with me forever, you could see it on their faces, they just couldn't get over the fact they could run around, instant popcorning and zoomies!
I now know for sure I made the right decision, whatever the future holds.
Will post some more tomorrow with photos of Samson and weasel as I've just got in and need to cook etc. x
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I'm glad you decided to go back and get them. The way I look at it is that it's not their fault they were in that situation and no matter where they come from every animal deserve a loving home :luv:
 
I understand your dilemma, Spock.

It was a similar reason why I got Lucky, and now she is happily bonded to the herd. She was the last of her litter, all alone, a red eyed white because no one wanted her...
 
Well done you! They were meant to be and I secretly hoped you'd get them. Definitely follow up the poor conditions with the shop so your good deed won't just end here
 
Congratulations, so pleased you got them. It's so hard to make a decision when you weren't really looking to have more. I don't regret having my 2 extras even though they are a lot of extra work. They have settled so well with us I am sure they were meant to be.
 
Awww well done for rescuing them, what lucky piggies.

It seems as though they were meant to be with you... hope they are settling in well x
 
spock said:
Aw you guys are the best! thanks for all your support!:hug:
Their reaction when I put them in their new cage will stay with me forever, you could see it on their faces, they just couldn't get over the fact they could run around, instant popcorning and zoomies!
I now know for sure I made the right decision, whatever the future holds.
Will post some more tomorrow with photos of Samson and weasel as I've just got in and need to cook etc. x
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How lovely popcorn and zoomies what happy pigs!
 
Oh how lovely of you. At least the two that i am in love with are in a rescue so will get a well vetted home.

Cant wait for pics of all of your guinea pigs.
 
Have been following this thread and lovely that you gave them home, when they could've gone to a live snake feeder or had heatstroke. While it is definitely good to discourage pet shops pigs can't control where there born. Eager for pigtures :love::drool:
 
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