Problems with hubby and piggie....causes of conflict...anyone get piggie issues?

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naboosmummy

naboosmummy

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Hi Guys,

Me and my hubby are both massive animal lovers and have been together for 10 years and married for 3. We started with a house rabbit but she was sooooo destructive. we got her neutered and kept her company lots as my hubby was on school holidays (he teaches)...but in the end she chewed through our house alarm, tv wires and we had to turn leccy off everytime we went out so in the end our in laws took her in and could give her a huge garden and fabulous posh lit shed for her hutch and she was such a fussed over really happy and friendly rabbit but died of bloat this Jan....at christmas my hubby got me a hamster but it died 4 months later from a stomach tumour (all these pets came from pets at home too:0).
So we researched GPs and got naboo but i did read they should be in pairs but for ever thing i read that said two another forum or vet, pet shop guy said oh they are fine btu as long as you get them out every day or have them in same room. So hubby went with this...

yesterday i told him about this foruma nd how naboo really does need a friend and he also wants whats best for naboo but he thinks i have tricked him into this and that i deep down knew he had to have a friend but i honestly didnt know it was that important...what can i say to make it not look so staged....he says he has gone form one hamster to a giant cage and potentially 2 guinea pigs and feels he was cheated into it sob sob

does anyone else get hubbys getting the hump over piggie issues
 
I'm very lucky as my husband is very easy going and we now have 12, he's not bothered either. I do all the work, cleaning etc (and it's alot for 12!) But when Dolly was put on her own recently he was the one saying that she needed a friend so that's good, he does understand the importance of it.

Can you not show him the conflicting information, then here and then Peter Gurneys recommendations - I mean he's the real guinea guru and he is very clear that they need company. But if you can show him where you saw it said they are fine on their own he can see you were being straight up.

OH and the cage recomendation size for one and two guineas is virtually identical so it's not like you are going to be using more space anyway. And its no more work to have 2 than 1, less in fact as they are happier and keep each other company.

Good luck!
 
Let's admit that 14 months ago I had two guinea pigs in the living room, now I have nine... Hub feels RATHER taken over, even though they have appeared bit by bit. He gets anxiety attacks everytime I show him a pretty rescue piggy (or two)on the forum. Thankfully, #8 is a bold cuddly character and she has done much to ingratiate herself to him!

You will see that having two piggies and their antics will be much more fun than just having a single one because the interaction is lovely; especially with youngsters. I am sure that your hubby will come round like most other unhappy halves on here!

PS: Show him your thread on here with the reaction from us and if possible, let him choose the newbie. Thankfully, accommodation for two is not much more than you should provide a single; neither is food.
 
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Thanks ladies :) x he comes round and says ok in a not really listening way so when i then show him nutmegs babies he goes quiet and then says he feels a bit tricked and was not keen on having 2 animals stinking the house....grrrrrrrrrr
 
I don't want to make sweeping statments about pet shops, but I think most if not all, will size you up, and if they think you may only buy one GP, because that is what you came in for,they will happily sell you one rather than lose the sale. They will then tell you how if you play with them, and if you have them in the living room etc etc it will be fine, but really any expert advice will tell you they need to be in pairs or herds. Imagine the lonely plight of single guineas living at the bottom of the garden or tucked away in a shed, awful. A single guinea would of course be better in with the family, but unless the GP has issues, and a few do, they really should be in pairs or herds. xx
 
I empathise and also second Wiebke's view!

I wanted to have GPs for a while but as we lived in a flat with a no pet policy, it was not possible until one day I just bit the bullet and came back with a lovely agouti baby. OH said nothing apart from that 'it' was nice. After 2 weeks and the baby had put no weight on, I got a tri-coloured friend for him. OH fell instantly in lurve. All of a sudden, he was taking him out for cuddles etc. At the time, I was also living part-time away because my job was really far, anyway, after a few weeks, I decided to stop them travelling every week, so he was left to care for them in the week. He developped this GREAT bond with Bertie to the day he died...

Although OH will never clean the pigs or feed them unless he has no choice (he gives them banana slices every morning though) and claims that they are MY pigs, he is very fond of them. In fact, last night I was in a bit if a mess (we have a 9-month old baby and finding time for the pigs is tough at times) but he categorically refused to let them go...

I guess, my point is, he came round to the idea.

2 pigs don't take more room than 1 (if your original cage is big enough like NERO 4), they need changing one more time per week (so they don't stink - who doesn't like the fresh smell of hay? makes the house smell like a summer's meadow), and a bit more food (we share ours with the pigs and grow a fair amount ourselves).

Also, Wiebke is right, their behaviour as a pair is such a joy to watch...
 
I have to add that despite all his grumbling, my hubby has built my current cage and adapted the previous ones with wooden houses and platforms which I'm still using. He even built a run for me!

AND he looked after the piggies while I was on a famliy trip to Switzerland and medicated two of them without complaining. He still calls them only "guinea pig", but he is happy to talk to them - especially when he thinks I'm not around to hear it! :))

MEN!
 
Difficult situation for you but I'd really stick with your efforts to win him round. Guinea pig behaviour is so differetn when there's two. They talk and chatter and play. There life is so much happier which makes owning them even more wonderful.

Hope he comes around. :)
 
I think in your case having 2 would be easier than 1.

A bit like kids, I only have 1 child, but when her friends come over she's so much happier and they amuse themselves, so in theory 2 piggies should be less work than 1 lonesome piggy, who will require enormous amounts of your time, whereas 2 require less.

It's an explanation I use to bamboozle my other half all the time.:)):))

My OH used to object but he's given up wasting his breath and just suffers in silence now.
 
My other half thought i had tricked him too- he really wasn't keen, when i asked him if i could order a cage (Even though he insists he didn't know about it) and he went a bit mad when he found out how big it was :x

Well what can i say- he's well and truely smitten now- he loves to feed them and cuddle them- always goes up to see them first thing after work and in the morning. And he even says himself he couldn't imagin either of our piggies being on their own- or having a smaller cage. They are so funny to watch together x)
 
JackyB said:
My other half thought i had tricked him too- he really wasn't keen, when i asked him if i could order a cage (Even though he insists he didn't know about it) and he went a bit mad when he found out how big it was :x

Well what can i say- he's well and truely smitten now- he loves to feed them and cuddle them- always goes up to see them first thing after work and in the morning. And he even says himself he couldn't imagin either of our piggies being on their own- or having a smaller cage. They are so funny to watch together x)
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I'm really pleased to hear this Jacky. I remember how concerned you were before your pigs arrived. Does this mean he spends a little less time in the games room? :)
 
My OH is resigned to my love of animals! Occasionally we have exchanged words about the number but he adores them as much as I do deep down! I have now adopted the Helen method of just sneaking them in!
 
I think it's clear we've all experienced the OH "not being keen" or "forgetful" or "didn't know it was going to take up so much room". But actually given time and as we've heard, they do come round. When I changed my cage for a more suitable one hubby was slightly miffed at the size but after some tweaking, I managed to fit it into a room and now it's no problem at all, and is happy to prep their food and even knows the quantities now.....bless him.

Definately go with 2, 1 is such a lonely number and you won't be fretting about your cutie which in turn means you'll be more relaxed with your OH as well. Everyones a winner.
 
Aww, I can understand the way your hubby feels, together with (naturally), your love for these piggies too. It's a difficult one, especially when you would like to have another.

We just have Maisy & Dotty. Maisy lost her little girl last month and I have to be honest and say that apart from the grief piggies go through when losing another member of their little clan, ie the loneliness etc, I really could not have allowed Maisy to have been on her own for too long. It was very sad to see her mooching about, sleeping, not even eating properly for a few days. Aside from that though, as your piggie has always been on his/her own, I wonder if they know any different, unless they'd been with others before being purchased etc....? I don't know.

For me though, having had two, then left with the one, I could see that guinea pigs do need at least one friend or more if necessary. Since Maisy has found Dotty (who is only 16 weeks old), she has been a lot happier, even to the extent of napping with 'shut eye'. They both chundle and chatter to each other and cwtch up side by side.

I hope that your hubby/OH will read all these messages from those of us who have replied to your post so far and that he will soon understand that this isn't a trick or a way of persuading him to take on more piggies, but this is a true fact/statement from members who have more than one piggie and who are stating that they are much happier as a couple or in a group of two or more. I do hope he sees sense and comes round to the idea of having a little companion for your piggie. He will soon see the difference it will make. :) :)

Wiebke said:
He gets anxiety attacks everytime I show him a pretty rescue piggy (or two)on the forum. You will see that having two piggies and their antics will be much more fun than just having a single one because the interaction is lovely!
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Hmmm........yes Wiebke, I can relate to that LOL! If I look at piggie stuff, like cages etc, I can read his mind and can guess he's thinking things like, 'oh nooo, she's looking at stuff again.......do you think this will fit, or, will piggies like this or that?' LOL. ;) I expect they all think it, or wonder from time to time, but just let us get on with it. Us women have our ways of persuasion though see lol.

To be fair though, my hubby is very good. Both himself and our 15 year old son will help to clean the cage, or put the run outside etc. Yes, I do it more than they do, but as I get stressed with other stuff going on sometimes, they will help out. Whether we will have anymore is another question to consider, but we're happy for now with Maisy & Daisy.

slackalice2k said:
A bit like kids, I only have 1 child, but when her friends come over she's so much happier and they amuse themselves, so in theory 2 piggies should be less work than 1 lonesome piggy, who will require enormous amounts of your time, whereas 2 require less.

It's an explanation I use to bamboozle my other half all the time.:)):))

My OH used to object but he's given up wasting his breath and just suffers in silence now.
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I agree too. When Maisy was on her own for the time since Daisy passed away, I felt I had to make more of a fuss on top of the fuss she had normally and that iwas time consuming. It was awful though seeing her on her own.

Romily said:
I have now adopted the Helen method of just sneaking them in!
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Hee hee, that sounds like a good plan indeed, lol. ;)

Sorry for the ramble, but I do hope your OH agrees to have a companion for your piggie soon. Good luck. XX
 
flips said:
I'm really pleased to hear this Jacky. I remember how concerned you were before your pigs arrived. Does this mean he spends a little less time in the games room? :)
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HeHe, he takes them in their with him LOL- he doesn't play his games at the same time though at least :(|) He's really surprised me at just how much he has taken to them! Much better then i could have hoped for :)
 
I would just like to add that if you look at it from a common sense point of view. Would you like to be totally on your own and just have company of another species that can´t speak your language. I think a piggy thrives when they have their own for company, they can interact with their own little piggy buddy in their own language. It doesn´t mean that they won´t bond with you but it is a different relationship that they have with us than with their piggy friend. I can understand where your hubby is coming from but I think it is best for naboo. There are some piggies that don´t want company but not many. Most piggies love to have a friend. Once you have made your decision come back on here and we can give you advice as to where to get a new buddy and what age you are best getting. Good luck. I am sure at the end of the day your husband is reasonable and will do what is best for naboo.
 
I know I am lucky having a husband who loves mine, will feed and tuck up at night etc., but when people talk about OH not being happy (this is just a general obs, not being picky on anyone) I sometimes wonder..if you consider your guineas a hobby because you love them, and like to spend time with them..Do the OH's not do anything like watch every football match on TV, play golf, fiddle with the car/motorbike, go to the pub, play squash. Maybe the womenfolk ought to have a bit more of a go at them for the time they spend on stuff. (Maybe best not to let them read this post. ha ha) xx
 
It's funny Nutmeg- that's what i said to my other half, how much money does he spend on football and games, what about what i want- his response was
"you can have as many clothes as you want!" :(|)
 
I'm very lucky in having an understanding boyfriend, and one that loves piggies just as much as me ( as I speak he's herding sookie back into the cage to feed them but reassuring her the door will be left open so she can come back out once she's done lol )

We originally had two but after losing one and seeing how lonely the one left seemed we got another two to keep her company. I fell in love with another pair that we saw at the rescue and after persuading Steven we rehomed them a couple of weeks later so now have 5 and are hoping to foster as well. He's made the c&c cage for them and gets involved with them as much as I do. He even designed Laylas new website for her!

I don't know how it would be if I had a partner who was against or not keen on them. I do most of the cleaning out as it's easier for me to do it and I don't really mind, so if your partner doesn't really want to get involved but your willing to do all the work then I guess I personally dont see the difference getting another one will make? I could understand if they were going to be taking up loads of extra room but one more really won't make that much difference. As others have said their characters really come out when they're in a group, they go to sleep together, groom each other, popcorn around together etc they really are social animals and it's obvious when watching them that they thrive when they have friends.
 
he read this, cuddled naboo to bits and got him speaking and eating off him before me and now he is smitten.....grrrrrr only downside is me and naboo are not as bonded now lol
 
nutmeg said:
I know I am lucky having a husband who loves mine, will feed and tuck up at night etc., but when people talk about OH not being happy (this is just a general obs, not being picky on anyone) I sometimes wonder..if you consider your guineas a hobby because you love them, and like to spend time with them..Do the OH's not do anything like watch every football match on TV, play golf, fiddle with the car/motorbike, go to the pub, play squash. Maybe the womenfolk ought to have a bit more of a go at them for the time they spend on stuff. (Maybe best not to let them read this post. ha ha) xx
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Well I can say that I get away with so much because now I have no real argument for my OH playing golf so much. Who, bless him, has just brought me a glass of wine.

So I'm a golf widow, and he's a guinea pig widower. Lets just say he'd rather I had my pigs than played golf.
 
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Well my OH eventually agreed to let me have piggies a couple of years ago because he wanted an aquarium (and I can't stand fish) and I wanted piggies, we agreed we'd both get our own way - what a deal!

He wasn't fussed at first and said "well they don't do anything do they?" He soon discovered the joy of them. Spike's definately a daddies boy, goes wheektastic when he hears his foot steps and I quite often come home to find them both cuddled up together fast asleep on the sofa. Ah :))
 
My OH can't really say anything about our five guinea pigs as the original pair were bought as a birthday present for his son :-) we take turns looking after them and cleaning them although I tend to spoil them when I see them because they live in his house until we get a place of our own. Just wait til I show him my c&c plans! Mwuhahaha!
 
I can't comment on men, but I can comment on Parents :)), which are worse! Originally I was living myself but as circumstances chanced I moved back to my parents house here in Glasgow, I had 3 piggies.

My mum was forever saying yes and when you get bored, yes when I was younger I was a nightmare for being bored, so they weren't too welcoming to the pigs, then he seen how I treated the pigs, how much love, time and commitment I give them, the effort I go to for them and they soon realised, I wasn't the same little girl and my piggies are not a passing phase.

I felt my Pebbles was being left out and dreaded asking for another pig, would I have none within a day I would have my Patrick! My mum and dad might have technically been tricked into 3 piggies (Well they didn't have a choice) but they agreed the fourth could come stay, just goes to show anyone can get smitten by piggies :))!

Might I add like you I was fully intending to keep Fred on his own, but he had other Idea's! :x
 
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