River and Matilda

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lilmisscavy

lilmisscavy

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Hi everyone,

Recently I posted a thread in this section about some of my pigs, and I was asked about something to do with one of them, Rose. Well, I explained what happened and that I'd got Rose some new 'friends', but I've only just got round to uploading the pics on my Photobucket account so here they are!

This is River:
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This is Tilda:
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Together, and with Rose, in the bath, the day after I got them:
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They're both beautiful little girls, and very different. River is painfully nervous when held and Tilda is just painfully loud, she's a screamer lol! River had only been in the store a few hours on the day I got them, so she was at least 3-4 weeks old. Tilda I chose on the Thursday previous me getting them, which was the 16th of June, so I'd imagine she's at least a week older than River. There isn't much difference between their sizes.

Even though their handling experiences were varied before I got them, they are coming along well. Tilda has stopped screaming as much lol, but River is still nervous, bless her! But they are constantly popcorning and running around the cage, chatting to themselves lol, they're adorable, happy little ladies!

Rose is 'ok' with them when in the run but they're not living together as I don't want Rose hurting them, and Rose is actually 10 months old, even though she looks not much bigger than them in the last pic lol, she's so dainty, I think they'll catch her up soon and I'll be able to have them together.
 
ILoveGilbertTheGuineaPig said:
They're adorable! x) Continue handling them daily, and they will have proper manners soon :))
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It's not so much handling, it's just, where I got them from they don't do handling of their livestock and when they do handle them, they have no clue how to and Tilda would scream her little heart out as though in pain when I'd simply stroke her so I don't know if they've bruised her or just terrified her by handling her roughly. The girl I had chosen with Tilda previously was picked up awkwardly and almost by her head as the assistant (an assistant who has worked there for at least 15 years and should know better) sort of juggled with her in, what I can only imagine was, an attempt not to drop her from her wriggling so much. I was horrified but the little sow seemed ok when she was put back in with the other girls.

What I do with all new pigs is have them on my shoulder or chest for an hour or so each day to have them with me whilst I'm on my laptop, but not mauled over like a lot of people do with them. I always make a point of general health checking, touching their ears and mouths mostly because I treat every single pig as an individual and only work with what they're comfortable with and I know how far I can 'push' them, so to speak. With River I can do pretty much anything with her, she can lay on her back in the palm of my hand, she's so terrified, she won't move lol. Tilda doesn't like being stroked and doesn't like being fussed over so she will take longer to 'tame', she's just very headstrong :))
 
:) Yea, they are cute!

I'm about to put them out in the run, got some of the boys and my bunny out at the moment. It was far too hot two nights ago and chucking it down with rain yesterday lol so tonight they can go out again :)
 
Because I'm obsessed with them right now (and all of my other babies of course!) I've had to take more photos and videos x)

I'll post them later with additional photos and videos of the boys, my other girls and not forgetting 'Mr Fatty', my rabbit :p
 
Oh my they're so ickle and gorgeous x)x)x)
I do hope Rose learns to love her new friends Matilda and River, good luck XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
Tilda screaming

lilmisscavy said:
Tilda would scream her little heart out as though in pain when I'd simply stroke her
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My little guy frightened me one time when I tried to pick him up; I pulled some hair on the back of his neck out of ignorance of how to grip him and that's when he screamed. And when I was trimming his hair Sunday, if his hair got pulled in the least, he yelped. I was wondering if I had done something to hurt him, or if he was just that tender, or if he was simply expecting it to hurt because of what someone might have done to him before. I never have found out because I didn't want to force that issue of course, but since I am certain that I didn't touch him hard enough to hurt him, that he was simply comparing it to other times when the same movement hurt him. I'm thinking that maybe Tilda screams more because she was expecting pain rather than actually experiencing it?
 
Pat Shields said:
My little guy frightened me one time when I tried to pick him up; I pulled some hair on the back of his neck out of ignorance of how to grip him and that's when he screamed. And when I was trimming his hair Sunday, if his hair got pulled in the least, he yelped. I was wondering if I had done something to hurt him, or if he was just that tender, or if he was simply expecting it to hurt because of what someone might have done to him before. I never have found out because I didn't want to force that issue of course, but since I am certain that I didn't touch him hard enough to hurt him, that he was simply comparing it to other times when the same movement hurt him. I'm thinking that maybe Tilda screams more because she was expecting pain rather than actually experiencing it?
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A slight tug on their fur and especially in the wrong direction will be painful to them. If you were to pull at a strand of hair on your head, it'll give the same affect, but to them it's much worse as they don't expect it and they're much more sensitive to pain, so I guess its a bit of both. Most pigs that haven't had a lot of handling will scream due to fear mostly.

The pair of them are currently popcorning, jumping on and off their wooden bridge and River is attempting to groom Tilda's ear awwww :)
 
They are delighful pair!

I wouldn't worry about introducing them to Rose - piggies don't hurt babies, but the babies can certainly do with guidance from an older sow who will teach them piggy etiquette and how to go about things. It will enhance their own chances at being able to bond again if necessary later on in their lives. Rose will put them in their place and then teach them.

Any screaming is usually submission screaming, not because they hurt. It is simply part of the necessary dominance sort out. Please do not interfere once you have committed with your intros. Guinea pigs work through a strict protocol - they know exactly what is going on whereas you don't! If you separate, they have have to start all over again.

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38561
 
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Wiebke said:
They are delighful pair!

I wouldn't worry about introducing them to Rose - piggies don't hurt babies, but the babies can certainly do with guidance from an older sow who will teach them piggy etiquette and how to go about things. It will enhance their own chances at being able to bond again if necessary later on in their lives. Rose will put them in their place and then teach them.

Any screaming is usually submission screaming, not because they hurt. It is simply part of the necessary dominance sort out. Please do not interfere once you have committed with your intros. Guinea pigs work through a strict protocol - they know exactly what is going on whereas you don't! If you separate, they have have to start all over again.

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38561
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Thank you but I don't appreciate lectures and being spoken down to on a subject I've spent years understanding and know a little bit more about than the average owner. I know exactly what I'm talking about with these animals.
 
lilmisscavy said:
Thank you but I don't appreciate lectures and being spoken down to on a subject I've spent years understanding and know a little bit more about than the average owner. I know exactly what I'm talking about with these animals.
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Is there any real need for this sort of attitude towards someone offering friendly advice? Sorry, but I found this comment quite offensive.

Lovely piggies by the way.
 
Wiebke is not even lecturing to begin with, and the one whom's being rude is you, not her. We're all offering kind advices here and there in the forum, and it's up to you whether you want to believe or listen to us or not. If you don't, then kindly just say thankyou. {:|
 
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