Something terrible happened

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dearbarbie

dearbarbie

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Hi everyone - hope someone can advise here or put my mind at ease...

Had a nightmare morning. My boyfriend shouted to me 'Wheatley is gone!' as I was getting ready for work - our two boys are about 6 months old, Wheatley was 'mine' and the other (Machete - film reference, not a weapons fan!) was his.

Got to the hutch outside (which also had a proper hutch rain cover thing on it) and there's loads of white fur in clumps on the floor, some bigger ones under the hutch. We assume a fox or cat came in the night and opened the hutch somehow - or perhaps I didn't close it properly :( :( There's no blood or anything though which I find weird. Nothing in the garden - only tufts of fur at the base of the 2-storey hutch. He once bit me by accident so I know he's a tough little guy - it really hurt and bled loads!

Checked our garden and next door's and we can't see him or any sign of him. Hoping he managed to get away and we might find him injured somewhere but I know that's highly unlikely :( He was so SO full of character, used to nudge me with his nose to stroke him and fall asleep in the crook of my arm :( Proper heartbroken - I have a chronic illness and he was a real focus for me when I was diagnosed recently.

:( any ideas or suggestions of what might have happened? We looked everywhere for him and now worried that whatever took him will come back for our lonely solo piggy. We realise we need to get another one so the remaining one doesn't get lonely - how long should we leave it?

Upset :(
 
Oh no I am really sorry. No wonder you are upset. I would have your other piggy indoors to ensure he is safe.
 
Hi and Welcome,

I am so sorry this has happened, but with the clumps of fur around I would assume it was an animal that got to him, unless your boys maybe had a fight and as you say the hutch wasn't closed properly and Wheatley escaped and ran off?

You could try using a female piggy in the garden to try and lurr him out of hiding, but in the mean time i would bring the remaining boy indoors a) for company and b) for safety.

This is why i hate the thought of outdoor hutches.

Big hugs xx
 
I am really sorry to read this. An awful thing to have happened :( Really sorry.

First of all I would ask to search your all neighbours gardens thoroughly just in case he managed to escape and is still around.

I would bring your remaining piggie indoors until you can make sure your hutch is predator proof for your other piggie to be housed in. Unfortunately these tragic accidents happen, big hugs to you
 
Thanks. The boys were housed separately as the little 'teenagers' hadn't been getting on - they had a floor each and a lot of exercise/handling to make up for it, and we were in the middle of reintroducing them...thing is, the other one seems fine - and was safely locked up. Not distressed in the slightest and I imagine he would have been terrified had he have heard Wheatley being attacked.
 
So sorry for you. Tbh it doesn't sound good but it's always worth continuing the search for a bit - if he did get away and hide he might come out if you stay outside and he hears your voice but be aware that this is a long shot, also get your neighbours to keep an eye out for him. The fur and his absence would suggest the worse. :( Meanwhile get your other piggie inside. You don't need to get another companion straight away unless your other piggie has stopped eating, he will need time to grieve - you can use this time to keep looking if you're hopeful. So very sad, wish we could be more optimistic.
(((((hugs)))))
 
Thank you! I'm holding onto the fact that there's no blood - to me that is a bit weird. Going to try to leave work early, it'll be dark when I get home and not easy to search for him :(
 
Just seen your reply about them not being together so hopefully your other piggy won't grieve too much if he can't be found.
 
Get some parsley to lure him out if he is hiding.
 
Thanks - going to see if I can get off work early to go and look for him. I have a gut feeling that he's still out there terrified :( Holding onto this no-blood thing...
 
Also you could maybe put a postcard in your local newsagent or supermarket. If he has run away, someone might have taken him in not knowing whose piggy he is. Also tonight you'll probably have lots of Halloweeners knocking on your door. Ask them if they've seen Wheatley. I do hope he will turn up live & well.
 
Stewybus said:
Also you could maybe put a postcard in your local newsagent or supermarket. If he has run away, someone might have taken him in not knowing whose piggy he is. Also tonight you'll probably have lots of Halloweeners knocking on your door. Ask them if they've seen Wheatley. I do hope he will turn up live & well.
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Great idea - I'm going home soon to look for him in daylight and have a good sob where nobody can see me!
 
Poor thing, it does sound like an animal may have taken him but it is worth putting some flyers through the doores in your street just in case and I would bring the other pig inside the house as once an animal knows they are there it will return. My partner works in London if you need help looking at some point. He recently managed to catch a little pig that was foudn in someone's garden in our town.
 
My god this my worse nightmare when mine were outside.. My OH obviously said it would never and could never happen the liar!

Hope you find your poor piggy soon xx fingers crossed for you xx
 
Best of luck! Please bring your other boy inside; he may be a bit traumatised if it was a raid by a fox.

Another place you could try is your local vets, in case somebody has found an injured piggy.
 
Wiebke said:
Best of luck! Please bring your other boy inside; he may be a bit traumatised if it was a raid by a fox.

Another place you could try is your local vets, in case somebody has found an injured piggy.
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Thanks - put him in his indoor run next to me working, and thankfully he's working his way through a radish, so he's eating :) Does seem a bit jumpy but he isn't as friendly as the other one was so could just be that. Does keep squeaking though quite loudly - maybe he's calling him.

Just need to decide when we can get him a hutchmate but I imagine it will be a few weeks as I can't bear to replace Wheatley right now :( STILL baffled by the clumps of fur on the ground and no blood or trail of fur. Nothing on any gates, plants (apart from some random flowers in the grass but could have been Monday's storm), shed or anything. I am flummoxed!

Thanks for the vet suggestion - nothing reported but they will call us if anything sounding like an injured piggy found somewhere comes in.
 
Oh I'm so sorry to hear this, horrible as its something we are always worried about when our piggies are outside. We have had a fox attack that took 2 of our chickens and there was only a pile of feathers here and there so it wouldn't surprise me if this was a fox that took him. However was your guinea pig white as it may suggest the white fur could be that of a cat which could mean it is more likely he could still be out there. Just to say there was a recent fox attack reported on the rabbit forum and whilst one was taken away by the fox another rabbit was found hiding under the shed. I hope you find him xx
 
yes - he was white, brown and black but the only fur was white and feels like piggy hair - weird how only one colour too - part of his head and part of his back was white - here he is:

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I know :( he had this cheeky little look, always out the corner of his eye like he'd been scolded! going to find a ladder/speak to neighbors
 
Oh gosh, I am sorry yo hear this :(

My piggies live in a shed but when they lived in a hutch, I covered it with bolts. Do you use bolts on your hutch as I'm afraid those plastic twist locks alone just aren't secure enough :(

I think you have been given some good advise already and I just hope your boy is found x
 
Yeah we have a bolt on each door - and then the rain cover over...stupid fox. He's not in next door's garden from what I can see :( Would ask neighbour at other side but they were in their garden earlier so would have seen him :(
 
:( Can you see any damage to the hutch? Bolts should have kept the fox out :( Hopefully the hutch was left open and he is hiding somewhere but that wouldn't explain the fur.

I am sorry you are going through this :(
 
Claire W said:
:( Can you see any damage to the hutch? Bolts should have kept the fox out :( Hopefully the hutch was left open and he is hiding somewhere but that wouldn't explain the fur.

I am sorry you are going through this :(
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:( Thanks - I will go check hutch now - I worry I didn't close it properly but then if it was a fox, how did it lift up the heavy canvas/plastic 'awning' on the hutch (winterproofing!)
 
omg! i said earlier that the flowers were all over and thought it was from the storm, but on closer inspection found more white fur on a leaf and its defo his, not a feather...tiny bit of red...could be mud though...
 
further up the garden, next to random flowers on the grass there's a tiny guinea pig big sized pile of wood shavings?! but he never had them sticking to him - something must have gotten a mouthful of them with him?!
 
He is a gorgeous boy! x)

Whatever got him, has obviously only got a mouthful of hair when he took him out of the hutch. Hopefully, Wheatley has been able to escape and will be found. I feel for you; it is an anxious time and you are currently going through the worst nightmare of a responsible loving pet owner.

We can help with advice as to the best rescues for risk free boar bonding or recommendations and tips on where to and how best to go about it if you would rather go down the neutering/mixed gender pair route whenever you feel ready to tackle that issue.
 
dearbarbie said:
further up the garden, next to random flowers on the grass there's a tiny guinea pig big sized pile of wood shavings?! but he never had them sticking to him - something must have gotten a mouthful of them with him?!
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Okay no damage to hutch, or to the rain cover - WEIRD! and trail stops dead in the garden. just shone the torch everywhere as his eyes will reflect it but nothing. meh :(
 
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