After plans A, B, C and D trying to find a Tribe-internal new wife or two for my recently bereaved Carwyn have all been unsuccessful, The Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue have kindly trained an already paired-up couple of their younger sows that were just about to be put up for adoption down to me via the TEAS open day event, which was attended by one of their volunteers.
As Carwyn has become very sow-wary in the wake of a few tussles with rambunctious ladies of mine and one of the Potteries girls is extremely nervous, it has taken me some time and a bit of cunning to settle them down next to each other over the weekend and to get freaky Bella (who has sadly had a very bad start to life), little rescue born Ellie and wary Carwyn to become comfortable which each others' presence. Once I had achieved that by yesterday afternoon, the bonding itself went thankfully very smoothly, if rather lively thanks to a humping and chasing spree from an ecstatic Carwyn. I am very relieved and glad that I have now three very happy, popcorny piggies here, even though I am going over my limit, as both girls have worked out with Carwyn.
Seeing the girls coming out of themselves now, I have decided to rename Bella Briallen (Primrose in Welsh; pronounced BreeAKHlen) and little Ellie Heini ("lively"; Haynee is the English version of the Welsh name); little Heini is definitely living up to her name!
The bonding pens in the kitchen (with an extra fleece on top to help settle Bella and Ellie and encourage them to come out of hiding)
Encouraging Carwyn and Bella to come closer and interact more with the help of fresh grass:
Carwyn with the nose tip from little Ellie
All three in their permanent pen yesterday evening after acceptance and submission has happened:
Happily settled with lots of mutual grooming, popcorning, zooming, playing dodgems with the new daddy-cum-playmate and snuggling up next to a new wife or two:
Heini on the left, Carwyn and Briallen on the right
Heini and Carwyn
As Carwyn has become very sow-wary in the wake of a few tussles with rambunctious ladies of mine and one of the Potteries girls is extremely nervous, it has taken me some time and a bit of cunning to settle them down next to each other over the weekend and to get freaky Bella (who has sadly had a very bad start to life), little rescue born Ellie and wary Carwyn to become comfortable which each others' presence. Once I had achieved that by yesterday afternoon, the bonding itself went thankfully very smoothly, if rather lively thanks to a humping and chasing spree from an ecstatic Carwyn. I am very relieved and glad that I have now three very happy, popcorny piggies here, even though I am going over my limit, as both girls have worked out with Carwyn.
Seeing the girls coming out of themselves now, I have decided to rename Bella Briallen (Primrose in Welsh; pronounced BreeAKHlen) and little Ellie Heini ("lively"; Haynee is the English version of the Welsh name); little Heini is definitely living up to her name!
The bonding pens in the kitchen (with an extra fleece on top to help settle Bella and Ellie and encourage them to come out of hiding)
Encouraging Carwyn and Bella to come closer and interact more with the help of fresh grass:
Carwyn with the nose tip from little Ellie
All three in their permanent pen yesterday evening after acceptance and submission has happened:
Happily settled with lots of mutual grooming, popcorning, zooming, playing dodgems with the new daddy-cum-playmate and snuggling up next to a new wife or two:
Heini on the left, Carwyn and Briallen on the right
Heini and Carwyn