Why Rescue A Piggy? Our Success Stories...

[MerryPip]

As a 'rescue friendly forum' it is important to remind ourselves of why we advise and educate people about Guinea Pig rescue. What better way to do that than to share the stories of some of our successfully rehomed piggles?!

Let's start with my gang:

My Name's SUilven....

I came from The Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue as a little baby. I was a bit scared as I had had to leave my mama because they found I was a boy. Originally my owner thought I was a girl and my name was 'Primrose' They were a little surprised when it turned out that I was a boy instead... Helen @ The Potteries took me in and when my mummy came looking for a new baby friend for Merry, (in my avatar) after he lost his brother Pippin to cancer, I made friends with him straight away. He was such a good Uncle Pig to me and he loved me very much. Merry & Pippin came from Thistle Guinea Pig Rescue (now closed) after their previous owners couldn't look after them.

After Merry Died I was very sad. That's when I met my new friend Arran at Tameside Rescue....

Unforunately Arran was a big, rude bully and we fought a lot. Now he lives with someone else with a wifeypig called Sherbet who came from RSPCA Walsall.

Then I had an amazing holiday... I went to stay with a lovely lady called Paula from BARC and she introduced me to Donald. We snuggled right up together straight away and were such close friends....

Sadly Donald passed away suddenly earlier this year and I was left on my own again....

The my mummy heard of a lovely older boy needing a home at Milhaven called Wilfred (now known as Struan!) I went to meet him and we had a play date - He helped me escape the playpen and we had a happy morning rampaging round Jo's kitchen floor Now me and Struan are inseparable and live in the upstairs flat of a glamorous piggy apartment block...

Down stairs from us live Angus and Hamish. They didn't come from a proper rescue but from a pet shop who were not aware that Hamish had special health needs. They refused to remove him from sale so my Mummy brought them home to live with us so Hamish could be looked after properly. This wasn't a proper rescue but a mercy mission...

Hamish is a 'lethal white' guinea pig meaning he has a genetic defect which means he has no pigment. This defect also affects his ears, eyes, teeth and internal organs so Hamish is nearly blind, partially deaf and has ongoing dental problems. He is a very happy lad and loves life with his mate Angus who we believe is either his brother or a close relative. Unfortunately many breeders who are not careful about breeding certain guinea pig breeds can end up producing 'lethal' guinea pigs and many do not have the safe, happy lives that Hamish and the group living with Furryfriends at TEAS do. Our mummy couldn't bear to leave Mish to the care of someone who would not through ignorance or lack of care be able to give him the care he needs. Thankfully he continues to do well and with regular dental treatment he can live a normal life

That's the rescue stories of the Wulfruna Piggies past and present!

 

[Katherine]

Thankyou so much for telling us about your gang - it was lovely! And beautiful pigtures too!

 

[Guinea pig slave]

I can't put pics on as not worked it out on the new PC windows 8 but here goes...
Our first two boys, Chops and Harley came from a tiny pet shop in Tewkesbury where our caravan was sited and an accidental pregnancy so we bought them home in Sept. 2010. We decided to have two more piggies and discovered rescues for the first time and adopted Frankie and Benny at six weeks from Walsall RSPCA in Nov. 2010.
They asked us if we could have a special little girl with a terrible history, Amelia so she came along in April 2011- a tiny girl of four days old was in rescue, Olivia so we reserved her as a friend, she came to us at six weeks. Sadly, they both left for the Bridge on Friday and we're still devastated
We were buying hay from our supplier and a lady was trying to give four little girls to the shop - we bought them home and the herd was born as they bonded with Amelia and Olivia after quarantine in May 2011.
Bruce and Sheila were two older piggies in July 2011 needing a new home from a member on here so they were piggy trained from the South up to us - we lost Sheila in April to heart and kidney issues
Sally was a poor scraggy girl rescued from a garden centre in Ormskirk along with others, she was at Walsall RSPCA and her reserved home fell through so Sally became our next adoptee but wouldn't bond into the herd - she wanted her own friends Off we went to Leicestershire to a rescue and she picked two little girls as buddies, Winnie and Tilly. This was Jan. 2012.
My love for Himalayan piggies kept me searching rescues near and far and we found three sisters from an ex breeder trying to sell them as good 'stock' so travelled to Lincoln to collect them after getting her to agree money would not be handed over, she was happy to see them go to a better life so they joined our mad house in Sept. 2011. I discovered a little neutered Himi boar in rescue in March 2012 who became the girls' huspig, Zhen. Maia, Xuix and Chei love him.
After we lost Sheila, we took Bruce to meet two tiny baby girls and they joined us, he's fiercely proud of his young wives, Nancy and Belle so when I heard the plight of little Malika at Walsall, decided to adopt her into his harem Lucky devil - he's my golden oldie but these girls certainly put the spring into his step
The Muppet Boys came from Crawley GPR, Alfie and Flynn - Alfie has no back toes but does not affect him in the slightest, beautiful boys, full of energy and mad Peruvian hair. They were part of a big rescue from Kent, co ordinated by wonderful people and had to have these boys to spoil after living in squalor. They joined our house in Oct. 2013.
I'll always have piggies, cannot live without them - poor hubby seems to spend a lot of time building and fashioning their pens as they all live in our lounge currently decorated with hanging snow, fairy lights, reindeers and glittery favour bags rather than stockings this year
Each and every one of them adored, pampered and eyeing up the mass piles of Pigmass presents
'Please don't shop...adopt' x

 

[Jerrybelly]

Thank you so much for sharing

 

[klee]

Rosie was 6 years old before she found a new friend. Her original friend Georgie passed away when she was about 3 and Rosie was on her own for about 2.5 years.
I had never heard of rescues before until someone at uni directed me to the forum and that's where it all started.
I made some enquiries and we ended up going dating at the Potteries in May 2012!

Here is Rosie.


We came back with Ruby, who even at 6 months old was much bigger than Rosie, they got on really well and Rosie soon came out of her shell.



Okay, so we had got the piggy bug again, and mainly because we didn't want Ruby left on her own when Rosie passed on we decided to head back to the rescue less than 2 weeks later. The intention was to take home a lovely black and cream Mummypig and her daughter a beautiful little black and tan girl who was the spitting image of Georgie. Ruby, unfortunately took a bit of a dislike to Mummypig and we decided not to try that grouping further- however there was a gentle Mum and daughter pair (handed in for the sow dating service, but Helen didn't want to split them) still waiting for a home, we decided to try them and that's how we ended up with our set of gingers.

So along came Esme and Tia


As a four they all got along fabulously, Ruby was still very independent and squabbled with everyone at every possibility but they got along really well. Tia the youngest, adored Rosie the oldest and they would often be found snuggled together.

In the last year (2013) Rosie was found to have ovarian cysts after months of undiagnosed hair loss, and was given treatment which sorted her out, and she continued a happy life for several more months. In July this year, Esme was found to have congestive heart failure and was treated for the rest of her life, apart from when she had her breathing problems she was still the fabulous piggy we adopted. She was so friendly, absolutely adored attention and loved to zoom up and down the long length of the living room- you would not have an idea she had a problem.

Rosie passed on at the end of October this year at the grand old age of 7.5, and unfortunately Esme decided it was her time to follow her 3 weeks later.
Rosie's death hit the three of them hard, but the two oldest started to push little Tia around so the thought was to see how they settle and then consider a neutered boar, but when Esme went Tia and Ruby were squabbling more than ever so on the 7th December 2013 we made a trip to The Potteries again to bring home a little neutered boar.

It was actually love at first sight. He is the most dinky adorable little boar who still has a few weeks left before he is safe to go with the girlies but he was allowed to come home to live side by side with them.
Helen said to me as we left he's a quiet little thing, being the more submissive compared to the boy he was living next to. Boy when he saw the girls she was wrong He adores them, and they seem to like them too, he loves nothing better than to patrol along the dividing grids rumble strutting. What is more delightful is his early morning popcorning, zoomy fits he is so very happy and excitable and is a joy to watch. I am just hoping everything goes ok when they are introduced properly after Christmas.

 

[Aussiesue]

We've only had our 3 girls for a few weeks but I'm so glad we decided to try to find a rescue near us. They get along well, are healthy, and no surprise babies on board.

 

[Briony_S]

Ok here goes..... I have had 3 rescue piggies from this forum....

It started when I decided I wanted a guinea pig, I thought I knew enough about them as I'd read a couple of books etc.. So went to P@H in December 2008 & bought the lovely George.



Shortly after purchasing him I discovered this forum and realised the cage I had was too small for long term and that also he needed a friend. Also he had a case of mites too.

I adopted a lovely little boy called Tiger from a lady on here who did fostering. All was well until they hit their terrible teens & sadly they could not decide who was "boss" so they fought and had to be separated.



I then decided the best way forward was neutering and wives. They were neutered and when the 6 weeks was up I took the boys to Jane's house and she setup a play pen for them to be bonded in, so along came Tia and Amy.

Tiger & Amy


Tia & George


They both got on really well with their wives and were very happy. The girls were older than the boys and sadly passed on (one had tumours, sadly she as too thin to be operated on she didn't look thin she looked normal as they were in her tummy but I hadn't noticed she had a really boney bottom and the other had masses inside her stomach (I forget what they were now) but vet had to PTS whilst she was on operating table as there was no way of saving her

So then I got Lacey & Mrs Mouse for the two boys. Again they were very happy until the boys died

Lacey


I was then left with Lacey & Mrs Mouse, I tried them together but Mrs Mouse was very aggressive to lacey. Lacey was scared and crying the whole time they were together.

I then "rescued" two girls from a pet shop, well I say rescued, I bought them as the conditions were horrible (I would say the cage they were in was about 80cm if not less) and there were 6 in the cage all of which looked at least 4 months old to me as they were very big, however they could have been older. They only had one bowl and one bottle to share and a teeny bit of hay on the floor. No hideys and to move they were literally climbing over each other I do not recommend buying from a pet shop to anyone on this forum as now my pigs have caught lice off the 2 newbies and have possible fungus and possible mites. I would steer clear of these types of places completely, I've definitely learnt my lesson!

Shortly after this I bought Sophie on impulse one day from a pet shop (this was before the lice panic) for Mrs Mouse as she was getting more and more sad without a friend and more subdued hearing the others talking to each other. Again I do not recommend this as I think they may need splitting up soon as Mrs Mouse seems to be always chasing and rumbling... If I had took her dating I would have found a better match.

Finally there is Rupert I adopted him from P@h from the rescue section, they were saying he had "special needs" when I enquired what the problem was they said he needed to be on his own as he was very "territorial". That was it I had to have him so that he wouldn't be made to live a lonely life without getting a fair chance at a friend. I have got him neutered and when he is ready he will pick a group of my girls to live with, if he doesn't like any of them he will go dating at a rescue!

I didn't know of any pets shops with a good range of small animal products nearby that did not sell pets, however since this I have found two. The are a bit of a trek but not too bad, certainly worth the journey to avoid lining the pockets of the people that sell animal and pass them on with illnesses etc..

 

[LisaAli]

This thread is extremely interesting as it mimics our experience when we joined the forum. I hope our story will go some way in explaining why the forum is so important to us and new members alike. Are you sitting comfortably – then we'll begin!



About 18 months ago we lost Gromit, the brother of our boy Wallace, he was extremely sad and we didn't know what to do for him. We turned to the internet and by complete surprise we came across the forum, also we didn't know that rescues existed for Guinea Pigs. We received a warm welcome from forum members who didn't judge us in that our piggies came from a pet shop. We were educated and informed in a non patronising way in the concept of Boar dating and more importantly Guinea Pig rescues. One of the main ethos of the forum is being rescue friendly and has certainly changed our attitude towards rescues. As we are in Scotland and have no Piggy Bank approved rescues near us, we used advice given to us by forum members in what to look for in a reputable rescue. After much searching we came across a rescue in Scotland about 75mins away from where we live. We decided to contact the rescue with a view to taking our boy Wallace boar dating. The journey had begun, we visited the rescue and after much deliberation, Joanne at Hutches agreed to find a forever friend for Wallace, although it was explained to us that it may take some time to find the right buddy for him.



Meantime became active members on the forum, gathering as much information as we could on Guinea Pig care and welfare, during this time we got to know members and it was a delight to read their experiences and their sharing of their vast knowledge. A fellow forum member, who had rescued 2 pregnant sows who had given birth to 2 sows and 3 boars. After re-homing the pups a single boar remained Tim, we decided to try him with Wallace. The encouragement we got from the forum was amazing as we were so worried about the whole boar dating thing. We need not have worried as Wallace and Tim clicked straight away and they are still the best of friends to this day.


As all this was going on Joanne was on the case of looking for a buddy for Wallace and contacted us to say that she had rescued a male Himi called Ouzo who could be boar dated with Wallace. As Wallace and Tim were getting on like a house on fire we made the conscious decision to go ahead and adopt Ouzo who was being neutered. This set our mind racing as this gave us the opportunity to think about adopting a wifepig for Ouzo once his 6 weeks were up and along came Morgan. We created a space for the new couple and knowing that we could accommodate more piggies we chose to adopt another sow from Hutches called Tia. Tia took longer than expected to come home to us as she was on pregnancy watch and developed a skin condition and as all good rescues would never release a piggie who was not 100% healthy we had to wait to bring her home.



It seemed to be that Ali was becoming the 'guinea pig man' at work as he was approached by another colleague who had a problem with his two boars as the kids had lost interest in looking after them. We were originally going to take them up to Hutches to be re-homed but fell in love with them both and decided to adopt them ourselves so Fred and Barney became part of our family. It does end there because shortly after that Ali was contacted by yet another colleague who had a single sow who was looking for a new home so Saffi came to stay with us and joined our family.



Not quite done yet.......last but certainly not least came Uno who we fostered from a member on the forum who was having difficulties adding him to her existing pair of boars. We are suckers for an uber cute piggy and made another decision which was really easy – to adopt Uno permanently. Uno is such a special piggy and has stole our hearts and will be going boar dating in the New Year to find his forever friend.


A few weeks ago Hutches Rescue was approached to rescue some piggies that had come from a breeder and ended up taking in 13 piggies and 1 hamster. In the past we had offered to foster rescue piggies for Joanne if the rescue became full so that she could accept any emergency cases and she asked if we could take some piggies until the New Year as the rescue was extremely full due to the above piggies and an additional 11 bunnies rescued via RSPCA. We have 6 cute boars in our spare room keeping us on our toes this holiday season and we wouldn’t have it any other way.


Without the forum we wouldn’t have been introduced to guinea pig rescues and wouldn’t have had the experience or the enjoyment of our piggy family which has enriched our lives in ways we would never have imagined. There are so many piggies out there in rescues looking for their forever homes and it is really nice to hear when a piggy finds one but we should never forget that it really doesn’t matter where a piggy comes from it's how it's life is when it finds a home. Never forget - as we keep reminding ourselves – it's the welfare of the piggies that is paramount. The forum goes a long way to remind us of this by being friendly to all members regardless of how they got here. Onwards and upwards.


Lisa & Ali...x

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

All your piggies are gorgeous!
Especially Suilven!

 

[Briony_S]

Aww what a lovely story x

 

[Julesie]

So to start off I got this little guy, Romano.

A little back story on him:
He was actually from a petshop but he was three times the size of the other piggies in a TINY cage with around 9 young rabbits and even more baby guinea pigs. I was super worried about him as he was in the corner of the cage not moving. I asked the petshop employee what gender he was - I was worried he was pregnant being so much bigger than the others- and she told me it was girls and then that it was boys and then girls again. She honestly didn't know. I asked if I could hold him and I took him out and felt around. He obviously had little balls and I told her he was a male and put him back in the cage.

I returned to the pet shop a week later worried about him and saw he was in the exact place hunched away curled up and hiding as I had seen him the week before. I grew very worried about him being cramped with these other rabbits and guinea pigs in a MUCH too small cage and bought him.

I decided to get him a friend and adopted a little baby boar on this forum who needed a home named Arthur. Arthur, once he had been with Romano for just over a year sadly decided to attack Romano and the poor boy got bites all over his back. I split them and took Arthur to a rescue- a tough choice as I adored him but Romano was the victim and my first piggie who I wanted to have a good life.

I then got another guinea pig (not pet store but a home that no longer wanted him) and tested with bars between them. They got on well. Always sleeping beside one another and I thought they would get on well. Sadly again after another years time, Corey got SO humpy with Romano that he pinned the poor boy into the corner of the cage and ejaculated all over him. Romano didn't like this and although there was no aggression and just an overly sexual boy I decided to split them so Corey went to a rescue home too and now has a few wife pigs.

Now onto the real main rescue now the back story is done.

I took Romano to a rescue, Wood Green in Heydon and I looked at the guinea pigs there. I told them I wanted an elder piggie for Romano who has been through puberty and would not attack Romano. Eventually we settled on a beautiful little piggie to try with him called 'Mr Pig' and he was a ginger/brown and white teddy guinea pig.

This is Mr Pig renamed Matthew. He and Romano are still together now and are very good friends. Romano is the dominant of the pair but very relaxed and happily allows Matthew to get food first when he shoves Romano out of the way.
Poor Matthew was abandoned outside with two other guinea pigs, both female, but neither were thankfully pregnant. He had many, many problems when the rescue got him and was treated for it all and when I took him home he was slightly underweight but is now a very healthy, inquisitive young boy. Romano is happy to have a good friend and they always sleep together and happily chat with their neighbours through the bars, often all four sleeping side by side.

Here they are as best friends.

 

[MerryPip]

Here they are as best friends.

What a handsome pair of boys!

 

[madguinealady]

My first two piggies were sort of a rescue, pet shop had taken them in to rehome them, and I had been given a guinea pig cage that I was going to adapt into a hamster cage so took two home with me.My daughter then feel k in love with two babies and wanted to buy them with her birthday money. Wasn't aware of rescues then and when I asked about them no-one else knew of any either so that was our quartet.Two long haired girls on preloved near me so took them in as well.Original plan was to bond them with my quartet but sugar and pebbles hated each other on sight and full on fight within five minutes so then had duo separate.(pebbles and fizz, my very sPecial ginger texel that stole everyone's heart including my hubbies.) Lost fizz and pebbles went dOwn hill fast so tried her with

 

[madguinealady]

Sox don't know why only part posted.Tried rescue pigs with pebbles but wouldn't accept even the most laid back piggy and no neutered boars available to try so ended up with baby from said trusted pet shop.Since finding this forum have linked two lunkaryas that needed help from a site with a home, got two boys out off a bad situation and into a new home with the help of becklen and a long haired girl unwanted by her previous owner.

 

[flowerfairy]

Got a trio from a local rescue that had been there for at least a year! They are gorgeous although the boy (Basil) does hassle his girls when they are in season.

 

[MerryPip]

Any more stories to share? I am sure with so many gorgeous piggies out there we must have some more fabulous stories of rescues and new starts....

 

[xX Ginger and Friends Xx]

So cute stories but also when they die its a bit sad then happy then sad then happy then sad . . . *goes on and on*

 

[xX Ginger and Friends Xx]

I shall tell you about Gingerness and Zoey

A long long time ago. . . .. . . ok ok ill change it (zoey stepped on my keyboard so i guess she doesnt like this beginning
. . .

Anyway , i wanted a little pet (as i got a horse and a cat. . . yes , am kinda spoiled. . )so i thought about a hamster too little then a rat . . it climbes cat would attack it.Then i remembered about my dad , he had a piggie too so then it was to adopt one.So we looked at Gumtree , there was a man which had a whole shed of rabbits and piggies (No, they weren't standing on each other's heads) so we helped him and adopted 2 piggies , we gave him £10 more as he has a jolly and careful man and his job was selling piggies AND his other job.Ginger peed my mom (as we could get to know them while talking) and Zoey thought my hair was some kind of jungle . Then we just relaxed and looked at the piggies how they were getting on every 10 mins. Teh End !! Now Zoey will write something as she is on my lap = rfeuiifvjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjukjf there we go

 

[Wiebke]

With most of my many piggies coming from rescues, some have come from truly awful backgrounds, but not all. A few have come here because their loving owners had put their piggies' needs before their own human feelings.

This is the story of Dizzy:

When I took my newly bereaved very dominant Minx to RNGP Welfare in Rugby to meet some neutered boars who I thought would suit her more, I also came across a little lady called Daisy, who like Minx was just coming up to three years old and who perked up markedly when I handled her. So we decided to put her with Minx first. Daisy made a beeline for Minx, touched the spot where her bladder was located (Minx was sadly suffering from bladder problems) and glued herself to Minx' side. Minx didn't twitch a whisker and was totally happy to share some grass with the new arrival. Daisy came straight back home with us, and within a week she'd turned from Daisy to Dizzy because a demure lawn flower she wasn't! She and Minx settled down together with the ease of two widowed sisters moving back in together.
(Minx and Dizzy)


Daisy came with a heart-breaking letter from her owner, who had surrendered her because Daisy was lonely after the loss of her mate, who had sadly passed away after a long battle with the horrendous satin disease (osteodystrophy/OD) while her owner could simply not face getting another piggy after what she'd been through.

Only once I realised how deeply Dizzy still loved her mummy did I contact her and send her some pictures. She was such a character!






Sadly, Minx passed away seven months later due to severe bladder trauma in the wake of a second bladder operation, which also removed a most likely cancerous growth in her bladder. These were Dizzy's darkest days; when we took her for dating to a rescue that had three neutered boars since there were no sows available in the whole region, she fully expected to be dumped again and was hiding underneath her cosy. But we didn't dump her! Instead she met ca. 12 months old Llewelyn with half an ear missing, who'd been rescued in Wales, and fell in love head over heels...
(Dizzy and Llewelyn on his arrival)


From then on, Dizzy started to totally trust me and not just see me as a not-quite-right replacement of her mum. But the feisty lady also made it very clear that Llewelyn was hers only! One morning after a pretty wild season with lots of drama, she interposed herself between me and Llewelyn, gave me a look, turned her bum towards me, gave Llewi a big kiss, threw me another speaking look over her shoulder and went back to eating. Can't make it any clearer than that!




Llewelyn and Dizzy were most happy and adored each other until Dizzy's health started to slowly go when she was about five years old. For Llewelyn's sake, I adopted a pair of sows to prevent him from pining quite so badly after she passed; that was the start of the Tribe.
Things came to a head in the wake of a heat wave when Dizzy's liver finally packed up. I stayed up with her her for three nights, sharing my watches with Llewelyn. At one point, Dizzy fell into a deep coma, but sadly she woke up again and was in major discomfort, so I had to have her pts in the end. When I wrote to Dizzy's previous owner, she sent me back a letter to say that she had been thinking of Dizzy that day and was not at all surprised to hear of her passing, if very sad to have it confirmed. So deep went their mutual love...

 

[Rosierum]

Here are my rescue stories.

Like many people I started with a pair of pet shop piggies Rosie and Rum (hence the username). I joined the forum needing help with my ramp in their cage and found rescues existed for piggies.
Once I had the space to expand my numbers I looked around and reserved a pair of girls.

Maggie my beautiful diva was born in rescue and was hand reared. She had been adopted out before but ended up back in rescue through no fault of her own. She was 2 when she came to me



I adopted her partner in crime Milkshake at the same time. Milkshake was an ex breeding sow surrendered to rescue.



I took Rosie and Rum to bond with the new girls at the rescue which thankfully went very well.

While picking up Maggie and Milky I met a little cutie named Pixie. It was love at first hug for me and luckily she also got on well with the others.

Pixie was also born in rescue. Her mother and grandmother were also surrendered a classic case of back to back breeding. Originally Pixie was going to be kept as a permanent resident at the rescue due to her mum developing bad cataracts due to possible inbreeding. Problems never developed and she came home with me.

Little Pixie 4 months old when I adopted her



and now


When Rum sadly died of cancer in 2012 I decided to adopt again.

Gracie and Lizzie were again born in rescue after their mums were taken in. They were born to different mums but got on well so it was decided to pair the babies together and the mums together. I split Maggie and Milky off on their own as they were older and love each other very much. So Gracie and Lizzie joined Rosie and Pixie.

In the bonding pen with Rosie and Pixie



Now


Thats everyone. Thanks for reading my ramble about my lovely girls

 

[gwinnypiggylove]

I got my first guinea pig from a pet shop ( I was 9, don't judge me ) and it was because of him I joined this forum. ( 2 years ago despite only really appearing a couple of days ago! ) When he died at the start of 2013 I was sure I would go on to rescue more piggies as I had learned so much in the time I cared for him. I ended up with more sooner than I thought because in February I saw my boys in the pets at home adoption centre. They were gorgeous and I couldn't leave them. They hadn't been bought and had grown to big to be sold. Why no one wanted them I'll never know. I took them home that day and I'm so glad I did. These pigs had never been handled apart rom to be moved from one place to the next, they were terrified of me. There nails were overgrown along with their teeth. The only thing in their cage at the shop was a tunnel made of soft plastic and it had been gnawed to pieces. When I handled them the next day what did I find? Lice. And the Peruvian ( renamed Borris after Boris Johnson )had matted fur around his bum. I'm so glad I have them now, they are just the funniest pair of piggies I've ever met but I guess I have to say that! Anyway, I love them and I'm glad they are with me. Here's some pictures of my beautiful boys...



Borris and George's butt George being cute...as always



piggie photo shoot! ( can barely see George in this one...oops) APPLE

 

[Ginny&Penny]

Here's my story of Ginny & Penny!
(Sorry in advance as I tend to go off topic, I will try not to)

I first got my hamster (Humphrey) from a little pet shop. The cages were very small and there was about 20 other hamsters! I felt so sorry but I was only allowed one! *sadface* so I chose my little fluff ball also called Humpy, Hump and sir-humps-a lot, much to people's amusement!

Since I had a new pet my little sister wanted one... We knew the pet wouldn't really be hers as she is only little so we would be the main piggy slaves! (We got her fish at first but they were apparently 'too boring' haha so now they are my much loves fishies!)

At my mums work there was a man (who looked quite like a guinea pig) who was giving away his guinea pig. His children paid no attention to her as the pig lived in the garden and the dogs were more interesting for them.
(This is where I tell you piggies aren't good pets for children)
We got Ginny also known as Shadrack.... They thought she was a boy! What a name too...

She was three years old when we got her, she did have a partner but sadly he was eaten by their dog...
(That's also where I tell you dogs and pigs aren't a good match)
So understandably she was quite lonely! She was very shy and scared of everyone but after softly talking to her she quickly became very happy and wheeky!

My sister didn't bond with Ginny and since she was only 4 at time it wasn't really a supprise, however it was quite good for me as i got a piggy

After having her for a few weeks we looked at adopting another piggy friend for Ginny!

That didn't go to plan... We went to pets at home to buy some hay and fell in love with a tiny baby piggy. Again the space she was in was not very big but she was bullied and nipped by the other pigs. So, being super piggy slave, I had to rescue her from the bullies!

They didn't get along at first but I didn't give up! After a couple of Wheeks they soon because best friends!

I have had my pigs for a while now and I can honestly tell you that adopting Ginny has changed my life! They are my sunshine on rainy days and it's always nice to hear them get exited when I enter the room

I am looking to adopt more piggies in the future but for now it's just the pigs, the hamster and the humans!

 

[Ginny&Penny]

Ginny and I are just sat reading these lovely stories

 

[MerryPip]

Keep your rescue stories coming in, they remind us why we encourage our members to rehome rescue piggies and give them a new start in life

 

[Sue and Smartie]

I had my first guinea pigs ten years ago, when my old horse died. I found myself with loads of time on my hands once he'd gone (he had needed a LOT of nursing) and I'd always fancied pigs, so I got myself a hutch and run, and rang up the RSPCA. Yes, they had two boy pigs, would I like to come and look at them? So I picked some big dandelions from my garden and went to look.
They liked the greens, and I liked them, so once I'd been home checked Puzzle & Pickle were mine. I never knew how old they were but I had them for about four years. Puzzle died first, and Pickle soon followed him. I was very upset and said I wouldn't have any more for a while.
That worked really well ha ha ha! About a month after they'd gone I saw a pair of sows advertised (retired from breeding) and fell in love with their cute little faces. They were Rexes. Smartie and Petal were with me for quite a few years. Petal died first and Smartie about six months after. I was very upset (again) but this time I couldn't have any more pigs as OH had lost his job and I didn't want to increase our animal family until he was earning again.
He got another job, and once he'd got a contract I rang up our local rescue centre - had they got any pigs? Yes! I went to visit them (armed again with greens) and fell in love again. It wasn't mutual, they were as wild as anything, but I still wanted them. Pedro & Panda came to us about 16 months ago. It took a month before we could move without frightening them into their hidey, but now I can move stuff about in their run and they just sniff my fingers. They are still not what I'd call tame but they aren't frightened of us any more.

All the pigs I've had have been so different - how anyone can say 'it's just a guinea pig' I don't know. Each has their own character and different needs. It's lovely to see scaredy pigs come round and become confident once more. I would always use a rescue now when looking for a guinea pig. Every pig rehomed means a space for some other needy animal.

 

[MerryPip]

All the pigs I've had have been so different - how anyone can say 'it's just a guinea pig' I don't know. Each has their own character and different needs. It's lovely to see scaredy pigs come round and become confident once more. I would always use a rescue now when looking for a guinea pig. Every pig rehomed means a space for some other needy animal.

Well said!

 

[madguinealady]

I got two 4 week old babies from rescue yesterday.Got them that young because they had lost mum anyway and they were going in with an adult sow and an older baby and I know what I am doing.The rescue I got them from have young children and dogs so they weren't fazed by my kids and my dogs.They are so confident and cheeky they don't even hide when you go in.The beauty of rescue piggies

 

[liammcclure]

when my guinea pig died i wasnt sure what to do because smudge seemed like she was a little bit bullied by her previous partner. But when splodge died she didnt seem right she would let me pick her up with no problems. I phoned up a rescue in northwich and explained what was happening and the lady said that smudge was beginning to pine for her. so i made arrangements to take smudge up for a piggie date. To my shock the first guinea pig that the lady picked up got on so well with smudge and smudge really liked cresty. smudge even started to clean cresty that i never saw her doing to splodge. there was a bit of friction when the lady put in a carrot. but it was sorted soon after and they have been inseperable ever since smudge has gone back to not wanting to be picked up while cresty hates getting put back in cage once out lol. thanks so much to this site that gave me advice at the sad time.

 

[MerryPip]

when my guinea pig died i wasnt sure what to do because smudge seemed like she was a little bit bullied by her previous partner. But when splodge died she didnt seem right she would let me pick her up with no problems. I phoned up a rescue in northwich and explained what was happening and the lady said that smudge was beginning to pine for her. so i made arrangements to take smudge up for a piggie date. To my shock the first guinea pig that the lady picked up got on so well with smudge and smudge really liked cresty. smudge even started to clean cresty that i never saw her doing to splodge. there was a bit of friction when the lady put in a carrot. but it was sorted soon after and they have been inseperable ever since smudge has gone back to not wanting to be picked up while cresty hates getting put back in cage once out lol. thanks so much to this site that gave me advice at the sad time.

A wonderful happy ending despite the sad loss of Splodge. This is the difference that can be made with sharing our stories and encouraging rescues. Glad to see Smudge and Cresty have got their happily ever after...

 

[Pebble]

The vast majority of piggies that come into Rescue, although sometimes very neglected, can normally be treated for mites/fungal/the odd abcess and then once they have been restored to health and got their weight back up they can be rehomed to members of the public. However some Rescue piggies that come in clearly have long-term health issues. They are not rehomed and would normally remain as permanent residents at the Rescue concerned...taking up cage space and reducing the numbers of new piggies the Rescue can take in. As you can see from below I tend to re-home these “special needs” piggies



First – and what started me with Rescue and piggy trains – Sambuca and Tamarind.......via Glynneath GPR.









I actually piggy trained them to GGPR as part of a number of pigs that were re-homed via several Rescues because the owner’s circumstances changed in 2010. Sadly Tamarind had to be PTS early last year owing to inoperable kidney stones so a new spayed wifepig, Eucalyptus was found for Sambuca from Rugby GPR.

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Then little Tia from Bramley Rescue in 2010 as wifepig for my existing neutered boy Ginger. Despite her tiny size she had come into rescue pregnant and lost her babies.

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To be Continued