Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Foster Piggies
#21
I am glad Cecil has recovered. I am sure he will want to be with the girls. They may really like him. I am hoping he pulls your piggies together into one herd. Piggies are fun when they live in a group and I am sure cleaning will be easier.

I am betting on Cecil being able to charm them all. Heart
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

Reply
#22
So Cecil has two and a half weeks to go until he can meet the girls. We had a breakthrough last weekend when, at Suzy's invitation, the girls spent a few days with her and came home as a bonded group. We thought it would be easier to introduce Cecil to them as one group rather than trying to bond them all at the same time. They seem to get along just fine, although Suzy suggested that if I had tried it at home I probably would have given up. There were a few instances of what Suzy calls "Crinolines at dawn" but it was all bluff and bluster and they soon settled into something of a heap!! They are not always in each other pockets but they do seem to like each other. As the two pairs were each composed of an elderly lady (5+) and a relative youngster I was faced with the prospect of 2 single girls at some point, but hopefully this has been avoided now.
And also Cecil has a nice group of ladies to meet in a fortnight or so. He will spend the last week in a partitioned off portion of the big pen so they can all get to know him well before they actually meet face to face.
Greeting from Wales.
Hwyl Fawr o'r Cymru.
This is the web site of the rescue I volunteer at.
http://guinearescue.blogspot.co.uk/
Reply
#23
Suzie is a wonder worker when it come to bonding piggies. I guess it is like kids at a playground. Because it is neutral territory it is easier to get them to bond. Also if you were there they would have been playing to an audience. Without you there, they could work things out and establish dominance. Is there a head female in the group?

Cecil will a perfect addition to the group. The girls are going to love him. You keep the male separated from the girls for a long stretch. Better safe than sorry. You would hate to put him in too soon and end up with pregnant girls.


You are right, all this bonding does solve the problem of ending up with a solitary guinea pig. If you can get the group working as a herd you might be able to add new piggies in the future if you need to. You would only have one pen to clean as well. That would be great.

Keep us posted.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

Reply
#24
So Cecil is now six weeks post op and after a slight infection that responded very quickly to antibiotics, he's healed, he's well and he can't wait to meet the girls!!
For the last 2 weeks he has been living right next to them in a partitioned off portion of the big pen.
Some weeks ago our girlies spent the weekend with Suzy in Glynneath and came home as a bonded group, something I thought would be impossible!! But the magic of Suzy worked a treat and they are a friendly, happy bunch. Cecil has made quite an impression with his singing and dancing and playing the bars. He's quite the song and dance man!!
I'm reluctant to try the intros myself as I had no success with the girls, so we are waiting until the bonding pen is free with Suzy as her success rate for us has been 100% and I really want this to work.
In the meantime, Cecil has their company through the bars and they all spend a lot of time next to him, although he must find this rather frustrating. They seem to have accepted that he is there and look for him if he is out of the pen so it is all looking promising.
Greeting from Wales.
Hwyl Fawr o'r Cymru.
This is the web site of the rescue I volunteer at.
http://guinearescue.blogspot.co.uk/
Reply
#25
I am sure this is going to work. Cecil will be happy and you will have one big herd of piggies. They are so much more fun as a group. They can have more room and you can feed them as one. If your place is like mine it is easier to clean them as one group. I currently have two groups, but it easier than when I had four.

I can't wait to hear how it all worked out and to see picture of them together.
Keep us posted.

All the best to Cecil. He has come a long way from the scared boy that he was.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

Reply
#26
So Cecil is now well established with his 3 Ladies and the foster pen has been empty for a few weeks. Well it is empty no longer.
Ollie came to stay on Tuesday. Ollie is about 5 months old and came into the rescue with his Mum, Auntie and 2 sisters who were litter mates. There had been a mix up when they sexed the babies and the 2 girls turned out to be Ollie and one of his sisters, the other sister had been removed thinking she was the boy!!
This was rectified straight away but they were 12 weeks old by then so any damages had already been done. The females have all completed a 10 week pregnancy watch and so far there have been no babies.
Ollie proved to be very frightened and small and in the 10 weeks he was at the rescue he hardly emerged from his hidey. We know he must have done because his food and water were going, but nobody ever saw him.
So he's come to us to see what we can do. We have quite a good track record with frightened piggies so here goes.

He's already learned the rustle of the plastic salad bag and calls most enthusiastically whenever he hears it. He has also decided that it's not so bad out side the hidey and will sit in the open, even as we pass, as long as we don't open the cage. Then he shoots off like a rocket!! But yesterday he didn't hide in his castle, he stood behind it and then peeped up over the top of it to see what I was doing, so I think he's going to be quite easy to bring around. He calls to our other piggies and responds when they call. Up until now he's been too scared to meet others but at the rate he's going I think he will be ready in a few weeks. Another piggy, confident with people, is just what he needs so I hope a forever home comes along for him soon, once he's ready.

His arrival photo can be seen here

http://guinearescue.blogspot.co.uk/p/new-arrivals.html

If you scroll down to 28/10/14 he's the first piggy there.
His Mum and the other girlies are in the photo below his.
Greeting from Wales.
Hwyl Fawr o'r Cymru.
This is the web site of the rescue I volunteer at.
http://guinearescue.blogspot.co.uk/
Reply
#27
I knew the foster cage would not be empty long. Ollie sounds like the perfect pig to foster with you. I can tell you are already working your magic with him. Poor little boy. They get so scared don't they. Guinea pigs are such harmless and gentle creatures. Is it too much to ask that people respect that and not let them get so scared.

I know you will turn him into an affectionate outgoing little boy. When he finally has his forever home he will enjoy snuggles and treats and demand his breakfast just like the other pigs.
Your piggies probably told him that all is well. They do listen to each other.

I can't get the link to show me Ollie. There are lots of piggies, but I can't sort out which is the right one. If only I lived closer I would never be able to resist increasing my herd.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

Reply
#28
Ollie is the sixth piggy down in the new arrivals section, under the date 28/10/14. The photo below him shows the females he came in with.
Greeting from Wales.
Hwyl Fawr o'r Cymru.
This is the web site of the rescue I volunteer at.
http://guinearescue.blogspot.co.uk/
Reply
#29
I think I have figured out which one is Ollie. For some reason the site is very glitchy for me. He is such a shy looking little piggie, but very cute. I am sure once he gains some confidence he will blossom. He is still quite young so he must not be full sized yet.
Keep us posted on his progress. I am sure he will do well. He just needs to feel safe and loved.

How do Cecil and the girls feel about his presence?
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

Reply
#30
Ollie is settling in nicely. I have to keep reminding myself that this one can't stay!!
Cecil appears to be aware that another boar is here and is being more "attentive" to the ladies!! Which causes a bit of consternation, particularly with Ruby who really likes his company but clearly only wants to be friends. Marigold just tells him off and Sadie is a bit of a strumpet and really leads him on, a facet of her personality we were unaware of until Cecil arrived. She had lived with a neutered boar before, a lovely boy named Bramwell, but he didn't survive long, he had a fungal chest infection caused by living on the floor of an outside aviary which had a lot of birds in it. He was clearly unwell when he was surrendered and was unable to shake off the infection despite all Suzy's best attentions.

Ollie really likes the mixed salad leaves with beetroot strips, so much so that he will now tentatively take a beetroot strip from my hand. He doesn't look at me when he takes it, but can't resist the beetroot. There's always something they can't resist!! and finding out what is the key to helping them settle in, in my experience, anyway.
Greeting from Wales.
Hwyl Fawr o'r Cymru.
This is the web site of the rescue I volunteer at.
http://guinearescue.blogspot.co.uk/
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)
Created by Zyggy's Web Design