A Cute Piggy

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Flamestriker

Flamestriker

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hello all

The OH and I went to P&H earlier to get some hay and there was a little Rex tri coat in with a litter of girls. Absolutely gorgeous...and I have fallen in love. Of course I should not have had a cuddle...but I couldn't resist. And she was as good as gold.

She is beautiful, dark brown except with a tan band around her middle and a white nose. And she was so cuddly! How I walked out of the store without her I could not say.

I have a 5x2 C&C cage, so the cage is big enough for a new addition (after the correct steps for bonding of course) but is it difficult to have three sows together? I am happy to purchase a cage for temporary measures, and I am aware that not all bondings go well. Whilst she in in her own cage she will be in the same room as the girlies, so she will be able to smell and hear them, but will not be in contact. I will scrub the pen and use that for the bonding area

My two girlies are 22 week minimum age (could be 25 weeks), and are bonded, and the one in the shop is 11weeks old. Would she go at the bottom of the heirarchly, or is she too old for that?

What are your suggestions? Should I get her? She really is a gorgeous piggy...the others all look bigger than her, poor dear.
 
Forgot to say that the hierarchy will be changed with adding a new piggie into the mix no matter what.
 
Flamestriker said:
Hello all

The OH and I went to P&H earlier to get some hay and there was a little Rex tri coat in with a litter of girls. Absolutely gorgeous...and I have fallen in love. Of course I should not have had a cuddle...but I couldn't resist. And she was as good as gold.

She is beautiful, dark brown except with a tan band around her middle and a white nose. And she was so cuddly! How I walked out of the store without her I could not say.

I have a 5x2 C&C cage, so the cage is big enough for a new addition (after the correct steps for bonding of course) but is it difficult to have three sows together? I am happy to purchase a cage for temporary measures, and I am aware that not all bondings go well. Whilst she in in her own cage she will be in the same room as the girlies, so she will be able to smell and hear them, but will not be in contact. I will scrub the pen and use that for the bonding area

My two girlies are 22 week minimum age (could be 25 weeks), and are bonded, and the one in the shop is 11weeks old. Would she go at the bottom of the heirarchly, or is she too old for that?

What are your suggestions? Should I get her? She really is a gorgeous piggy...the others all look bigger than her, poor dear.
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You new girl would likely go to the bottom, as she is still very much a baby desperate for company and a group to belong to. the other girls will be much bigger.

Whether a trio of guinea pigs is ultimately successful or not, depends very much on the interplay between the different personalities. There are very happy sow trios and there are sow trios where one sow is an outsider. Whether yours is going to be fine or not in the long term is not something you can foresee. That is a risk you have to take.
 
With have 3 girls and have done for a while. Never been much of a problem introducing a new one to the existing 2.
 
I have three girls and they are great together but they are sisters and well bonded when I adopted them.

Had three girls many years ago too when I didn't know much about Guineas and nothing about rescues, and had no idea about bonding. I bought a baby at the boarding place I had used (like you but a little more impromptu.. oops). I was lucky and they got on really well.

It's really the individual personalities rather than the number but if it doesn't work you have to allow for the fact you will need another if the bonding fails and more room to keep the odd one out company. A divider in my opinion would be a little unfair on the little one on her own.

She sounds adorable though, hopefully all will be fine!
 
This is agony. She really is a gorgeous girlie. To get her and risk dominance behaviour failing or leave her there and hope that someone good gets her and looks after her properly.

I'm really not good with these decisions...
 
I've kept 3 girls together quite happily, and have 3 girls now living with a neutered boy. Usually when they are very small babies they get accepted much easier, though that's not always the case, there is always exceptions.
I would be extra cautious that she is from Pets at Home. Apologies to the better Pets at Home shops (there are probably some good ones out there) but i've heard from so many people that have got pets from there and it seems they frequently sell pets as the wrong gender (so i would double check & confirm that the girl you looked at isn't actually a boy) and they have sold animals that are pregnant (not the kind of buy 1 get 1 free offer that most people are happy about).
For example, my cousin was sold '2 female' rabbits that ended up being a male and a female which was quickly discovered when the 2 rabbits suddenly became 8 rabbits overnight!
But i know what its like falling in love with a guinea pig, my advice would be that if you find her irresistible and you buy her, pop into the vets with her on the way home for a check up before you put her with any other piggies, just to be on the safe side.
Sorry to be so negative, i've just heard so many cases where people have got wrong genders and pregnant pets from Pets at Home. I personally would never purchase a pet from them for that reason. And I do apologise to the staff at the better stores that aren't that negligent.
 
My most easily accepted piggie was rescue Rusty...she was a few months old and after the first neutral meeting I was able to put her with the other 2 with no problems at all. The other 2 for a a few months old and over a year old. The most difficult introduction was Rose Petal because Sunflower really didn't like her at first but things calmed down...I think they were under a year old then. Rose Petal was a rescue from P@H and when she was handed in, they didn't realise she was pregnant...and I guess that's why she was given up. It worked out well though because we bought a 2 storey caged and put Rose Petal in the top when it got close to the boys being born. Then Rose Petal back down below until the boys were neutered.
 
JenniferG said:
Rose Petal was a rescue from P@H and when she was handed in, they didn't realise she was pregnant...and I guess that's why she was given up. It worked out well though because we bought a 2 storey caged and put Rose Petal in the top when it got close to the boys being born. Then Rose Petal back down below until the boys were neutered.
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It's nice when people can work around it like that. My cousin ended up keeping all of her rabbits too, but she had to buy more hutches and spend a lot more raising them than initially planned!
But i think all pet-stores selling animals should be better regulated because it can have terrible consequences for the animals when they get it so wrong. Some of these "mistakes" do inevitably end up putting more pressure on already crowded rescue centres when someone has been sold a pregnant pet and the babies aren't wanted, or they end up being advertised online. It's just really sad. Getting their genders right and separating males from females early enough to prevent pregnancy should be a very minimum basic requirement in all pet stores.
 
I agree, in my case the mistake was by the vet in not noticing that the rescue they took in was pregnant...or maybe it wasn't possible to tell at that stage. The vet we saw later at the store commented on how well we took the news! It did mean more expense and more work but seeing the boys born was a wonderful experience and they were lovely to have.

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Oh - i've just fallen in love! Twice! :love::love:
They are totally gorgeous! :luv:
And yes, maybe a vet can't tell in very early stages of pregnancy, it's just something I always consider when getting a guinea pig from a shop is that they may be pregnant. I would go on the reputation of the place and would avoid if they can't even guarantee the gender, because that means that more often than not the females in that group have been mixed with males at some stage and is most likely pregnant already.
To be fair I have seen the Pets at Home store near me display notices saying they cannot guarantee the genders of the animals for sale, and maybe the one in Wales is quite different, i don't know.
 
The two P@H stores near me are very good. They offered to take the babies if we didn't want them and all that we needed to keep Rose Petal until they were born/weaned. I forgot...we had to put the girls in their old cage in the kitchen until the boys were neutered as the smell of them drove them mad!
 
I don't think that any pet store will guarantee the sex of their animals. I have looked at the piggy and she looks to be a girlie but I will get her checked over by a vet Aswell. I am going back to the shop for another look and another cuddle.

I did like the staff there. They heard me talking about bonding in neutral territory and thorough cage cleaning before placing them back in to get rid of any scent, and everything else and they did not ask me too many questions as they said that I seemed to know what I was talking about.
 
I've never been able to leave a piggy that I've felt that attachment for! We nearly didn't get Kiwi (in my photo) because she was hiding in the hay but the lady pulled her out, it upsets me to think we may not have got her and she could have ended up in a hutch at the bottom of someone's garden and all alone!
 
Some pet stores do guarantee their gender, but i didn't think pets at home do.
However, I think that when you held this cutie she became yours and i'm actually going to feel quite devastated for you now if somebody else buys her.
I can never hold a piggy without a home if i have space for her for much the same reasons (thankfully I am up to full capacity with 4 now).
I look forward to seeing a picture of this cutie and hope all goes well :)
 
Ah well, by the time I got to the shop the little fuzzy piggy had been sold. So I have not got a third piggy. Yet.
 
NOOO! Who knows who ended up with her?
Wait, not comforting, I mean:
Bad luck, I'm sure you'll fall in love with another pig who'll be adored by your girls. Definitely:D
 
Oh i'm really sorry! I feel gutted for you!
I have a feeling that you were meant to have a third though, maybe in the quite near future another piggy will steal your heart... :nod:
 
I'm already looking. I am going to call the nearest rescue to me tomorrow and find out if they have any rescue baby Rex females, as I know some sows were on pregnancy watch the last time that I was there, and you never know.
 
Hang on...this is what happened with the hamsters. I started with one, then two...then had seven (no pregnancies) and then reduced to three until I stabilised with two. Now I have only one...but with piggies it started with two and now I want a third...

Oh dear! My life is ruined! I have been bitten by the piggie bug! help! :help:
 
Flamestriker said:
I'm already looking. I am going to call the nearest rescue to me tomorrow and find out if they have any rescue baby Rex females, as I know some sows were on pregnancy watch the last time that I was there, and you never know.
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Oh that's brilliant! :))
I bet you get 1 soon then, i'm keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that they've 1 there that will be your perfect match.
Please keep us updated, its really so lovely to see a happy ending all around.
 
Flamestriker said:
Hang on...this is what happened with the hamsters. I started with one, then two...then had seven (no pregnancies) and then reduced to three until I stabilised with two. Now I have only one...but with piggies it started with two and now I want a third...

Oh dear! My life is ruined! I have been bitten by the piggie bug! help! :help:
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Piggie bug, what piggie bug, nobody encouraging no piggie bug over here... :whistle:

Of course, if you happen to have the time and resources to care for a wee little group of piggies that need you, then who are we to stand in the way... :inn:

:btt: On a serious note, i started out with 1 sad little piggie and since then I expanded it to a little group (my resources are strictly limited to a group of 4 due to realistic assessment of my personal circumstances) - really, the introduction stage can be quite nerve-wracking whenever I add a new piggy, but wow - i really don't regret having a little group of piggies one little bit!

I really, really hope all goes well for you; wishing you the very best of luck :hug:
 
Flamestriker said:
Thank you 3Tyger

But there is deffo a piggy bug. Honest. Look it up...:yahoo:
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Oh no! oh no!... can't accept existence of piggie bug... piggie bug might bite me... ignorance of bug... might protect from bug... mustn't believe in pigggggggie bug... oh no!... growing weaker... must... leave... page...
:lol!:
 
You cannot resist! Once they have you in their beady lil eyes you are a gonna!

On a more serious note I am going to Glynneath GPR tomorrow at 12 and I am taking my girlies with me! They don't have any baby Rex coats in but S said she would love to see them.

I am very excited. I can talk gibberish about piggy licks, kisses and fluffy noses and tiny paws to someone vastly more experienced than me. And she will teach me how to pick them up correctly to reduce stress!

Ok. I need to calm down...
 
You're absolutely right, resistance is futile!

Every time i look at a piggie I see this...
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I hope all goes well at Glynneath GPR tomorrow...
Who am i kidding, we all know you're gonna have a whale of a time!
And your girls will meet a new friend. :))
 
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