Engel's Herd

Update:

Everyone is doing well, babies had their first nail trim (on back feet) and they took it like champs. Babies aren't so small now, almost 4 weeks old and weigh 350g already which is bigger than what Jupiter was when he came to me at '9' weeks old.

Both Jupiter and Eileithyia are almost 800g now. Jupiter has gained a lot of weight since Apollo joined him (he was 690-ish). The boys are still getting on fabulously, I haven't heard any rumbling for a while, however now I've said that you can guarantee that they will 😅.
 
Some pictures of the boys as the girls (last photo) wouldn't leave their bed.

The corner which they are stood in looks really bare, but it's actually where the hay tray was...also excuse the poops, clean out day tomorrow :)

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(Also I've sorted all of the loose threads in the hide)
 
Bill & Ted said:
Gorgeous little Daddy and son ❤ Enjoyed reading all about them x
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Hopefully there will be many more happy tales to come. They've been together almost 2 weeks now and it's lovely watching them. I've got more of a connection with the boys than the girls believe it or not. The boys would rather snuggle while the girls are like yes 'you can watch us but DONT TOUCH!' I get squawked at, clearly I'm interrupting their busy schedule 😂

I forgot to say that I'm glad I seperated Apollo from mum early morning as she came into season that night! (I knew that she was going to around that time so kept checking the seal. Closed when Apollo left)
 
@Piggies&buns sorry if I've asked this before but how do you store hay in your shed? Do you just leave it in the cardboard boxes (haybox) or do you have something to store it in?
 
Piggies&buns said:
Mine stays in the cardboard boxes. i stack them down the side of the hutch
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Ah ok. How do you go about controlling rodents?

Ordered the shed today. 7x5. Over the next few weeks I'll get insulation stuff ordered. Shall I insulate the floor too or leave it?

I'll then order the 6ft bluebell/maple manor or whatever it's called. I'll get a hutch hugger too. Does the p@h cover for it have the foil shiny stuff on it like the scratch and Newton ones? (I think that's the brand).

Bottle covers... Will the foam looking ones do or is there another sort that works best?

Last question (for now) other than bendy bridges, does anyone have proper wooden hides? Not the plywood sort, really thick and heavy type? With more than one exit.
 
Engel said:
Ah ok. How do you go about controlling rodents?

Ordered the shed today. 7x5. Over the next few weeks I'll get insulation stuff ordered. Shall I insulate the floor too or leave it?

I'll then order the 6ft bluebell/maple manor or whatever it's called. I'll get a hutch hugger too. Does the p@h cover for it have the foil shiny stuff on it like the scratch and Newton ones? (I think that's the brand).

Bottle covers... Will the foam looking ones do or is there another sort that works best?

Last question (for now) other than bendy bridges, does anyone have proper wooden hides? Not the plywood sort, really thick and heavy type? With more than one exit.
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I don’t have any rodent issues - not once seen a rat, the shed is secure and nothing has ever got in there. In fact I’ve not once had a rodent problem in 30 years of keeping rabbits.

you still need the shed to breathe so over insulating brings its own problems - its a balance though, you want to keep it as warm as you possibly can. My floor isn’t properly insulated but it does have an old carpet on part of it and then their old tablecloth.

The cover I had for my bluebell was their own cover, an all in one (thermal/waterproof) and the inside not visible, so while i cannot confirm what the inside is made from, if feels like the silver bubblewrap foil insulation.
My piggies aren’t in the bluebell now so I made the thermal cover for their hutch myself using the the foil insulation.

I have never needed to use bottle covers in their shed as it never gets cold enough in there but scratch and Newton bottle covers have good review. I use a foam one (the crystal bottle ones) on my rabbit bottles and they’ve not frozen. Also, putting multiple old socks over the bottle is a good alternative. you could also use some of the foil insulation around the bottle

I really like the bendy wood bridges as hides as you know And still use them but I have recently bought my two an elmato three exit hidey. Wasn’t cheap but its really nice! My criteria for it was whether it would fit a snugglesafe inside it and it does! Lovely and toasty in that hide! I’ve covered it with a fleece blanket, popped a small pet bed and a small pile of hay and quite often find Dexter up there!
 
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Piggies&buns said:
I don’t have any rodent issues - not once seen a rat, the shed is secure and nothing has ever got in there. In fact I’ve not once had a rodent problem in 30 years of keeping rabbits.

you still need the shed to breathe so over insulating brings its own problems - its a balance though, you want to keep it as warm as you possibly can. My floor isn’t properly insulated but it does have an old carpet on part of it and then their old tablecloth.

The cover I had for my bluebell was their own cover, an all in one (thermal/waterproof) and the inside not visible, so while i cannot confirm what the inside is made from, if feels like the silver bubblewrap foil insulation.
My piggies aren’t in the bluebell now so I made the thermal cover for their hutch myself using the the foil insulation.

I have never needed to use bottle covers in their shed as it never gets cold enough in there but scratch and Newton bottle covers have good review. I use a foam one (the crystal bottle ones) on my rabbit bottles and they’ve not frozen. Also, putting multiple old socks over the bottle is a good alternative. you could also use some of the foil insulation around the bottle

I really like the bendy wood bridges as hides as you know And still use them but I have recently bought my two an elmato three exit hidey. Wasn’t cheap but its really nice! My criteria for it was whether it would fit a snugglesafe inside it and it does! Lovely and toasty in that hide! I’ve covered it with a fleece blanket, popped a small pet bed and a small pile of hay and quite often find Dexter up there!
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Do you store the pellets in the shed (in an air tight container) or do you keep that in the house?

Ok re insulation, I'll just do the walls for now and see how warm it stays. Going to get a thermometer that records the highest and lowest temp in the shed so I'll have an idea how cold it gets during winter nights.

How do you attach the thermometer in the hutch itself? I worry mine would chew it.

I have glass bottles. They should be ok for use in a shed shouldn't they?

I've seen those elmato hides but they didn't look very sturdy but if they're good I may get one for the boys. I did see some made by a company called Resch but I can't find the hide I was looking at now.

(Edited as I pressed send before I had finished lol)
 
Engel said:
Do you store the pellets in the shed (in an air tight container) or do you keep that in the house?

Ok re insulation, I'll just do the walls for now and see how warm it stays. Going to get a thermometer that records the highest and lowest temp in the shed so I'll have an idea how cold it gets during winter nights.

How di

Wh
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Everything is stored in the shed - pellets in a plastic box.
 
Engel said:
@Piggies&buns have you uploaded a photo of your pigs new hutch set up? Don't think I've seen it
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i don’t think i actually had!

This is it when it had just been set up and I was still sorting things out, it’s also before the proper hutch covers arrived (hutch was set up in the summer so there wasn’t much call for thermal covers back then!). Things have changed a little since in that the ramp between the levels is no longer there - they are basically two separate hutches now (they sleep upstairs during winter and downstairs is playspace, and in summer, they will live downstairs with constant access out to the shed itself). The playpen area is now the full size of the width of the hutch - so here in the pic it is a 3x3 c&c playpen but it’s actually a 5x3 playpen now - giving them a 5x5 total downstairs space. I just pop it back to being 3 or 4 grids wide when I am in and out a lot (such as clean out day) so that I can get in the shed to the hay and storage unit (which is to the left of the hutch) without stepping over the grids and risking injuring the piggies. (The grids are all cable tied together and I don’t use connectors anymore so that I can fold it in and out with ease)
 

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Piggies&buns said:
i don’t think i actually had!

This is it when it had just been set up and I was still sorting things out, it’s also before the proper hutch covers arrived (hutch was set up in the summer so there wasn’t much call for thermal covers back then!). Things have changed a little since in that the ramp between the levels is no longer there - they are basically two separate hutches now (they sleep upstairs during winter and downstairs is playspace, and in summer, they will live downstairs with constant access out to the shed itself). The playpen area is now the full size of the width of the hutch - so here in the pic it is a 3x3 c&c playpen but it’s actually a 5x3 playpen now - giving them a 5x5 total downstairs space. I just pop it back to being 3 or 4 grids wide when I am in and out a lot (such as clean out day) so that I can get in the shed to the hay and storage unit (which is to the left of the hutch) without stepping over the grids and risking injuring the piggies. (The grids are all cable tied together and I don’t use connectors anymore so that I can fold it in and out with ease)
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Wow thats a lovely hutch. Little piggie posing too. Are those bendy bridges with fleece over them in the hutch or are they soft cosies?
 
Engel said:
Wow thats a lovely hutch. Little piggie posing too. Are those bendy bridges with fleece over them in the hutch or are they soft cosies?
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yes bendy bridges with fleece over downstairs. The top one was actually a bent grid with fleece over simply to cover the hole where the ramp was as it was a fall risk. As I say, the ramp isn’t used now so the upstairs is just a single level hutch now and there is a bendy bridge with fleece over in the similar position
 
Piggies&buns said:
yes bendy bridges with fleece over downstairs. The top one was actually a bent grid with fleece over simply to cover the hole where the ramp was as it was a fall risk. As I say, the ramp isn’t used now so the upstairs is just a single level hutch now and there is a bendy bridge with fleece over in the similar position
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How big are those bendy bridges? Are they the 40cm ones (£7 from p@h) or are they smaller?
 
Engel said:
As my shed will be insulated, will I need hutch covers? Would a hutch snuggler be ok or will I need a hutch hugger too?
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Yes you will still need hutch covers. If you don’t then any heat you generate from snugglesafes is just going to escape out of the hutch and into the shed - you’ll never keep them warm enough.

If you get the bluebell hutch and get the corresponding pets at home cover to go with it, then get the thermal one and that will be all you need.
if you go with the chartwell hutch and get scratch and Newton covers then you will need both the hutch snuggle and the hugger. The thermal S&N cover does not have a front (well, it comes with a removable each fly net), so the hutch remains exposed to the shed temperature (as above about warmth escaping). Whereas the waterproof cover has a plastic front so helps to keep the warmth in.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes you will still need hutch covers. If you don’t then any heat you generate from snugglesafes is just going to escape out of the hutch and into the shed - you’ll never keep them warm enough.

If you get the bluebell hutch and get the corresponding pets at home cover to go with it, then get the thermal one and that will be all you need.
if you go with the chartwell hutch and get scratch and Newton covers then you will need both the hutch snuggle and the hugger. The thermal S&N cover does not have a front (well, it comes with a removable each fly net), so the hutch remains exposed to the shed temperature (as above about warmth escaping). Whereas the waterproof cover has a plastic front so helps to keep the warmth in.
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Ah ok. I thought that the p@h one was both thermal and waterproof?
 
Engel said:
Ah ok. I thought that the p@h one was both thermal and waterproof?
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yes it is. I didn’t make my post very clear. They used to do one when I got my bluebell (perhaps they don’t now - it was a long time ago) which was thermal and waterproof all in one and then one which was just waterproof (no thermal filling) which is why I said get the thermal one From them. If they only do the one type being thermal and waterproof now then that’s fine!
 
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Piggies&buns said:
yes it is. I didn’t make my post very clear. They used to do one when I got my bluebell (perhaps they don’t now - it was a long time ago) which was thermal and waterproof all in one and then one which was just waterproof (no thermal filling) which is why I said get the thermal one From them. If they only do the one type being thermal and waterproof now then that’s fine!
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Oh ok. The thermal one is out of stock ugh. Could I use the silver insulation stuff on the outside of the hutch and put the shower proof cover over top?
 
Engel said:
Oh ok. The thermal one is out of stock ugh. Could I use the silver insulation stuff on the outside of the hutch and put the shower proof cover over top?
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yes, you’ll also need several blankets - layers are important when insulating a hutch! my hutch is covered with a thermal cover, then two blankets, then the waterproof cover (although being inside a shed I don’t use it for it’s waterproof properties!), and then a duvet over it all.
 
Piggies&buns said:
yes, you’ll also need several blankets - layers are important when insulating a hutch! my hutch is covered with a thermal cover, then two blankets, then the waterproof cover (although being inside a shed I don’t use it for it’s waterproof properties!), and then a duvet over it all.
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What type of blanket do you use? Fleece? Thick ones
 
Engel said:
What type of blanket do you use? Fleece? Thick ones
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Yes - one fleece blanket which in summer gets used as their bedding in the shed but doubles up as a hutch cover in winter; and then another blanket which is very thick
 
Hi all quick update.

Piggies are all doing well. Hutch has arrived (woo). Slowly getting things together for them for when they're outside.

I won't be on for a while. Today I've made a hard decision to have one of my dogs put down as he had a brain tumor.

Thanks for your understanding. Stay safe and I'll be back soon.
 
Engel said:
Hi all quick update.

Piggies are all doing well. Hutch has arrived (woo). Slowly getting things together for them for when they're outside.

I won't be on for a while. Today I've made a hard decision to have one of my dogs put down as he had a brain tumor.

Thanks for your understanding. Stay safe and I'll be back soon.
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Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. Thinking of you and sending hugs.
 
Quick update on babies. Now 5 wheeks old. Huge and I have to hold them with 2 hands. In the next few days I'll try and upload some up to date photos of them.

Dysnomia: 413g (gained 65g since last Friday)

Apollo is now 383 (gained 56g)

Jupiter and Eileithyia haven't gained or lost any weight since last week. (778 and 775g at the moment).

What is the typical weight of an adult pig? I know it varies from pig to pig and genetics. But what is the a average range out of curiosity?
 
Engel said:
Quick update on babies. Now 5 wheeks old. Huge and I have to hold them with 2 hands. In the next few days I'll try and upload some up to date photos of them.

Dysnomia: 413g (gained 65g since last Friday)

Apollo is now 383 (gained 56g)

Jupiter and Eileithyia haven't gained or lost any weight since last week. (778 and 775g at the moment).

What is the typical weight of an adult pig? I know it varies from pig to pig and genetics. But what is the a average range out of curiosity?
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700-1500g roughly. It’s a very wide range because it’s more about their heft and what is healthy for the individual piggy rather than weight

Both my boars weigh between 1300 and 1350
 
Hi all. Pigs have been to vets for their check up and to have their second dose of Xeno. All is well and very pleased with them.

However out in the car park someone said that they had 2 males. I told them the story of what happened with mine. She then had the nerve to ask if she could buy 1 female off me to breed from as she 'loves' them so much. I was mortified. Answer was obviously no. I wasn't pleased to say the least. Especially when she said she'd bred litters of dogs but isn't a breeder
 
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