rattata
Junior Guinea Pig
hey everyone - hope you’re all doing well.
As the big day of going to the animal sanctuary to adopt 2 boys is just round the corner, I’m starting to get what can only be described as getting cold feet …
I finished setting up the enclosure last night; a Westland cage to serve as the eating/sleeping area and using C & C grids as an extension to make it the right size for 2 boars, and added fleece, hides bottles etc. and hay order arriving tomorrow.
Then doubt crept in..
Am I doing the right thing for the future guineas? I’ve never had any before - rabbits yes, but this is a different kettle of rodents.
Giving previously abandoned and neglected animals a home for life is always very rewarding - all my previous pets were from rehoming centres (apart from the sheep and horses/ponies) and will always continue to do so. The place I’m getting them from is absolutely amazing and everyone is very knowledgeable - they even have a wildlife hospital there, and they take their time with rehoming animals to the right people.
I’m having doubts because I hope I’m not going to get them for the wrong reasons. I suffer from depression and anxiety and animals have always helped my mental health in many ways, and since I’ve been unemployed - hoping to start a new day job I’m up for very soon, it would help to have a better routine as animals always have to come first. When I start my new day job I would be working from home, so that would make caring for them easy, however I’m struggling to find people that I know who would take care of them if I’m away for a weekend. Also since my learned profession is as an actor and I’m signed to an agency i might be called on to do a project for a few weeks and possibly travel - of course that’s completely up in the air as I’ve not had a call-back this year and 90% of auditions are done via self-tapes these days - I’ve had 5 this year and didn’t have to leave the house for them.
I have a feeling that if I go on a diet and hit the gym for the rest of this year and focus working on my skills via workshops, I’ll have better chances.
The reason I’m mentioning this is because that will give me more time to bond with the new boys and to find the right people to take care of them if/when I’m away.
I just don’t want them to become a “crutch” for me as that wouldn’t be fair on them. I’m in a fairly new relationship with someone who lives 30mins away, so on days when I’m staying over their place I can pop back to mine to feed/check if I’m staying a whole weekend. The person I’m dating likes animals but isn’t a fan of having pets as they don’t want to be tied down, so spontaneous trips away etc might not be possible and I’m not sure they would put up with too much pet based compromises so early on in a relationship.
Not even 100% sure why or even what I’m saying exactly. I suffer quite badly from Imposter Syndrome, so it might just be that..
Apologies for this very long post and if you’ve read all of it, please know you’re getting a standing ovation.
As the big day of going to the animal sanctuary to adopt 2 boys is just round the corner, I’m starting to get what can only be described as getting cold feet …
I finished setting up the enclosure last night; a Westland cage to serve as the eating/sleeping area and using C & C grids as an extension to make it the right size for 2 boars, and added fleece, hides bottles etc. and hay order arriving tomorrow.
Then doubt crept in..
Am I doing the right thing for the future guineas? I’ve never had any before - rabbits yes, but this is a different kettle of rodents.
Giving previously abandoned and neglected animals a home for life is always very rewarding - all my previous pets were from rehoming centres (apart from the sheep and horses/ponies) and will always continue to do so. The place I’m getting them from is absolutely amazing and everyone is very knowledgeable - they even have a wildlife hospital there, and they take their time with rehoming animals to the right people.
I’m having doubts because I hope I’m not going to get them for the wrong reasons. I suffer from depression and anxiety and animals have always helped my mental health in many ways, and since I’ve been unemployed - hoping to start a new day job I’m up for very soon, it would help to have a better routine as animals always have to come first. When I start my new day job I would be working from home, so that would make caring for them easy, however I’m struggling to find people that I know who would take care of them if I’m away for a weekend. Also since my learned profession is as an actor and I’m signed to an agency i might be called on to do a project for a few weeks and possibly travel - of course that’s completely up in the air as I’ve not had a call-back this year and 90% of auditions are done via self-tapes these days - I’ve had 5 this year and didn’t have to leave the house for them.
I have a feeling that if I go on a diet and hit the gym for the rest of this year and focus working on my skills via workshops, I’ll have better chances.
The reason I’m mentioning this is because that will give me more time to bond with the new boys and to find the right people to take care of them if/when I’m away.
I just don’t want them to become a “crutch” for me as that wouldn’t be fair on them. I’m in a fairly new relationship with someone who lives 30mins away, so on days when I’m staying over their place I can pop back to mine to feed/check if I’m staying a whole weekend. The person I’m dating likes animals but isn’t a fan of having pets as they don’t want to be tied down, so spontaneous trips away etc might not be possible and I’m not sure they would put up with too much pet based compromises so early on in a relationship.
Not even 100% sure why or even what I’m saying exactly. I suffer quite badly from Imposter Syndrome, so it might just be that..
Apologies for this very long post and if you’ve read all of it, please know you’re getting a standing ovation.
