Piggy Party of 5

[KatieM]

I was encouraged to make a thread introducing myself after some lovely people helped me today not only sex my new baby piggie but also provided so much support on the recent death of one of my pigs. I’m so glad I found you all and will be recommending this forum to any piggie owners I meet!
My name is Katie, I live in the state of Colorado in the USA…it’s not quite as snowy as one may think but I really do love it here! I am a lifelong animal lover, being raised in a house hold with many cats and dogs. Growing up we fostered dogs and kittens and that turns into my parents starting a pet sitting business!

Currently besides piggies I own a dog and cat, my cat is 15 and has been with me since I was a child. I also own 2 finches and a betta fish! Growing up I also had a hamster but now I wish I would have jumped into the piggies world sooner! Without further ado….here are the pigs!

Twix was purchased from a chain Pet store (I know, I know, not great) in October 2023. Following my mom cancer diagnosis I just needed some positivity and light…and she brought it! Twix took all my newbie mistakes in stride and is a very healthy girl!
Twizzler was quickly purchased from the same pet store a few days after I realized…these guys need friends no matter what! Since they had been cage mates a few short days prior…Twix was quickly cured of her depression and has been bonded with Twix ever since! I call her my potato, she is the perfect amount of round!
Odie (RIP) came to me with his brother Spence in September 2024. My friend and her younger sister had both owned them their whole lives but her younger sister was not moving away to college, she reached out to ask if I could take them, I couldn’t say no! Odie came to me clearly not in the best shape, reaching almost 6 years he was an old man! An assessment by the vet determined he probably has cancer but treatment wouldn’t prolong his life so it was all about quality! And Odie definitely lived a quality life, always demanding veggies, jumping off his platforms and wheeking for the world to hear! Odie tragically died December 2024…I’ll never not yearn for more time to get to know him. He was able to say goodbye to his previous owners and lived a full life.
Spence came to me with his brother above, Spence being 3 years younger is still healthy and happy! He is a chunk a monk and my most affectionate piggy! He loves to have head scratches and come out of his cage for roaming time on the floor. He’s not a super vocal guy but sweet as can be! (On the left in picture)
Tinsel is the newest member of the clan! At just 3 weeks old she was my addition to hopefully help Spence heal from the loss of his brother…thank god I kept them separated because today we learned the shelter labeled her gender wrong…not a boy at all! But the shelters are so full of piggies right now I decided she gets to stay and will now hopefully bond and join my girls…they both have very calm demeanors and I think they will take her in just fine!

Now that’s 5…but only 4 are here with me earthside making the title of this forum a little weird? But not to fret my sweet boy Spence isn’t about to get left out friendless, I will soon be adding another pig to the family (this time I am confident in checking and confirming sex before adopting!)…boy what have I gotten myself into! Tips for a bustling piggy family are welcome more updates to come!

 

[Grand Guinea Pigs]

to the forum.
Such cute piggies you have!

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

to you and your lovely piggies!

My heart just stopped there for a minute seeing the picture of your piggies with your dog. Please be very careful with direct contact between your dog and your piggies. I know that dogs can leave family pets alone because they are part of the family but they are still predators and unfortunately accidents do happen.

 

[fluffysal]

What a gorgeous herd

 

[KatieM]

to the forum.
Such cute piggies you have!

Thank you!

 

[KatieM]

to you and your lovely piggies!

My heart just stopped there for a minute seeing the picture of your piggies with your dog. Please be very careful with direct contact between your dog and your piggies. I know that dogs can leave family pets alone because they are part of the family but they are still predators and unfortunately accidents do happen.

My dog, Summer, has a non existent prey drive and is only 8lbs. She has never once been rough with the pigs. However, she is never left unattended with them. I am sitting right under this picture (they are up on a soft bench) to grab her if need be! If I am taking a picture with all of them, I have my mom off to the side for safety! Thank you so much for your concern, dogs can be unreliable and I would not let her harm them!

 

[KatieM]

What a gorgeous herd

Thank you…it went from a pair to herd pretty quickly

 

[Wiebke]

What a lovely bunch of fur balls you have.

We are aware that there are dogs and cats that are safe around small pets. Unfortunately, showing them off can entice other owners to do the same with potentially fatal consequences. It happens so quickly that you cannot intervene, unfortunately.

For this reason we ask our members to please not post these mixed species photos on this forum, as cute as they are. It could save lives.

We are one of the places that are contacted by distressed owners of other species pet attacks, so we are confronted with the sharp end and the emotional fallout of what can happen fairly regularly. It is not pleasant.

 

[KatieM]

What a lovely bunch of fur balls you have.

We are aware that there are dogs and cats that are safe around small pets. Unfortunately, showing them off can entice other owners to do the same with potentially fatal consequences. It happens so quickly that you cannot intervene, unfortunately.

For this reason we ask our members to please not post these mixed species photos on this forum, as cute as they are. It could save lives.

We are one of the places that are contacted by distressed owners of other species pet attacks, so we are confronted with the sharp end and the emotional fallout of what can happen fairly regularly. It is not pleasant.

I had no idea it was a group rule, I apologize! I of course know my dog and dog body language and behavior very well and she is very well trained but that is not always a guarantee. I could see how it can very easily turn wrong, these photos are just seconds of them together and then separated but obviously some people may not recognize that. So sorry, didn’t mean to cause anyone any distress! If I could figure out how to edit the post I would absolutely take that picture out!

 

[Wiebke]

I had no idea it was a group rule, I apologize! I of course know my dog and dog body language and behavior very well and she is very well trained but that is not always a guarantee. I could see how it can very easily turn wrong, these photos are just seconds of them together and then separated but obviously some people may not recognize that. So sorry, didn’t mean to cause anyone any distress! If I could figure out how to edit the post I would absolutely take that picture out!

How should you? It is one of our 'hidden' forum quirks that we just alert members whenever something comes up; not as a rule break just as a friendly reminder.

Running a supportive community forum is always a bit of a balance act. We don't want too strict a corset of dos and don'ts but having members from all over the world and very different backgrounds can sometimes cause potential issues and jog existing sensitivities of which not everybody is necessarily aware.

PS: I have lost my first own teenage piggy to a dog attack when our neighbour's dog managed to wiggle through their badly maintained fence and get into a supposedly safe, covered run while my mum was out of the house.
We didn't find Strolch until the next day as he had been flung into a raspberry patch; thankfully with a broken neck so he cannot have suffered much but it was very distressing, sleepless night for me.
My little sister was however greeted by the dog holding her companion girl in his mouth when she came back from school and met him on the road. She was very traumatised, as you can imagine.

 

[KatieM]

How should you? It is one of our 'hidden' forum quirks that we just alert members whenever something comes up; not as a rule break just as a friendly reminder.

Running a supportive community forum is always a bit of a balance act. We don't want too strict a corset of dos and don'ts but having members from all over the world and very different backgrounds can sometimes cause potential issues and jog existing sensitivities of which not everybody is necessarily aware.

PS: I have lost my first own teenage piggy to a dog attack when our neighbour's dog managed to wiggle through their badly maintained fence and get into a supposedly safe, covered run while my mum was out of the house.
We didn't find Strolch until the next day as he had been flung into a raspberry patch; thankfully with a broken neck so he cannot have suffered much but it was very distressing, sleepless night for me.
My little sister was however greeted by the dog holding her companion girl in his mouth when she came back from school and met him on the road. She was very traumatised, as you can imagine.

How horribly awful! A visiting dog to our house once killed both my beloved parakeets, much in the same way they brought one dead bird to me very proud…horrible! My pigs are in a room that is a double gated from every other dog in the house! No traumatizing moments happening here! Sorry that happened to you and your sister!