Sometimes I Feel Like A Bad Owner :/

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MJG

MJG

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all me again , many of you know me with my two boys Titan and Goliath.

Does anyone ever get this awful feeling that your a bad owner? I'm not sure if it's Because work has really ramped up a gear ( I work in retail at xmas it's a NIGHTMARE) and I feel like I'm not giving them my all purely as I'm so shattered ( doing 9 am till 9pm for the past two weeks 6 days a week ..or just my anxiety kicking in again ..

Like sometimes In the morning I can hear them banging the cage ( and no it's not a c and c cage but I'll get to that later ) wanting to be let out and this happens btw at 6/630 every morning sometimes I really wish I could just say give me five more minutes ! And ignore them BUT of course I don't they are MY responsibly and I love them both with all my heart but sometimes I really wish they could understand .

Firstly their cage isn't a c and c cage it's a let's at home one which I know should be bigger BUT they are only in this cage at night and this is just for peace of mind for me that they can't escape the spare room ( which I know is escape proof) or hurt themselves in anyway , however they have most of my spare room ( I'll attach some pictures) for about 14 hours a day and sometimes I worry that they're bored or just sad BUT they have plenty of toys and snuggle things to play in .

They both eat fresh twice a day ( which admittedly I have just been throwing in their bowl and cleaning their cage before legging it out the door toast in hand ) and not hand feeding and not even barely speaking to them as I'm always in a massive rush ... for example tommorow I've got to actually be at work ( a good 20 min walk away from mine at half 7) which means me getting up at five and finishing at 6 another 13 hour day yay me ... they also have lovely nuggets and unlimited hay throughout the day so I'm pretty sure their diet is reasonably good .

They are also the first gunieapigs that I've ever met are insured yes you read that right they are insured for injuries. Up to two grand per pig per claim . Titan was sick a while ago and I got him the best care I could and he made a full recovery.

On my days off recently I've really neglected them from attention YEs they still get general husbandry feeding fresh refilling the hay tray sweeping up and washing fleece washing bedding but by the time that's all done I crawl into bed again and try and catch up .

I do scoop them both up quickly in the morning for a quick kiss but no lap time or one to one , so guys do you think I'm a bad owner?

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MJG said:
Hi all me again , many of you know me with my two boys Titan and Goliath.

Does anyone ever get this awful feeling that your a bad owner? I'm not sure if it's Because work has really ramped up a gear ( I work in retail at xmas it's a NIGHTMARE) and I feel like I'm not giving them my all purely as I'm so shattered ( doing 9 am till 9pm for the past two weeks 6 days a week ..or just my anxiety kicking in again ..

Like sometimes In the morning I can hear them banging the cage ( and no it's not a c and c cage but I'll get to that later ) wanting to be let out and this happens btw at 6/630 every morning sometimes I really wish I could just say give me five more minutes ! And ignore them BUT of course I don't they are MY responsibly and I love them both with all my heart but sometimes I really wish they could understand .

Firstly their cage isn't a c and c cage it's a let's at home one which I know should be bigger BUT they are only in this cage at night and this is just for peace of mind for me that they can't escape the spare room ( which I know is escape proof) or hurt themselves in anyway , however they have most of my spare room ( I'll attach some pictures) for about 14 hours a day and sometimes I worry that they're bored or just sad BUT they have plenty of toys and snuggle things to play in .

They both eat fresh twice a day ( which admittedly I have just been throwing in their bowl and cleaning their cage before legging it out the door toast in hand ) and not hand feeding and not even barely speaking to them as I'm always in a massive rush ... for example tommorow I've got to actually be at work ( a good 20 min walk away from mine at half 7) which means me getting up at five and finishing at 6 another 13 hour day yay me ... they also have lovely nuggets and unlimited hay throughout the day so I'm pretty sure their diet is reasonably good .

They are also the first gunieapigs that I've ever met are insured yes you read that right they are insured for injuries. Up to two grand per pig per claim . Titan was sick a while ago and I got him the best care I could and he made a full recovery.

On my days off recently I've really neglected them from attention YEs they still get general husbandry feeding fresh refilling the hay tray sweeping up and washing fleece washing bedding but by the time that's all done I crawl into bed again and try and catch up .

I do scoop them both up quickly in the morning for a quick kiss but no lap time or one to one , so guys do you think I'm a bad owner?

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I don't think you're a bad owner at all, it sounds like you really care about them but you're just swamped.Ive been the same lately, we're so busy at work and when I finish I'm so tired but I make sure I say hello and they're fed etc.Theyve got their companion so that definitely helps and they don't feel lonely x
 
Not at all! You can't help being busy- I often feel like a terrible owner and just don't want to sweep the cage or make the salad- which is why I like having family to lend a hand. The important thing is you truly love and care for your pigs.
 
I think you are the opposite of a bad owner and sound like you are a responsible pet owner that loves their guinea pigs and wants what is best for your pets.. I feel like a terrible owner sometimes as my two were a bit of a impulse buy (I would advise never ever to do this) and I knew nothing about guinea pigs and even though I have spent the last three months researching and learning about them and they are happy and healthy and have a new cage (because the one the pet shop sold us was disgustingly small even though she assured me it would it would be big enough) I still feel like a terrible owner especially now I have a cold and have had minimal contact with them except to feed, cage clean and talk to them from a distance.
 
Nope not a bad owner. I'm in the same boat as well. My partner is a chef and I'm a nurse. We're both very busy in the lead up to Christmas with extra customers and covering annual leave. I crawled into bed at 9am this morning after a nightshift, closed my eyes and realised I'd forgotten to give Percy his Baytril. As much as I love them, that was a struggle to get back up again. We're not bad owners, just incredibly tired humans that don't have a lot of snuggle time right now.
 
I'm sure there's plenty of us on here that will admit to not spending as much time with the pigs as they think they should. I definitely don't.

I do make sure their cage is clean and they have plenty of food, hay and water but I don't spend hours with them each day, I really don't have the time.

I do make sure I check them every day to make sure they're okay, no signs of illness but I honestly think they prefer the company of each other to me.
 
The very fact you have openly expressed your worry about not spending enough time on them means that you are not a bad owner. A bad owner wouldn't think about it or care about it, or come on here and talk about it. Your piggies are safe, clean, warm, fed and loved. Enough said.
 
Honestly I think that just talking to them for what little time you have is a form of bonding with them too and they probably prefer that too lol.
 
I love your set up, they have their own room which is more than mine do.
Hopefully your life will calm down a bit once Christmas is over. You sound stressed - don't know about you but I worry a LOT when I'm stressed, I find it difficult to see things clearly.
To me it looks as if your pigs have a lovely life, and I'm sure if they could speak they would tell you so :)
 
It is hard to concentrate and think straight when stressed. You have been working 12 hours every day for some time, and you sound exhausted.

Your piggies have their own room! Wow! They are fed and clean. You are doing what you can as time permits. When things calm down in work you will have lap time and cuddles again. Your piggies are lucky to have you as an owner.

My Snowy has ringworm and is in isolation. He is great taking his meds but he is miserable and not himself. And the fungal infection is getting worse. He not only has it on his flank but ear and nose as well. I feel useless. I'm putting him back in to his cage later and out of the pen, as he spends most of his time in his snuggle pouch anyway. He hasn't popcorned in a week. I feel dreadful, as he is not right in himself. He is eating and drinking, but I feel awful. I want to take him with me to family tomorrow but ringworm is highly contagious and I don't know what to do for the best or how to help him. O.33ml of medication is barely a drop and it's doing nothing. I feel a bad owner for him.
 
Me too. A health check for the pigs this morning led to a vet trip as noticed Romily sounded a bit crackly. She has an infection so we have baytril. I've been so tired this past week, finding myself out the house for 12 hour days that we've barely had cuddles. Mum looks after them/feeds them during the day when I'm at work & I just feel as though if I had checked them earlier in the week we could have picked it up sooner. Vet was unconcerned, said its quite common etc, plus she she's had one before but it's really rubbish timing! She's fine in herself, running around, eating (currently growling at Fudge and biting the plastic house in the cage!) but I can't help think what if I'd not checked them properly today? What if I'd have just had a little cuddle and not listened properly?
 
Your Guinea pigs have loads more space than mine do in their hutch outside.
I often wonder if I'm a bad owner as here's lots of things people on here do that I don't, but then I think they are both fed, in a regularly cleaned environment and loved so if I choose not to do something that others do aslong as they get the other things it shouldn't matter
 
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