The Goblin Diaries (previously Quitting Smoking)

Lorcan said:
So, now that I feel much more optimistic about his chances - I thought I was going to lose Cam on Friday.

He'd been a little off for a few days, including letting me stroke all down his back in the cage for several minutes. I thought it was maybe a hay change (Happy Hay timothy for life, apparently), or a mild stomach upset because he's prone to them but his weight was staying good, so I just kept an eye. And on Friday, he stopped wanting food. Not that he couldn't eat it, he just wasn't interested. He didn't even want a grape. And I argued with myself all day about taking him to the vet because there were no obvious signs of trouble Bar his appetite and if he was dying, so long as he wasn't uncomfortable I wanted to give him the chance to go at home.

I ended up having a drink next door on Friday night to avoid the inevitable doomsday thinking, since I could check on him frequently still. Woke up Saturday, he still hid in bed and Bann was doing his utmost best to keep him safe from the human which did not make me feel better.

An hour later I went to give the veggies, sliced a pepper in half, and he came looking for his piece. Took more effort than I'd like not to whoop out loud right then. Now it's like Friday never actually happened, the little sod.

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My amazing wee man :wub:
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Gosh how awful for your Lorcan I’m so sorry you had to go thru that - thank goodness that little goblin just seems to have had an off day 🥰
 
I'm just relieved he's more like himself, preparing for the worst is mentally exhausting. But he came out good from it, which isn't the case for everyone :(
 
Glad it wasn't as bad as it seemed at first, perhaps the poor lad had a painful tummy upset and felt really rough until it passed through of its own accord.
Having lost a piggy to bloat I can imagine how worried you felt when your crazy little man was so not himself.
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Glad it wasn't as bad as it seemed at first, perhaps the poor lad had a painful tummy upset and felt really rough until it passed through of its own accord.
Having lost a piggy to bloat I can imagine how worried you felt when your crazy little man was so not himself.
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He's got such a limited diet because so many things set it off, as far as fresh food goes he can have pepper, cucumber, mint, and the occasional bit of banana, melon or grape. I'd noticed slightly wetter poops again but they were only bad enough tk keep an eye to, they weren't soft.

It's a pity, he's not picky unless it's hay. He'll eat courgette, various lettuce, salad leaves, broccoli, parsley, basil, dill, coriander, kale, celery, but the line between just enough and too much, changes every time you blink.

I think if it's his stomach, then that wasn't the only problem. He's never been this bad with it before, certainly not when u know he's had mere mouthfuls of the stuff that sets him off. Guess I'll never know for sure and I'm just glad to have him back.
 
This feels a bit of a weird update, all things considered, but (and I mean this in the nicest way possible) Bann's an idiot. He's worked out all the food is his, he's worked out how to safely get his entire food portion into the cage without dropping it back into my hands, and he's worked out he can make noise to get my attention just like Cam did, but he's forgotten how grapes work. I gave him one earlier and he clamped his teeth onto it and then just stood there, hind legs in the hay, front legs on the tent flap, grape in the teeth, and basically stood there for 30 seconds while his brain tried to figure out what to do.

At least some things - and guinea pigs - never change, lol.
 
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weepweeps said:
Awww so sweet 🥰
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He was actually quite well behaved once the screaming stopped. He wanted to have an explore of the back of the sofa though and I had to say no to that, lol.

I think my plan for now is to give him a 4x2 cage during the temporary move and once we're back home until he gets a friend, and then I can make a larger cage for the pair of them to go straight into. Clean bedding, brand new tarp sheet, and no need for a deep clean to be done in a panic. Less stressful for him alone in a big cage that way, too.
 
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Lorcan said:
He was actually quite well behaved once the screaming stopped lol. He wanted to have an explore of the back of the sofa though and I had to say no to that, lol.

I think my plan for now is to give him a 4x2 cage during the temporary move and once we're back home until he gets a friend, and then I can make a larger cage for the pair of them to go straight into. Clean bedding, brand new tarp sheet, and no need for a deep clean to be done in a panic. Less stressful for him alone in a big cage that way, too.
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Sounds like a good plan. I'm glad he's doing okay, no need to rush into a new friend.
 
Might not have to be for too long - the gas engineer is coming out on Monday, and I'm getting the keys for that other flat in the next few days. I'm getting as much washing done as possible in the next few days (apologies to my washing machine), starting to put boxes together (I already hate brown tape) and...yeah. My biggest hurdle is reaching out to rescues, it sets off the panic and anxiety section of my brain lol.
 
I have the same problem reaching out to rescues but I've met nothing but kindness and understanding once I've taken a deep breath and done it. It's obvious you give your piggies a lovely home, that's what they are looking for.
 
I did the application form for the Potteries last night but skipped the cage picture part because I don't have one, and I meant to come back to it afterwards and then forgot before clicking Send, lol. Got photos of the older enclosures obviously but that's not very helpful.

On a slightly more hilarious note I thought I'd paused my Happy Hay delivery til September and I did not. So now, with two nearly full boxes of timothy and orchard hay I've got another 10kg box of timothy on the way. 🤨
 
I'm sure The Potteries will understand if you explain your situation, it's a good idea to apply before you are ready so you can get on the waiting list.
When I applied to Little Wheekers I sent a photo of Timmy and Freddie's 5x3 C&C and explained about it being a photo of a current occupied cage as an example of how I set up my cages and not Bertie's cage as he was in a small one to fit next to Red and Brillo for company. I had enough grids to enlarge his cage when needed.
 
Yeah, you're the second person to say that and I'm wondering if I should redo the application. I have no problem admitting I don't have a clue what I'm doing lol, I did try asking Bann but he's sulking at me :)) I'm taking advantage of a brief lull in washing duty to deal with torn skin on my finger - I need to find some new hand soap - and staring at a jigsaw I'd like to get finished before I move.

But I'm going to have to redo that form, aren't I?
 
I've sent it through again anyway with an apology for doing it twice, lol. What I should be doing is packing but I tore the skin on my finger again and keeping it covered with a plaster is not going well lol.

Then I got another jigsaw box out and Bann stood there watching me. I think I was being judged.
 
Oh, Bann.

Came downstairs earlier to find him staring at me. Just from the middle of the tent but staring at me and it kept up for a bit til I had a brainwave. I was late with the food. He was expecting his pepper.

Like mate I'm not a mind reader. If I'm late with the food, tell me I'm late with the food 🤨 don't just sit staring at me!
 
I'm not 100% set on it yet, but I'm thinking he's going to be Mourne. He's about 9 months old and full of that young boar exuberance, poor Bann doesn't know what he's doing lol. They'll be staying separated til I've finished unpacking the house but I've put extra grids on the cage roof to stop him climbing right over, because that boy can climb, lol.
 
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