Wiebke's Tribe: Sows and the City Boars
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Bill & Ted
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I’m so glad he has stayed in the forum family, he is such a lovely little chap 
Another - last - photoshoot of the boys with their mother and female relations at 15 days of age. You can really see how fast they have been growing!
The boys are already 250g now and need to leave early... Mummy is in season today; they are thankfully just missing it but they have 'woken up' and will be going live with their procreative ammunition in the coming days - and with two more sows in the same pen, that is not a risk I can take.
Even more so with the very limited gene pool in play, considering that their mother is also their grandmother, their auntie their first cousin and their half-sister their niece, depending on whether you look at it from the maternal or paternal side!
With the two litters of my little family I am dealing with the two extremes of very small babies in the litter shortly after their rescue and in my latest litter who has profited from the best of care for most of the pregnancy. It really brings home the huge difference normal good care makes when it comes to babies more than anything else you can do - not over-caring, just good normal everyday diet and care!
With their whole birth group:
Modron will now have time to fill out herself over the coming weeks; but she will have much less ground to make up than her daughter Millyn.
Time with piggy babies always goes so very quickly... The boys are no longer toddlers.
It's not worth the high risk of fatalities just for the sake of a few days of absolute cuteness; but when the opprtunity arises to look after an already pregnant sow and her pups and all is going well, then it is an utter delight.
As an antidote to grieving overload and a very special birthday present for myself, it has definitely worked!
The boys are already 250g now and need to leave early... Mummy is in season today; they are thankfully just missing it but they have 'woken up' and will be going live with their procreative ammunition in the coming days - and with two more sows in the same pen, that is not a risk I can take.
Even more so with the very limited gene pool in play, considering that their mother is also their grandmother, their auntie their first cousin and their half-sister their niece, depending on whether you look at it from the maternal or paternal side!
With the two litters of my little family I am dealing with the two extremes of very small babies in the litter shortly after their rescue and in my latest litter who has profited from the best of care for most of the pregnancy. It really brings home the huge difference normal good care makes when it comes to babies more than anything else you can do - not over-caring, just good normal everyday diet and care!
With their whole birth group:
Modron will now have time to fill out herself over the coming weeks; but she will have much less ground to make up than her daughter Millyn.
Time with piggy babies always goes so very quickly... The boys are no longer toddlers.
It's not worth the high risk of fatalities just for the sake of a few days of absolute cuteness; but when the opprtunity arises to look after an already pregnant sow and her pups and all is going well, then it is an utter delight.
As an antidote to grieving overload and a very special birthday present for myself, it has definitely worked!
Roselina
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What gorgeous pictures…. to see the progress in such a short time …..inspiring 
Merab
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Merab
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Hope everyone is feeling better today
I am still tired but I needed to urgently move the boys out as Brangwyn has fully woken up today when his mother went into season. He is 250g.
Poor dad Barcud still hasn't quite fully grasped what has hit him... it was on the scale of a rumblestrutting mini-tornado! With Bronrhyddyn managing to inevitably get in the way and trip him up when he was either chased by Bran or chasing Bran! It's been a bit on the wild side at times with poor Bran being somewhat on overload.
Barcud is thankfully by nature non-aggressive. They are now all snuggled up together in the big fleece tunnel.
Bill & Ted
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Aw, those little scraps born a few weeks ago have grown so fast. They are beautiful! I’m so glad the joy this little family has brought you @Wiebke and now for another Chapter, another two lads for Dad! Poor Barcud you will get back with your ladies at sometime 
in the meantime you are on the toddler sitting x 2 duties again fella 
in the meantime you are on the toddler sitting x 2 duties again fella
Thankfully, after all the initial drama Barcud and the boys have settled together well.
At 4 weeks of age, Bron and Bran are between 310-320g; that's a perfect ca. 30g per week growth rate for this young age.
The sows have moved into the pen behind them and are mostly ignoring the boys although Modron will come
sprinting to the divider if one of the boys is in distress or the sows are in season; just what you want to see as well.
Modron and Millyn have filled out in the wake of weaning their pups although especially Millyn is more likely to always stay on the small side since she has grown sideways and not so much lengthways; she does however have a very nice fat belly and a pear-shaped figure now!
Blodyn is now 410g at 10 weeks of age and keeps growing really well - she's gained a whopping 240g in just 7 weeks since her arrival when she was just 170g at three weeks of age.
But that doesn't say anything about their life expectancy. It is not so much the actual size that is important but your life long good but normal care that will make the biggest difference.
It is rather interesting for me to be dealing with the two extremes of the spectrum - one set of babies very much on the small side and the others ahead of schedule.
At 4 weeks of age, Bron and Bran are between 310-320g; that's a perfect ca. 30g per week growth rate for this young age.
The sows have moved into the pen behind them and are mostly ignoring the boys although Modron will come
sprinting to the divider if one of the boys is in distress or the sows are in season; just what you want to see as well.
Modron and Millyn have filled out in the wake of weaning their pups although especially Millyn is more likely to always stay on the small side since she has grown sideways and not so much lengthways; she does however have a very nice fat belly and a pear-shaped figure now!
Blodyn is now 410g at 10 weeks of age and keeps growing really well - she's gained a whopping 240g in just 7 weeks since her arrival when she was just 170g at three weeks of age.
But that doesn't say anything about their life expectancy. It is not so much the actual size that is important but your life long good but normal care that will make the biggest difference.
It is rather interesting for me to be dealing with the two extremes of the spectrum - one set of babies very much on the small side and the others ahead of schedule.
Merab
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It’s so lovely to see them thriving with you.
They are heart- meltingly cute
They are heart- meltingly cute
Bill & Ted
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Gosh they are all looking so wonderful, all down to your care! I drove past the turnoff to the valley today and was thinking about them.
Roselina
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How lovely to see how they are all thriving with your love and care Wiebke
Lovely to see how this well this little family are doing with your expert care.
Lovely to see how this well this little family are doing with your expert care.
They are all down to plain normal care and a normal diet by now. I have only fed a little more in the way of pellets for the babies' sake since but I am starting to dial that back now that they are all doing well despite having been weaned and there are no longer any remaining deficits from their ordeal for any of my four older piggies; especially the two mums.
I haven't done much in the way of extras except feeding some spinach in and a bit more herbs in the days around birth and have been a bit more generous with fresh veg and pellets during the nursing weeks when Modron had to work for three and Millyn still had lots to catch up on herself.
I usually give one small extra piece in terms of veg in any larger groups to account for the dominant piggy getting a bit more than their fair share and to allow the bottom piggy to still have their fair share.
Anyway, I have now found a new supplier of good quality soft hay that my piggies love after my local independent pet shop had been sold on to Jollyes - and their only suitable but too stalky hay brand in for sale now caused me three eye pokes in just over a month apart from landing me with lots of uneaten leftovers.
It's not just all about my new piggy family (although of course, family watch is very much what I want to do as much as possible right now).
Sadly, Brathlys 'Scarlet Pimpernel' has been aging quite quickly over the last few months. She has considerable arthritis in her spine but some other more minor issues, which are increasingly adding up. I suspect that she has now also developed hyperthyroidism as she has become increasingly edgy and impatient and has started tweaking me again whenever I need to handle her for her meds and feding top up - not that anything of the latter is sticking to her increasingly bony frame, unfortunately.
She has been living with Melangell 'Sweet Angel' (who should be rather called Foodie Angel) for a year now and with 4 years old Llelo 'Little Llewelyn' since June.
Sadly, Brathlys 'Scarlet Pimpernel' has been aging quite quickly over the last few months. She has considerable arthritis in her spine but some other more minor issues, which are increasingly adding up. I suspect that she has now also developed hyperthyroidism as she has become increasingly edgy and impatient and has started tweaking me again whenever I need to handle her for her meds and feding top up - not that anything of the latter is sticking to her increasingly bony frame, unfortunately.
She has been living with Melangell 'Sweet Angel' (who should be rather called Foodie Angel) for a year now and with 4 years old Llelo 'Little Llewelyn' since June.
Merab
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Sorry that Brathlys is struggling as she ages.
Holding you in my heart
Holding you in my heart
Qualcast&Flymo
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It's a pity it's changed hands, I bought hay there occasionally (though not this year at all). I believe it was from the same supplier that supplies my usual pet shop in Knowle. I won't bother going there in future if their meadow hay isn't up to scratch now. Glad you've managed to find somewhere else to get yoursAnyway, I have now found a new supplier of good quality soft hay that my piggies love after my local independent pet shop had been sold on to Jollyes - and their only suitable but too stalky hay brand in for sale now caused me three eye pokes in just over a month apart from landing me with lots of uneaten leftovers.
It's a pity it's changed hands, I bought hay there occasionally (though not this year at all). I believe it was from the same supplier that supplies my usual pet shop in Knowle. I won't bother going there in future if their meadow hay isn't up to scratch now. Glad you've managed to find somewhere else to get yours
Yes, it is from somebody by Knowle who used to provide Bannerbrook Pets but they obviously do not sell to private people and never came back to us; Knowle is a good half an hour from us.
I have switched to Nature's Own sweet meadow hay, which has been the one that my piggies have loved the most of the ones that I have tried in recent weeks. It works out at the same price as Jollyes lower quality meadow hay (which Nature's Own sell for pound cheaper than Jollyes, by the way), provided I buy enough in one go to get a free delivery - which with 26 piggies is not exactly an issue... it lasts me all of a week!
piggieminder
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Mine love the Nature's Own. I had a delivery of 5 bags this week, they are stored in the understairs cupboard, every time I open the door I release a lovely smell of fresh sweet hay.
I go through 4 large bags in a week...
The stalky meadow hay is OK as an underlay but I definitely do not want any more hay pokes from piggies jumping into the trays and then eating just about a third of it and chucking the rest everywhere (and I mean that literally)!
Qualcast&Flymo
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The Nature's Own hay sounds good - how does the price compare with the local hay you used to get?
One large bag of Nature's Own is about the equivalent of two large bags of the Knowle hay (which did come to about 1.5kg on my scales at home), so the price works out quite a bit lower. I used to go through about 8-10 bags of the Knowle meadow hay in a week, which used to work out about £28-35 per week; Nature's Own is about £21-26 a week at £5.20 per 3.5kg bag (depending on whether I need the odd extra bag).
I tried mine on timothy but they do not consider it to be edible food.
https://naturesownpets.co.uk/shop/products/sweet-green-hay
Qualcast&Flymo
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Sounds like the shop change has almost been a blessing in disguise, especially if you are now not having to go and pick it up!One large bag of Nature's Own is about the equivalent of two large bags of the Knowle hay (which did come to about 1.5kg on my scales at home), so the price works out quite a bit lower. I used to go through about 8-10 bags of the Knowle meadow hay in a week, which used to work out about £28-35 per week; Nature's Own is about £21-26 a week at £5.20 per 3.5kg bag (depending on whether I need the odd extra bag).
I tried mine on timothy but they do not consider it to be edible food.
https://naturesownpets.co.uk/shop/products/sweet-green-hay
Mine will only eat soft (3rd) cut Timothy hay, which isn't easy to get. And this year the Oxbow Orchard Hay they have is very variable in quality, I've just opened a bag which seems all very hard
.Anyway
I'm sorry Brathlys is starting to show her age and have more issues. Hope you're able to keep her comfortable and happy for a good while yet.
Lorcan
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The Nature's Own was Comet's favourite, lol. Eating it, sleeping in it, covering Blitzen with it. I wish the goblins would eat it, because it smells divine even to me. Their woodshavings (for anyone who might use them) are some of my favourite to use too.
Sounds like the shop change has almost been a blessing in disguise, especially if you are now not having to go and pick it up!
Mine will only eat soft (3rd) cut Timothy hay, which isn't easy to get. And this year the Oxbow Orchard Hay they have is very variable in quality, I've just opened a bag which seems all very hard
Anyway
I am very happy with the new hay quality and so are my piggies. There is SO much less mess in the cages and outside!
Bill & Ted
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Hoping sweet Brathlys keeps plodding along for a good while yet x
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It might be worth trying her on some Thyronorm. The symptoms you describe are exactly what we were seeing and experiencing with Cream. He’s now on a small dose of Thyronorm, each end of the day and he’s regained the weight he’d lost and is much less edgy and agitated x
Thank you. I am going to try and see whether I can squeeze Brathlys in before Christmas; it's become really noticeable only recently. Her bad eye has also got worse over the last weekas well; unfortunately, she is a bit too frail for an eye removal op these days. When I had Lissie checked at the end of August, it was still OK with Kim.
Hyperthyroidism in older guinea pigs doesn't seem to be all that unusual, actually. I've had quite a few with behaviour like that, only that there was no treatment or not yet any reliable treatment that Kim was happy to prescribe.