Wiebke's Tribe: Sows and the City Boars

Here are some pictures from the little photoshoot with Dryw and her two little sidekicks. My two little wiggle monsters are now 2 years old. They have stopped growing at 6 months of age and whose weight it just about touching 600g on a good day. They are also refusing to sit still and behave, even as adults...
Llinos and Lleian are cousins, born just a week apart to a pair of very closely bonded sisters but they still have a lively sibling rivalry going as they have been together since Lleian's birth. Llinos's coat has started to darken so they are easier to tell apart at just a quick glance.

DSCN5919_edited-1.jpg

DSCN5975_edited-1.jpg

DSCN5985_edited-1.jpg DSCN5987_edited-1.jpg

DSCN5940_edited-1.jpg DSCN5951_edited-1.jpg

DSCN5901_edited-1.jpg DSCN5897_edited-1.jpg

DSCN5947_edited-1.jpg
 
It's about one year since my dumped Cornish family was rescued by @Bill & Ted and brought to Maria's Animal Shelter where daughter Millyn had to two babies (Merlin at @Bradshaw Piggies and a daughter Blodyn from her brother Barcud and then moved on to me in October where mum Modron eventually gave birth to another two boys from her son Barcud, Baeddan and Brandgwyn. My two baby boys are today 10 months old and have very much caught up with their dad.

I did a little family reunion for the photoshoot.

The three original rescued piggies, mother Modron 'Mother Goddess' with her daughter Millyn 'Sweet Violet' and her son Barcud 'Red Kite' (who live together as a trio now that all the kids are out of the way)
DSCN6003_edited-1.jpg

The whole family with their three remaining offspring
DSCN6012_edited-1.jpg

Three generations of sows - granddaughter Blodyn 'Flower', her mother Millyn and her grandmother Modron
DSCN5998_edited-1.jpg

And finally the three boys: Barcud with his sons from Modron, Brangwyn 'White Raven' and Baeddan 'Boar' DSCN6019_edited-3.jpg
 
What gorgeous pigtures. A very handsome (and photogenic) family 🥰

They are my last piggy bucket dream and will be bringing my keeping of multiple piggies to an end. Since they are all related and are staying in touch through the bars, I am hopefully going to end with one or two cages of piggies who will accept each other a few years down the line and ultimately just one remaining piggy.
I've done the 4 widowed singles not gelling with any of the others two years ago and don't want to go there again.

So when everything comes together - my favourite breeds and colours in a dumped family in a rescue with a surrender waiting list a mile long, unlikely to ever find a home together; and when they are found at a time when I had lots of losses and the space/emotional need for some cheer; and when the all important transport could be arranged - then I take it as good omen and run with it... :)

Most of my piggies have been adopted for other reasons than looks, and not a few sight unseen.
 
They are such a gorgeous little family. I hope your piggie bucket dream plan comes together.
I had one of those plans and then another little pig walked into my life!

I will have to review when the time comes; human health issues permitting. I am not planning to stop with piggies altogether if I can help it but to keep it to just one cage from then on in.
 
Beautiful piggies and so lucky to have found a home with you.
I was so happy to hear that they had been rescued and then found the perfect forever home with you.💞
 
Beautiful pigtures - it’s been lovely seeing the journey these rescued piggies have been on - testament to the love and care of Wiebke ❤️
 
Gosh! The time flies by. Beautiful photos of your little “Cornish Family” I’m so glad we manage to catch them and so happy that they have given you so much joy! ❤️
 
Happy 5th Birthday, Llelo!

Llelo 'Little Llewelyn' was the last baby born here before the Cornish boys. He is named in memory of the Tribe founder Llewelyn, who also had a white and a ginger side. It is admittedly always that bit more special when you have known a piggy of yours from birth.

IMG_7783_edited-2.jpg DSCN5798_edited-1.jpg

Here it is how it came about: A local friend's workmate had asked via her for me to have a look at one of her sows to see whether she could be pregnant. In fact, all there was between the babies and my hand was just skin, so birth was pretty imminent. Because she'd booked a mini-holiday in Spain on the following weekend, I offered to look after her two sows (with or without babies) since the friend who was going to look after the piggies didn't have any experience at all.
IMG_7704_edited-1.jpg
Llelo is the one in the middle on the babies first outing in the cageat just a few hours old. I provisionally named the boys Broccoli, Beetroot and Broad Bean since their mother was Blossom and their auntie Buttercup.

The babies - 3 boys - arrived within less than 24 hours of the emergency holiday boarding stay. I missed the birth because I was busy baking my last cake for running the refreshment corner for a TEAS event that afternoon. In fact, we were off just an hour later. It's not something you can cancel at the last minute... But I could make sure that mum and all babies were OK before we left and could enjoy the first baby days until the lady's return.
The pictures and some very amusing videos from their short stay have gone into this guide here: First-baby-days: A-video-and-picture-diary (only visible to registered members)

IMG_7774_edited-2.jpg
The three boys with their blonde auntie and their black mother on the day they went home with their owner. Llelo is the baby in the middle.
One of the boys stayed on in their home. Llelo returned here after the end of weaning. He was the baby boy who Dylan liked best (you can find their bonding video in our bonding guide). The third boy I took the next day to the lady from Neville's Nest Guinea Pig Rescue in exchange for a little baby adoptee (Carys) to live with Dylan and his remaining 7 years old wife Ffwlbri (who lived for nearly another year). The third boy didn't stay long in rescue; he was chosen by a bereaved boar looking for adult company and not liking any he was introduced to on the next day but fell madly in love with the little baby boy...

DSC03518_edited-2.jpg
Dylan and young Llelo

Llelo is not a dominant or aggressive boar but he is confident in himself, which meant that ex-single Dylan couldn't handle him anymore as a teenager after being a very caring uncle boar for the youngster. The more Dylan was pushing for abject subumission, the less willing Llelo was willing to give it. Thankfully, the split happened halfway through Llelo's post-neutering op safety wait.

1693476397168.jpeg
Miaren 'Bramble' with teenage Llelo - she enjoyed being in charge!


1693478619874.jpeg
1693477337881.jpeg
An adult Llelo and his Miaren - they shared the split body sides look and fell in love with each other over sharing a 'family' look


Dylan found lasting happiness with his tiny baby sized mis-sexed emergency surrender wifelet Begw while Llelo and his cage were adopted by Miaren, who managed to get in (thankfully right at the end of his 6 weeks safety wait), have a look at the boy and the real estate and basically never moved out again. Since she was on my dating list of ASBO sows for him, if not quite at the top, I was very happy about the match.

Shortly before Miaren's emergency pts last year in June I had introduced them to the neighbouring sow pair, Melangell 'Sweet Angel' and Brathlys 'Scarlet Pimpernel' after noting Mella and Llelo flirting a lot through the bars. With Brathlys gone, Mella and Llelo are now together as a pair.

DSCN5813_edited-1.jpg
Mella, Llelo and Lissie having a snuggle at the end of Brathlys's last photoshoot just a few days before she passed away.

DSCN5800_edited-1.jpg
 
Just to celebrate the end of our first ever and extremely muggy September heat wave, Dryw 'Wren' has greeted me with not one but two hay pokes at once (one in each eye). Thankfully, I have been able to get to them quickly before they started to ulcerate (gunk up) on the surface so it should be a comparatively quick and straight forward healing process.
Her left eye is looking rather sore, poor girl but the one on right is just in the back corner of the eye and fairly shallow.

Don't ask me how she did it! I suspect that she took a sudden fright overnight from something and blind jumped into the hay tray. At least it is a veterinary BOGOF (buy one get one free) in terms of fees and medication cost...

DSCN6026_edited-1.jpg DSCN6024_edited-1.jpg
 
Poor Dryw :( those look painful, and I bet she's none too pleased at the vet for it either.
 
Quick action saved her from a vet visit. My boys don't like doctor visits.
 
Just to celebrate the end of our first ever, extremely muggy September heatwave, Dryw 'Wren' has greeted me with not one but two hay pokes at once (one in each eye). Thankfully, I have been able to get to them quickly before they started to ulcerate (gunk up) on the surface so it should be a comparatively quick and straight forward healing process.
Her left eye is looking rather sore, poor girl but the one on left is just in the back corner of the eye and fairly shallow.

Don't ask me how she did it! I suspect that she took a sudden fright overnight from something and blind jumped into the hay tray. At least it is a veterinary BOGOF (buy one get one free) in terms of fees and medication cost...

View attachment 232053 View attachment 232052

Oh dear. I hope they heal quickly.
 
Back
Top