The Story of Two Little Wheekers

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bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Oct 16, 2019 5:56 pm


I've never heard of a sow having a miscarriage because she was in the cage with a sow who'd just given birth. I'm filing that in my "old wives' tales" folder.

CleoCharity

Post   » Sun Oct 27, 2019 3:47 pm


I've begun to doubt myself on the pregnancies. I don't think Faye is pregnant now, because she hasn't continued to gain weight and most of the signs of pregnancy that I originally saw haven't increased, and I don't see babies moving inside her. I'm also doubting myself about Cookie, but with her, I'm a little more confident. They just don't look pear-shaped the way pregnant guinea pigs often look when they could give birth anytime in the next week, which is when the fosters will give birth if they're pregnant. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

The longer I have the fosters, the more I dread having to say goodbye to them, especially Cookie. Although she's still scared, she's really started to look for human contact and affection. She loves to sit on my lap and let me pet her, as long as everything's quiet and I don't make any sudden movements. Faye is still her crazy self, always on the move. She's a great pig, but I think she's going to have a harder time finding a home. She's started biting when she's being carried. I've tried a bunch of different ways to carry her to try to make her more comfortable, but nothing works. She doesn't break the skin, but it definitely hurts, and she's going to need a more experienced home without kids. I've been talking to people I know, trying to see if I can find a good family that's interested in her before she even goes up for adoption. I do have a couple of people who really like her, but nobody who's really looking to adopt another pig right now. I can't take in any more pigs right now, which was originally why I started fostering, but these girls are testing my limits on the adoption front. I can already hardly imagine my house without them.

There is also a pair of PEW boars at the shelter I foster for, and they've been there for almost a month. I've dropped by the shelter multiple times with the excuse that I'm just going to "pick up some more hay", and have found myself spending 15 minutes at their cage. Because they have red eyes, and they're both boars (lots of people think they'll start fighting if they're together), and one of them is a texel who would need to have someone brush his fur, nobody wants to adopt them. It makes me so sad, and I wish that I could adopt them, but I really can't.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Oct 27, 2019 7:49 pm


Take a look at www.guinealynx.info/handling.html and see if the recommended hand hold works at all to make her feel secure and avoid biting you.
p.s. if it turns out nobody is pregnant, that's great!

It sounds like you have a real soft heart for guinea pigs who need a home.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Sun Oct 27, 2019 8:22 pm


So glad they may not be pregnant! Keeping paws crossed. Hoping you can find homes for them close by so you can have visitation rights when ever you like!

CleoCharity

Post   » Wed Nov 06, 2019 5:05 pm


We have some great news! We are sure that neither of the girls are pregnant. We're dropping them off at the shelter later this week. It's great they'll be getting a forever home, but it's hard to say goodbye.

The shelter has a single female who needs to be on pregnancy watch that we might start fostering, but we don't have any exact details on her yet. Another long term foster might not be the best right now, as the holidays are coming up, and we still haven't figured out our plans. Early winter is also a super busy time of year for me, so we'll see what happens when we know a little bit more about what exactly the foster would need.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Wed Nov 06, 2019 7:39 pm


So glad but sad no little pitter patter of tiny paws. And extra sad you will have to say good bye to them. But they will get good homes and the love you gave them will remain with them! Are they going to same home?

I admire what you do! I know I could NEVER do it! I'd have a house full of piggies! Sending hugs across the miles and oceans to you!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Nov 06, 2019 9:27 pm


That is indeed good news! Pregnancy can be so hard on a guinea pig.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Nov 09, 2019 11:52 pm


Indeed. At one time, I wanted to let Scruffy father some pups just to carry on his line, but as I've learned since researching everything guinea pig related, doing so is not worth the risk to the potential mother's health and safety. Breeding guinea pigs should only be done by highly qualified breeders under the supervision of a cavy savvy vet and in the most optimal conditions possible. I have none of that available.

CleoCharity

Post   » Mon Nov 11, 2019 9:02 pm


We dropped the fosters off at the shelter this morning. They had space on the adoption floor, so they went straight into their new cage, instead of waiting in the back for the cages up front to free up. With Ember and her babies, they had to wait a few days, as they always get a bunch of pigs at the beginning of the summer, and there wasn't lots of space. These girls have a cage that is right by a window into the entryway of the shelter, so they're in a high traffic area, which is great for their chances of getting adopted quickly. They also have one of their larger, build-in cages, and the small animal room they're in (they have multiple) is farther away from the dogs, so they won't get scared by their barking. I'll be visiting them tomorrow to see how they've settled in.

Here are their Petfinder pages, if anyone is interested. As of right now, they don't have any pictures or information up for them, but they will update it once they have a chance to take photos and write a description.
https://www.petfinder.com/small-furry/l ... nter-ma38/
https://www.petfinder.com/small-furry/g ... nter-ma38/

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Nov 11, 2019 10:40 pm


I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures! I hope they are adopted by a good family soon. You have done such a wonderful job caring for them.

CleoCharity

Post   » Wed Nov 13, 2019 9:32 pm


Thank you! The shelter is taking their own pictures, but here are some photos I took of the girls, and of course, Cleo and Charity too so that we don't leave them out :)


Cookie


Faye


Charity


Cleo


And, here's a photo that Toast's forever home sent me. She's gotten so big!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:37 pm


That photo of Charity is especially cute! Thanks for sharing your pics with us!

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