We Made A Decision

[Lilathandra]

I have put alot of thought into deciding to write this or not. I was not going to do it as I am sure that some of you will have alot to say on the subject. Then I sat and watched my girls this morning and I realized what matters is that my girls are finally happy and not what you have to say.

I brought home 3 girls in the beginning of July. As I watched them I could see that one was really beating the crap out of one of the other ones. Turns out the lady and just put them together and they did NOT get along at all!

I would see Reese chase Oreo around the cage and bite her and tear out out her hair. Oreo wasn't even allowed to lay in a hut. In all of this Oreo never once tried to assert dominance. She would just run away every time. Reese would hunt her down and chase her out. Keep in mind we had 3 and 3 pigs. No matter where Oreo would lay Reese would kick her out of the spot. She finally had to just start laying in the open.

Oreo was depressed. She would just lay there or stay up in the loft so that she would get some peace from Reese. She became attached to my Husband and would only eat veggies if He fed them to her.

The last straw for me was when I woke up one morning Oreo had a gash in her nose. I started feeling all over her body and there where nips and missing fur everywhere. I separated them immediately. Reese and Hershey got the 3x5 downstairs and Oreo got the 3x2 upstairs. (yes I know it was small but it had to work for now) Oreo became even more depressed. All she wanted was to have a friend.

My Husband and I talked and Our decision to keep Oreo was an easy one. One she and my Husband became very attached. Second she would let anyone and everyone hold her and love on her. So that is when I began my search to find Reese and Hershey a home with no other pigs and to find Oreo some "real" friends.

I found a rescue on craigslist that was well over an hours drive away from me. They offered to take my 2 girls and I could have 2 babies that were born from another rescue that they had. ( one won't be ready till Saturday) So I made the trek up there with my 2 girls. She gave me all the vet records and check up on the one baby that was ready and I gave her my 2 girls that she put in a cage alone.

We got home and I cleaned EVERYTHING. I wanted the smell of Reese and Hershey out of the cage. In the process I put Oreo and our new girl hazelnut together for introductions. (I skipped the 2 week quarantine period since she had just got back from the vet less than a week ago and was only caged with mama)

I sat and watched them in amazement. My Oreo had life again. For the first time ever I saw her popcorn! They sat together and just talked to each other. The quiet purrs of contentment made me cry.

I put them in the cage and it has been such an amazing turnaround. My beautiful Oreo has life that I never knew she had. Hazel has her running around the cage and they chase each other up and down the ramp. They eat out of the same bowl at the same time. The house is almost never quite when they are up as they make the soft sounds of purring at each other.

My pigs are finally happy. Happy enough that I cry when I see them pop corning around and making a racetrack out of the cage.

You can be mad, I get it. What I did wasn't the best answer but I didn't have room to make another cage and my girls are happy. As for Reese and Hershey. The rescue has fallen in love with them and are going to keep them with her in her home.



My Girls Oreo and Hazelnut sharing some red lettuce

I felt I needed to get this out so this was mainly to share my story.

[Momma2000]

It sounds to me like you made the best choice for your family. I am happy that Oreo and Hazel are getting along so well. I am sure they will be be even more overjoyed when the next baby arrives.

[spy9doc]

Kudos for having the courage to make the right decision in a difficult situation! I know that it couldn't have been easy, but it seems as though you made the right decision for all concerned, especially Oreo.

Isn't it the most joyous thing to watch a new young cavy giving life to an older one? My Chester had been a single piggy for the past year after his brother died. By all indications, he was the happiest, most well-adjusted fellow that we could ask for. But, he was w-a-a-y too attached to me and would become depressed, stop eating and hide in his cozy if I had to go away on business.

From the first day Maya came to live with us, it was love-at-first-sight for them, and a happy Chester began to popcorn and run around the cage again. He's still the same happy fellow and is a terrific big brother....so patient with the little diva. He's still quite attached to me, but no longer gets the separation anxiety.

Thanks for sharing your story! I'm sure it will help others faced with a similar decision.

[joyfulnoise]

Wow! How distressful for all of you. I assume that Reese & Hershey got along fine since you didn't say otherwise. It is good that they could stay together & that the people who operate the rescue made a connection with them. Even with the bullying they do deserve the best as well.

Now, Oreo has a new friend that she can live with and have fun too. Yahoo! She will be so much happier & healthier as well. I do hope that all continues to go well for Oreo & Hazelnut. They are both adorable and look very sweet together. Thanks for sharing the pigture. Hazelnut looks just like my Reggie.

[Paula]

Some pigs don't get along. It's not reasonable to keep animals that are fighting to the point of making you and everyone in the cage unhappy and potentially endangering them. If you don't have room for another cage, you don't have room for another cage. The responsible choice would be to responsibly rehome one or some of the pigs causing or contributing to the problem and since pigs are social animals, start to search for one (or more) that would be compatible with the one you're keeping. There's nothing wrong with any of that.

No one is going to reasonably encourage you to keep more animals than you can handle or are able/willing to provide adequate care for. There's a difference between trading animals in when you don't want/like them and rehoming them to better their lives and health. You obviously did the latter, I'm not sure why you're expecting or looking for a fight on it. You remedied a troublesome situation, gave a good home to pigs that needed one, and responsibly handled the rehoming of the two you couldn't keep. I don't see what there is to argue about or be "mad" over.

[guineapigs2468]

In my opinion I think everything turned out alright. Reese and Hershey have found a loving home and have stayed together and Oreo and hazelnut are happy together. I can understand why you would think people would be mad at you and I understand what you are going through. It was a hard decision to make and I'm sure you would have checked in on reese and Hershey to make sure they had found loving homes.(luckily they did straight away).
Was Oreo your first piggy ? To me the animals that came first remain my priority, even though I love them all the same. Like my rose (oldest piggy) if she was in Oreos position and was constantly being bullied by the new piggies I would have the two options. But I would try my best to put them in separate cages first, and find rose friends with her personality. If not then I would look into rehoming them, to good responsible owners. Best wishes, I'm glad Oreo is happier now and that you offered a home to baby hazelnut.

[Lilathandra]

Thank you everyone. It means alot to have the support. It was difficult to make the decision but I couldn't be happier. Yes Reese and Hershey got along very well. They had been together almost all of their lives. Oreo was the one that had just been tossed into the mix.

@Paula and @guineapigs2468 honestly yes I did expect to get alot of negative. I have read alot of threads on here where people were bashed for their decisions. It worried me. I am really glad to see that it is being taken very positive.

As for Oreo being my first no. All three had came together but her and my Husband had a special bond. She would only eat her veggies when he would hold her so every night he would sit with her on His chest for a good hour feeding her.

Yes it makes me so very happy to hear all the loving piggie noises filling our house. I try to get up before all the kids and so I get to sit and watch them for a couple of hours early in the morning running laps, chasing each other, and just talking. Its so calming. Whats funny is they must do it all night long as the poor little things end up sleeping almost all day.

[pinky]

Keep a close eye on Oreo's gash. Bites can easily abscess. I think you made the right decision and it sounds like a great rescue you went to.

[Lilathandra]

@pinky I have been keeping an eye on it and made sure to keep it clean. It is healing really nicely. And she is doing much better now.

[shags]

I think you diffenatly made the right chocie! Im glad Oreo is finally happy!

[Kelsie]

You absolutely made the right choice. Oreo should not have to live her life being afraid in her own cage. As everyone has said you gave a wonderful home to a piggie in need and Hershey and Reese found the perfect home for them. It's a win win situation all around. Have a wonderful time with Hazelnut. Love the name BTW.

[LugbyLover]

I am so happy Oreo is ok! When i read your post about her being chased out of the huts and being bit I teared up... I had my boar Lugby for a few months and I could tell he was very depressed being alone, he sat in his pigloo and thats about it. I felt so sorry for him, so i got him nuetered and got him a girl friend- bc like Oreo Lugby was so skidish, he didnt have a dominant bone in his body... when he saw Carl for the first time he realized he had a voice box and pop corned and squeaked his head off... it made my the happiest momma ever... and after her quarantine, when they were finally in the same cage they have not left eachothers side and are so vocal and happy! So here's to the calm piggies that don't fight or be mean... and just want a friend! (and when i saw my little boy popcorn and squeak for the first time a cried too... he was a complete new pig, he was so happy )

[Mastershroom]

You can be mad, I get it. What I did wasn't the best answer but I didn't have room to make another cage and my girls are happy. As for Reese and Hershey. The rescue has fallen in love with them and are going to keep them with her in her home.

I don't think anyone in their right mind could fault you for what you did. As far as I'm concerned, it was the best possible course of action for everyone and every pig. Reese and Hershey get along better without Oreo, and now they're together at the rescue, and will probably find a good permanent home together. Oreo is clearly doing way better with the new piggie Hazelnut, and I'm sure Hazelnut is happier now than where she was before. And last but not least, you're saving yourself a ton of stress now that you don't have to worry about Oreo being bullied.

[mufasa]

I agree with all the others. It's never ideal to rehome an animal, but sometimes it has to be done. This was one of those cases where it just wasn't going to work out, and you made sure they went somewhere that can find them an appropriate home. It sounds like it was the best you could do under the circumstances.

I'm so glad you found a true friend for Oreo. That's one thing I really worried about, that Amy would bully Quinn, since she's such a dominant piggy. I'm so happy now that they're friends. I can just imagine how awful it was for you to find poor little Oreo hurt.

[Inle_Rabbit]

I had to rehome one of my piggies. I called him Robin. He was aggressive to my two other guinea pigs and he did not seem very comfortable with my children. When the kids would be loud he would purr in annoyance. He also seemed more comfortable with me than he was with the kids and if he wasn't aggressive with the other two he could have stayed. Sadly for him he did not like Ben or Eddy Pig. Eddy pig seemed able to handle him but poor Ben was picked on constantly. I tried everything that was suggested on here: Bigger cages, buddy bathes, more floor time, the usual. I finally decided he had to go when he ripped one of Ben's ears. I separated Robin and started looking for a home. It took sometime but I finally found a really good one. The lady who took Robin made him a C&C and treats him like a guinea pig king. I still get up dates every now and again.

Anyway, I think everything is working out fine. Congratulations on a happy Oreo.

[xXMaggieXx]

I think you made the right decision. when Ally joined my 2 girls she brought so much life to them. She actually made them wheek and popcorn, they had never done it before. I know it must have been hard for rehoming them but I give you credit for being able to make that decision.

[Lilathandra]

Thank you everyone for being so supportive! I'm glad to see that I'm not alone and that others have had to make the same difficult choices. I get updates on how Reese and Hershey are doing and it sounds like they are adjusting well into their new home. I will be going to see them again this weekend as our other little girl that we adopted will be ready to leave mama.

As for Hazelnut and Oreo. They are so funny together. Every morning they make a racetrack around the cage. Hazel is always nudging Oreo to go. And I don't think Oreo has ever pop corned in her life. The poor thing looks so strange when she does it. She gives me this look like "what was that, what did I just do" Its so funny and I am loving every minute of it.

[Lilathandra]

I had to rehome one of my piggies. I called him Robin. He was aggressive to my two other guinea pigs and he did not seem very comfortable with my children. When the kids would be loud he would purr in annoyance. He also seemed more comfortable with me than he was with the kids and if he wasn't aggressive with the other two he could have stayed. Sadly for him he did not like Ben or Eddy Pig. Eddy pig seemed able to handle him but poor Ben was picked on constantly. I tried everything that was suggested on here: Bigger cages, buddy bathes, more floor time, the usual. I finally decided he had to go when he ripped one of Ben's ears. I separated Robin and started looking for a home. It took sometime but I finally found a really good one. The lady who took Robin made him a C&C and treats him like a guinea pig king. I still get up dates every now and again.

Anyway, I think everything is working out fine. Congratulations on a happy Oreo.

I am so sorry to hear about what happen to your piggie Ben. That is the same thing that I was afraid of that would happen with my girls. I am so happy for you that you could find a solution that worked for you and that your boys are happier now.

[Kota12]

This made me cry! What a happy ending for Oreo and Hazel!

[Inle_Rabbit]

I am so sorry to hear about what happen to your piggie Ben. That is the same thing that I was afraid of that would happen with my girls. I am so happy for you that you could find a solution that worked for you and that your boys are happier now.

Thank you. Ben's ear healed just fine and the guinea pigs are very happy. I adopted two more after Robin and for the most part they get along very well. Right now we are having some puberty problems with our youngest guinea pig but hopefully that will be done with soon.