Adoption, Did You Change Your Piggy's Name?

[mufasa]

When you adopted your piggy, did you change his or her name or keep the old one?

I'm the sort who always changes an animal's name because I like the whole "fresh start" concept. It's more prominent with some animals than others, like my first horse, Cochise, who was named Diablo because he had a reputation of being a devil around the barn. Well, of course he was, as he'd just been gelded at age 4, was never let out of his stall, and was pumped full of high energy sweet feed. He was sweet as pie once he got proper food and exercise and didn't fit that name at all.

Following my tradition, I changed both my piggies' names. Borat was advertised as Laverne (with a friend, Shirley, who was adopted right before he arrived), although his paperwork indicated his original name was Starbright. He was missexed, so not knowing that, I changed his name to Leela and found another female to be his friend. She came from Craigslist and was named Chloe, which I changed to Amy (will make sense to Futurama fans). When he turned out to be a boy, I combined Boar (his true sex) and Rat (my previous pig Mufasa's nickname) to come up with his moniker.

It will be interesting to see if I'm in the majority or minority on name changes. I come from a family that pretty much gave all pets the same name (e.g. all cats were named Tiger), but I always do unique names for each of my animals.

[Daisha]

No, I don't like changing their names. I feel that most animals get used to being called something...they learn to recognize it. Although I can understand the whole fresh new start concept.

[MissJean]

Erebos and Artemis used to be Jim and Aiden. Their original names came from a TV show that I've never seen before, so the names had no meaning for me.

I also picked out potential names for many different pairs of pigs at foggycreekcavy's rescue. I wasn't 100% on the pair I was going to get but I was still thinking of names beforehand.

I name my pigs based on how I perceive them, so of course I'll change their names. I'd also never name a future pet the same name. Seems too impersonal.

[scruffytufty]

yes i changed my piggies name they where originally scruffy and tufty but it just didnt suit them! now gingey is gingey cause shes ginegr and pepper cos she looks peppery ^^

[ThePigAlchemist]

My family is about divided with renaming adopted animals or keeping their names. With our dogs, my mom adopted Daisy, who did have her name changed from Donna (because she thought Donna was a stupid name for a dog). Our other dog, Baby, kept her name though. She was advertised as Fallon, but the rescue people called her Baby so that stayed her name.

When I was 4 or 5, I got my first guinea pig, from a family who had bred him and then was done with him, who was named Rollo. I didn't like that name so I renamed him John (I was young :P ). Our next pig, though, we received from a teacher who had named her Snickers, and we kept that name. My other guinea pigs were pet store pigs, who didn't have names so it was a nonissue.

[PigPandemonium]

I always change the names of my animals, as I just can't stand most of the generic names people give a lot of pets, like calling a dog Rover or a cow Daisy (No offence to anyone who uses names like that, it just randomly annoys me for some reason) So I've renamed all my pets, my dog Bellatrix used to be Princess. My one piggy Phoenix used to be something of which I forget and would have to look up their papers to find. xD My other piggy Godric used to be something, again the same as Phoenix. My piggy Fus used to be Checkers. My last piggy that I have owned used to be Bingo but is now Ro Dah. And the piggy I am fostering now was named Derek, but since she is a girl I renamed her Pikachu. All the names I pick have really great meaning to me, I just don't like names such as Checkers, because they have no real meaning.

[MrWhistles]

Mr. Whistles as actually Emma when he was supposed to be a girl xD
My niece (whom was 1 or 2 years at the time) could not pronouce Emma and called him Piggy. So when he turned out to be a boy (good thing he didnt have a GF) the name Piggy stuck.
I met my husband and when we moved in together as a couple he found out Piggy's talent for whistling. So then he was dubbed Mr. Whistles xD

When we found the pug she took the name Emma. She also has different names:
Trouble
Punky Pug
Retard (she chases leaves/acts a tad weird )
Punk

When I was little I was given a male hamster with the name "Mounds"
I thought they were referring to the chocolate bar(he was chocolate in color), not his manly parts. But I renamed him Hershey.

[Inle_Rabbit]

Ben use to be Trever, Buddy was Tyler and Bacon use to be Ben.

I did not change my dog's name when I got him. He was already use to it so I kept it. His name is Rudy.

[mufasa]

All the names I pick have really great meaning to me, I just don't like names such as Checkers, because they have no real meaning.

I'm like that too, as reflected in many of my pets' names. Sometimes I just go for fictional characters in general, but other times there's a meaning, too. For example, our cat Stitch got his name because a sign on his shelter cage said he wasn't for adoption (thankfully, just because he needed medication, so they let us take him when we agreed to follow up his care). He had one of those stupid generic names (Felix, because he was black and white). Farquaad got his name because he was so small as a kitten, and tho' he's huge now, he has an ego just like his fictional counterpart.

I've also had Vincent Van Kitty (notched ear, plus Van Gogh is my favorite artist), Muse (kitty who used to sleep on my word processor), and Truman (bird...Stitch was almost named Truman because he was found in the suburb of Burbank, and Truman Burbank is a Jim Carrey movie character. The bird was our next pet, so hubby said, "Well, I guess he's Truman by default).

In contrast, I guess my piggies' names are kind of boring compared to my other pets.

[pinky]

Wolfbane was adopted as Pixie and became Patty Cake before I changed it to Wolfbane, Pichu was adopted as Gizmo became Peach and then Pichu, Moo was Oreo became Ala Mode and then Moo, Rigatoni was adopted as Squeaky Pants, Curly Fry was Curly, Wishbone was Lily, Raichu was Roosevelt, and Diglett was Pig.

[emeraldamykate]

Because I bought my first guinea pig from a pet store, he came without a name. So the name I gave him was his first name, but since I am adopting next time, I can say that like all of my other pets that came with names, I will be giving him a new name.

I like your idea that it gives them a "fresh start." I think that's my mom's thinking, too.
(She was adopted herself and chose to change her name.)

But I find that when a pet comes with a name, it just doesn't suit them! So I like to re-name them.

[MissJean]

Wolfbane was adopted as Pixie and became Patty Cake before I changed it to Wolfbane, Pichu was adopted as Gizmo became Peach and then Pichu, Moo was Oreo became Ala Mode and then Moo, Rigatoni was adopted as Squeaky Pants, Curly Fry was Curly, Wishbone was Lily, Raichu was Roosevelt, and Diglett was Pig.

I think I've told you this before, but I love your Pokemon names. I'm a huge fan.
Though I think you said one of your children/nieces/nephews named those ones.

[pinky]

I think I've told you this before, but I love your Pokemon names. I'm a huge fan.
Though I think you said one of your children/nieces/nephews named those ones.

My son did.... I'm still a Pokemon fan. I used to take my son and his friends to all the Pokemon movies and card trading events back in the late 90's. It was so much fun..... My son is 21 now and he does all this remixing with old Pokemon songs..... Those were really happy times.

[Cavyness]

My Felix was adopted as Brogan, but I felt comfortable changing his name because he only had the name for a few weeks. While most piggies learn to recognize your voice, they don't seem to know their names, so I think it's just fine to change it.

[rottiemominde]

My girls were Annabelle and Molly. They definitely needed a fresh start since one of them (Annabelle/Cinnamon) had been thrown against a wall and her leg broken by her previous owner's brother-in-law. We changed their names to Sugar and Cinnamon and I love to call them my little Snickerdoodles :-)

[Ithilgil]

I always change the names of my pets, unless they only answer to one name (which had never happened with me). But, it's less of giving them a fresh start and more of "now they are my pets" sort of thing.

I had gotten my late turtles, fish, and hamster from a pet store, so they didn't have a name in the first place.

But, I'd rather get my pets adopted now. One, it's cheaper. Two, pet store conditions aren't always the best. Three, why not give a home to unwanted pets?

My current dwarf hamster, Leo, was once called Thumper. Rhode and Robin, my little girls, were once Rosetta and Maria, though I'm not sure which name belonged to which one.

[Field-of-Dreams]

If they have a decent name I keep it. Patches came to me as Patches, and it fit. Squiggy and Zumi came as Piggy and Zoomie. Slight change there. Butter and Punkin came as Butterbum and Pumpkin. Holly and Ivy were unnamed, as were Mama and Milo (who is now Smudge-I didn't really like Milo) I did keep the Willis piggies names: Sundae and Loofah as they fit quite well!

Now our horses typically have one-word, people names for call names. Elvis, Krissy, Liz, Sammie, etc. Chaz came as Ami (short for Amazon *gag*) and I immediately changed it. Ami does NOT fit a stud colt! But then, his registered name really doesn't fit him, either.... my dogs have people names, too: Finn and Toby.

[go_ellie]

I changed 2 of my 3 adopties.

My dogs used to be Elden and Elisa. No one was feeling the names (the shelter named the litter E names). They were changed to Elden- Minnow and Elisa- Canoe.

My adopted pigs name is Lucky. Lucky really resonized his name, and I couldn't find another sutible name.

My petco piggy got his name tyed into the fish/water theme. Skipper, he wiuld popcorn everywhere!! You could even tell he was the dominit one.

I love adopting- even though I have gotten a petstore pig, and I will never go back to any petstore again!!!

[OllieandFriends]

When we adopted our boys, they came without names. We got them from a guy that was giving them up on Kijiji, and when we asked him what their names were before we left and he said something along the lines of never calling them so seeing no reason to name them or it could have been that they never remember the names. I'm not sure, it's been almost a year since we got them (1 year in 44 days!).

I agree, a new name is a great way to give them a new start with a new family. We once got a rabbit from a pregnant family member, he became my brother's. He renamed him Lance from something like Mr. Nibbs (I had no idea what his name was until now, I had to ask my mom ).

[henea guinea]

My guinea pigs were Jacki and Bobbi when I adopted them. I did not like the names because they were gender nuetral names. They were only a month old, so I felt that it was fine to change their names to Kronos and Rhea. I love my piggies!