No idea how to react.

[SLS5173]

My brother and I never had a lot of pets growing up. I however have always been a lover of animals. Well tonight I was telling him how excited I was that I was adopting a little piggy of my own and his response was that I am crazy for wanting one and for wanting to build a big cage for herand I should just use a hamster cage because its just and animal and people should realize that guinea pigs aren't meant to be pets they are meant to be food. I just don't know what to say to him. How can someone be so cruel?

[Ly&Pigs]

He's most likely doing that to get some sort of rise out of you or to get you angry. That's what brothers are good at, well at least mine is.

I wouldn't let his words get you down too much. If you know in your heart that you want a pig (or two preferably as they are social) and can provide a great life for your pig(s) and are willing to do the right things for them then don't let him deter you.

[Wheekie]

Ly is exactly right! He's just being a brother! My baby brother ( he's 55, I'm 57!) has told me they're dirty, carry disease, don't need that big cage...but every time he comes over, when he thinks I'm not paying attention, he sneaks in the piggy room and coos and strokes them!

[GizzyandMe]

My big brother went online and printed as many "Guinea Pig Recipes" as he could find and asked me which one I will try first! However he has come around 100% since he came to visit me and saw with his own eyes how loving a Guinea Pig can be! Now he is attempting to get me to eat the baby horse on the farm --- anything for a brother to try get a sister crazy!!!!!

Edit: I would just like to add that neither me nor my brother would ever eat a Guinea Pig, or a baby horse (or big one for that matter) it is just his weird sense of humor!

[Hawise]

I had a friend tell me once that guinea pigs made tasty meals and that his snakes would love them (he never feeds them live animals though, it was just to wind me up ). I gave him a big smile and said: "That's probably what you snakes think about you"

[twiztedlilfae]

Aww I agree with what everyone else has said. He's probably just trying to get you upset. My brother calls me Godzilla just to upset me. It's what they do best. Just take it as him being a brother and go on with life. He's more than likely jealous that you're getting a pet. Jealousy makes ya do crazy things!

[Ibbet]

Agreed, my little brother is only 8 and already does whatever he can to get a rise out of me.

Good luck with your future pig(s).

[Heady]

Brothers are terrible, but oh how I adore mine. When a Chinese restaurant opened in town, he said he was going to work there, under the table, by selling my cats to them. He's awful!

When I had my chin, my Aunt told me "I wore his cousin to the Opera". She's terrible too!

Thankfully no one has made any bad remarks about the pigs because they can't help but LOVE them and adore the little logs o' fat! Although when I was on the phone with my mom the other day, she heard them popcorning again and thought we were having a hail storm. That's the second time she asked what that sound was.

[Heady]

Originally Posted by GizzyandMe

My big brother went online and printed as many "Guinea Pig Recipes" as he could find and asked me which one I will try first! However he has come around 100% since he came to visit me and saw with his own eyes how loving a Guinea Pig can be! Now he is attempting to get me to eat the baby horse on the farm --- anything for a brother to try get a sister crazy!!!!!

Originally Posted by Hawise

I gave him a big smile and said: "That's probably what you snakes think about you"

These made me laugh VERY hard!! People are awful, but it's usually the awful things that make me laugh the hardest...that is if they're JOKING about being awful...

[Hawise]

Originally Posted by Heady

These made me laugh VERY hard!! People are awful, but it's usually the awful things that make me laugh the hardest...that is if they're JOKING about being awful...

I agree 100% about the JOKING, I think this is the key word here. When I was younger, I would get very offended by such remarks, but now I know people are joking. Derision is sometimes the best ally we have to stop thinking about how dark and awful things can be sometimes.

[Heady]

Originally Posted by Hawise

I agree 100% about the JOKING, I think this is the key word here. When I was younger, I would get very offended by such remarks, but now I know people are joking. Derision is sometimes the best ally we have to stop thinking about how dark and awful things can be sometimes.

Me too! Growing up, I never had animals, so I got them when I moved out as an adult. But during that time, I still loved them and people would say the most horrible things in front of me and I would lose it. Not throw a tantrum, but just feel so bad. When a commercial for the homeless in America would come on (I was around 8), I would bawl and run away from the tv because I couldn't stand to see people suffering. It was the same with animals. Now that I can tell the difference, it makes it much easier on my tear ducts

[Tessa Bea]

Originally Posted by Heady

Although when I was on the phone with my mom the other day, she heard them popcorning again and thought we were having a hail storm. That's the second time she asked what that sound was.

HA! I just imagined a hailstorm of piggies... lots and lots of them falling from the sky and then landing gently and popcorning about... First laugh of the day, thanks!

[Heady]

Originally Posted by Tessa Bea

HA! I just imagined a hailstorm of piggies... lots and lots of them falling from the sky and then landing gently and popcorning about... First laugh of the day, thanks!

Awesome! HAHAHA!! I didn't think of it that way....it's like something out of a Super Nintendo game!

[Katie_Kutthroat]

My brother is in love with my guinea pig. He can't get enough of him, he sticks his head in the cage and talks to him and strangely Piggy enjoys him. My four cats, he claims are going to get leg hole traps for x-mas. But I know he secretly loves them because he plays "fetch" with one of my cats for hours. He would never hurt an animal, he just knows it gets on my nerves when he says how he is secretly plotting against me and my kitty kingdom.

[Cogni]

I like the expression "little logs of fat"! Ha! I call my little balls of fur, or baby fluff-muffs, or chubby munchkins, or whatever endearment pops out of my mouth on the spur of the moment. I think I am far gone!!
I will see my baby brother (now 45!!) at Thanksgiving and I can just imagine what things he will say. Well I always call his dog an alien from the planet Zog, so maybe I deserve it!

[distancel]

haha I get paid out by my younger brother about my guinea pigs too, he's 14 (10 years younger than me). I think a lot of guys in general have this idea that they need to act all tough and pretend they don't like animals. It's odd.

[MySpottedFrog7]

Try not listening to him and understand that by him not being able to experience the love of animals he is really missing out. My parents tell me I should dump off all my pets because..."thats what people do after a while." So I tell them their wrong and committ myself to prevent people like them from having animals. It is sad but a lot of people just don't get it!

[pigsmakemesmile]

I know it was hurtful and unfeeling. However, you and your brother are 2 very different types of people. I use to get similar remarks from a girl I worked with anytime the topic of animals came up. I realized she had a lot of growing up to do and maybe your brother does to. So I learned to just ignore her remarks. However, as much as you may wish, you can't expect everyone to feel the same way you do. I personnaly believe it comes from inexperience, lack of knowledge and immaturity. I'm excited for you. I think it's wonderful your getting a pig. You do want you need to do to give your pig a good home and ignore your brother. Who knows... with time, he may change his perspective.

[Bamysmum]

Glad I found this thread. My brother in laws been joking about eating my girls for a year now and it's been driving me mad - He's going to South America and plans to eat guinea pigs (being serious here) so his jokes about eating my girls has not gone down well. I have consequently decided I don't like him very much!

[angiekay]

My brother hasn't been over to see my pigs yet, I can only imagine what he will say, HA, BUT I do have a good friend that I have talked to alot about my pigs and he just calls me the "crazy rat lady", it really offended me at first, but then I just shrugged it off, because I don't really care what anyone thinks, I love my "little logs of fat" (HA!!!), but I don't talk to him about my pigs anymore, and that's sad!