Hello! It's nice to finally introduce myself. I'm audrey.e, as you know by now.
I had two lovely Boars, Ralph and Percy. I first purchased Ralph from Petsmart (I know, I know! I knew nothing at the time, will you ever forgive me?) and he was a happy healthy pig. He was very vocal and friendly, and I spent so much time with him, but I knew he needed a friend and rescued (yes, thank you) Percy as a baby. Ralph was overjoyed that there was another piggie in the house! They were the best of friends, in fact, they were inseparable. All was well.
And then.
Percy got a stuffy nose. You're probably thinking "yeah yeah, no biggie." Well, at the time, I was too. Then he had bad discharge coming out of his nose, and crusty eyes. The vet were of no help, they just suggested Vitamin C drops (which of course, dissolve in sunlight after a couple of hours. So stupid!) I was baffled. I was airing out my Aspen shavings before I put them in their cage (so the dust didn't make things worse), yet still, he just got worse and worse. And then one day, I took them outside. They were in a secure cage top, which was fastened to the ground. I had used it many times and completely trusted it. I watched them like a hawk, don't worry. And then I went inside to re-fill their water bottle.
Ugh.
I came back out, and the cage door was knocked open. Ralph was waiting for me, wheeking extremely loud, as If warning me that something was up. I calmed him down, gave him to my mom to hold and comfort, and then went to look for percy. My yard was fenced in, so there was no way he could have gotten out, but he did. I was outside for hours in my yard and all of the neighbor's yards, desperately searching for my poor baby. Then, after 3 hours of utter horror, it got dark, and I was forced to leave food outside and cry myself to sleep. That night it rained. You can imagine how I felt after losing my little boy only 2.5 years old. I can't live with myself because of what happened. I am a horrible horrible piggy owner, I know. I know this because I miss him. So. Much.
And then I got Chai and Chamomile, two little females with big hearts, although shy at first. Ralph passed the day before his neutering appointment, at 4.5 years old. I was a wreck. I mean, what kind of person puts a pig through loneliness, happiness, depression, loneliness, and then finally to a place where he can be happy- the Rainbow Bridge?
I seriously considered giving Chai and Cam to a good friend, partly because I hated myself, and partly because I was a terrible piggy owner, but I don't know what in me made me keep them. But I am so glad I did because they repaired my broken heart.
Please, learn from my mistake. Double check safety- better be safe than be like me.
PS- Cam and Chai are still with me They just turned 2! I have them on fleece because I'm too scared to use dusty shavings.
Sorry for the sad story, but I thought i'd share it, please don't hate me.
audrey.e
I had two lovely Boars, Ralph and Percy. I first purchased Ralph from Petsmart (I know, I know! I knew nothing at the time, will you ever forgive me?) and he was a happy healthy pig. He was very vocal and friendly, and I spent so much time with him, but I knew he needed a friend and rescued (yes, thank you) Percy as a baby. Ralph was overjoyed that there was another piggie in the house! They were the best of friends, in fact, they were inseparable. All was well.
And then.
Percy got a stuffy nose. You're probably thinking "yeah yeah, no biggie." Well, at the time, I was too. Then he had bad discharge coming out of his nose, and crusty eyes. The vet were of no help, they just suggested Vitamin C drops (which of course, dissolve in sunlight after a couple of hours. So stupid!) I was baffled. I was airing out my Aspen shavings before I put them in their cage (so the dust didn't make things worse), yet still, he just got worse and worse. And then one day, I took them outside. They were in a secure cage top, which was fastened to the ground. I had used it many times and completely trusted it. I watched them like a hawk, don't worry. And then I went inside to re-fill their water bottle.
Ugh.
I came back out, and the cage door was knocked open. Ralph was waiting for me, wheeking extremely loud, as If warning me that something was up. I calmed him down, gave him to my mom to hold and comfort, and then went to look for percy. My yard was fenced in, so there was no way he could have gotten out, but he did. I was outside for hours in my yard and all of the neighbor's yards, desperately searching for my poor baby. Then, after 3 hours of utter horror, it got dark, and I was forced to leave food outside and cry myself to sleep. That night it rained. You can imagine how I felt after losing my little boy only 2.5 years old. I can't live with myself because of what happened. I am a horrible horrible piggy owner, I know. I know this because I miss him. So. Much.
And then I got Chai and Chamomile, two little females with big hearts, although shy at first. Ralph passed the day before his neutering appointment, at 4.5 years old. I was a wreck. I mean, what kind of person puts a pig through loneliness, happiness, depression, loneliness, and then finally to a place where he can be happy- the Rainbow Bridge?
I seriously considered giving Chai and Cam to a good friend, partly because I hated myself, and partly because I was a terrible piggy owner, but I don't know what in me made me keep them. But I am so glad I did because they repaired my broken heart.
Please, learn from my mistake. Double check safety- better be safe than be like me.
PS- Cam and Chai are still with me They just turned 2! I have them on fleece because I'm too scared to use dusty shavings.
Sorry for the sad story, but I thought i'd share it, please don't hate me.
audrey.e