Feeling let down

[MilwCavyMom]

There is a couple I know as aquintances, Ross and Nikki. Ross works with Roberto and I've spent a short bit of time with them. Last night they came over to have a couple drinks and chat. This the first time Nikki had been to our place so I showed off the piggies to her. Now Nikki is a smart, funny, honest girl, she is working as a paralegal, but plans on going to law school in the fall. I think she's a pretty cool person. But then last night I was showing her the pigs and she made a comment on 'all the poop'. Then she said her and Ross had a guinea pig (which Roberto had mentioned), but they gave him away after only 6 months because of "all the poop". She couldn't handle the daily cleanings. Plus they had gotten the pig and cage and everything from a pet store, so the poor pig probably had poo everywhere in such a small place.

I don't know her well enough to give her the whole "pets are a life long commitment" speech but maybe another time. I was just disappointed because she seems really cool, but she seems to have a wishy washy view of having pets. :guilty:

 

[Terekins]

I'm sorry to hear that. I know how you feel. I will sometimes talk about my pets and I see my friends' eyes glaze over, or they get that look that says "they're just animals...what's wrong with you". I have friends I trust and love, who also like animals, but I know most of them think don't care for them the way I do; it's often very disappointing! You are not alone though We love them the way you do. Poop, shmoop!

 

[piggerz]

Well, lets hope that if she's that afraid of a little poo that she never has animals again, or kids for that matter. It's just a fact of life - you have an animal, or baby, there's going to be poop.

It isn't always fun having to clean cages, etc, but you have to overlook that for the joy you get out of having them, like when they greet you when you come home, and let you love on them, and complain to them, and they don't complain back.

Piggerz

 

[MilwCavyMom]

Absolutely. Bogie is becoming my attention whore. He talks to me all the time, and when I try to pet him he hides, then runs back out and talks to me again. When I pick him up he's fine then and rides around while I show him the goings on of the apt. Then he's happy again. He's my snuggle bug. And I don't mind their poo at all.

 

[Piggersrule]

My father-in-law can't seem to get past that I am a animal lover. He thinks I am insane for having them and than cleaning up after them blows his mind. I don't really give a "poop" about what he thinks!! My husbands friend Scott thinks I have serious mental issues for having my piggies in such a big cage. My husband has learned to accept it over the years and he enjoys my pets. I don't listen to what people tell me.

 

[MilwCavyMom]

I have a friend who laughed at me at first when I told her about the pigs and their cage but she's good enough to realize I love them and she's accepting. My boyfriend thought I was insane too, but now he's petting them and feeding them treats of a carrot or something on his own so I know they've wrapped him around their sexy little feets too. I just don't understand how you can't research a pet and their care prior to getting them so she would have known ALL that was involved.

 

[salana]

they don't complain back.

You must have some less whiny pigs than I have!

 

[gpigluver14]

My friends and family can be like that too, so don't feel bad. And some people just don't understand me how I can be such an animal lover, and tree hugger. : ) Hey you would be too, if your neighbors ran a sawmill! You learn to hate them...

Many people complain about how my two pigs poop so much, and they say maybe I should feed them less so they poo less- yeah right! But if it weren't for my handy dandy portable vac I would probably be complaining too.

Then she said her and Ross had a guinea pig (which Roberto had mentioned), but they gave him away after only 6 months because of "all the poop". She couldn't handle the daily cleanings. Plus they had gotten the pig and cage and everything from a pet store, so the poor pig probably had poo everywhere in such a small place.

It's those kind of people who make me mad...They didn't even give the poor pig a chance. No offense, but they are just lazy to give up on it like that.

 

[angtexaslover]

Your friend sounds really immature and ignorant. Really you ought to feel pity for her and her pig. Not only did she miss out on a great experience, but her poor pig had to suffer. He probably wasn't a great pet if he was in a pet store cage, there's not a lot of room to be experessive or to poop either. I think you did right by skipping the "pets are a commitment" speech. Some people just don't get it. And if she becomes a friend she'll see how great you take care of your pigs and how much fun they are. Then maybe she'll grow up and be a responsible "ownee". (My husband says the pets have it better than we do!)

 

[dixiedoo4736]

My family is always saying things like "wow, that pig eats better than we do" when I am fixing her veggies. My friends think I'm insane too! Whenever I even mention the word guinea pig I can feel their eyes rolling. I have a weekly menu and the nutrition charts on my fridge and every time they walk by and see me looking at it they shake their heads. In the end though, they cave and snuggle the little stinker. lol

We'd be like kings and queens if we lived like the little piggys do! Food brought to us, lots of attention and snuggles, cozy chairs, endless hay. I mean man! They're living the life!

 

[seagirl96]

"I just don't understand how you can't research a pet and their care prior to getting them so she would have known ALL that was involved."

Well, let me tell you how that happens. I did my homework. I read every book in the library and purchased two books. So I "knew" that a piggy needed pellets with seeds, hay now & then, and an occasional carrot. Sigh!

Next I checked out ARBA, ACBA, breeders and even went to a show. I learned that piggies can live in very small cages and there are several breeds and the ones with long hair need more grooming. Sigh!

Wanting to buy a larger cage led me here. I'm intelligent, well-read and I have good intentions and love my animals. The really sad thing is there are other people out there doing their homework and reading the worthless information supplied by Petsmart & Petco and buying the worhtless books I bought (at Petsmart).

I feel guilty about the quality of life my boys had and think that they probably would have lived longer if the first three years of their life included better food, a larger cage and more exercise. They were almost six years old when I had to have them put to sleep.

Sorry for going on so long. I get upset about all the "experts who don't know poop". At least I expected poop!

 

[MilwCavyMom]

You do make an excellent point Seagirl and you're right. You may not always have all the right info. But I don't beleive she looked up anything or got any info other than the pet store.
I used Roberto as a sounding board and went off last night about it. He told me he was proud of me for not saying anything to Nikki because he thought for sure I would! He knows how much animals mean to me.

 

[piggly wiggly]

My family picks on me jokingly, but they respect my love for animals. I have 6 dogs here, 2 cats, a guinea pig, a fish and a hamster on top of 3 kids. I just drove 4 hours yesterday to rescue my 2nd cat from being euthanized today. She is so friendly but old, so noone wanted her. My husband agreed I could save her, and he is not a cat person. He loves the 2 we now have, but would not have chosen to have cats. He is a softy at heart, and respects that I try to save as many as I can. We are now at our limit. He once told me I can't save the world, I said but I can try, and he is fine with that

 

[Wheek Weak]

We are always bragging on our babies to other people. Most of them think we're nuts for caring so much about "rodents".

The main thing we do, when we're talking about our piggies, is let people know how much work, expense, and responsibility they are. We don't want anyone to think that guinea pigs are easy-to-care-for-starter-pets-for-children like the pet stores advertise them to be.

Most (if not all) of the folks we inform about the proper care, feeding, and housing of cavies are very surprised when we tell them what all is involved with their care. As usual, they know of a child, grandchild, etc., who had had a guinea pig...but not for long (it's always followed with - "but not for long").

Unfortunately, your friend was not aware that guinea pig poop is a good sign. When you don't see lots of poos...it's time for a vet visit - asap! Poos are good!

 

[latchhookdoor]

Their poop isn't even that bad! Some of my friends think I am weird, but they aren't really big animal lovers. My animals are my life!

 

[thalestral]

My family have gone so far as to suggest that my "obsessive" care of my guinea pigs is down to my depression and me somehow being unhinged :/ They don't really see animals they way myself and my boyfriend do - our girls are our family, and they bring us so much joy. No way will we be putting them in a shed when we get a larger house as my mother suggests!

It can be frustrating when people don't see animals the same way we do - a good pet owner knows that you never know enough about pet care

And yes, poos are very good indeed, hee.

 

[JarBax]

I think most folk already realise I am unhinged, and that loving my guinea pigs is another part of the unhinged me! I am proud to be unhinged if it means I am a caring and compassionate person who enjoys spending time and effort on the piggies! I tell you what, my guineas have proven much more effective in times of depression than many other tried and tested methods! ( A good chat with the 'poop group' is often a great mood lifter! Comes highly recommended!)

It is disappointing when someone you like lets you down with their attitudes to pet care, it feels like they are somehow not the same person you thought they were. I have a good friend and colleague at work who laughed at the very suggestion of taking a guinea pig to the vet. That really hurt and in that moment changed my perceptions of her. However it is not the whole of her that is 'flawed' - just a part of her who doesn't understand, and therefore is missing out! We now run a bit of a banter-athon, where I turn the pages of the guinea pig calendar in our office, and she sticks devil's horns etc on the cute piggy picture. She still makes me cups of tea - even though I've changed to a guinea pig mug! I still make her cups of tea - but wouldn't dream of letting her use my guinea pig mug!

 

[MilwCavyMom]

I have a happier story to share for you all. Friday night my boyfriend's older son was out for a night with friends, so the younger son, Roberto and I went out for dinner. While there, we got side salads, which came with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and croutons. I took off the tomatoes since I don't usually eat them and asked my boyfriend if he wanted his. He gave me his tomatoes, cuce slices and set them aside for the pigs. When the waitress came by and almost took the plate he said, no don't take that, but can we have a to go box for it? Its for my gu inea pigs?

 

[Piggersrule]

My husband and kids will do the samething. They will save some of the salad toppings for the piggies....I have then so well trained

 

[TheSnufflenoses]

Sometimes I think someone should market a Guinea Pig Diet (okay that sounds sort of wrong, maybe a better name is needed). Not a diet where you eat piggies! hmy: Maybe we could think of something catchy like "Adopt a piggie, lose a pound!" or "Adopt a piggie today to keep the pounds away".

What I mean is...
With our busy schedules it's been hard for my boyfriend and me to eat healthy, but it became soo much easier after we got our piggles. Suddenly we were forced to have lots of veggies in the house... and since you can't give a piggy the whole bell pepper or orange! we started eating more fruits and veggies ourselves when we gave some to the piggles. Having the veggie-loving cavies has caused us to start eating healthier! And since a veggie-rich/vegetarian-like diet often makes weight loss easier, I think we could raise awareness about our furry friends, help rescued find piggies find homes, and end the obesity epidemic in America-- alll at once!

Hehe. Okay I'm being silly and it would be a horrible idea in reality, but we just thought it was kind of cute our piggies make us eat healthier Now we both need our daily veggies!

SORRY... back to your regularly scheduled post.
P.S. I know it's hard to get really close to people who don't share the same perspective on things that matter to you, but try to keep an open mind. That person who thinks you are silly may wind up coming around after they see just how cute they are and how interactive they are.

I think most people who don't "get" piggies just have no idea that their behavior can be very similar to a larger animal. Like bigger animals they: have tremendous personalities, they welcome you when you get home, they approach you when you approach or talk to them, they seem to know their names (or at least one of mine definitely does), etc. Aside from the housing needs, they are right on par with a house cat I once had. And at least the pigs don't jump on my face at night to be funny.

So don't give up hope. Maybe your newfound friend isn't enlightened yet, but give it a chance and they might just come around.