Howdy from Texas!

[milleson]

Ok, so I have been putting off drafting my introduction, but I think its time now.

My family and I have wanted to add guinea pigs to our home for several months. Just recently I found this site, and I've been lurking ever since.

Susan9608 was kind enough to let us visit her two remaining pigs yesterday, and oh my, are they adorable. We brought the pigs some carrots so my kids could make fast friends with them, and my plan worked perfectly. My son, age 4, absolutely fell in love with Piglet. Now the whole house is now anticipating their arrival.

I don't have any pictures of the pigs yet, but... we will soon.

 

[VoodooJoint]

Hehe. Cute picture. I'm glad we were able to help you out on your quest and thrilled that Susan has some healthy, friendy boys to complete your family.

 

[standuprookie]

Hi Milleson, I was at Susan's house picking up Son of a Pig and Junior right before you got there and I took a peek at Piglet and Brown Pig and they are very handsome piggies, Congrats!

 

[Susan9608]

I'm just so thrilled to have found such wonderful families for my boys. I didn't anticipate being this sad about losing my boys - but I bawled and bawled yesterday. When my girls went home with Dangness I didn't feel quite this sad; I think it was because I knew I still had my boys at home.

Now, there is no one ... well, Piglet and Brown Pig are still there, but I know there will be an empty house in just a few weeks. I miss Son-of-Pig and Junior terribly, and I know I'll miss Piglet (especially) and Brown Pig.

I can't tell you guys, Milleson and Standuprookie, how much it means to me to have my boys go to such wonderful homes. This has really been a stressful, dark period for me, and I was so terribly worried about the pigs leaving. I can honestly say that all my boys are going to better homes that I can provide - and that's a wonderful thing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you - a thousand times thank you.

 

[jdomans]

Great idea about the table. Well I took the pic to mean you will build on the tbale! I use 3 of them and love it. You can store stuff underneath and the pigs are up high for you to get to easier .

 

[milleson]

Yep, Susan is great enough to send her cage and her pigs to live with us. We are beyond excited about getting them.

I made my first home-made pig toy today: a cardboard iced tea canister. I even cut the metal ends off, making it a nice big tube for them to play with.

The table is in the upstairs family/play room, right in the midst of all the action.

 

[milleson]

So, I'm leaving to go pick up pigs in about an hour. I plan on transporting them in a cat carrier lined with fleece. They will be in the truck for about half an hour or so.

Will this setup be pig friendly enough, or should I go find a cardboard box?

 

[Aertyn]

I'd go with the Cat Carrier for two reasons

1. They eat Cardboard
2. Cardboard + pig pee = mush

So...we've only got an hour or so till we get pigtures?

 

[jdomans]

Your carrier set up is pefect. My girls road home 3 hours one way so you will be just fine!

Oops, I forgot, don't you feel as if you are bringing a new baby home? Can't wait to see the pigtures and stuff and cage and on and on and on!! We love it.

 

[JennG]

Congrats on getting yourself some great piggies from a great person! And welcome to the forum. I LOVE the pic, too!

 

[BabyGrl]

Congrats and Welcome!

 

[WEAVER]

Can't wait to hear all about them and see some pictures!!!

 

[Susan9608]

I hope they did all right on the way home. Milleson now has 2 adorable pigs to go with her 2 great kids.

 

[milleson]

Whew, finally I have a minute to post some pictures.

The ride home went quite smoothly. The boys seemed very calm in the cat carrier. We brought them home and arranged their living quarters. Man, those guys really love their pigloos. Then we treated them to a feast of lettuce, carrots, parsely, and spinach.

The cage:

Ken (previously known as Piglet):

Zachary (previously known as Brown Pig):

One happy almost 4 year old:

 

[Susan9608]

They look great! I'm glad they made it home smoothly.

Keep us posted on how they're doing.

 

[milleson]

One thing I've noticed so far is that the smaller one seems to be the alpha pig. All he has to do is squeak a bit, and the bigger one, Zachary/Brown Pig, scampers out of the way.

I'm assuming this is normal cagemate behavior, but it is rather amusing to watch.

 

[JennG]

They're so cute. I really like the cage set up too.

 

[Susan9608]

It's funny that Ken now seems to be in charge; at our house, Zachary was always the top pig. I guess it's good for Zachary to get a taste of his own medicine. Don't worry - they'll settle in; they've always gotten along beautifully.

Just so everyone knows and so that no one decides to give Milleson a hard time about the cage - that cage was mine, and she was gracious enough to take it with her along with the pigs. My father built those for me, and I was quite proud of the cage and of him for designing it himself. I'm grateful Milleson was willing to take it, so I didn't have to throw it out, as I have no room for storage.

It is the equivalent of a 2x3 C&C cage, so it's an acceptable size. I know some people will argue that male pigs need more room, but Ken and Zachary have lived in that cage their whole lives and have always gotten along beautifully.

I'm so grateful to you, Milleson, and I hope you all are enjoying the boys! I'm sure they are loving their new home.

 

[Slap Maxwell]

That cage is really neat. The pigs are adorable, too. Congrats!

 

[Sabriel]

I wish I could have a cage like that. My cages suffer from saggy grid syndrom on the tops. I am forever going through packs of zip ties keeping them strong.

You are an awesome piggy photographer. I can't wait to see more pigtures!