More pigs than I planned on

[vera_]

I bought 2 female guinea pigs on 3/20. Unfortunately at the pet shop they were in a small cage with 3 males. I should have known what was coming when I asked if they were pregnant and the answer was, "Well, they haven't had any babies yet!" (eyes rolling)

Both pigs were getting larger and larger (although one was significantly larger than the other) until Avon had one baby last Wednesday (5/5). Portia is absolutely enormous and I'm guessing she's got 3 in there just by comparing her size to Avon's predelivery size.

I'm just in a quandary about what to do with all these pigs I'm going to have. The cage I have is only barely big enough for two adult pigs. I absolutely don't want to sell the babies back to the pet shop nor do I want to advertise to get rid of them. On the other hand, I didn't really intend to turn my living room into a guinea pig preserve, either.

I guess I'm mostly just thinking out loud, here. But I would appreciate any suggestions about how to be as generous as possible with cage space while taking up as little room as possible of my house. I know it partially depends on what genders Portia's babies are (Avon's baby is a girl, her name is Desdemona). Has anyone ever made a triple decker cage? I'm not sure I have (or want to use) the amount of floor space for a cage that will house 3 pigs, so maybe a triple decker with 2 pigs per story? Any input would be great. I am really enjoying my piggies, and it's fun to have a baby in the house, even if I had only intended on being the mother to 2 pigs!

 

[tashagurl]

Good luck with your pigs. I have five now and they are a handful. At one time though ihad about 12 in my house. A few moms and their babies plus a bunch of mature males and a lucky girl with no babies.

 

[icesprite]

That is almost the same problem I had. However, it was only one sow that was pregnant and I think the deed was done before she was taken to the petshop.

I don't have any advice really, I just wanted to tell you I know exactly how you feel. At first I planned for it to be 2 boys and a girl with the idea to keep the girl and rehome the lads together. Pfft, some things just don't go to plan, insolent piggy had 2 girls and a boy! I didn't want to take any of them to a petshop and I didn't know how to rehome the boy without him being a solo pig. So now I have 5 pigs, rather than the intended 2, with one waiting 6 months to get snipped so that he can be reunited with his harem!

Good luck, whatever happens, I hope Portia's pregnancy goes alright!