New Piggie Mom

[Piggie Mom]

Hi everyone, my name is Heather and I just became a piggie mom today! I did lots of research before we got her, but I know I have A LOT more to learn. I want to learn more about fleece. We cloth diaper, so why not for the furry babies? I was looking into larger, open cages and it lead me here. Very excited to meet people and learn more about piggies. Now I am still learning the rules for the site, so if I slip up please let me know.

Here is our sweet piggie baby. Working on names now.

 

[LauraK]

Welcome to the forum! There is so much wonderful information here, so I'm glad you found it

Your little pig is beautiful! Hopefully with all of your research you decide to get her a little pal to keep her company. She has the sweetest face- can't wait to hear what you decide for a name!

 

[Piggie Mom]

I wanted to get one of her siblings (another female) but I will have to go back later. One sibling was aggressive, and her other sibling was getting vet care, so I couldn't get her. I loved on the sibling, and she liked me, but no one else. Our local pet store will hold rescued animals to get them adopted out quickly verses breeders. I've been looking at Craigslist and petfinder for rescues, but never find any near me. Also, my husband's cousin has a piggie, but she travels a lot and has to board her, so she talked about giving her to us. So hopefully in the next week or so she will get a friend.

 

[Piggie Mom]

And thank you, she does have the sweetest face. She purrs all the time and loves to nuzzle under my chin. She is just precious. My grandmother is visiting and normally hates small fuzzy babies, but even she loves her. LOL!

 

[Piggie Mom]

Went back and got her cage mate. They're names are Petunia(pictured above) and Tiger Lily. Tiger Lily's ears have been chewed on. They have healed, but I don't know if they were given proper care, so I am going to find a vet and have them checked out. She is super small, and I believe she may be a lot younger than they said. They told us they are between 8-10wks, but she is tiny. She was starving when I got her home and scarfed down a piece of sweet potato. So I think the largest one in the cage is being a bully. I knew she mounted a lot of them, ( I looked, she is a girl) but never thought she might be hurting them.

Anyways, when Tiger Lily lets me take her picture I will post one. Oh and they snuggled, purred and wheeked as soon as they met. I think they knew each other right away because they do not want to be apart. Good choice. Also, I rearranged the cage, so maybe no issues there. I will keep a watch out for issues, especially since they bunk in my room. We are talking about taking the spare/craft room and turning it into a piggy haven.

 

[sdpiggylvr]

Welcome to the forum!

Here's a blog post on fleece bedding that may be of help to you: The Lowdown on Bedding « The Wheeking Cavy. I use fleece myself, and truly love it! It's a very cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way to go.

Be sure to check out Guinea Lynx: https://www.guinealynx.info/. Also, the vegetable charts should be really helpful as well: https://www.guineapigcages.com/threads/22156/.

Again, welcome, and good luck with your new babies!

 

[Piggie Mom]

Thank you! That chart is a life saver! Going to print that and put it on my fridge. I didn't give her much sweet potato, so I am happy to see she doesn't need a lot. We love strawberries and lots of leafy greens here, so they will get lots of that.

 

[Piggie Mom]

The girls snuggling shortly after Tiger Lily arrived.

 

[Hhbean]

Welcome and what cute piggie butts!

 

[Piggie Mom]

Petunia suddenly passed during the night. She was so happy and playful last night, eating and drinking fine. I am a wreck. My daughter kept telling her to go eat, not understanding she wasn't sleeping. I put Tiger Lily in a new cage with all new stuff. Going to bleach everything and give her vitamin c loaded snacks from the chart. RIP sweet Petunia.

 

[Peggysu]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm not completely understanding where you got your pigs.

As for care of the remaining keep a close eye on her and weigh daily. If there is a drop in weight of 3 to 4 ounces that is an indication that your pig may be ill and you'll need to get vet care from a cavy savy vet ASAP. I drive 2 and a half hours to get my pigs competent vet care.

As long as your pig is eating a high quality pellet and a good variety of veggies there is no need to overdo the vitamin C.

Once again I'm so sorry for your loss. I would wait to adopt another piggie until you know the remaining pig is healthy. When you're ready be sure to research how to properly quarantine to make certain that there isn't an exposure to a new illness.

 

[Jaclyn]

Wow, and she was the original one, right? I wonder what happened? So sorry for your loss.

 

[bpatters]

I'm sorry about Petunia -- that happens sometimes, and whether it's a sudden overwhelming illness or something like choking, you won't know the cause unless you have a necropsy done.

Ditto Peggysu on not getting another one until you know that your remaining one is healthy. And when you do get another, get one from a GP rescue that has checked to be sure she's healthy when you take her.

 

[Piggie Mom]

We got them from a pet store. We have searched rescues for months. They either don't have them nearby or won't let us adopt them because we live in another state. Go figure. I have no intentions on getting another. If Tiger Lily passes I will sell my stuff. I can't handle having pets die like that. I worry she may have choked though. She was eating before I went to bed. Tiger Lily is sitting in my lap. She has been snuggling in a fleece blanket I have in my lap and doesn't want me to put her down except to eat and potty. She is a sweetie and already went through enough with being bullied and chewed on, so hoping she toughs it out. Taking her to Birmingham today.

 

[Piggie Mom]

A friend who has had guineas pretty much her whole life noticed that Tiger Lily is a lot younger, which I started thinking. She is very baby like and small. So not only was she not getting food and being bullied but she is too young. I made her a slurry so she can eat it better. Poor thing.

 

[Jaclyn]

What's a slurry?

 

[lissie]

I'm very sorry you lost Petunia.

Is Tiger Lily eating any hay? Baby pigs don't need slurry. They can eat hay and pellets and veggies like adults. What you need to supplement is to get her alfalfa pellets or add some alfalfa hay to her diet along with feeding grass hay.

 

[bpatters]

Ditto lisse. Forget the slurry and feed the hay and veggies and pellets.

 

[Piggie Mom]

She is already eating all of that stuff. She hasn't stopped eating the whole time. I talked to a vet recommended by this site and he said she needs to go back where I got her and to report them. He thinks they either have upper respiratory infections or something worse. I don't want to send her back though. If they didn't care for her to start with, they won't now. He said it will be a few hundred to get her well and she still may die. But I am willing to risk it if she gets better. This just makes me sick.

 

[Jaclyn]

She is already eating all of that stuff. She hasn't stopped eating the whole time. I talked to a vet recommended by this site and he said she needs to go back where I got her and to report them. He thinks they either have upper respiratory infections or something worse. I don't want to send her back though. If they didn't care for her to start with, they won't now. He said it will be a few hundred to get her well and she still may die. But I am willing to risk it if she gets better. This just makes me sick.

OMG, that's terrible. Maybe the pet store would cover her medical costs? Call head office!