DO I COMPLAIN ABOUT WHAT I REGARD AS NEGLECT...OR NOT?

[whispywhisp]

My neighbour has two guinea pigs living in a hutch in her garden. I am a guinea pig owner myself and hate to see any animal, especially guineas, being neglected. These two pigs are only about 6mths old. They're in a hutch which is, imo, too small. They rarely see the light of day due to a very soaked duvet cover being draped over their hutch - presumably to keep them warm/dry but considering the fact its soaked I hardly think it helps. About every 4 days the cover is lifted and then put back down again. Yesterday it was lifted and I noticed the pigs were both hanging off their water bottle and both hungrily eating from their bowl. I know that if the cover isn't lifted those pigs do not see a human hand. The neighbour rarely goes out into the garden unless it is to put her bin out and even then they get ignored.

I had to try and find an excuse to go into her garden today because I could see both the pigs were sat beside their empty bowl so I decided to put her wheelie bin back into her garden. I was horrified at what I saw...their hutch is a good two inches deep in soaked newspaper and absolutely littered with their waste. Their backsides are soaked and they looked so unhappy.

I gave the neighbour a bin liner full of lovely lush meadow hay only a couple of weeks ago and a big bag of food...she's a single Mum so I thought it'd help.

I went to her opened shed and found some hay which was wet thru (her shed roof leaks) but I put some in anyway and they demolished it. My DH re-felted her other shed roof so why on earth she leaves their food in a shed that leaks is beyond me. The garden is full with dog poo - she only picks the poo up when she cuts the grass - the grass is knee high and hasn't been cut since the Summer. The garden stinks. We have to sleep with our bedroom windows shut because it smells so bad.

So going back to the guineas...do I complain to the RSPCA or not? I don't want to fall out with her but surely this is neglect? She's just got two new kittens - to add to the two cats she already has - so I really don't think she gives a toss about the pigs. I'd gladly take them off her hands....but she'll probably say no....my DH has just said I shouldn't get involved but why doesn't she feed them? Laziness? Out of sight, out of mind? Makes me soooo angry.

Mine (I have 5) live indoors, they're cleaned out every other day, get given fresh hay and greens every day....these people should not have animals.

Vent over.

Check out my profile!! A picture now on their of the boys I took on today...not a brilliant picture I know - they were too skittish to undo the cage so had to take it through the bars of their cage!

They are adorable.

sorry...a picture on 'there' of the boys etc...I keep getting my their/there/they are's all mixed up today! I did go to school...honest!!!

Whispywhisp you did not come across like you were asking at all. It was a fab idea of earthstar's and I'm going to send some money too. I'm so delighted that you've rescued those little piggies I was so worried about them xx

Hi Whispy - sent it through last night but not sure how long it takes to get through to you. Let me know if you don't get it x

Hi whispy, check out your paypal account this morning I have sent a contribution for the new cage and so did my dd.

Those lucky boys must be so much happier to be warm and well fed! The photo is lovely

EARTHSTAR AND SILVER....Thank you so much for your extremely kind donations for a new hutch for Bingo and Bob! That is so incredibly kind. I've just been downstairs to tell DH and he couldn't believe it! I am so touched by your generosity. It means I can now go and buy a new cage for them and hopefully get it before Christmas!!!!! Thank you......

Bingo and Bob are ok this morning. Still very star-struck by it all. They're having to get used to lots of noise in our house - even the noise of the kettle boiling is freaking them out let alone the dog barking or the washing machine spinning. It clearly shows how little socialising they have had. I don't want to tip-toe round them cos the more noise they have to put up with the more handleable they will become. I left them well alone last night....they're in a cage next to my two ladies (Peggy and Olive) and they just stared at each other. Late last night I covered Bingo and Bob over with a fleece blanket and stroked them...they were lovely and warm. I've noticed their food bowl is half empty - they seem quite keen on Pets at Home nuggets so I'll give them some more today - I've just put some more cabbage in but put it in at the front of their cage in the hope they'll find the confidence to come and get it....they will once the kids have finished eating their breakfast (using the same table they're on) and its quiet in there again. They're having to poke up with DH trying to sing Christmas Carols at the moment too....poor little sods!

I've got some photos of my own pigs too - I'll add them to my profile.....I will try and get a better photo of Bingo and Bob once I can get them into a bigger cage and more room to take a photo.

THANK YOU again for the donations....times like this I absolutely love Mumsnet...so glad I found this site a few years ago...the generosity of you both is amazing. You have made my Christmas as well as Bingo and Bob's! I was so relieved to not look out my bedroom window, for once, last night and not worry about them....they were snug and warm...just as they should be.

xxxxxx

The cabbage has gone!!! They are now sat staring at some celery....they're sniffing it but each time I go to their cage they run away. I caught one of them sniffing through the bars of the cage at one of the girls next to him - she was sniffing at him through her bars too...its so nice to see just a tiny amount of interest coming from the boys at last. Not even had them 24hrs yet but I'm sure they're happy.

Now to go look for a cage.....!!! Even my DD1 has offered to part with some of her birthday money to help go towards the cage. Bless her. She's forgotten that she had Claire's Accessories gift vouchers given to her!

Awww what a totally fabulous update, whispywhisp

We are very keen for more news next time you are mumsnetting !!!

DH has just carried the hutch into our back garden that my neighbour has given/lent us whilst I look after our/her guineas permanently/for the Winter....

It absolutely stinks. I've just managed to put it up at the top of our garden where there is a tiny amount of sun and its now drying out...you can see they'd been living in their own mess cos the base is actually rotten - it has a gaping hole in one corner - there is compressed droppings in all four corners and the smell of ammonia is so strong.

DH is out there now...in the freezing cold...measuring up the base of the hutch so he can make me a new base for it...in the hope that when the weather is a lot warmer they can go outside into MY garden with MY pigs and enjoy some more guinea pig company.

In the meantime I've still not had a squeak out of them...they've just dived into a fresh pile of hay - I'm sure they wonder what's going on! I'm going to try really hard not to let her have these pigs back. I'm hoping she'll forget she even had them which judging by the way she lives I don't think that'll be too difficult!

It's so good to hear that you've managed to rescue them!!

The way she was keeping them was appalling!

Well done!

just read this post ,i was so shocked ,how could anyone let them live in the state they was in poor ppor gps ,we had a bit of snow late at night about 1am ,so i got up and put some more hay and straw in for my rabbits i cant go to bed and sleep thinking they are cold im so glad youve got them well done to you

Thanks everyone.

I've just been outside and scrubbed the hutch clean. I'm going to have to put it back outside if we get any sun tomorrow to get it to dry out. DH managed to get the base off - and is now out there patching it up - we don't have a suitable piece of wood to replace the whole base. In the corners of the hutch, where there was still piles of droppings and soaking wet newspaper were...wait for it...maggots. Yeuck. Made my stomach turn.

Anyway I've just given Bingo and Bob some cucumber and they've demolished that already. Bob (the lighter one) has just come up to my hand...YIPEEEEEEEE!!!!!

We're making progress...albeit slowly....but its progress!!!

((((still looking for a cage tho))))

Looks like you rescued them in time! I really hope she doesn't ask for them back

I've just said to DH she'll have to fight me for them cos she's not having them back. She'll have to break in to get them back cos if I have to I'll keep them indoors on a permanent basis.

She ought to be bloody grateful for what I'm doing...I suggested Wintering them over for her (I have a heated shed etc) just to get them away from her....there aren't many people who invite themselves into a garden just to give them some hay to keep them alive (which I did last week) and then offer to have them, at my cost, over the Winter to keep them warm and dry...and alive. Needless to say she's yet to say thank you.

DH says we can't afford to keep them - we have 5 already but I've convinced him they don't cost much to keep - I buy hay by the bale (huge bales!) and have enough to keep me going till the Spring and I can buy their nuggets cheap on the internet and they have all the scraps from veg and fruit....he just thinks having 7 guinea pigs is a bit extreme....but then again he knows how much I adore them and hate to see any animal, but especially a guinea pig, being neglected.

Tonight is going to be (according to the forecast) even colder than the previous two we've had...down as low as minus 5. I do feel I saved them from an almost certain death.

i would not give them back to her at all shes lucky they have nieghbours like you

I'd love to know where you get bales from - we have 3 buns and 2 pigs and I need to find a bulk source!

I'm so pleased you've had some donations...I would have jumped in and sent something but we are totally in the red at the moment, so I just couldn't.

Hope you find them a good cage. Fwiw I think piggies are supposed to live in colonies...just a matter of introducing them properly though, I wouldn't know how to go about it.

I love the updates.

Mine slept in the car carrier all night and Dh put them back in their hutch this morning so they could have some peace from us all.

FA - I get the bales from ebay! The supplier is called 'Associated Pet Supplies'. A huge bale, which comes double wrapped, takes about 2 days to get to me. Its lovely fresh and very lush meadow hay. One bale costs about £8 and lasts about 2 months for my 5 pigs altho I don't use it as bedding because they live indoors - I simply use it as food and fill their hanging metal balls which hang by a chain with a bell! The p&p for one bale is just under £5. They are definitely worth buying....I gave up buying hay from Pets at Home because it is very expensive to buy if buying a lot plus it got very dusty...this hay from ebay is lovely. If you want to buy some just put in meadow hay in the seach bar and you'll see it on there...I'll see if I can find a reference number to put in the search bar...it's 120477587806 - they don't seem to be listing bales at the moment but I've just emailed them to see if they will be in the future.

oh thankyou SO much for all your trouble! I didn't think of ebay! Maybe they will have more in the summer...not sure how seasonal hay is, but at that price it sounds great...ikwym about pets at home, it's so dear and scats stuff is all the cut ends, it's crap, you can't get it out the bag and it all falls everywhere.

Need a proper farm I think, there must be loads near here,it's just knowing someone isn't it.

Thankyou very much for your help, I'll go and look at the ebay shop how are the boys tonight?

FA - yes they're fine thanks....they actually both came up to my hand this evening for some little bits of cabbage. I'm still yet to hear them squeak though.