The joy of pigs

[FernieB]

Having a fairly boring day of cleaning, supermarket shopping etc. Just put the boys in their indoor run in the kitchen with a brand new box and big paper bag. I reached over to give Scruffy a tickle and he gave a big squeak and ran 3 laps, popcorning all the way. That's why I love pigs - just so funny.

Aaaaw. Domestic bliss and simple pleasures at your house.. Love it when they go bananas!
Have they had nails cut yet?

Smooth had his nails done by me a couple of days ago and is still sulking. Scruffy, being a wriggly, bitey, black nailed pig is waiting for the vet . They are all going next Tuesday. I should probably start trying to get Current Bun in his travel case soon as it normally takes ages .

Oooh nails! Never a popular subject in this house!

Joy indeed! Oh, but GP1 had a pedicure last night and it wasn't fun for either of us. Here he is sitting on the desk waiting for his "appointment," and looking a bit "tentative" about it.

Hi KRITIQ - havent seen you for ages, hope you and your guineas are well and happy!

This is an early call for you to do us a Christmas Calendar - all guineas are utterly gorgeous, but your GP1 has the best facial expressions I have ever seen, he is so damned cute!!

Any other takers on providing a Christmas photo?

XX

Hi KRITIQ nice to see you around again . GP1 looks thoroughly teed off and very judgey - I'd say that cost you a lot of parsley. If looks could kill ......

On the other hand my boys are over the moon as they have been allowed out to play in their run this afternoon. It's warm enough and if I put it half on the path they have a dry area to snooze.

excuse the onehand typing, i've got my hands full - literally- of gp3

your dboar has every reason to look pensive . is that him from 'a nightmare before christmas' that is going to cut his nails.....

Hi everyone! Sorry not been around much lately and hope you are all keeping well. The boars have a new "little sister" who's been taking up quite a bit of my time, amongst other things. (Don't worry - photo v carefully supervised!)

All 5 of us went away for a lovely weekend in the Trossachs - weather was awful though. Here's little sis and here's the boars grazing in the rain and posing by the loch.

Oh my, what would be included in this Christmas Calendar? I'm not very good at technical things like that, but I could manage to find 12 images to download and pop on your own calendar. Would that do? Having said that, would be great if other folks could do the same with snaps of their swine as there are some gorgeous piggies on pigmumsnet! :)

Just been showing your photos to my DDs, KRITIQ. We love them. We did feel that perhaps the GPs looked a bit worried by their proximity to the loch. Also, your cat (beautiful coat) looks overly interested in your GP whilst the GP seems unperturbed.

Ahhh those hogs are so photogenic KRITIQ

Love the one of them by the loch "Is moss edible for guineas? "

Love the little sisters ears

(I did think "OMG she's got a sow with two boars, is she mad ". But I reckon the cat would be safe)

When I'm sad, I go and look at the guinea pigs in Pets At Home, and it always cheers me up. Coincidentally, I was there today (I mean I don't just go to look at the pigs, I was buying dog food as well!) and they had my favourite kinds - Abyssinians. 2 white and one grey. I spent 15 minutes happily choosing which of them I'd have.

But my dog. Not a chance he's supposed to be a poodle, but obviously has some terrier in him. I think he has a high prey drive. His favourite game is tug, not fetch. I don't think we could train him, it would be too risky.

I'm so jealous of you guys and your piggies...

Hee hee, it was a bit of trick photography with the loch photo - they weren't actually close at all :) I did have to grab a leaf that DBoar2 started chewing, but they didn't think much of the moss.

Sister cat doesn't get to "encounter" the pigs without maximum supervision (easy to crop out those hovering hands!) Our late cat showed no interest in them (apart from giving them dirty looks!) but she will sit on the chair by their cage and watch them. They aren't the least bit bothered and she only gets to do this when we're in the room - otherwise the living room is closed off to her full stop.

Alias, I think you are probably right about your dog (who sounds gorgeous in any case!) that it's probably too risky. If we couldn't separate the house into separate "pet zones," we'd have just stuck with the pigs, and that of course would have been cool (but the kitty is alot of fun :) )

I love those photos! We were struggling for someone to look after our GPs last week for half term and did think for a little while about taking them on holiday with us. In the end what clinched it for me was that I couldn't face phoning the cottage owner and saying 'you know you say x cottage allows dogs, well, would it be OK if I brought my guinea pigs instead'.

Our outdoor GPs are becoming part time indoor pigs at the moment - probably moving over to full time sometime over the next couple of weeks until the spring. I don't like the mess and disruption, but it is fun seeing a bit more of them and them being more part of the family.

are yous all talking about guinea pigs?!??!

everytime I see a pig thread I think-
'whooaw pigs (of the pork variety) are becoming popular!'

Which presumably wouldn't find favour with you, given your nn??

But yes, all guinea pigs here.

haha. no I just hate hearing
'peppppa pig snooooort'
everyday of life- sigh.

that's cleared up my confusion! I was thinking that you lot were living in a series of 'the good life'

I'd love a 'proper' pig but don't think it would go down too well with the neighbours. I'd also like sheep and a goat . Sadly we only have enough lawn to keep the GPs happy so the rest of the menagerie will have to wait.

Never mind pigs (as in pork not cavy)

I want a CAPYBARA.
Good sized like a dog.
But none of the offensive dog pooh. (I expect capybaras do massive droppings though)

And they look pleasingly smug

My house deeds prohibit me from
Open Cast Mining
Running a brewery
Keeping pigs

Capybaras are fab. So cute. If it wasn't impossible I'd like a dragon - could ride on it so no need for a car and no worries about parking.

Shame about the open cast mining 70 - that could have been a nice cottage industry. I could have lent you Current Bun to dig you a big hole and get you started.

That's a very specific restrictive covenant! So geese and a distillery would be OK?

I like the idea of living in the Good Life though. I'm up for the dungarees.

No geese

Geese swans ducks in that order are my most unfavourite creatures.

AFAIK the brewery restriction was because of Romford Brewery but that's gone now so I might be ok to fire up a still.

The mining - the risk of subsidence on clay soil

The pigs ....well you just wouldn't would you

(Chickens are allowed though)

Must investigate the capybaras though. One of those to snuggle would keep my guineas warmer than any Pet Hottie .

70 - just curious, why ducks? I understand why people don't like geese and swans as they can be bad tempered, but ducks are just funny.

70 many,many years ago I worked in an insurance office within smelling distance of Romford Brewery after awhile none of us could smell it . Honestly, we got used to it

I love the sound of ducks in the morning. At our last house our neighbour got ducks 'cos her BFF the other side had ducks first. The two sets of ducks used to talk quack to each other over the garden fence