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Small pets

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Original poster

Where did my pigs go?

26 replies

RedFocus · 03/03/2014 13:41

The night before last my husband forgot to put the guinea pigs back in their hutch and at about half four I was alerted to this fact by squealing. My husband and I leapt up and ran outside. My dh was angry with himself for leaving the hutch open but I reassured him that they are probably hiding. We searched the whole garden and could only find 1 (we have 3) the walls to my garden are 6 foot and there is no way foxes could have climbed over. The garden is very secure and there is no evidence that something caught them. So where are they? My husband thinks an owl could have grabbed them? Both of them seems unlikely. We have been out looking but not a sign. I'm so upset because they were so friendly and loving and now the one left behind won't eat (possibly scared) and I don't know what to do Sad

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HelloBoys · 03/03/2014 13:44

Foxes can scale 6ft walls (I've seen them near where I live) especially if they have footholds etc near them. At least I think they can...

A big cat may have got them. I'm only saying this as because when I was a child I left our guinea pig in it's wire mesh run out all night (poor thing!) and when we came down in the morning all the neighbouring cats were perched around eyeing it up.

yummystepford · 03/03/2014 13:49

If a bird spots them, yes they could get picked up. But guinea pigs are quite good at hiding. I lost a guinea pig in my living room and took more than 4 hours to find and catch him! It was when we had just got them. Hope they do turn up ok x

Original poster
RedFocus · 03/03/2014 13:51

I have 2 dogs and 6 cats and I would have thought if a fox got over the wall which has no footholds the dogs would have barked like crazy as they bark at anything that goes in the garden. The cats normally go out at night and surely they would have been frightened by the fox but they were out in the garden. They never touch the guinea pigs as they all get on well and actually sleep in with the guinea pigs in the summer. I let them stay out all summer last year and not one problem and then we move and 2 are taken in one night. The garden is probably more secure here than my last house. I could really give my dh a good shake for this and also myself for not checking. Sad

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Original poster
RedFocus · 03/03/2014 13:54

I thought they would suddenly appear yesterday but nothing. My cats were acting oddly near a bush outside of my garden but we couldn't see anything. They have a few hiding places but we moved and looked behind everything. I really hope they are found safe even if we don't get them back.

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HelloBoys · 03/03/2014 13:56

I wasn't saying your cats would get them just some other cats may and see them as prey.

doesn't sound as if it was a fox it the dogs would've barked.

I'd look again. Like everywhere.

Original poster
RedFocus · 03/03/2014 14:07

Helloboys - no I meant that other cats would be deterred from coming in the garden because of my cats and they would be protective of the pigs. I've looked in my garden again. There is only a couple of places they could hide. I let my dogs go in the bush but they couldn't find them and they love the Guinea pigs because they think they are mobile treat makers (the pigs poop tastes nice to my dogs Blush)
I am thinking about making some flyers to pop in neighbours doors just in case. Don't really know what else to do now. Sad

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HelloBoys · 03/03/2014 15:36

oh right... yes you'd be right about the cats BUT having said that my cats (now both sadly dead) allowed ANY other bloody cat in the garden!

The flyers are a good idea.

Long shot and I know this may sound daft but are there any special foods you could leave for them and they'll eat or be tempted by it.

Original poster
RedFocus · 03/03/2014 15:45

Hehe no my cats hate other cats. I feel sorry if a new cat wanders in by mistake. Fur will fly that's for sure.
They so have some favourite foods and I've left some carrots doted around the garden just in case. It's raining very hard and so cold. I really hope if they are out there and alive that they have somewhere dry.

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HelloBoys · 03/03/2014 15:52

Red - now you've said that re the rain and cold (we've had that too) then maybe that's why they're hiding more, cuddled more together??

I can't remember my guinea pig (he was my brother's anyway) but can they squash themselves into small places to hide?

All you can do is keep looking. What I used to do with the cats (ha!) when they stayed out (I kept them in at night but they'd often be in the garden when it got dark) was hunt for them with a torch (bastard cats could hide easily too, little shits! Smile) so I'd do that too - round garden later with a torch. Hope you find them.

theAntsareMyFriends · 03/03/2014 15:54

Do you have a compost heap or bin?

I lost my 2 pigs once and after hours of searching for them they emerged from the compost heap where they had been enjoying the warmth and food supply.

I hope they turn up soon.

lostblonde86 · 03/03/2014 16:12

Do you have buzzards in your area? I've seen them pick up small fluffys in the past. Hope you find them soon and they are just hiding x

Original poster
RedFocus · 03/03/2014 17:00

Thanks everyone.

I've pulled out everything and looked all over the garden. I am pretty sure they are no longer in the garden Sad

I don't know if there are any buzzards in the area but when we were searching the garden for the 2 missing pigs we heard a couple of owls call. Which is why my dh thinks they've been eaten by owls. He keeps texting to see if they've turned up. I think I'll be buying a big indoor cage at this rate as he wants me to bring the lonely pig in.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/03/2014 21:51

Still no sign Red?

Sad and very worrying.
Have you rustled a paper bag noisily? You might get their attention and get a wheek in response?
Maybe put a big box with a small door (stops bigger things getting in) with some strong smellling food to attract them.

YY to the torch, you might see their eyes reflecting.

There was a post last year IIRC. Guineas got into NDN garden, I'm pretty sure they were found.
Good Luck.

HelloBoys · 03/03/2014 22:32

I was marking place too. Try neighbours, small creatures are very adept at moving. I'd ask both neighbours if you could look in their gardens.

Poor little guinea pigs. Hope they're found safe and well. Smile

HelloBoys · 03/03/2014 22:34

Torch v good idea at night and in morning.

Stupid q but when are guinea pigs most active? Do they sleep at night or are they more active at night? Re when to look for them with better chance of finding them.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/03/2014 22:54

They are naturally crepuscular (which my DD informs me means they eat at dusk and dawn) certainly pooh eating at that time. (My boars tend to have a 3am malarky when they are indoors)

Though I'd imagine two guineas in hiding would hide and eat whatever is nearby.
Lets hope their natural shyness (and the fact they are prey animals) keeps them safe.

Original poster
RedFocus · 04/03/2014 13:49

Hello

Still no sign at all. Been out with the torch even though I must have looked nuts searching through bushes. I popped some carrots in any way just in case. Checked neighbours garden but they've got a dog too so they wouldn't have hung around there as he's very loud and scares my cats who dare to venture over there. Off to buy an indoor cage after school because the remaining pig is clearly not coping well outside on his own. Must be chilly without anyone to cuddle up too Sad so very sad.
I was considering getting him a friend but I'm worried they will fight so I'll just bring him in.

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HelloBoys · 04/03/2014 13:52

sorry about that OP. Sad

from what you said (reading your post back about the squealing and then the owls) it sounds as though something may have got them.

Not a lot you can do if that has happened and as you now know ensure they're always kept inside/in cage etc, hope your DH doesn't feel too guilty over this.

I've got no idea about guinea pigs with others (fighting) but I hope the other one is ok.

mumofthemonsters808 · 04/03/2014 14:07

Gosh how strange, what a shame. They may turn up.

guineapiglet · 04/03/2014 15:13

if they were squealing not just calling for you I would suspect something has got them..but check under any outbuildings and through bushes etc carefully. I think they would have returned by now. bring other boy in to warmth and safety.

I would have killed my husband if this had happened on his watch!!!

guineapiglet · 04/03/2014 15:15

ps you could put empty hutch with door open so they can smell their house and bring other boy in in temporary accommodation?

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/03/2014 22:04

I woke up today with blardy Steve Allen (LBC) at 6am whinging on about his circulation and how cold it was.

My first thought was "I hope my guineas are okay " then "I hope Reds guineas have been found" Sad

Very Sad - they might turn up though (someone at work told me about two guineas that lived under a shed for weeks until they were discovered)

Keep on searching

Original poster
RedFocus · 05/03/2014 15:48

Hi everyone,

I've been laid up with a stress migraine today but my dh did the usual garden search and still nothing. Lonely pig is now indoors and perking up a bit. I've left the hutch open just in case.
My dh does feel super bad as it's not the first time he's been a forgetful prat! He once left the back door open and our cockatiel, who I had painstakingly trained, decided to have a wander outside and never came back. I cried all day for that bird and I keep getting upset over my lost pigs. Silly I know but they were so cute and never a problem and it's heart wrenching to think a bird of prey had got them. They must have been so scared. Sad
Dh has promised to buy a specialised chicken hutch and run thing that's meant to be fox proof when it gets warmer, I'm going to bloody well hold him to that.

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bengal38 · 10/03/2014 23:22

Maybe they were squealing because they got scared of something. Maybe they are hiding/trapped under something. Scale the garden properly and hope-fully they will turn up.

Original poster
RedFocus · 11/03/2014 10:22

My garden is tiny and I've even pushed over the wooden Wendy house that was their house in case they dug under it (?)
My mother came round at the weekend and said that my brother said they would have definitely got eaten by foxes. Apparently we don't have owls in our neck of the woods (even though we've heard them Hmm) and when I disagreed she started arguing about how my guinea pigs met their demise which I thought was very insensitive and really upset me. I am still holding onto the hope that they may have got away and so I'm still dropping carrots in the bushes outside of my garden.

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