Help me convince DH we need some piggies

[glenthebattleostrich]

We have kept rodents for the last few years. I'd love a dog or cat but work and allergies make these impossible.

Sadly we lost our last remaining gerbil today. Silver was an antisocial, grumpy sod from the off, he disliked other gerbils, people and was happiest climbing up and biting my ear and hair. He outlived all his little mates by 1 year, which was the happiest year of his life (Silver didn't do sharing!)

Now, we love having pets. They add so much to our family.

For the last couple of years I've been quite taken with having guinea pigs. DH isn't convinced. He thinks they will take to much care and suggested a house bunny (yeah, that'd be easier!)

Everything I've read about piggies makes them sound ideal. We love sociable pets and piggies are meant to be very sociable. We eat loads of fruit and veg so always have these in, live very close to a good pet shop so would be able to supply plenty of hay and piggy food and toys. There is also a really good vets in our village too.

Please help me sell getting a couple to DH, I'm hoping with your help that this time tomorrow we will have a couple of new additions to the family!

I am so teaching the boys to do that. They are gorgeous.

Mine look like tribbles at the minute

Those aren't my piggies.

They're someone else's piggies...

aww, oh Glen, this is a day to remember for you, their homecoming. Take lots of pictures to put in an album for when they're older. This is making me so guinea pig-broody.

very cute Joffrey aw

Guinea-pigs mouths always look like you've pulled a straw from them, leaving an "O" open mouth

glen harnesses are a no-no. Horses have harnesses not piggies
They are masters of their own destiny and potter at their own pace.

Brush them a little bit at a time, it's good bonding for you and the piggies.
Enjoy them.
My DD started with brothers, we've added pigs as they've gone to The Bridge.
We have two Rescue sows who are lovely but less cuddly I think.

^ how does everyone get away with such small vets bills??! The least I've ever spent in a year (4/5 piggies) is about £800, the most about £6.5k (admittedly an expensive and very well known vet, but even half of that is a lot).

We had two little girl piggies who lived to 6 and 7 years old and our vets bills were zero. Never needed to take them and the very minor ailments they got we sorted out ourselves (also my friend used to breed them so knew a lot).

Embroidery - what do you take them to the vets for? And where do you live? Pigs are cheaper to treat than cats/dogs and I don't know anyone who's spent as much as you on their dog! I'd be a bit suspicious of a vet who's charging that much.

We live in East Mids ex mining time and people are careful with their brass and so i assume our vet charges accordingly. There are expensive vets nearer Nottingham. Ours is a large general practice with a horse specialist and 1 vet who loves small furries. Must admit we generally sit in waiting room with snarling hissing cats in cat baskets or dogs - only met 2 rabbits and never a piggie. Suspect not many keep them or don't lavish the attention on them that we here do ☺
General consultation around £20 . Also vet and us are very realistic about how far we'd go with treatments. Always ask her what she'd do if it was her pet and she is always honest. Sometimes i've considered i've given the best life possible and it is time to let go. The £300 bill i mentioned was at another vet and in hindsight i don't think they did the best for the pig but made money for themselves.
Having said all of this touch wood we've not really had nany illnesses mainly mites and chest infections.

Ex mining town. Do have to confess one pig did have Reiki thearapy ..😁

Morning all

My little boys have settled beautifully. They are very happy little chappies. Still a little nervous of the cage opening but already getting more confident.

This morning Fred was complaining that he'd run out of carrot and wanted breakfast, he sat chuntering at me until I fed him. He loves apple but not as impressed with broccoli. George is quite happy with whatever you give him :)

DH is already muttering about an amazon ban. Just because I've ordered a little log house, a better hay rack, a few little treats and started showing him play pen and a little wooden castle play ground. He left for work muttering about crazy piggy lady. He's going to be very surprised when he sees what's been added to the supermarket order for them :)

I'm planning to feed twice a day. Top Up their dry food and hay each time and give a bowl of fruit / veg. I have apples, cabbage, broccoli, kale, strawberries and oranges for them this week. The veg will be the main part and a little fruit for treats. Does that sound right?

Guins with harnesses: they are very clever and puff themselves up when you try to tighten the straps, so they can go skinny again when you're outside when them and wriggle out.

They are not dim creatures! conniving little things actually

haha Glen! give him a day and he'll succomb & emerge as crazy piggy man

Food sounds great though carrots might be nice too :) though upthread you said you always had carrots anyway?
Never known a GP to like anything citrus - will be interesting to see if yours so. They have very individual tastes - only a couple of ours liked banana, summer fruits etc.

Yep always have carrots. Mindees think they are rabbits the amount they eat! !

will keep trying them with different flavours and see what their favourite things are.

They definitely aren't dim, they have me trained already

[Thanks] for all the help and advice

That should have been

Glen - my pigs are going to want to live with you! Sounds like your new boys have fallen on their paws - they're going to be spoilt. You may find that they like different things, so don't worry if they decide they won't eat one thing. Also that doesn't mean they won't eat it next week. My Scruffypig only eats green things (he's always been like that) but Gingerpig eats everything except strawberries (they're evil apparently). I've never known a pig not to like cucumber or celery leaves. I also grow parsley, lavender and basil for them during the summer.

Don't forget you can give them the carrot peelings and the ends of veg or outer leaves of lettuce that you may not eat yourselves. Mine are a bit when given scraps but eat them anyway whilst muttering about neglect to each other. They do, however, love a broccoli stalk. People in the supermarket must think I'm crazy as I search through the broccoli for the one with the longest stalk or for celery with the most leaves.

BTW you've not fully reached crazy pig lady status until you've gone out at the crack of dawn with scissors to cut them some fresh grass.

We like grapes .. only the green ones mind ... we don't do red food .. we believe it is the devil's food😈
Parsley is our most favourite food ever and the human grows it for us otherwise she'd be bankrupt .. and then there is cucumber mmmmmm 😀

Apples neeed to be cuttedup and only as a treat (guineas shouldn't have too much sugar. Some fruits play havoc with their insides -loose pooh . And they run the risk of diabetes.

Our hogs love a red pepper , they overcome the Devil and pretend to be colourblind.

Ours will pick at a segment of clemebtine or satsuma but mainly just to eat the membraney bit and make as much mess as they can.

They'll kill their own granny for parsley,grass and mint.

And while you're ordering from Amazon, my Himalayan recommends parsley bells.

From Amazon, my boys love Loftys - little herby biscuits that are brilliant for training bunnies. I get them for Currentbun as he performs a couple of tricks for them and I used them to train him to go to bed at nighttime. The piggies also love them but they have to be broken up for pigs or else you can end up with the situation I had with Smoothpig (RIP) when he managed to impale one on a tooth and I had to prise his mouth open and get it out. As such things are not really healthy for small animals, they are very limited in the amount they get but are allowed a bit at bedtime.

They also love parsley bells and hay cookies, but at the moment are munching on watermelon slices (just the rind for Scruffy thank you) so are in a very happy place. Unlike Currentbun who's sulking having just been attacked with the bunny wipes to clean up his 'undercarriage'. He's now suffering from senior bun moments/arthritis and is struggling to clean himself properly sometimes. Found the wipes on Amazon and had to restrain myself from buying new igloos and wooden houses for the pigs.

east reiki for piggies .

Many years ago and pre dc's my piggies used to have mineral water .

This thread isn't really helping me tbh. I've been piggy less for 5 yrs (after 30 yrs of having them) and am itching to get some more this summer.

Glen step away from Amazon it is for your own good ☺
Parsely bells, hay cookies, other treats, maze to stop boredom, heat pads and extra covers have all found their way here after 'just a look on Amazon'

Yesterday we were new oven looking and had to park near a P@H. Had to go in .. more nibble sticks and various other treats they'll turn their noses up at.
And i had to be dragged away from the rescue bit as there sat a silver agouti sow ... it said she didn't get on with other pigs .... was told NO very firmly😯

Ok, no more amazon I promise can't see I have fingers crossed

I only got a few things, just some parsley bells, a maze made of blocks of wood, hay cookies, more hay, little hanging treats, shampoo, chew sticks and a tunnel :)

Is that all, glen?

How on earth did you manage to restrain yourself?

Oh and here is my little old lady piggy, helping herself to the salad bar

awww cutie Rhonda very spoilt piggy getting bagged salad!

It was out of date, in my defence