Are we getting summer this year?

[fortifiedwithtea]

Another dreary day. Elderly piggies inside. Its not fair, this could be their last summer due to age and they are having hardly any fun

The girls are at the stage of life where they don't run around. They explore the run whilst eating. Potter in and out of their pigloo or wooden hidey. They spend a lot of time in the hay of the summer house staring out the window at the grass but at least they get fresh air.

Other years I've put a blanket over the run for shade. Not needed at all this year.

Just wanted to have a moan

Sorry to hear that fortified. My boys are out at the moment - they have experienced a short shower but have enough shelter to stay out. It's not cold with us so they're out as much as possible with their heads down mowing hard.

Our garden (Essex) was under deluge last week (we have a higher bit and a lower crappily concreted area) .

Older piggies can't cope so well with the damp and chill, they sit grumbling on their sunmats

Ours have their runs+houses , the Himmy prefers later evening grazing and spends the brighter hours in the house.
I bought a black kingsize fitted sheet which fits really nicely over the big run and the small run came with a sunshade.
Hopefully the weekend will be nicer, I need to get them out to clean the Pighouse completely.

I do pick some grass for them if they can't get out, they can pretend they're out grazing.

All these flipping slugs'n'snails, we walk down the garden, it's crunch crunch crunch

EastMids piggies back from their holiday in Norfolk. Weather has been generally fine except for one day so they've had long days outside eating and seem to have come home heavier than when we left.
Sadie went back to her homeland (cannot believe it was this time last year when we had to go off in search of her!) Mollie did ask her if she wanted to stay - nice try Moll, you're stuck with her, accept it 😃 but she's back home with us !

They'll have to wait until September until they get another chance at the lush Norfolk grass.

Sunday morning ..
Summer house doors open, Sadie looking out of the hutch door longingly at the lush grass before her.
She's there the whole time I am pegging out the vast amount of holiday washing we seem to have. AND wheeking, loudly and even more loudly demanding I let her out
No, Sadie, I say, you cannot go out to play yet. The grass is still wet. You will have to wait a while. ... cue even more wheeking
I repeat myself and add, what on earth am I doing reasoning with a guinea pig at 10am on a Sunday ...
NDN .. leans over fence and says "next time round am definitely coming back as a guinea pig "
Must learn to speak more quietly

I'm sure your NDN is used to you chatting to the piggies and doesn't think you're bonkers at all

We moved the smaller run / large hutch today (other one was ok) and put the piigies out about 11am . I made DD prance about in her barefeet to check the grass was dry enough.
I'm lucky , my NDN know I'm barmy.

Our piggies came in about 9pm after a busy day gardening. They aren't filling their faces, Oh no, they are busy mowing the lawn.
We cuddled, weighed them all, cut the claws of GP4,GP5 and GP6 . GP7 and GP8 were okay .

You do realise 70 that making them work hard mowing until 9 pm and on a Sunday means they'll need to be paid 'triple time'. So that's triple the parsley etc. Otherwise they'll strike. My boys are forming a union. They're considering striking because DD ate all the watermelon pieces herself. This means they'll go out in their run but won't mow the lawn - instead they'll protest loudly and snack on grass to keep them going.

Oh yes, they had supper but we had to be careful what we gave them (my GP2 could only have "Dry Supper" after a day grazing. Hay+Pellets+Water, otherwise his little bowels went a bit wayward and he had squidgey pooj)

We gave them ReadiGrass ,hay, pellets and Baby Kale, Beetroot salad, Cavelero Nero leaves and some strawberry tops.

DD said they were 'larding' they said they were 'on a teabreak'

We give GP3,GP4 and GP5 the big run but this has the smaller house. All three were cosied up in it at once If we gave them a cage this size , they'd be speed-dialling the Rescue.

When we bought the new run+house , we bought them together. But the doorway to the house and the side door to the run didn't match up . There was a space about 4" at the top (not enough for them to escape and too high up, but enough for something to get in )

Which is why we had to swap the house/run and they work well, but the Resident Hogs are a bit judgey at the New Ladies having their Rabbit Hutch .

One lawn mown and copiously fertilised, one more to go
Although I do wish they could go up and down in straight lines for a professional looking finish.

Bit windy in the sunshine here today, so Mollie is determinedly sitting in the house run, in the shade, sulking - obviously the wind us my fault

They are picky little blighters selective with their grazing . We have loads of clover...................they don't like clover.
They like sitting in it, ploughing through it but not actually eating it.

DH will need to mow the lawn to give the grass a chance to flourish.

DD was at home today (School closed) so the Piggies had a bonus day grazing. They thoroughly approved of her being at their beck and call.
(I did breakfast and put fresh paper in the hutches for when Madam stirred herself and put them out)

My boys were very judgey when I brought them in at 7pm yesterday. In my defence it was very windy and the sun had gone in, so was quite nippy outside. They felt they had another 2-3 hours mowing left. This misdemeanour was after they'd been left in their very secure run at the mercy of 4 magpies who kept dancing round them, telling them they'd missed a bit of grass and generally mocking them but being too scared to approach. I haven't the heart to tell them I'm going to mow the lawn myself this morning.

It has been raining all day here. Girls sitting in hutch looking forloanly out onto the garden, sighing loudly.
They've been indoors for a bit if a puddle round and to demolish a pile of parsley.
It is not the same they claim.
Indoors is for winter they whine.

What a summer we are having😞

Our lawn was this high our piggies have done sterling work but DH got out with the strimmer last night and the mower today . Piggies only chew where they choose to.

We moved the runs, GP6 was picking at a stray rose leaf , looking judgey.

They tend to park themselves in the hutch or tunnels then wander out at dusk when its cooler.
They could just as easily sit in the Pighouse if they don't want to graze but they claim that Guineas need Variety and Mental Stimulation.

I keep threatening to borrow some huge free range rabbits, the type that would skin a fox, then let them wander round the edges, strimming grass.

70 - I have a 'huge free range rabbit'. He refuses to eat grass, dandelions, clover etc. When he's outside he sits under the garden furniture and cleans himself. Very occasionally he'll do a mad run round the washing line (about once every five weeks). Inside, he sleeps under the kitchen table. You're better off with the erratic pig mowing machines - the long eared model is useless

I saw two tiny little rabbits in a Petshop last week (I was buying hay, not P@H). Are they Netherland Dwarf?
They were smaller than my lardy hogs .
They were giving me the "We want to come and live with you 70 , we know you have a big rough garden and a garage just gagging for rabbits" looks.

But , I remembered that the tiny bunnies are bitey little feckers and DD,DH and the Pigs would be judgey.

So, I bought hay.

They were gorgeous though. But if they won't eat grass...........

Their not 'bitey little feckers' if you treat them properly. It's a MN myth.

Sorry They're. My bunny is hot on grammer and spelling!

Scottish I can't see how its a MN Myth, all the rabbit threads on here (after advicing not to buy rabbits as childrens' pets) advice not to buy the smaller breeds because they are less friendly, even though they look fluffy and sweet.
I know all about nurture/nature , one of my Rescue guinea pigs is bitey still when she sees fit. She was unholdable when I got her , now she'll sit happily and lets me know when she needs a pee. But she hasn't lost her 'bite'

Fernie and I have a longstanding banter . Fernie knows I'm not a rabbit fan, they are too independant and clever. I need a "Lead by my Stomach" "Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer" animal. (like guineas )
And , you can't put a rabbit in your jumper and see what's in the fridge.

I photographed my guineas on an Easter Bunny Blanket , Fernies rabbit took this as a sign I was going to evict my guineas and move over to the Darkside (and buy rabbits)

And , FWIW, I'd never buy rabbits from a Petshop.

Scottish - whilst I would agree that not all rabbits are bitey, they are far more likely to be bad tempered than piggies. People tend to come on here to ask about rabbits as pets for small children because their kids really like the idea of snuggling a cute fluffy thing. The general consensus is that rabbits may look cute and fluffy but they aren't ideal pets for small kids as they don't generally like being picked up and held and if a bunny doesn't like something, it lets you know, either by wriggling and kicking, or by scratching and biting. Rabbits are quite opinionated and know their own minds (unlike pigs who are only really aware of their stomachs). Which is why so many end up in rescues, abandoned because they didn't live up to the snuggly fluffy image the family had.

70 - my previous bun was a bit smaller than humongous Current Bun and I did have an old fleece jacket I could stick her in so we could investigate the fridge. She was, however, far more interested in helping herself from the shopping bags if I left them on the floor whilst I was unpacking them. She was quite bitey actually

Finally a warm sunny day without showers albeit windy.
Girls got out to play all day.
We've noticed Sadie has found her wheek and now she has it, she wheeks loudly and constantly
Before their latest holiday Mollie was chief wheeker but now Sadie joins in and also wheeks independently.
Beforehand she simply muttered and clucked a bit
My baby has grown up

Well done Sadie on reaching full wheeking age. Lovely that she can join in the fun of shouting at her human for veg.

My boys were rained on again today - dratted showery weather - it was brilliant sunshine when I put them out and ten minutes later a huge downpour!

My pigs obviously had a chat with Higher Powers to ensure a sharp rainfall to freshen the grass and a chance to dry it off (sun and wind) and get the washing dry.
Then they pootled out at 4pm till 9pm.

We need a Super Furry/Hot Weather thread.
I bought two hay containers in the last year, neither of which I can use because GP5 and GP6 sat their lardy butts in one , pooh/pee , defeats the purpose.
And GP4 managed to get inside the other, just sat eating till DD rescued her.
I have used loo rolls stuffed with hay (worked well for GP3 when he couldn't sleep in hay post neuter) , but I shred those to make bedding.

Love the idea of GP4 busying herself eating whilst waiting for a human to come along and rescue her
They really are the laziest little critters aren't they?

GP4 was just keeping herself busy tidying up some of the loose hay. With all the pigs at 70's one of them needs to keep on top of the housework

I wish my piggies were tidy

Nice today, grass was dry, I put them all out in their respective runs and opened the Pighouse windows.

Then.......................it starts raining.
I cannot catch them, so had to whisk off the dark sheets (sun shades) and cobble together some weatherproof .
Waterproof shade with velcro straps over the hutch front (GP4,GP5 and GP6 went into the hutch)
Binbag on the roof of the small run.

Found a car windscreen cover in the garage, secured it over the big run. GP7 and GP8 are refusing to go into their wooden house and are stubbornly parked on the grass (albeit under cover) .They also have their Hop Inn tunnel which gives them about an hour of water resistance.
Daft little mammals.