Three boars, one cage.

Post Reply
User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Sep 28, 2009 1:34 pm


Great music selection, NoCableisSafe ;-)

User avatar
NoCableisSafe

Post   » Sun Oct 04, 2009 10:45 am


I've found studying my pigs interesting, especially with the addition of the two new boars.

My trio seem to have some sort of intent obsession with Patches, the sick 5 year old of the newbie's. Perhaps it's because they realise that Patches is still recovering from being very ill and needs special treatment, or perhaps Patches is just snuggle-able and doesn't cause any problems so they accept him.

The two groups managed to merge with each other. I had been sitting in the living room when I began to hear a sudden flurry of squeeking and squealing from the bedroom. Mimic shortly came plodding into the living room, popcorned and then raced back into the bedroom. I chased after him - my group wasn't supposed to be free ranging!

What I found was pretty interesting...

Patches and Koda were lying together in the cuddle cup, squished together side-by-side. Cashew was eating the Timothy Hay outside of the cage which I'd put down for Squeeky and Patches. When he saw me, Cashew dashed into his cage, over the fallen C&C grids and hid in the hay bin. Shortly after Cashew jumped into the hay bin, Squeeky jumped out and began a slow rumbling walk across the cage. He stopped to display at Patches then tried to mount him, Patches began squealing.

Then my boys did something I didn't expect - especially after reading "Boars Behaving Badly". I had been looking for Squeeky in their cage when Squeeky ran out of the hay bin. When Patches began to squeal, Koda got up and nipped in the air between Patches and Squeeky and Squeeky jumped back. Koda settled back and Patches turned his butt-end to Squeeky.

Cashew then came out of the hay bin and began a fully-frontal rumblestrut-attack on Squeeky. I fixed the divide with cable ties and separated the boars into their proper groups again before anything could escalate.

I waited in the room to make sure that I'd secured the cage enough that I wouldn't have another escape. I noticed that whenever Squeeky humped or pestered Patches, my boys (except for Mimic who seems to be in his own world most of the time) would try to get to them. It's the only time I've seen Cashew or Koda scratch at the floor or gnaw on the bars. When Squeeky wasn't pestering Patches, Patches seemed to return the gesture of trying to get back into the cage by gnawing on the cage bars or lying down beside Koda.

I sense the beginning of a tragic love affair.

User avatar
CavyCastle
Supporter in '10

Post   » Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:26 am


Ack! This is a wonderful story, but I'm having so much difficulty imagining the groups. How much trouble would it be to ask/beg/plead/use puppy pleading eyes, to get pictures with name tags on them all in one place so that I can REALLY visualize your herds? Please??? I like to really imagine what you are describing. :)

User avatar
NoCableisSafe

Post   » Sun Oct 04, 2009 12:22 pm


Your wish is my command. As I was writing it I thought "god, unless someone's obsessed with my boys, they're going to get lost in these names!" I wish I'd thought to take pictures or footage or something of what was happening! It would have been easier to follow on youtube since I could have annotated it...


Pig Bio's

The stars of "Three Boars, One Cage"

In order of date when they were added to the cage...

Image

Image

Image
Note: breed is Ridgeback

The PetSitting Pigs

Image

User avatar
CavyCastle
Supporter in '10

Post   » Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:35 pm


I've got it now! Thanks! Now the story is even funnier! Yays!!!!
(Great nicknames, btw. Especially Fresh Meat!)

I find my pigs often treat the sick, dying, or "special" one's differently. As if there is more patience between them.

I've also had a peace keeping piggie that would intentionally get between two arguing boars and break up the disturbance. Maybe that's what Koda was doing?

User avatar
NoCableisSafe

Post   » Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:44 am


I think he is a bit of a peace keeper.

You know how dominant pigs are usually the pigs who hump the other pigs but aren't humped; who will groom and offer re-assurance but will also be doted on by the pigs whose faces they often smoosh with manliness... and who generally have the ability to make other pigs mush?!

Well, I think my home dynamic of Cashew, Koda and Mimic is somewhat warped.

I've noticed that in the Temp Cage, Squeeky will often hump Patches... and hump him, and hump him... and hump him until Patches is a squeeking, wheeking ball of "I'm disappearing into this corner" but among my three that doesn't really happen.

Mimic never humps, nor is he humped. I've decided to rename him Einstein or Houdini ... Mimic Einstein Houdini? Perhaps he's just really good at slinking away, or perhaps the other boars mistake his ridgeback as him just being a super hackley-super big pig? Whenever Cashew does push the point of dominance, Mimic seems to conceal a Ninja-like fly-kick in a popcorn and Cashew goes elsewhere to wave his testicles.

Koda often does find himself staring at the humping hips of Cashew. Cashew and Koda's relationship is pretty normal, but at the same time Koda will "stick up for himself" and others (Patches!) sometimes. I'm really interested in working out what makes Koda submit to Cashew's dominance reminders and what makes him nip at Cashew at other times... perhaps Cashew has a "Am SAXY!" rumblestrut and a "I'm serious." rumblestrut which I can't "get"?

Who knows... all I know is that this is all making excellent comic fodder!

User avatar
NoCableisSafe

Post   » Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:17 pm


Image
"Am no comin' out till ya've got the SSPCA on teh telefone!"

Patches, the 5 year old pig I'm pet sitting, has taken a sudden downward turn health-wise. One minute he was a happy boy who just seemed to have a reluctance to eat the straw-like hay he was brought with and yesterday he turned into a very unhappy boy who just wanted to sleep and nothing else.

I noticed late last night while I was struggling to get CC into his stomach, thinking that his impaction was causing him to lose his appetite, that he had a lump on his throat. I felt somewhat concerned, poked at it a bit, puzzled for a moment and then put Patches back in with Squeeky. I then went to sleep.

Let me take a moment here to say: Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid human.

This morning I fed him again. I seemed to notice the lump better in the morning (reiterating: stupid, stupid, stupid...) and called to make an appointment with my local vet. I did a quick google +guinea lynx search for lumps and bumps but when the Abscesses page on GL didn't give any obvious answers I decided to look it up properly later after I'd been to my single lecture.

After returning from my lecture, I spent a bit of time being disheartened by the number of fatalities that seem to occur after abscesses have been lanced, drained and left open to heal from the inside out.

I cried over poor Patches then called HIS vet (not mine) to get more details for my vet tomorrow. The vet confirmed that it sounded like he would have an abscess, OK'd the administration of metacam and encouraged me to get water into him.

I have since been sitting since 5pm painstakingly syringing watered down baby food into him... because Critical Care doesn't seem to be able to go down his throat and he just holds it in his mouth no matter how far I squirt it to the back of his throat.

Feeling the strain of force feeding a slow-swallowing pig I IM'd Jenn (jennicat) outlining my frustration and his symptoms. She pointed me to this link: https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... p?p=160439 and at the realisation of how my trio have been around Patches and Squeeky and even mingled (a la Mimic's BreakOut) I burst into tears.

The abscess hasn't burst; it's hard and it's huge.
Patches is now in strict quarantine.

I'm sorry to have taken a downward tone to the Chronicles :(
P.S. the cuddle cup in the picture is from Thistle Cavies fundraising shop.

User avatar
Sidera17

Post   » Thu Oct 08, 2009 5:51 pm


Fingers crossed for Patches!

User avatar
eschimpf
SweetPea

Post   » Thu Oct 08, 2009 6:17 pm


The Schimpf piggies have your on their minds Patches, get better hun!

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:45 pm


Fingers crossed here too! Many abscesses are successfully treated. I think you are doing a good job. (

User avatar
CavyCastle
Supporter in '10

Post   » Fri Oct 09, 2009 12:58 am


A seasons of life live in the chronicles. We still love you and your minions! Healing and strength to Patches!

User avatar
NoCableisSafe

Post   » Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:04 pm


Today the decision was made to have Patches put to sleep.

Post Reply