Pig Planet: The Adventures of Baozi and Ace

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pigwidgeon

Post   » Fri Nov 01, 2013 6:49 am


I posted this in the Halloween thread in general chat, but Ace's and my costumes:

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Inspired by the ones in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gXNvcYpK1E

Ace pig had her bum bath today to get her all clean for her Halloween photo shoot. Afterwards, she got a treat and proceeded to curl up and take a nap on my lap in the sunlight.

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A short video

Her eyes are still crusty and I didn't give her the antibiotic tonight since she hasn't been pooping very much. I am not sure if she has been eating them. I noticed a lack of poop when I swept up the cage tonight and will call the vet tomorrow. She is still pooping and they look normal, but she isn't making as much as usual. Her stomach feels normal though, not bloaty or anything. I gave her a tummy massage tonight just in case.

Otherwise, she seemed in good spirits tonight and nommed lettuce and hay as she always does. She's also been eating critical care out of a dish. She waddles around the cage just fine and her behavior is the same as always. I am hoping the poop problem isn't anything severe.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Nov 01, 2013 9:25 am


Poor little Ace! You're weighing daily?

p.s. you look sharp!

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Breadfan4

Post   » Sat Nov 02, 2013 10:46 am


Hope things start to look up for Ace soon!

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pigwidgeon

Post   » Sat Nov 02, 2013 8:27 pm


Lynx, I am weighing daily. There is some fluctuation but she has been maintaining.

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serelixyue

Post   » Tue Nov 05, 2013 1:54 pm


Oh the matching costume is so cute! Wow, I'm looking at your lovely pink desk in your room and the cage is right next to it, must be so distracting and cute to have piggies THAT CLOSE when you're trying to work!

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pigwidgeon

Post   » Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:39 am


OK, I had a post all typed up and then my browser crashed so I'm kind of cranky. I will try to reproduce it and I hope I don't leave anything out meh

serelixyue - Yes, it can be quite distracting! lol. But my room is so small I don't know where else to put the cage, and I like having my piggies around :)

Today Ace pig went to the vet for her follow-up. The good news is that she's looking much better now! Our vet thought she seemed much less stressed and anxious, much more relaxed and socialized. Maybe it's because she's gotten extra cuddles since I lost Baozi. The wheeze seemed to have cleared up on its own, and the vet didn't notice any heart problems during the exam, which made me feel a lot better. She believes Ace's crusty eyes might be caused by her inability to groom properly because she can't sit on her back legs. The weight loss was due to muscle tone loss. :( The vet's advice was to keep Ace on metacam for her hip/leg issues. She may lose mobility in her back legs in the future, but after looking up spinal injuries on this site, it may not be a death sentence. For now, she's doing well, waddling around the cage, hopping in and out of the hay bin, nomming and pooping normally.

What was interesting is that our vet seemed to think Ace would be fine without a new friend, since she gets so much attention from me, and maybe a new friend would be a risk due to Ace's health issues. Could Ace really be better off as a lone pig? The vet didn't say a friend was out of the question, but just seemed worried about the risks. I was prepared to house them separately if they don't get along, and was going to find an older and more mellow pig, but my Dad seems to think it's just not worth the effort to get Ace a friend.

I admit, I feel disappointed since I miss having multiple piggies around. But if it's better for Ace, then she'll stay a lone pig. What do you guys think?

Meanwhile, I have some pictures!

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Inspecting a new present I made for her

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Putting her best side forward (I know, dirty bum. I try to keep it clean but it's hard!)

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Ready for her close-up

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Dozing in the holy light of my desktop lamp

Crazy4me

Post   » Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:46 am


So glad Ace is feeling better! As far as getting Ace a friend, I think even though the vet thought that Ace was doing fine on her own, I still think deep inside of her she misses the companionship of her own kind.

As far as Ace's medical condition, I really don't see how getting her a friend would affect her health in a negative way. I guess what I am trying to say is given her current condition now and perhaps with the possible no use of her back feet in the future, having a friend is not going to contribute to that possibility (no use of her back feet), nor make things progress faster.

Getting a friend however would encourage her to move more and give her companionship (a warm friend to snuggle with) when she is having those days where she isn't moving well.

To me the vet is more concerned with quanity and perhaps not quality. I understand his concern but I don't believe it would benefit Ace to remain a lone pig.

Ultimately you have to make that decision; you and only you know your pig and what will make her happy.

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Lovemypigs
Supporter in '17

Post   » Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:07 pm


I too am so glad Ace is feeling a lot better. I am also inclined to agree with all of what Crazy4me said. Even with extra cuddles, I have been thinking it seems like Ace might be missing a companion.

I don't see how getting Ace a new friend would hurt and I believe it would only help. I think of it this way........it's kind of like when you have an older dog and the you add a new or younger dog to the mix, it tends to bring a little bit of life back into the older dog again.

Keep up the good work Ace!!

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MildredM
The-Fairy-in-my-Heart

Post   » Fri Nov 08, 2013 2:47 pm


Aww! Ace is looking wonderful! So pleased she is feeling better.

I personally feel lone guineas miss out by not having a companion and agree with Lovemypig and Crazy4me's comments.

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Bugs Mom

Post   » Fri Nov 08, 2013 3:18 pm


Unless you have a lone piggy who doesn't think she's a piggy! ; )

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pigwidgeon

Post   » Sat Nov 09, 2013 6:51 am


Bugs Mom - LOL I always used to call Baozi the pig who thought she was a human. :') She used to wheek whenever I brought human food in the room and i swear she thought she was one of us.

Thank you for your replies. I still had a feeling I couldn't replace piggy company. I think if I looked for an older more mellow pig they'd have a higher chance of getting along? I'm new to the whole intro thing. Also, quarantine might be difficult given my current living situation but I would have to work something out. I might have to wait till I can move out into my own place. At least I know Ace won't be unhappy in the meantime.

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pigwidgeon

Post   » Mon Nov 11, 2013 7:02 am


Just wanted to share some cute pictures of little Ace from tonight:

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Her chin was wet from eating a cucumber slice. I haven't noticed any drooling when she eats drier food like hay, so it's probably the moisture from the cucumber.

This morning, Ace wheeked for her breakfast and woke me up! Ace has always been a mostly silent piggy, so her wheeks are always a special occasion. She has been getting bolder lately and will beg for food and try to put her little feet on the cuddle sack. She is now and has always been a sweet little lap pig, but not very active. Hopefully she will improve more on the metacam.

I still miss little Baozi so much. I still feel sad when I see Ace curled up all alone in the cage. Finding her a friend is looking more and more hopeless since my family are still being a pain and I am not in a position to move out. I am so weary of my family and their BS already. But I'll save that for the whine and cheese thread. Ace still gets lots of extra cuddles and attention from me and has a stuffed toy in her cage that I hope makes her feel less alone. I'd still feel better if she had a friend. I really don't know what I am going to do about this problem. I will have to work something out.

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