Hello all!

ElizabethB30

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2017 10:27 am


I’ve been lurking for a while, and what really made me want to register is the “Boars Behaving Badly” thread. What a hoot! I have two Abyssinian boars myself, Elmer and Winston. They are brothers and have been together since birth, April 22, 2017. So far they lovely, lovable, and comical.

And now for the sad backstory, because guinea pigs always seem to involve one. I had been wanting to get guinea pigs for my daughter, who turned 10 in April. She had a fancy rat named Ella who lived a good long life with her, and I felt it was time to bring another sort of small animal(s) into our home. So, one day I was scrolling Facebook and saw a rehoming ad for baby guinea pigs. I messaged the woman, and she had one more baby left. Upon further conversation, I learned that this little pig was born with no eyes! She wasn’t lethal- she was tricolored. Who knows what was wrong. Nevertheless, I went and picked her up. At first, all was well. Then, one day I came home and found that she had miscarried two babies. Already pregnant. I piled all kinds of extra veggies and love on her, and made her a vet appointment that was about a week out. In the meantime, I had already found her a companion on Craig’s list, but the baby wasn’t ready to leave her mom yet. Sadly, Izzy didn’t make it to her vet appointment. I strongly suspected that her parents had come from my local pet store, and who knows how many generations of inbreeding has been going on there (the local feed store where I buy my pellets told me that they “breed” them to sell while I was searching for a younger female guinea pig for Izzy). Anyway, after that experience, I decided that I still wanted to try. I contacted the person on. Craig’s list that had the young female (she was a Texel) and found that she had a pair of Abyssinian boar babies. She told me that she shows Guinea Pigs, but these two boys weren’t quite show quality. Who cares, right? Also- she was two hours away from me, and that satisfied my desire to get far away from my LPS gene pool.

So, that is how Elmer and Winston came to live with me. Izzy was a sweetheart, but she had a lot going against her.

Anyway- a little about their living quarters. Right now, they have a Midwest Guinea Pig habitat, but I plan on upgrading to a C&C cage in a couple of months. I just can’t decide if I want a two story or a one story. :)

They have unlimited access to Timothy hay and get veggies and pellets everyday. They wheek and chatter and rumble strut and popcorn. I love them!

Do you have to have a photobucket account to post pictures?

Sorry for the long introduction!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2017 12:11 pm


One story is better than two. And go as big as you can. Life with boars is always better with more room.

Not Photobucket, but some picture hosting site is necessary.

ElizabethB30

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2017 1:52 pm


Sorry- failed photo attempt.

ElizabethB30

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2017 2:23 pm


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As wee babies.

A little bigger...

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Elmer is the mostly white pig, Winston is the mostly red pig.

Elmer in the cage. (Winston is very cautious and was in a pigloo).

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bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2017 2:40 pm


Very cute!

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2017 3:10 pm


They are adorable!

User avatar
RavenShade
Thanks for the Memories

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2017 6:32 pm


Aw, what cuties. I hope they have long and happy lives with you.

Sorry to hear about Izzy. I agree it sounds like terrible inbreeding. :(

ElizabethB30

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2017 7:25 pm


Thanks everyone! I’m still experimenting with what to put under my fleece; right now I’m using puppy pee pads, but I’m thinking about switching to cotton towels.

ElizabethB30

Post   » Sun Nov 05, 2017 3:07 pm


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Shy boy

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ElizabethB30

Post   » Sun Nov 05, 2017 3:16 pm


Izzy:

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bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Nov 05, 2017 3:25 pm


Cute.

But the cage is too small and too crowded. Personally, I'd throw out the pigloos and replace them with something much smaller and with two doors. No hidey in a pig's cage should only have one door. And I'd get a bigger cage. Two pigs need a minimum of eight square feet, and larger is much better.

ElizabethB30

Post   » Sun Nov 05, 2017 3:31 pm


Bpatters- I know, they have grown up FAST! I am shopping for a C&C cage and will have one soon. Any suggestions to replace the pigloos? Maybe a couple of fleece forests? They get along in a pretty fantastic way. I know the cage is small.

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