Pigjes' Pigs Piggadice part Pee ... oops, Three!
- pigjes
- Cavy Comic
Here’s the new husboard for Da Laydeez in Da Cage! Meet Binky, his new name. Binky derives from Bink, the Dutch word for Dude. So he’s a little dude.
We found a guy who was "quitting the hobby" and looked for a good home for his 3 pigs, one a castrated Rex boar. We went to pick him up, and the young guy had 3 piggies dead in 3 months, due to severe illnesses, and could not cope with it. You have to keep in mind that plenty of people's standards of keeping pigs here is VERY lower, although the pig was loved, he needed SERIOUS help. Binky was there for only 3 weeks, he came from a rescue. Anyway, glad he didn't end up at the first guy who contacted the young man about him, as she was not convinced he would take good care of him.
I can only describe the food as bird seed, but he had hay luckily. He was dirty, stank, although he had a clean cage. In 1.5 years of existence, he never had a bath. He sat on saw dust, and he was covered in it, it must have felt awful.
On our way home, he could not stop checking the fleece pads in the carrier out, and discovered fast how to make a pillow of the smaller pad, and plunked out happily. I stroked him, and he could not stop kissing me, so sweet, I teared up. Half an hour before we came home, he became agitated, as he didn't seem to want to soil the fleece with pee, and he got a weird cough-sneeze in one go, which did not remind me of a URI, and it was not frequent.
At home, I bathed him gently, and as soon as I rinsed the water out, he was sooooooo happy to be freed of that itchy saw dust. he wheeked happily and made put put put sounds.
The intro was done on neutral cleaned territory, with the other future wives bathed too. Aiko started a fight!!! We threw a towel on him, and separated the cage in 2. He started hooting and the cough-sneeze returned. I realized what was going on. I added 2 and 2 together, realized Aiko rejected him, as she saw him as a threat because he's ill, as pigs can sense it. I stayed up till after midnight, hoping he would just have an allergy, but it became obvious that he only hooted and cough-sneezed a bit when he was not resting. I got up in the middle of the night to check again, same result, this morning as well, so I called the new exotic vet close by.
As I already listened to his lungs, his lungs were clear, he's happy, hungry, playful, sweet. Dirty ears, but they will be cleaned tomorrow, he's had enough for 2days. My new vet was surprised that I discovered this so early. There were no signs when he was calm, and he was not scared at the vet. There was minimal necrosis at the edge of his ears, almost invisible. I told the vet I hate to sound presumptuous, but I had to learn, due to the fact that there was no help here for years. I even told her 2 things she didn't know about heart pigs, like the bobbing motion, and she saw it herself, she was very surprised.
A heart scan revealed a huuuuuge heart, with both sides contracting poorly, and fluttering. His heart is doing so badly, he would not have lived long, a few months tops, and a chance to drop dead on the spot meanwhile. After the scan, he was scared, and you could see how bad his heart pounded. He is on 3 heart meds starting today, since we caught it in time, he will have a chance of living a long life.
So, re-intro is off till next weekend, the heart meds will have done the trick by then, and Aiko will also not be in heat, as that started too last night.
I was told that I needed patience at the intro after she refused him and I put it on Facebook, although a rolling fight is not about patience at all, but I knew something was off at the intro, and I hate it that I was right.
We found a guy who was "quitting the hobby" and looked for a good home for his 3 pigs, one a castrated Rex boar. We went to pick him up, and the young guy had 3 piggies dead in 3 months, due to severe illnesses, and could not cope with it. You have to keep in mind that plenty of people's standards of keeping pigs here is VERY lower, although the pig was loved, he needed SERIOUS help. Binky was there for only 3 weeks, he came from a rescue. Anyway, glad he didn't end up at the first guy who contacted the young man about him, as she was not convinced he would take good care of him.
I can only describe the food as bird seed, but he had hay luckily. He was dirty, stank, although he had a clean cage. In 1.5 years of existence, he never had a bath. He sat on saw dust, and he was covered in it, it must have felt awful.
On our way home, he could not stop checking the fleece pads in the carrier out, and discovered fast how to make a pillow of the smaller pad, and plunked out happily. I stroked him, and he could not stop kissing me, so sweet, I teared up. Half an hour before we came home, he became agitated, as he didn't seem to want to soil the fleece with pee, and he got a weird cough-sneeze in one go, which did not remind me of a URI, and it was not frequent.
At home, I bathed him gently, and as soon as I rinsed the water out, he was sooooooo happy to be freed of that itchy saw dust. he wheeked happily and made put put put sounds.
The intro was done on neutral cleaned territory, with the other future wives bathed too. Aiko started a fight!!! We threw a towel on him, and separated the cage in 2. He started hooting and the cough-sneeze returned. I realized what was going on. I added 2 and 2 together, realized Aiko rejected him, as she saw him as a threat because he's ill, as pigs can sense it. I stayed up till after midnight, hoping he would just have an allergy, but it became obvious that he only hooted and cough-sneezed a bit when he was not resting. I got up in the middle of the night to check again, same result, this morning as well, so I called the new exotic vet close by.
As I already listened to his lungs, his lungs were clear, he's happy, hungry, playful, sweet. Dirty ears, but they will be cleaned tomorrow, he's had enough for 2days. My new vet was surprised that I discovered this so early. There were no signs when he was calm, and he was not scared at the vet. There was minimal necrosis at the edge of his ears, almost invisible. I told the vet I hate to sound presumptuous, but I had to learn, due to the fact that there was no help here for years. I even told her 2 things she didn't know about heart pigs, like the bobbing motion, and she saw it herself, she was very surprised.
A heart scan revealed a huuuuuge heart, with both sides contracting poorly, and fluttering. His heart is doing so badly, he would not have lived long, a few months tops, and a chance to drop dead on the spot meanwhile. After the scan, he was scared, and you could see how bad his heart pounded. He is on 3 heart meds starting today, since we caught it in time, he will have a chance of living a long life.
So, re-intro is off till next weekend, the heart meds will have done the trick by then, and Aiko will also not be in heat, as that started too last night.
I was told that I needed patience at the intro after she refused him and I put it on Facebook, although a rolling fight is not about patience at all, but I knew something was off at the intro, and I hate it that I was right.
- pigjes
- Cavy Comic
Thanks!
We made a vid of Binky's bobbing motion, which is very typical of heart issues, as his is very pronounced. Already gone today after the first heart meds, the hooting too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNR68Fe ... e=youtu.be
I was afraid that Binky would suffer from all of the stress of the past days. Today, we got up, and could hear some lung gurgling. Yes, he has a URI on top, which heart pigs can get overnight from stress, sigh. He's chipper, hungry, much more playful, so it's again caught right on time.
Hub took a few hours off, because I am extremely dead beat from the past 2 weeks handling the pigs and collecting Binky that far away, so we can go to the vet asap as soon as she opens up. Luckily, he did not have to come along, then hub just picked up the antibiotics for him and I don't have to tag along either. He had his first dosage after 3 hours of spotting it, which was ultrafast!
We made a vid of Binky's bobbing motion, which is very typical of heart issues, as his is very pronounced. Already gone today after the first heart meds, the hooting too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNR68Fe ... e=youtu.be
I was afraid that Binky would suffer from all of the stress of the past days. Today, we got up, and could hear some lung gurgling. Yes, he has a URI on top, which heart pigs can get overnight from stress, sigh. He's chipper, hungry, much more playful, so it's again caught right on time.
Hub took a few hours off, because I am extremely dead beat from the past 2 weeks handling the pigs and collecting Binky that far away, so we can go to the vet asap as soon as she opens up. Luckily, he did not have to come along, then hub just picked up the antibiotics for him and I don't have to tag along either. He had his first dosage after 3 hours of spotting it, which was ultrafast!
- pigjes
- Cavy Comic
He's doing much better already. He's such a sweet boy, smart too. Aiko sorta noticed he wasn't as sick as she thought he was, glad she's not a veterinarian, lol, and started checking him out more and more, resulting in tiny popcorns and butt wiggling, so e re-intro could work hopefully, when he's in great shape.
- pigjes
- Cavy Comic
The re-intro was a complete bust. Tried it in the tub this time, neutral to all pigs. I think he’s scared of all pigs, he looks frantic when he gets confronted with them and chatters his teeth instantly, which caused Aiko to attack him instantly, we suspect he has been used for at least a year to breed with sows, who attacked him. They just plunge a boar in a small cage with a sow, and if they fight, they take him back out. And he's at his 5th home here, poor boy :'(
He managed to stay with Plucky for 5 minutes, but when she nipped at him, not attempting to touch at all, not in an abnormal way, he started to fight as well. We have a towel ready, it was thrown on top of them when they start rolling around like crazy, so it stopped before anyone was injured.
He’s going to be a loner then, nothing we can do about it. Since he had tempted to jump over the fence grids between him and the girls, right before the meeting, now that his heart allows him to go full strength again, we had to redo the lot. There is a row of higher grids between them now, and Plexi, to prevent him jumping over and even climb the lot. The Plexi is cut U-shaped, with an opening at the bottom in the middle, so they can sniff each other, as that did work well.
Their cage was split up like this, he got a tad less than half, the girls a tad more. They are both far above the required minimum size for pigs, so it will have to do. Too bad, but we came prepared.
He managed to stay with Plucky for 5 minutes, but when she nipped at him, not attempting to touch at all, not in an abnormal way, he started to fight as well. We have a towel ready, it was thrown on top of them when they start rolling around like crazy, so it stopped before anyone was injured.
He’s going to be a loner then, nothing we can do about it. Since he had tempted to jump over the fence grids between him and the girls, right before the meeting, now that his heart allows him to go full strength again, we had to redo the lot. There is a row of higher grids between them now, and Plexi, to prevent him jumping over and even climb the lot. The Plexi is cut U-shaped, with an opening at the bottom in the middle, so they can sniff each other, as that did work well.
Their cage was split up like this, he got a tad less than half, the girls a tad more. They are both far above the required minimum size for pigs, so it will have to do. Too bad, but we came prepared.
- pigjes
- Cavy Comic
Binky says hi!
Binky, aka the Ball-less Wonder, Binky Winky, Flinke Binky (Dutch for Brave Dude), he’s got plenty of nicknames.
He’s such a sweetie, incredible <3 He knew what his name was on day 2, and now when I call him, he stands up, lol.
He also decided that all the stuff I did to him, was for a good reason and I am now his best friend, he sometimes popcorns when I call him, lol. Oh, yes, I am soooooo smitten!
Binky, aka the Ball-less Wonder, Binky Winky, Flinke Binky (Dutch for Brave Dude), he’s got plenty of nicknames.
He’s such a sweetie, incredible <3 He knew what his name was on day 2, and now when I call him, he stands up, lol.
He also decided that all the stuff I did to him, was for a good reason and I am now his best friend, he sometimes popcorns when I call him, lol. Oh, yes, I am soooooo smitten!