The whole story

Suisan

Post   » Fri Oct 31, 2008 3:24 pm


I HAVE HER!!

I just went down to the humane society and brought the pregnant piggie home. Her name in the shelter was "Tater tot", but I've renamed her Sylvie. Right now she's cowering under a towel, very scared.

Sylvie will stay at my house for a few days until she can truck on down to CavyHouse, where Sue has kindly offered to take her in and look after the pregnancy and delivery. I'll work on getting some pictures after she's calmed down a touch. Poor thing.

Of course, there are still two more in the shelter, but I'll keep watching them to see if they bloom into pregnancy. I hope not.

Suisan

Post   » Sat Nov 08, 2008 11:36 pm


Sylvie went on to Cavy House. Her travels are documented in the the Saga of the Two Boarly Boars thread in Cavy Chronicles. I hope she's learning to be a little less scared. Dear thing.

The two sows who remain in the shelter are still pretty freaked out, but are beginning to learn that peppers are awfully nice. The smallest is still really small (I have to remember to weigh her next week), and the tricolor is doing well. The smallest, Gopher, is a little more friendly -- still lots of panicked zoomies when the hand visits, but she will chortle and chuckle while eating lettuces during lap time. The tricolor, Red, has gone back to freezing whenever handled or even looked at ever since Sylvie left.

Two days ago I felt a baby in Red. Darnnit.

We're trying to decide whether it's better to move the two girls out of the kennel office to a quieter spot in the back or to leave them where they are with perhaps a light blanket over most of the cage. They do nothing but hide. I'm hoping that if the whole cage is covered (with ventilation obviously), then they'd be more likely to explore during the day and perhaps be enticed by treats.

On the other hand, if they go to the back, they'd be less startled by people walking by their cage all the time. But hen no one would be socializing them at all. I think it would fall to me to be sure to visit them every day though to keep up the socialization. Although, realistically, maybe I'm the only one doing it as it is.

Back and forth.

In the mean time, one of my girls is due for a butt bath, but it's been damp in the house from fog/rain, so I've been putting it off. Maybe it is just easier to foster the two girls from the shelter rather than trying to visit them. But I'm not sure I can deal with fostering over holidays either. Gah.

Anyone feel like solving this for me? I could do with a genie with three wishes burning a hole in his pocket right about now.

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Amy0204
We miss our sweet Oreo

Post   » Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:29 am


I'm not a good one to talk, but I rapidly went from 10 to 20 in early October because I was a good samaritan (and the risk was that the pigs might be euthanized if I didn't). I've placed a number of them, but I still have 6 more than I used to (although 1 is going to be picked up this week, 1-2 are staying permanently with me).

The extra work hasn't been that bad - it can't be as bad as running back and forth between two locations. The expense of doubling my veggie suppy has been the killer. But, for 2?

I have to think the pigs would be better off with you, if you're goal is to calm them down. They'd get more familiar with household rhythms and people being around. And you could socialize when it was convenient for you, without planning days around going to and fro. I'm all for avoiding driving these days, although with gas prices coming down, here, it's not as bad. But I'm lazy that way. If I don't need to leave the house, I'd just as soon not. If I feel like snuggling a pig, now, all I need to do , is look across this room, or into my son's room, or into my daughter's room, or into the kitchen, or into the hall. Hah.

Seriously, there are so many pros to having them with you, even thru the holidays. (Think of how difficult it's going to be to go visit them thru the holidays.)

Suisan

Post   » Tue Nov 18, 2008 12:59 pm


OK, I'm weak.

I've decided that I'm going to go ahead and foster "Red", who's pregnant along with her cage mate "Gopher", who's much smaller and younger and hopefully not pregnant. I first felt a round lump in Red's abdomen on Nov 7. One of the shelter employees who used to be a vet tech says she can feel one more baby on the other side, but I can't. I have to weigh her again, but Gopher was only barely 14 oz.

So. Question. Is a 2 x 4 enough room for fostering two females, one of whom is pregnant? I don't think I can build a larger size easily. (Who said this would be easy?)

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Feylin

Post   » Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:26 pm


I think that's ok, particularly if you get rid of pigloos (they take up so much space) and have houses with smaller footprints.


More baby experienced people will be along soon to help. :)

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mmercedesmom
Supporter in '09

Post   » Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:11 pm


Lucky Red and Gopher! I think 2 x 4 is fine too, especially if they are getting along fine in a smaller cage. They may be scared of all that space at first!

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linda_chicha
For Pigs' Sake

Post   » Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:34 pm


Ditto to mmercedesmom. I put both my pregnant foster in 2x3 in the beginning. After the babies around 1 week and they are getting bigger, I expanded. They seemed really overwhelmed with the space. All the babies usually stay close to momma in a pigloo in the beginning.

Suisan

Post   » Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:16 pm


Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll be taking the 2 x 4 the shelter has already built for them home with me when I bring them home for fostering on Friday.

Is it accurate to say that once you feel movement the birth is about two weeks away? I remember reading that once, and now I can't remember on what thread it was. Searching is giving me so many results I've thrown my hands up.

Suisan

Post   » Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:08 pm


I've got them both home.

Pictures tomorrow when they're not so freaked out.

But "Red" is suddenly enormous. I'll weigh her, although it won't do a heck as they weren't getting weighed at the shelter, so I can't track her weight gain. But she suddenly went wide. Yipes.

I'll have both "Red" and "Gopher" here through Thanksgiving and until "Red" gives birth. (Names are in quotes as my eldest daughter is strenuously objecting to their given names. We'll see what happens.) Then they trot back to the shelter after weaning.

Suisan

Post   » Sat Nov 22, 2008 5:49 pm


I had to sweep out their cage so I got a few pictures of Red and Gopher looking almost completely terrified. "Red" has a small tricolor marking on her face, so ended up being named Red. Which is confusing because she's mostly white. Gopher is mostly black and much smaller than Red. Her fur is softer too -- she must be quite young. If they are together Gopher tucks herself almost completely under Red. Red was about the same size as Sylvie, mentioned above, when they were in the shelter together.

Image

Red and Gopher together. In this one you can see how lopsided Red's belly is.
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Red's face with Gopher hiding behind.
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Red from above.
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Very hard to get pictures of Gopher. She's much more likely to run away whereas Red still freezes.

Suisan

Post   » Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:31 pm


We have Babies!!

Two mostly black males with white stripes on their faces. The larger one may be a female and is quite active. The smaller one who looks more obviously male was cuddling up next to Gopher and is a little weaker. I put a fresh fleece scrap in the preferred corner and tucked the babies back in.

Pictures tomorrow when everyone settles in.

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Bugs Mom

Post   » Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:33 pm


Congratulations to the new momma. Will be happy to see pictures.

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