Buddy's Guinea Pig Sanctuary

01/05/2024

Little Miss Pip finding her favourite hay pile!

Pip was born here some years ago and was rehomed with her mum and sister who are sadly no longer with us and she has returned to join the large sow herd for the rest of her days.

Welcome back Pip!

11/04/2024

Did you know that you can help us receive regular donations by doing your weekly food shops via easyfundraising? Not only that, this month only you also have the chance to WIN back the cost of your shop with Tesco, Morrisons, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Iceland and Ocado! Don’t miss out on the chance to enter into the prize draw and help make a difference to Buddy's Guinea Pig Sanctuary, sign up to support us today:

Help us when you shop with 7,000+ brands. Join now.

29/09/2022

This is a fab idea :-)

Hi,
We have had lots of Rescues Sign up but we really need alot more Secret Santa's to Sign up to make a great Christmas for All.
Please spread the word & share.
Rescues please share to your pages. They can nominate your Rescue.
Santas, here's your link to get registered! Follow it, sign up, tell your friends!
docs.google.com/forms/d/11Lmo7hy6kb8biUEGdrl6oO_nOYtGRrTJbpEJLvIjb1M

30/06/2022

I love my adopters, I love my adopters that become friends, and I love my adopters that become friends and then let me watch their ponies over the gate whilst I pick up a beautiful gift!!

29/06/2022

Violet sends a big wheek and a thankyou to whoever donated the big bag of guinea pig food that arrived today!

There was no note so I don't know who to thank so whoever you are - Thankyou! 🙏🙏

21/06/2022

I just want to say a huge huge thank you to one of my very special adopters for what they have done today - you know who you are and what you've done and why I'm not naming you!

You are a true angel and have made such a huge difference to one of my small pals here at Buddy's.

From the bottom of our hearts - thank you 😍🥰 ###x

20/06/2022

Thanks to whoever has sent a bag of shavings for the sanctuary.

There was no name on the parcel so sending thanks here and hope you see it!

Much appreciated as always xx

12/05/2022

Hello, some of you have been wondering where I have been.

I am here so don't worry. I'm just minding my own business and trying to stay afloat in life.

If you need me I'm here and any piggies issues or questions just shout.

Picture of a herd of lovely piggies that have come from Buddy's at one time or another!

25/03/2022

This cheeky pair of boars are back at Buddy's due to a change in family circumstances.

They are hoping for a new home - do you have room in your home and heart for them?

24/03/2022

New pups at Buddy's - well done Lilly, just a wee baby yourself!

Think we have 2 boars who will be bonded with older males in a few weeks before rehoming and one sow who can stay with mum as a pair.

Lovely new life for spring 💕

25/01/2022

New recruits - Dazzle and Lilly.

Dazzle is an 18mth old boar and Lilly is a 12 week old sow. They've been together 4 weeks 😬

Came from a lovely lady who rescued Dazzled who had been neglected and kept alone and knew a friend was needed.
Took him to a breeder who sexed him as a sow so sold her a baby sow.......

What a mess....

Lovely lady who was mortified. She didn't believe me when I told her he was a boar and I proved it to her beyond a show of a doubt!

Well....Lilly will be on pregnancy watch and Dazzle needs a new pal or to be neutered.

Getting busy again! Must be nearly spring!

15/01/2022

Busy day today with some sow dating this morning and then cleaning and tidying!

Ginger Is a 9week old baby boar and is looking for his partner in crime if anyone has a lone boar looking for a pal, Ginger would love to hear from you 😀

08/01/2022

Really important and useful information about your piggies!

The abdominal cavity of a guinea pig accounts for approx 80% of their body. 😲

This means that their chest cavity is very small. The most important organ in the GIT of a guinea pig is the caecum.

This is a large structure where fermentation occurs and allows the guinea pig to get nutrition from relatively low value food ie hay and grass. It is important for guinea pigs to eat continuously* (you should seek veterinary advice if your pig hasn't eaten for more than 8 consecutive hours) and for their guts to remain mobile. Gut stasis can be fatal if severe.

* this does not mean your guinea pigs need to eat every second of every day😂

24/12/2021

On behalf of all of the guinea pigs past and present - Violet and I would like to wish you all a very gentle festive period and best wishes for the coming New Year.

We hope that 2022 is kind to all! Well I do, I think Violet wishes for more lettuce!

❤

21/12/2021

Weekend Piggy Updates:

So please to say that Cinnamon came to visit me on Sunday to find a friend and he found a soul mate in Sunny – now named Toffee.
They have gone back home to their amazing human and her other guinea pigs, plus Rupert and Flame (now Felix & Murphy).

Little Mack who lost his brother has now found a friend in 3 week old baby Onion! He is still wild but Onion is teaching him to be brave!

Jimmy is a cool dude and has bonded with baby Ranger who is so cute! They are reserved and will go to their new home when their living arrangements are all sorted – more cuddles for me in the meantime!

Fred and Ginger are the remaining babies from Saffron (Rangers brothers) and although I don’t normally like to do it, they are really bonded boys and will be staying together as a pair ready for a new home in 2022!

Gloria returned to Buddy’s – Herd life didn’t work out for her this time. I think a sow or neutered boar looking for a pal/wife would be Glorias ideal match.

My wonderful and cherished friends came to help me clean out and bring me a new fridge for all the veg and salad and helped me fix up one of the hutches. Such good friends who never ask for anything in return and work hard from the minute they arrive (and always arrive with Subway!)
Jo Bruce Stuart Bruce 😍🙏

18/12/2021

Much happier day today!

Got to catch up with Horace and his humans again. Last time I saw them they were adopting Horace (then Badger for those that remember) as a friend for their other pig Hedwig. Sadly they lost Hedwig some weeks ago, but today Horace decided he was happy to be friends with the fab Houdini (now Harry). Good luck boys - your humans love you lots!

Gloria went on a road trip with me later on in the day and got introduced to a lovely herd in the most fantastic home - piggy heaven! She is so so lucky. Fingers crossed she integrates well with the lovely piggies there - she has definately landed on her feet!

Lets see what we can achieve tomorrow! 😍

17/12/2021

Firstly some sad news to report 😢😢 – 3 of our residents have died over the last week or so:

Wink – A great age at 8 and a half, this happy go lucky by with vision in only one eye has finally gone to be with his brother. Sadly leaving Rolo on his own. Proud of him – he was a healthy boy who I always joked would live forever – and of course he will in our hearts and memories. 💔

Mischief – Originally arrived with his brother or friend Mack in a very terrified state. I won them over somewhat and always had a ‘good morning’ from them as they began to trust me. Sadly, probably due to his background Mischief left us one afternoon recently. I have no idea how old they are but what I do know is that he was loved here. 💔

Rumplestiltskin – well what can I say? Heartbroken – he was Buddy’s brother and either dad or uncle to Lisa – all three now back together. He was part of the group of 4 that were rescued at the very start of this adventure of mine. He had a sh*tty start but he lived his life here with a herd of 8 sows and loved every moment of it. Buddy will have been waiting for him I’m sure. 💔

Some happier news, one of my wonderful adopters came to find a new friend for her boy Bertie who had originally come from me but had sadly lost his friend recently. Lucky Rolo was chosen as the new snuggle friend for Bertie which was doubly wonderful as Rolo had been sad at losing his friend Wink. 😍😍

More boar and sow dating this weekend so its going to be a busy one but I hope to have more happy news about new friends and new homes for some of the guys here.
I’m aiming to have all my singles paired for Christmas and maybe some of them will get homes next year.

Pictures are of Rumplestiltskin in the hay and Rolo and Bertie getting snuggly on their boar dating afternoon!

02/12/2021

Its that time of year again! 🎅🎅🎅

Remember you can raise donations for Buddy's Guinea Pig Sanctuary just by shopping for Christmas gifts via .

John Lewis & Partners, Very, Nike, Argos and many more have deals and increased donations on their top gifts!

Shop here: http://efraising.org/vBvZWUAr2U

Whether you are looking for a new wardrobe, Christmas gifts, home & tech deals and more, we have something for everyone.

29/11/2021

Daisy had her babies this weekend! 4 healthy pups bless them!

18/11/2021

Today we said goodbye to the wonderful Coffee - she was an older girl who had come to stay with me after she lost her sister. I kept in touch with her dad who allowed me to care for her for the rest of her days.

She had been with me since Aug 2020 and has been a surrogate grandmother for 2 young sows that came in scared and unwell. She kept them in line and gave them confidence.

So here's to Coffee, now with my Buddy & Bertie and her Sister of course. Popcorn free my precious - you were loved and still are.

Picture of Coffee and her surrogate grand-daughters this summer just gone enjoying life x

13/11/2021

Saffron had her babies today bless her!

26/10/2021

This is Houdini along with his girlfriends Saffron and Daisy.

Houdini doesn't like travelling in boxes. He likes to be free in the car to p**p and wee!

There are 2 cars with his poo and wee in!

These guys came to me from our outreach In wales who kindly removed them from their situation to get them safely to me.

Saffron is in the latter weeks of her pregnancy and Daisy is watch and wait.
Poor babies only 5mths old themselves.

Next job is to find a new friend for Houdini!

Cheeky chap makes me laugh!

03/10/2021

Popped in to a neighbour this weekend to take of these beauties whilst mum was getting married 😍

23/09/2021

Some people think it's weird when their guinea pigs do this or think something is wrong.

Like many things they do that might look odd, it's totally normal so wanted to share this informative post.

Did you know!?! Guinea pigs are coprophagic (meaning: they eat their own poo💩). This is to assist with getting the nutrients they need.

Rabbits🐇 produce and eat caecotrophs 💩(soft pellets produced after the first passage through the digestive tract). Caecotrophs provide a good source of B vitamins for rabbits. Because guinea pigs don't produce caecotrophs, they need B vitamins in their diet. These vitamins come from pellets and veg.

Added 💩 Info - Whilst rabbits and guinea pigs have similar gut transits there are some differences. In rabbits, large fibre particles are separated from small fibre particles in the first part of the colon. The large particles pass on through the colon and are excreted as hard faecal pellets, the small particles are returned to the caecum to undergo fermentation, forming a paste. This paste then passes rapidly along the colon forming the cecotroph.

The passage of ingesta through the gastro-intestinal tract of guinea pigs is somewhat different. Guinea pigs return bacteria to the caecum from the colon using a mucus trap method, but this contains very few or no food particles. The faecal pellets guinea pigs eat during coprophagy have not come directly from the caecum, as in rabbits. Therefore, are not termed cecotrophs.

The Quesenberry, Orcutt, Mans and Carpenter book 'Ferrets, rabbits and rodents, clinical medicine and surgery 4th edition' states "unlike rabbits, guinea pigs are not caecotrophic." This is supported by university of Illinois notes on caecotrophy in rabbits which states "rabbits are unique in that they practice caecotrophy."

Whilst both animals eat faecal material that has passed once through the gastrointestinal tract, in order to get more value from their diet, the passage is slightly different and hence the faecal material guinea pigs eat are not by definition called caecotrophs.

😁More will be explained about the differences between rabbits and guinea pigs in our blog next week.👀

22/09/2021

Now doesn't this young lady look like she might grow up to do some work with animals?

21/09/2021

Welcome little ones x

05/08/2021

Thankyou to whoever sent a wonderful carrot house xx

04/08/2021

Come on Timmy we've saved a table outside - we are dining alfresco this evening with mum!

31/07/2021

Cyril says good morning!

We have a busy day ahead!

Lovely family coming to choose some guinea pigs to join their family - who will be the lucky guys!?

Two lovely boys going out to a new home later as well hopefully.

Then the joys of cleaning out! Two lots of boarders in so lots of cuddles for them too!

What are you guys up to?

30/07/2021

This little beauty is Melody!

She is about 2 and a half years old and after pregnancy watch is over she will be looking for a friend for life 😄