really weird!

We live in a terraced row of 4 cottages, high on exposed open moorland in Scotland. The lady two doors up has feral guinea pigs living wild in her jungle (oops did I say that out loud?) :D garden.They have been there since last summer and are still doing ok, despite dogs,cats,foxes, and hawks. Has anybody else heard of this ?

 

Never heard of anything like that Whiley

 

no i wouldn't know anything about that either whiley.
hope you find out.
cheers

 

I think you are talking to the wrong person,Pip and borrowers :D It should be ming, hahaha..

 

I understand that guinea pigs are pretty hardy (and according to certain Peruvians pretty delicious). I am sure when Walnut comes on in the morning he will have observations. Don't know why I am sure but it just strikes me as a Walnut thing. Or maybe WOO?

 

Quite surprised if they are guinea pigs and are living free range, they likely to fall to predation, cats are very likely to have a field day with them,are you sure they are guinea pigs and not tame rats that have escaped, I have known rabbits,rats and mice to escape and breed with their wild counterparts but not Cavies.

 

sorry miing, sorry whiley well spotted youngdd

cheers

 

we watch them often, they're tan & white\guinea pigs, two of them. It is very odd. The big ginger stray I feed sits on top of the fence and watches them but the garden's like a jungle and they seem to have burrows under the undergrowth. They come out early mornings to eat the grass

 

I have four guinea pigs - completely pampered indoor piggies. I know that it is commonplace in the UK to keep these critters outdoors, in a wooden hutch, but - softy that I am - I would never dream of leaving them outside in our climate!

These two at least have the 'run' of the garden, and presumably have found somewhere to shelter, not cooped up in a damp, draughty hutch. Guinea pigs do like to hide - but they don't dig. Maybe they have found some old rabbit runs? They must be finding enough to eat too - even when everything's frosty. I'm not sure how saavy they are at discerning which plants are edible - I hope they don't find out the hard way...I wonder how long they have been 'wild'? Have you asked your neighbour about them?

Mine go out into a run on warm days - but I am there with them, as our neighbourhood has lots of cats! I have seen pics of people who keep indoor pigs, and their family cat shares their pen - and is not interested in hurting/eating them. I knwo that we have only one cat out of the many who use our garden, who tries to catch the birds - maybe your local cats are just not interested?

Don't really think this is an ideal situation for the pigs. Living outdoors, they are easily forgotton about - there is no way of knowing from a fleeting glimpse if they are ill, as prey animals, they will hide any sign of illness until on death's door. It sounds a bit like neglect, I'm afraid.