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Today my piggy pen is empty, but not for any sad reason. It's for a very exciting reason. Ruby and Cecil are spending a few days with Suzy at the rescue with a view to meeting some new friends. Since Marigold went they have been quieter and shyer than they have been for a long time. Ruby in particular has been very reluctant to let Cecil out of her sight and hasn't been able to relax at lap time. She used to snuggle down and snooze for ages, but these days all she wants to do is return to the pen.
So if all goes well, in the next few days I will have a pen full again and hopefully Ruby will make a special friend that will help her feel like her old self. 
They are currently next door to a group of 4 girls, a mum and auntie who are 1 and the mum's two daughters who are 7 months. They will meet them in person tomorrow. If this group doesn't work out there are plenty of others to meet, so I am fairly confident that they will find some piggies they like. 
It will be Ruby's choice, as Cecil is very easy going around sows and loves them all!!

I hope they will be home by Sunday, or very shortly after, and once the pen has settled I will report back!

Yeah! New piggies.  I am sure your Ruby will bond with someone.  Ruby must feel a little lost. She has never been without Marigold and female companionship. I hope the new girls can fill that space.

You are right, Cecil is just hoping for more rather than less. He will happily bond with any girls who join him.

The four would be nice. They are young enough that Ruby could be the leader.

I can't wait for the news.

They have all spent the night together and so far so good. The only teeth chattering has been from Ruby, and that was at Cecil for paying too much attention to the new Ladies!!!

That sounds promising. Ruby just wants to make sure they know she is the boss. If the girls are not challenging her then they should be fine together.

That would give you a full herd again. That would be so much fun. So what do they look like? How soon can you bring them home?

If tonight is uneventful then they will be coming home tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait. There is a photo on the rescue's new arrivals page, but all you can see is bottoms!!
The newbies are not socialised so I'll have my work cut out for me, but I'll get to keep them this time!!

Such fun and excitement!
New piggies are always a challenge and a gift. They always have their own little quirks and personality traits and yet they just want and need a few cuddles to make them happy.

I look forward to hearing all about it. It sounds like they will be fine together.

So they are all home now. They are finding their way around the pen. Cecil and Ruby are very much at home again. 
Ruby is definitely NOT the boss. The Mum, who we have called Ella, is most definitely the boss. Ruby is tolerating it all very well. 
The new girls are Ella, Lily, Isla and Kate. There's no real reason behind the names, they just seem right!
When the girls feel a little more at home we will have a photo shoot. Mum, Ella, is chocolate and white with a real funky hairdo. Auntie Lily is a fuzzy red Rex, Isla has a smooth short coat with ginger and chocolate patches, and Kate has a long chocolate coat. All colours or coats that we haven't had before. 
Cecil is delighted, but is get his face slapped a lot!! But then he's used to that!

A house full of piggies! Lots of fun for all.

Interesting that Ruby is not the matriarch. Of course she lived with her mum all her life so she has never been the elder piggie.

Interesting choice of names. Somehow names just happen don't they. Once a name suggests itself it seems to stick.

What an interesting set of colours. I think I saw them on the shelter web site. I look  forward to seeing them in their new home and hearing how they are settling in. Congratulations to Cecil. He is a Boar of status with his five female herd. I am sure they will have him trained in no time.

Here are some photos of my herd.

Firstly my darling ruby.
[img]Ruby by Gillian Clancy, on Flickr[/img]

Next is Cecil, my lovely boar.
[img]Cecil by Gillian Clancy, on Flickr[/img]

Now we have Kate.
[img]Kate by Gillian Clancy, on Flickr[/img]

Lily.
[img]Lily by Gillian Clancy, on Flickr[/img]

Ella.
[img]Ella by Gillian Clancy, on Flickr[/img]

And Isla.
[img]Isla by Gillian Clancy, on Flickr[/img]

The new girls are still very timid. but are beginning to come around. Lily and Isla have already taken food from my hand, but are desperate not to be picked up. Ah well, we have plenty of experience with shy piggies and at least this time I get to keep them!!

They are lovely.
I am so glad you could bring home a whole herd at once.

The colours are so interesting. They don't even look related. Lily and Ella being from the same litter must have been surprising. The daughters are even more surprising.  The don't look anything like Cecil and Ruby.  So you have six piggies that look nothing alike. It is a real rainbow herd.

It will be fun winning them over and as you say, this time you get to keep them. I am glad the young ones are getting tamed already. I am sure the rest will follow their example.

Keep us posted about their settling in.