I also remember when you got baby Reese.. Time sure passes fast> I to have pet goaties.. My oldest will be 13 on May 6th.. His name is Bubby.. I have 14, but don't raise baby's to offten. Last babies I raised were born March 27/2003..There were 4 born, I rasied 2 and the moma goat raised 2.. Goaties are so sweet. I don't sale any of mine ever...I'll try to post pictures of my four year olds soon. They are George, Willie, Tat, and Sissy... Happy Birthday Reese..Sandy

Genny Little Reese will be such a much better pet if you have him neutered. Intact Billy's aren't something you want as a pet, they stink to high heaven and have one thing on their mind. I highly recommend you get little Reese neutered. The age thats best to have him neutered would be around 3 to 4 months of age. I have done some of mine earlier then that with good results. I would not band any goat over the age of 4 months. Banding is very painful for them at any age and takes so long for it to work. Please check out this link that will explain and help you make the choice thats best for you and little Reese. http://fiascofarm.com/goats/buck-wether-info.htm I also have all mine dehorned with the method of burning the horn buds. I have currently 7 wether's that range in age 3 years to 12 years and I have neutered them all using either cutting, which is surgery and my vet preformed the surgery for me and I have also banded several, which was the first and last time I will use that method. I have also used the burdizzo method which is the method I would most recommend. Its not painless, put it is the easiest and the quickest method for neutering them. You must find a vet or someone that's experianced in performing the procedture. He would be a little stiff for the first couple days unlike if he's banded then he will be in somewhat pain for a couple weeks. Check out the link above and make your decision which you feel would be the best, but please take cautions concerning the urinary calculi. I really hate to see people with male pet goats have to deal with the emergency once their beloved male pets goats has the blockage and then trying to find a vet that can treat the problem which it isn't easy to find a vet that's willing to treat them which most offten will require surgery and in short order if the goat is to survive. Its so much easier to prevent then to treat once it developes. I have never owned a billy I just lease one when I decide to raise kids, which isn't every year. I raised babies in 95,99 and 2003. Keep us posted on little Reese's progress.

I had 2 boys and a girl, but I would think two females would get along fine. Make sure you get her fixed NOW!! I didn't know that my girl needed to be fixed when young, and wasn't able to get her fixed later. It's a very complicated operation for a pig, and when they get older and fatter, it's too difficult. If you don't get her fixed, she'll go into heat about every 3 weeks and it's awful. Complete personality change. They become aggressive and hump everything that moves. They will literally not leave you alone and chase you. They're small pigs compared to farm pigs, but still average at about 100 lbs, so having a 100 lb pig chasing you, attacking you and humping you constantly for several days every 3 wks is no fun. The boys have to be fixed. They are not fit to be pets if they aren't. They smell constantly. They're much more aggressive. Their tusks grow faster. And they hump nonstop. They're in a constant state. Now, I know what you're going to say - - that most males are - - but I mean CONSTANTLY. :) You have to be careful not to overfeed them bc it puts too much stress on their little legs and they become "fat blind" and generally unhealthy. Harleybabe was about 110, Rudy about 85, and Pudge was the big boy at 150, but that is a healthy weight for his frame. (He's still a young'n in pic above) Once she begins to trust you more, if you scratch her, she'll be your best friend for life!! They LOVE to be scratched. I buy those rubber handheld things with nubbies on them that are used for horse grooming and scratch the pigs with those. They stand real still, their mohawk goes up, and suddenly, BAM, they flop to the ground in a state of bliss, waiting for a belly rub. It's hilarious. Providing browse? I'm not sure. Did you see that on 9 sites? Only thing I can think of is browsing room. Sadly, a lot of people would get potbellies as pets, and try to keep them - alone - in small spaces. They need room to run around outside and graze and preferably a herd mate. You'll read lots of stories of people who became disillusioned in their pigs bc 1) they got big when backyard breeders dishonestly marketed them as mini pigs that would stay small (no such thing) 2) they became aggressive from being in confined, unnatural for them, small quarters 3) owners did not take the time to learn about their needs as pigs bc they're completely different from cats or dogs. I've spent a lot of time reading about them; I still do. One more thing -- as soon as she's letting you close, make sure you start trimming her hooves now while she's young, so she's used to it and will let you continue to do it. Really important. If their hooves aren't trimmed properly, they grow sideways and the poor pigs can become lame as a result. I'm attached another link for you. It's a Yahoo Group that you should join. A little on the chatty side, but still very informative. Well, GW won't let me link it, but you can find it in Yahoo Groups - "Pig Info and Chat" Kisses to Porkahontas, Betsy

I wish I had gone there while I lived in the Denver area. I spent a lot of time exploring great places and towns. Of course Manitou Springs has been one of our favorite places. When people would come from out of the state to visit I always took them there. Going in the mines was very scary for me. I would have enjoyed this experience. Thanks for the window into your time there.