3 boys.... trouble!

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purple-piggy

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hi all, i warn this may be long and rambled so please forgive, 3 children and bad back with 3 guineas being a pain in the bum has taken all my brain power today! LOL!

i have 3 boys, about 5 months old (got them all from pets at home in january, which i know is awful from what i have read now and regret it but its done and I'm trying my best so please dont have a go, i really need some advice) they were fine at first, they were all in the tank thing together and i asked SOOOO many times if they would fight and the guy said its unusual and not to worry too much so i didnt! (we had piggys when i was younger and never remember them fighting) WELL the last few weeks have been getting progressively worse and one (onion) is picking on the others a-lot! there is no blood drawn but he chases them around and humps them all the time, when i take him out the other 2 are so happy and when he come back its crazy again!

well last night they were SO loud squeaking and chasing that i was really worried, i have read on here how 3 boys never work and that they can kill each other so obviously I'm concerned! they settled down in the end but it kicked off again this morning so i have now separated them.

(good time to say they are all indoors during the night and i put them out on the grass in a massive run in the day if its warm enough, i have a large hutch outside but its too cold i think now over night, i do have all the covers and insulation but they are used to being in so i cant leave them out all night yet)

the problem is that onion now looks so sad :( the other 2 are in the large hutch and ive had to bring it inside in our utility room because of the cold but this cant be a long term solution as its massive! also i dont want onion to be sad on his own!

I'm now regretting it a bit but the other 2 (sniffy and Mr.bean) are so happy without him and are jumping around, onion is such a bully so i get why they are happy!

anyway what can i do now? i am on the look out for another hutch (the one we have was a gift and i doubt i can get another one that size with our budget!) will he forever be alone now? can they ever go back together? when can they go outside over night? ive heard you can have them neutered and then love with a female? how much is this and is it successful? would it be better for me to just re-home him? how would i even do that! i wont give him back to the pet shop!

if anyone can give any bit of advice id be grateful, many thanks in advance and you need a medal for reading this whole post!

xx
 
Your best bet would be to find a reputable rescue who will help you find a suitable friend for Onion. I don't know your area but hopefully someone on here can recommend a rescue near you.

Stupid pet shops selling boar trios"mallethead
 
The best thing to do (after breathing, because there are many ways to solve this. :)) Even though its seems very scary) Is to take him boar dating at a rescue. This is where your boy, goes and meets other males, to see who he gets along with. That way, you know whichever piggy you take home, definatly likes your piggy. :)
 
They have hit the terrible teenage hormone stage :x
Only thing really you can do is take Onion boar dating to a rescue - he will choose a friend for himself (another lonely boar)
Another option would be to have him neutered and find him a little wifepig - again, a rescue will help find the right lady for him x)
Trio's rarely ever work :x
 
thanks for the quick responses! I'm in high wycombe, buckinghamshire. i will have a google about getting him on a date.

i feel like such a muppet now about the pet shop :( honestly i will never go to one again! i really thought from my (limited clearly) reading that guineas needed friends and it didnt matter how many as long as they weren't on their own.
 
I would also recommend boar dating. Don't feel like a muppet, we all live and learn. :)
 
Hello!

Sorry to hear about your problems, but if it makes you feel any better, I had exactly the same introduction to guinea pigs! You learn quickly though! :))

I boar-dated my boys in the end, and fingers crossed, everyone seems happy now. I think the nearest rescues to you might be Crawley Rescue and Palace Piggie Rescue, both in Crawley. I boar-dated through Palace, so i can recommend them through personal experience!

HTH and good luck!

Jo x
 
Hi i saw in your intro thread you had problems........ i'd guessed it was the three of them having issues :{
Once again our lovely members have helped you :)
Whee would like to wish you all the best and hope that you can find a little friend for Onion soon :)
 
oh, I had another thought...

If you are looking for a second hutch, Zooplus is often the cheapest website for cages etc - and you get a discount on your first order. Also the Rabbit Hutch Shop has a good reputation, with good size hutches and runs. I *think* (although I might be wrong) that if you 'like' their facbook page you can get a discount code.

There's always preloved and ebay as well, but the hutches are often quite small on there - i keep seeing adverts for 100cm indoor cages classed as 'large enough for 4 pigs' mallethead

If you've had a chance to read through some of the other threads and stickies on here you'll have seen by now that when keeping boys, bigger is better when it comes to cages/hutches. It is worth it though, boars are lovely :))

Jo x
 
thanks again everyone you are all lovely! i am going to pick up another indoor cage today, its 100cm x 50cm so they can both be indoors! cant keep lugging this huge hutch in the house! will this be enough for a rescue guinea to join him? i will keep looking out for outdoor hutches but thats not so urgent until this weather picks up, its still freezing over night!

i am worried tho as onion is SOOO sad :( its breaking my heart! i really need to know where to take him to have a date, crawley is really far but i will go if its the only one, does anyone know of any closer? he cant stay like this, its so sad, he has barely moved since the other 2 left :(

also would i even be allowed a rescue guinea? i have 3 kids (the eldest are amazing, sensitive lovely kids who adore animals, the other is almost one and she is a baby obviously lol) from what ive read they dont like to give anything to people with children!

I'm so angry at the pet shop! i know its my own stupid fault too but its so frustrating! mallethead
 
Best to phone the rescues and explain your situation. Palace Piggie do not state an age restriction for children and Crawley are open to discussion about it. I can understand their concerns, some people will let small children pull the pets around like toys, and some parents adopt small pets "for the kids" and then expect the children to feed and look after them which ends up with neglected animals.
 
oh yea i can totally see why! we arent like that here, very respectful and the piggys are family piggies (well mine and my OH because we sort them out) not for the kids to man handle!
 
this is fast becoming a nightmare :( that zooplus cage is fab and i wish we had seen that before we got the other one! i guess thats why they were fighting, lack of space, i wish pet shops didn't sell pigs or any other animal! they said the one we have was fine for 4! so we thought 3 was ok!

it is a temporary solution as they will be outside as soon as the weather is better, i cant spend another £40 on a temporary cage, my OH is not happy as it is, i understand why, we wanted 2 guineas as pets but were kinda convinced to buy 3 (they were the last lot in the tank thing and the man kept making faces) and now we are having to pay out double and have serious issues :(

at least they will all be indoors now rather than having to carry the outdoor hutch in! should i keep them close while in separate cages or close so they can see and smell each other? will they ever be able to get on? or really the only options are to re-home or add a piggy?

this is so stressful :(
 
Oh I'm sorry you are getting stressed. :(

The same thing happened to me - i was told my four sweet baby pigs would be happy as a group in a little cage, and within days the problems started. I learned the hard way! :)) Unfortunately, the collective experience of this forum has confirmed to me that groups of boars rarely work, and if they're already bickering it's not a good sign.

I think the reasonable options are to find him a friend or rehome him. When it comes to the cage size, I think some people have successfully gone back to the pet shop before and complained about the cage size to get a larger replacement. It might be worth a try...

In the meantime, keep an eye out for second hand cages (and ignore people saying 'large' - check the measurements :)))

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/105308782/indoor-rabbitguinea-pig-cage.html

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/105269661/huge-rabbit-or-guinea-pig-cage-great-condition.html

You can keep them next to each other (mine live on top of each other, in 'flats'), they'll soon let you know if they hate the arrangement!

Jx
 
There is another good rescue near Hitchin that has just newly reopened which you could contact: http://www.hillsbrookerescue.co.uk/ That should be closer to you.

We just had a huge rescue of 120 boys from a horder, which have been redistributed over several rescues countrywide, so there is currently no shortage of candidates for boar dating! The most important thing for a stable bond is character compatibility, the second most important is lots of space and having everything double to get them through the hormonal months between 4-14 months old. However, a rescue will insist on a minimum 120x60cm cage for their boy (minimum RSPCA standard).

Take a good old breath and think the logistics through. Don't panic - a solution is always possible with some creative thinking! Could you stack two cages on top of each other, if necessary with the help of a table or shelf? You can scour ebay or the freeads for cheap secondhand cages and materials if money is a problem. You can also get creative by providing a mezzanine floor inside the cage for more space. A barbecue grill wired to the bars works quite well while you save up for bigger a permanent setup!
Here is our boar guide, which you might find helpful; it also contains further links to boars and their problems: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76162
 
thanks again xoxo

i have taken a MASSIVE breath and we have a bit of a plan, we are going to find a cage that is big enough for the RSPCA standards and then find a friend, i will be calling everyone (including the places on here that have been suggested, many thanks for those xx) and try to go on dates with him!

my OH is so lovely, hes just a bit peeved i guess but i really dont want to re-home onion if i dont have too so we are trying our best.

i go on pre-loved alot and am about to register as a member so i can respond to the adds as they go on rather than waiting 9days, there are a couple of outdoor hutches on there of interest and they are big enough for 2 (i have checked the measurements)

i cant thank you guys enough, hopefully this will all be real quick as he is so sad and its awful to see :(
 
When I found my piggy at the pet store I was told they really like the companionship of other pigs. I felt I was taking a chance with settling for just one. My Peruvian boar has the whole room to himself and I could get over the guilt of having just one. He is so happy and cuddly. I think some really like to be the only one.
 
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