Adding a baby

Bettyb26

Bettyb26

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 20, 2022
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Hi guys,
I have two separated boars side by side and one seems to enjoy being on his own while the other is becoming increasingly withdrawn. Id love to get Eddie a friend and was wondering how likely it is that bonding him with a baby would work out? There is only one rescue anywhere near me that does bonding and I’d have to ask my mum to drive me there and back, and when I contacted them before they said that they will only allow 2 boars in a minimum of 16sqft. This obviously is good but I would only be able to accommodate a 4x2 c&c, which I understand is the minimum for 2 pigs. I know it’s always better to size up but at this moment in time it’s not really possible and the space I have would fit a 4x2 perfectly. From my understanding, a baby should be able to bond easily as Eddie is 2 and would naturally be the dominant one. If it went wrong there is no way we could accommodate another separate cage so obviously it is risky, but I don’t think we really have another choice. Has anyone got experience of bonding a baby with an adult and did it go well?
Thank you 🐹
 
You will find lots of success stories on here of bonding an adult with a baby and then that pair going on to make it long term. However because any bond comes down to character compatibility there are also going to be failures where the mix just wasn’t right - when bringing home a new piggy without the ability to date there is always going to be that risk - and it doesn’t always have to be immediate failure. Once a baby becomes a teenager there is a chance things can change and he may try for dominance which may not be well received.
It is very tricky if you don’t have space for a third cage if the bonding does fail.

Your alternative is to neuter him and then once six weeks post op safe, to bond him with a sow. A neutered boar/sow pairing tends to be more stable for the long term.
If you were going to do this, you would need to be sure the other boar is kept secure so he could not escape his cage and try to get in with the pair. (Or potentially neutered also and then having his own wife).
The other benefit of this is that a 4x2 cage is great size for a neutered boar/sow pair (it is considered beyond minimum sizing - minimum is 120x60 whereas a 4x2 c&c measures 150x70cm). Whereas a boar pair do tend to be better with a 5x2 as it gives them that little more territory which can really help
 
Bettyb26 said:
Hi guys,
I have two separated boars side by side and one seems to enjoy being on his own while the other is becoming increasingly withdrawn. Id love to get Eddie a friend and was wondering how likely it is that bonding him with a baby would work out? There is only one rescue anywhere near me that does bonding and I’d have to ask my mum to drive me there and back, and when I contacted them before they said that they will only allow 2 boars in a minimum of 16sqft. This obviously is good but I would only be able to accommodate a 4x2 c&c, which I understand is the minimum for 2 pigs. I know it’s always better to size up but at this moment in time it’s not really possible and the space I have would fit a 4x2 perfectly. From my understanding, a baby should be able to bond easily as Eddie is 2 and would naturally be the dominant one. If it went wrong there is no way we could accommodate another separate cage so obviously it is risky, but I don’t think we really have another choice. Has anyone got experience of bonding a baby with an adult and did it go well?
Thank you 🐹
Click to expand...

I’ve bonded baby boys with older boys twice now and both times it’s worked out fine. But you just never know. Good luck with your bonding. 🤞🏻
 
Piggies&buns said:
You will find lots of success stories on here of bonding an adult with a baby and then that pair going on to make it long term. However because any bond comes down to character compatibility there are also going to be failures where the mix just wasn’t right - when bringing home a new piggy without the ability to date there is always going to be that risk - and it doesn’t always have to be immediate failure. Once a baby becomes a teenager there is a chance things can change and he may try for dominance which may not be well received.
It is very tricky if you don’t have space for a third cage if the bonding does fail.

Your alternative is to neuter him and then once six weeks post op safe, to bond him with a sow. A neutered boar/sow pairing tends to be more stable for the long term.
If you were going to do this, you would need to be sure the other boar is kept secure so he could not escape his cage and try to get in with the pair. (Or potentially neutered also and then having his own wife).
The other benefit of this is that a 4x2 cage is great size for a neutered boar/sow pair (it is considered beyond minimum sizing - minimum is 120x60 whereas a 4x2 c&c measures 150x70cm). Whereas a boar pair do tend to be better with a 5x2 as it gives them that little more territory which can really help
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for the advice. I contacted another rescue that’s fairly close and they have just had lots of babies born and they do bonding so I’m going to check back in a few weeks 🤞
 
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