Advice For A Pair Of Solo Piggies.

[Jeniva]

Hey guys. So back last summer I bought two boars from pets at home. They ended up really really not getting along at all. One ended up with loads of abscesses which i wasn't sure was from fighting or not as he had no puncture wounds. Anyway they were split up whilst he was undergoing treatment and tried to reintroduce them when he was healthy. Unfortunately they would never go back together. I tried on another occasion as well and it just wasn't happening. So now I have two separate boars. I had them both indoors over the winter in two cages side by side and they loved chatting to each other. However now it's summer they've been chucked outside as my room gets ridiculously boiling in the sun. I had a large hutch for two or 3 guineas and have bought one for a single guinea - they also have two good size runs and go side by side but at night their hutches have to be stacked so they can't see each other.
Anyway. I would love for at least one of them to have a friend but I'm afraid of getting another piggie and it being rejected by them and I simply can't have a third set up.
They're both about 1 year old now - neither has been castrated and I want to keep it that way. One (Chewie) is extremely hyperactive and very sociable, he loves people. He popcorns a lot and generally runs around being a full on nutter 99% of the time. He kept humping the other guinea (Han) and Han wasn't happy about that biting Chewie in return.
Han is a calmer one, he rarely popcorns and I rarely see him running about though he does sometimes. He's a bit of a lump and is just generally very placid. if you get him out he will sit on you unmoving until he needs to pee where as Chewie want's to jump all over you and lick you to death.
They are virtually opposites in personality.

I'm just looking for some advice on how you can find a guinea a new friend and maybe test them out before committing to owning that piggie. I would not want to get one, he get rejected from them and have to re-home him, but as I say I cannot get a third setup. Or would it be best just to keep them on their own?

 

[rosie and bramble]

The best way to get this right would be to go to a rescue that can do oar dating, that way they will find a happy match and will try as many piggies until it is right, it also means you know that piggie is fit and well and can return to rescue if for some reason you can not keep it. You will also have plenty of support too!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! We have got a good standard rescue locator on the top bar. The dedicated guinea pig rescues usually offer dating for a character compatible piggy under expert supervision at the rescue and they will also support you if things don't work out down the line for some reason, so you won't end up with yet another single boar to provide for at any point. Boars that have been in a bloody bites fight won't usually go back together. As you will only come home with a new friend if there has been success, going rescue is by far the safest and least risky way for you and your two boys to find a new boarmate.
Your two closest recommendable rescues are Hazelcroft in St Albans or Heathlands Animal Sanctuary in Royston.

If you have got access to a good piggy savvy operating vet (which is crucial to cut down on the risk of especially post op complications like yet more abscesses), you could consider having your boys neutered and bonded with a sow each. You will have to factor in a full 6 weeks post op wait until your boys are 100% safe to go with a girl. I have the surprise baby from a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post op boar living with me, just to prove that particular point. The recommended rescues also require a 6 weeks wait to protect any sows they are rehoming, considering that all sows undergo a mandatory 10 weeks pregnancy watch at the rescue to make sure that there are no unplanned surprises for any new owners! Again, I would recommend dating at the rescue to make sure the piggies like each other, which will make for a much happier relationship. Cross gender bonds, once initial acceptance has happened, are the most stable of piggy bonds.
You can find the contact details for the rescues here: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/

 

[Jeniva]

I'll look into them though they do still seem quite far away
It would be nice for them to have a girlfriend each but the one who had abscesses underwent two ops and I just don't want to put him through any more ops - he also had a nasty post op infection. feel the poor mite has been through the works let alone having his bits chopped!

 

[Jeniva]

Just a quick update. I contacted Heathlands - they don't do boar dating and the person who replied to me didn't seem to know much about guinea pigs, she asked a colleague about boys and said they shouldn't live together at all...so it seems this rescue isn't very informative over guinea pigs - they also don't have any in at the moment.

 

[Wiebke]

Just a quick update. I contacted Heathlands - they don't do boar dating and the person who replied to me didn't seem to know much about guinea pigs, she asked a colleague about boys and said they shouldn't live together at all...so it seems this rescue isn't very informative over guinea pigs - they also don't have any in at the moment.

Sorry about that; they are a multi-species rescue as far as I know and only associated with the Piggy Bank rescues. If hazelcroft also hasn't got any suitable boys in (they are a very small guinea pig rescue), then you might want to look into neutering as an alternative.