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arnie squeak

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Hi All

Just after a bit of advice really on how to keep my lone guinea happy and entertained. He is by himself because he doesn't like other pigs of any shape, colour or sex, I think he was born grumpy. He loves my collie dog and talks to her all day, they sit nose to nose at the cage.

He has a 2 story palace, big enough to store to small people in if I so desired. Currently he has a tunnel, a tube, 3 balls, a pouch thing that he doesn't like because it has strange crinkly material inside and a hay net. I think that when the dog is in the house he might get a bit bored in his palace so was just wondering if anyone could think of what more I could give him to keep him entertained. he is a very friendly happy piggie, just not towards other piggies.
THanks
 
i have 3 lone guinea pigs but i have their cages next to each other so they can see each other, but have you tried putting the other guinea pigs cage near to the lone one, so he can actually see them, but not get to them if you know what i mean?
 
It is really worth taking him on the boar dating service. That way he can choose his own friend. If he does not choose anybody at least you have not lost anything but I have heard of so many difficult to bond piggies making a true friend that way.
 
I would also recommend boardating but I appreciate that you may have already tried this so with regards keeping him entertained : you really can't go wrong with paper bags ( brown - unbleached ) piggies go nuts for them, just cut a hole in the end so he can use it like a tunnel. Also, sounds simple but mine can get hours of fun out of a sheet of newspaper, whether folded into a tent shape or flat. :(|)
I also make lots of little fleece cushions, all different shapes and sizes for mine - they love hiding in them and re-arranging them to suit their own personal tastes!:))
 
I have tried him with other piggies, he hasn't liked them since he was born, his is quite happy with a dog for company, he even disliked the guinea pig shaped teddy I had, there is no hope for him but I love him anyway. Also, none of the other animals in my house are normal so he would be the odd one out if he actually did what a normal guinea pig should do.

Thanks AndreaJane for your suggestions, I will find a brown bag from somewhere to see what he does with it, he does like tunnels so it could be a good one for him to try. He does like fleece things as well so I will make him some fleecy things and see what that does.
 
Paper bags with some hay or veg inside.
Scrunched up newspaper balls - some people put bits of veg inside for them to find, but I haven't tried it myself.
Cardboard boxes make great hideys and to throw about.
Toilet roll holders stuffed with hay.
Treat balls - a ball that you can put their nuggets in rather than using a boring old bowl, where's the sport in that?! :))
Scatter veg around the cage rather than feeding from a bowl keeps him busy foraging.
A pile of hay to eat and bury into, piggies love it!

HTH
 
Thanks for all those suggestions, he gets scatter fed his veg over the 2 levels of his palace already, if I put it in one place it is gone in seconds and he gets very fat so I tend to hide it in tunnels and throw it down his ramp which keeps him busy for ages searching for it. I will try the newspaper this evening as I seem to have a small mountain of the stuff at the moment.
 
I tried the newspaper, I made balls out of it and paper sticks with it and he hasn't touched any of it. I got him a mirror which he has shown sligh interest in but not much. SO the only think I can say for definite that he likes is tunnels so I think I will get myself to the carpet place down the road and see if they have an cardboard inner tubes from the carpet rolls and make him a maze of tunnels. and seen as he likes dogs so much I thought i might get him a dog teddy and see what he does with it.
 
I appreciate the problem you are having with your lone boar. I have one boar who also lives on his own despite my best efforts. He loves me but he has hated all the potential friends I've found for him even other baby boars. I too put a guinea pig teddy in with him hoping it would provide distraction whilst the bonding process took place but he just got really frustrated with it!

He's 7 years old now though, probably nearing 7 1/2 so I imagine if I did manage to find him a friend they wouldn't be together long and then I'd have a lone guinea pig all over again.

I haven't really got any more suggestions, my piggies all love paper bags, that's definitely a good tip!
 
Thanks NatalieMT, good to know I am not the only one with a lone boar. He is very happy being by himself, he is 4 years old now and quite content with bimbling along by himself, I just wanted to try and enrich his day to day life a bit but I think he is going to turn his nose up at everything except the dog and tunnels. But as long as he is happy thats all that matters.
 
arnie squeak said:
I tried the newspaper, I made balls out of it and paper sticks with it and he hasn't touched any of it. I got him a mirror which he has shown sligh interest in but not much. SO the only think I can say for definite that he likes is tunnels so I think I will get myself to the carpet place down the road and see if they have an cardboard inner tubes from the carpet rolls and make him a maze of tunnels. and seen as he likes dogs so much I thought i might get him a dog teddy and see what he does with it.
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Have you tried wrapping up pieces of veg in the newspaper to make it more enticing? Paper bags with hay in them entertain my piggies no end. :)) They are great makeshift caves with food in them to boot.

The tunnel maze and teddy sound like great ideas. :)
 
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