Baby piggy quandry

Status
Not open for further replies.
CPHill

CPHill

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jan 18, 2011
Messages
319
Reaction score
5
Points
255
Location
Somerset
Hi. I'm really struggling to decide what to do. I have 2 sows and a baby boy and girl just a week old. I'm very conscious of 3 week separation for boy so need to decide what to do.

Baby boy obviously can't be neutered for some time so will have to live on his own for some time. We could possibly get a separate temporary cage but would he be upset at being separated and lonely? Once he is neutered will he be welcomed back by the others?

Would it be better to them all to be cruel to be kind and rehome him now so he can get a new friend and live a happy life. I'm sure it will be short term pain for us all though! :(

Would welcome any experience people have had. Thanks
 
Ther of those options soound okay but you couldn't rehome him until he was 3 weeks. It's likely he would be welcomed back once neutered and if he was on his own could he be somewhere he could see the girls or in a cage with a divider as he will get upset but he will get over it. Or you could just get a new piggy rolleyes maybe a rescue old boar in need of a baby companion perhaps? :))
 
Last edited:
Hi,

I was in the same predicament a few weeks ago, I was facing having to separate my little boar, I had two other boars but sadly one died suddenly:( so I was able to pair up the boar with an adult boar so they both wouldn't be lonely:))

Have you the room to add another boar? or perhaps when you separate him have the new cage close to the mum:))
 
I'm not sure my OH would go for a 5th piggy! 3 weeks ago i didnt have any and bought 2, 1 of which turned out pregnant! I could put cage near mum but they will I guess call for each other and I don't know if that long term separation awaiting the chop, would be more upsetting than rehoming now?

Do * think boy would be reaccepted post op?

Thanks
 
If I did keep 4 together would my cage be big enough? Its 4ft by 2 ft.

Thanks
 
Hi there

13 sq ft is the minimum recommended for 4 piggies, your current cage is 8 sq ft and only big enough for a pair of adults.

This is a good website for checking out alternative caging - as well as looking through the forum's housing section sticky threads.

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

Suzy x
 
That's a tough decision, I had the same decision and I felt sorry for the baby and bought him a friend :))

I think he will be upset at being separated, but if he can still easily see the others and talk to them then he will cope until he's neutered. It won't be cruel, you have to do it.

Or you could rehome him if you want. But either way, I'm sure he'll be happy enough if he can see other pigs and has attention from you. :) It sounds like you really care.

You would need a bigger cage for all of them once they're grown up though. Check out the guineapigcages.com link, but also there are some bigger cages on www.zooplus.co.uk, like double ones and there's a double corner one. I think a double 120cm X 60cm cage would be ok, or the double corner one.
 
the minimum cage size would be 6ft x 2ft for 4 piggies. 4ft x 2ft is the minimum for 2 pigs.

I'm just going through the adoption process for a boy to join my two girls and my cage measures 5ft x 2.5ft - and that is the min for 3 pigs :)) Obviously if you can give them even more space then do so.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top