Bonding At The Potteries Rescue

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Sian25

Sian25

Adult Guinea Pig
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I have 2 boars that live side by side in c&c cages as they don't get along enough to live together. I have wanted to get them both a cage mate for a while but never really understood the bonding process at rescues and the whole thing worries me.

The potteries rescue is just over an hours drive away which is okay. Does anyone know the process for bonding pigs? Do I have to leave them there? If so, how long for and my pigs are indoor pigs, will they be housed outside while they're living there? What happens if they start to fight overnight? I'm guessing no one will be there to separate them.
 
I have had a look on their website ...

Guinea Pig Bonding / Behaviour advice

The information below has come directly from their website ...

Bonding procedure


Email me your situation.


If we have a companion available, a visit is arranged and you bring your Guinea Pig with you,so we can introduce the prospective couple to one another.We will of course check your set up and a home check may be required.


Allow 1 hour for your visit, if all goes well you can take your adopted Guinea Pig away with you with full instructions on post bonding care. People travel from all over the region to the rescue.Occasionally we may ask you to leave your Guinea Pig with us for a few days,this will be discussed at the time.











 
Thank you @PiggyOwner I did look on their website but couldn't find anything haha.

I would absolutely love to see them each with a friend. The only other thing I'm worried about is the possibility of them having a fall out afterwards and I would then end up with 4 single boars that I don't have the space for.. I wouldn't be able to take the pig back to the rescue, I would be too attached and believe once you get a pet, it's for life. I've got some serious thinking to do
 
Sian25 said:
Thank you @PiggyOwner I did look on their website but couldn't find anything haha.

I would absolutely love to see them each with a friend. The only other thing I'm worried about is the possibility of them having a fall out afterwards and I would then end up with 4 single boars that I don't have the space for.. I wouldn't be able to take the pig back to the rescue, I would be too attached and believe once you get a pet, it's for life. I've got some serious thinking to do
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I think it would be worth emailing The Potteries and discussing it with them . They will more than likely explain the likelihood of future fall outs. The only other option is to have your boars neutered and pair them with a sow each. I would only ever consider having a boar neutered by an experienced, Guinea Pig Savvy vet .
 
It's a tough decision @Piggy owner

Do you know how risky the neutering process is by any chance? I'm not sure I could put them through it as I would worry like mad. If my boars where completely lonely, the decision to get a companion would be easier to make but they do like floor time together and they are living in a 4x4 cage with a divider down the middle so they can see eachother. I'll just have to weigh up the pros and cons
 
I've got a solo boar, he fell out with his mate (they were supposedly bonded, yeah right), we were going to have him neutered but it was causing me a lot of anxiety so we didn't bother, he's living next to a two tiered cage with three girls and two boars. He gets a nice 2x5 to himself lol. The other problem is, he doesn't like other boars :doh:
 
Sian25 said:
It's a tough decision @Piggy owner

Do you know how risky the neutering process is by any chance? I'm not sure I could put them through it as I would worry like mad. If my boars where completely lonely, the decision to get a companion would be easier to make but they do like floor time together and they are living in a 4x4 cage with a divider down the middle so they can see eachother. I'll just have to weigh up the pros and cons
Click to expand...

Oh, I agree it's a tough decision.

Ayemee kindly ran a thread when she had her boar neutered ...

Hendricks Neutering Thread

I had a bad experience of having boars neutered when I went to a local vet who assured me they had experience and a good success rate. Unfortunately, one of my boars developed an abscess within weeks of having the op - and the other (Max) 6 months later . I had changed vets by the time Max had developed his abscess and my new vet treated Max successfully.

This hasn't put me off keeping neutered boars - but would only ever go to a vet who I genuinely know is experienced in Guinea Pig surgery.
 
Boar bonding can be a roller coaster but it can also be really rewarding. I took the decision to have a 'boar only' household a while ago and so I have to explore boar dating after a bereavement or a fall out. If the boar dating is done carefully eg by the Potteries, there is a good chance it will work out. As PiggyOwner says- really worth ringing Potteries and discussing the options. They will want to know about the personalities of the your boys so try to have think about the behaviours you have seen from your boys which may give clues to what partner would suit them.
Neutering is certainly another route but as PiggyOwner says you need confidence in your vet but people on here can help recommend if needed. Good luck - try and see it as a new chapter for your boys. Not all boys do have the same partner through their lives - it just doesn't work out like that.
 
I too would recommend that you phone or email Helen who runs @The Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue who will be more than happy to offer you advise and help you in anyway that she can.

I went along to the Potteries with my now passed piggies Eliza and neutered boar Enoch to bond them with a pair of new friends to make a foursome. After just a couple of hours, I was bringing my new piggies home.
 
I would speak to the rescue and discuss things with them. Than take it from there. They may also be able to give you contacts for the vet they are using to have their own single boars neutered. Otherwise, if you want to go down the neutering route after having spoken to them, you could make use of our recommended vets locator or ask on here; finding a good neutering vet is certainly worth travelling further afield.

My Bedo (neutered) is from the Potteries; I went to date him at the rescue with my three highest ranked and/or most difficult to bond sows. However, sow and mixed gender bonding differs from boar-boar bonding; whch is the reason why by far not all rescues offer full boar dating.
 
I would speak to the rescue and discuss things with them. Than take it from there. They may also be able to give you contacts for the vet they are using to have their own single boars neutered. Otherwise, if you want to go down the neutering route after having spoken to them, you could make use of our recommended vets locator or ask on here; finding a good neutering vet is certainly worth travelling further afield.

My Bedo (neutered) is from the Potteries; I went to date him at the rescue with my three highest ranked and/or most difficult to bond sows. However, sow and mixed gender bonding differs from boar-boar bonding; whch is the reason why by far not all rescues offer full boar dating.
 
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