Hi, I had a pair of brothers that used to live together and then fought until blood so had to be separated. They lived side by side and often communicated. One of them unfortunately passed. I am wondering what is the best course of action for him. Should I look for another pig to live by his side? Should I attempt to introduce a new one to live with him? Should I get a pair by his side? Thanks
Hi and welcome
I am very sorry for your loss.
Depending on your rescue access and the age of your boy you have the following options:
- Living together with another boar he can find a personality match with - this can be a same age adult or a baby (with the risk of a potential fall-out when the baby hits teenage). This would ideally happen via rescue dating.
The testosterone output gradually decreases from about age 4 onwards when boars become much more easily to bond. The most difficult bonding age for boars is during teenage, especially the testosterone peak around 6-9 months.
- Neutering so he can live with a sow or two after the 6 weeks post-op safety wait. If you can't rescue date, this would be ideally be younger sows under 2 years where you have the biological urges most strong working for you. Access to a good operating vet or to a rescue with desexed sows (only a few of those in the USA and not other countries) is key.
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
- Living in a divided cage with another 'unbondable' single as his neighbour (boar or sow woud work as along as they cannot get into each other's cages.
- Living next to a pair of younger piggies (boys, girls or mixed gender with one party de-sexed).
Please take the time to think things through and have a look around to work out which of these options are viable where you live. You usually don't have all of them working out; it depends very much on rescue access (some countries have none or very few) and what is up for adoption or even dating - which is not something many rescues will offer as it is time consuming. If you would like to continue with guinea pigs, then adopting a bonded pair would be the better way forward. How old is your surviving brother?
As long as he is eating and drinking, you have the time to explore your options and to plan ahead.
Here is some more in-depth information on various aspects:
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities (contains a chapter on companionship and how to best navigate it)
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Rescues (Adoption and Dating), Shops, Breeders or Online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
