We lost one of our guineas this morning, very suddenly (UTI?) We have his brother, they have always been together. We are concerned that he will be lonely. Should we get him a new one? Should we do it right away, or wait a bit? Any hints on introducing a new fellow to our lonely guy? He's about two years old.
Does he need a new friend?
- Thread starter lsertv
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piggyfan
The best thing for him would be the boar dating service. He would be able to chose his own friend. This should be done soon to stop him from being lonely.
liquorice allsorts
Adult Guinea Pig
i think it is done via rescue, but you should wait to make sure your remaining guinea pig has nt got anything that could be passed on, about three weeks, i think, but it is possible to get a very young pig, male , or neutered female, and introduce carefully, they do get lonely on their own, and are a sociable pet, sorry by the way you have lost one
Hi! I am sorry for your loss!
If you can, try to find a reputable guinea pig rescue within your reach that allows you to take your bereaved boar to meet possible candidates and "boar date" them. That way, you can take sympathy and character compatibility into account and will hopefully end up with a stable and enduring pair.
If you could please give us your area, we may be able to give yo recommendations or can at least point you towards rescues. Not all rescues will allow you to bring your piggy, so you may have to ring round a bit.
I have piggy dated bereaved piggies of mine several times with excellent success - I always got a very loving friendship out of it! It works for piggies of all ages. In addition, you do not run the risk of ending up with two boys who won't get on as a good rescue will always take back their piggy if things don't work out for some reason.
A piggy is usually in deep mourning for a few days, but you may find that he is over the worst by the weekend, so anytime from Saturday onwards should be fine; as long as you are!
Here is Suzy's boar dating thread. She runs a rescue in South Wales; that will hopefully give you an idea. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=59233
If you can, try to find a reputable guinea pig rescue within your reach that allows you to take your bereaved boar to meet possible candidates and "boar date" them. That way, you can take sympathy and character compatibility into account and will hopefully end up with a stable and enduring pair.
If you could please give us your area, we may be able to give yo recommendations or can at least point you towards rescues. Not all rescues will allow you to bring your piggy, so you may have to ring round a bit.
I have piggy dated bereaved piggies of mine several times with excellent success - I always got a very loving friendship out of it! It works for piggies of all ages. In addition, you do not run the risk of ending up with two boys who won't get on as a good rescue will always take back their piggy if things don't work out for some reason.
A piggy is usually in deep mourning for a few days, but you may find that he is over the worst by the weekend, so anytime from Saturday onwards should be fine; as long as you are!
Here is Suzy's boar dating thread. She runs a rescue in South Wales; that will hopefully give you an idea. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=59233
dylansmummy
Junior Guinea Pig
hi we are in the same position as you, dylan is 5 and we wanted time to grieve but dyl is lonely so we are putting our upset aside and rang the potteries guinea pig rescue its in stoke they have a web site and they do boar dating if its in your area you could give them a ring they are such lovely people and were so helpful they explained that we needed a baby between 4 weeks and 6 weeks and fingers crossed he will have a friend soon.
Hope your guinea pig is ok and your not to upset know how it feels like you are replacing them when they have only just gone but your not your donig whats best for your remaining piggy.
Hope your guinea pig is ok and your not to upset know how it feels like you are replacing them when they have only just gone but your not your donig whats best for your remaining piggy.
I'm in the US - Alabama to be exact. These poor fellows survived an EF5 Tornado last spring, and now this... Others are telling me it's difficult to introduce a new friend because they can be so territorial. Any thoughts out there?
doglovinpiggylover
Senior Guinea Pig
aww I'm sorry for your loss, good luck in your search x
Thanks, I've come up with a couple of good leads, to places that do GP rescue work, and can hopefully help us find a new friend for Doodles. Now - to see if I can break up the Alabama clay in the backyard enough to get him buried back there. DH is out of town.
CandyFloss
Senior Guinea Pig
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So sorry to hear about your piggy passing suddenly.
I hope you can find a suitable friend for his brother and wish you well in your search
x
I hope you can find a suitable friend for his brother and wish you well in your search
x
I am glad that you have been able to find some guinea pig rescue places within your reach. Sadly, they are not as frequent as here in Britain (and even here it depends on where you live).
Best of luck! It it doesn't work out, try to go for a baby boar that is preferably not dominant. That would be your second best bet.
When introducing boars, take a cuddly humping toy with you to hopefully soak up some of the testosterone overload. Also make sure that your cage is totally cleaned (including walls, bars and furniture). Ideally rearrange the layout, so it is as "new" as possible for either side. Get two of each, hideys, bowls, water bottles, if necessary spaced well apart from the other same item, so nobody can go possessive. We recommend a minimum of 2x5 ft space for two boars (2x4 ft is the minimum recommendation by the British equivalent of the animal league).
Here are more tips for introductions: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562
Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have!
Best of luck! It it doesn't work out, try to go for a baby boar that is preferably not dominant. That would be your second best bet.
When introducing boars, take a cuddly humping toy with you to hopefully soak up some of the testosterone overload. Also make sure that your cage is totally cleaned (including walls, bars and furniture). Ideally rearrange the layout, so it is as "new" as possible for either side. Get two of each, hideys, bowls, water bottles, if necessary spaced well apart from the other same item, so nobody can go possessive. We recommend a minimum of 2x5 ft space for two boars (2x4 ft is the minimum recommendation by the British equivalent of the animal league).
Here are more tips for introductions: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562
Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have!
knowledgeable and experienced and I respect her immensely- Status