Getting Panda A New Friend (or Friends)

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Sue and Smartie

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OK, I'm after some advice here. Panda lost his life-long friend on Wednesday and he is lonely and a bit quiet. He's been eating well though.

I want to get him a companion, or maybe two - that's the first thing I want to ask about. Panda is 5 and being realistic, he won't be here forever, so should I have two new friends so that when he passes on I will not be left with one lone pig again? Is that a good plan, or would it be better to look for a single piggy pal for Panda? He has only ever shared with one pig before. If I do choose a single pig, should I look for an older pig? Would a young pig be too much for him to cope with?

I've been in touch with Erica at Little Pips, who offers residential dating. This would be ideal but I do have a worry or two. It's about an hour and a half away - would that be too long a journey for Panda? Also I would worry that he would think he's been abandoned - I don't want to cause him any extra stress. If I do take him there what can I do to make the journey easier on him?

There are more local rescues but they are not piggy specialists and don't offer dating. I have been reading the guide to introducing pigs and it has put the wind up me a bit!

What I want to do is what's best for Panda. But I am fretting a bit as to what the best would be.
 
Heyo!
Sure get him two guineapigs he will be okay! Get baby ones so he can be the boss and all should be fine1 It's and old wives tale that boars fight, they only do when a female is around :)
Good luck, Emma x
and try not to worry getting two would be good xx
 
Sue and Smartie said:
OK, I'm after some advice here. Panda lost his life-long friend on Wednesday and he is lonely and a bit quiet. He's been eating well though.

I want to get him a companion, or maybe two - that's the first thing I want to ask about. Panda is 5 and being realistic, he won't be here forever, so should I have two new friends so that when he passes on I will not be left with one lone pig again? Is that a good plan, or would it be better to look for a single piggy pal for Panda? He has only ever shared with one pig before. If I do choose a single pig, should I look for an older pig? Would a young pig be too much for him to cope with?

I've been in touch with Erica at Little Pips, who offers residential dating. This would be ideal but I do have a worry or two. It's about an hour and a half away - would that be too long a journey for Panda? Also I would worry that he would think he's been abandoned - I don't want to cause him any extra stress. If I do take him there what can I do to make the journey easier on him?

There are more local rescues but they are not piggy specialists and don't offer dating. I have been reading the guide to introducing pigs and it has put the wind up me a bit!

What I want to do is what's best for Panda. But I am fretting a bit as to what the best would be.
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The trip is not too long; I have travelled longer with guinea pigs between 7 weeks and 9 years old. My five year old Bryn travelled home with me on the train from Doncaster where I picked him up from a fosterer from his Barnsley rescue, and same age cataract girl Mali did come all the way from Keighley in Yorkshire when she urgently needed a home after failing to bond with the residential rescue herd due to a large multi-rescue action that was going on at the time.
Here are our travelling tips: Travelling with guinea pigs




Unfortunately, trios with two youngsters have a very high risk of fall-outs, fights and bullying as soon as the boys hit the teenage hormones, so it is always just one companion. As Erica is doing residential bonding; the single companion can be any age and will be a suitable companion for Panda. Unless boars can choose each other, trios and quartets should be avoided, especially if they involve younger boars; old and/or disabled/carer boars usually easier to keep in a small group, provided they can have a say on whether they are happy with it.
 
SingstarPiggies said:
Heyo!
Sure get him two guineapigs he will be okay! Get baby ones so he can be the boss and all should be fine1 It's and old wives tale that boars fight, they only do when a female is around :)
Good luck, Emma x
and try not to worry getting two would be good xx
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Hi Emma

Please be aware that after years of sorting out any number of problems with boar trios that usually end up with having to split them up (at the worst ending up with 3 single boars that won't go back together again), we DO NOT recommend them on this forum. Baby boar trios have got a fail-rate of about 90% before they reach adulthood, and trios overall fail in more cases than not. We have also had a string of failures with introducing two youngsters to an old boar as soon as the youngsters hit the teenage hormones and often start bullying the old guy.

Boars either work best in pairs or in large groups, provided in the latter case that they have got plenty of space - ideally about 1 sq metre per boar. Any small groups are particularly unstable.

The key to any successful boar bond is whether they are character compatible as adults or not; with that in mind, boars of all ages can be carfully bonded, provided they are allowed to choose each other and get on when they are being bonded.
Just sticking two or more boars together and expecting them to get on is a recipe for disaster - we see the sorry results of that often enough on here!:(

@Panda123 is booked to go to a very good rescue that offers residential boar dating at the rescue und expert and careful supervision.
 
Thank you. Will go and read the travelling guide.
I would much rather someone experienced paired him up with a new friend. I do not know what I am doing and it could go horribly wrong. Panda deserves the best, so Little Pips it shall be :)
When I told my husband about the plan he obviously wasn't listening, and he only 'got it' last night when we were talking. He was horrified at the thought of Panda going away so I will show him this thread and hopefully he will understand why I want to do it this way.
 
Sue and Smartie said:
Thank you. Will go and read the travelling guide.
I would much rather someone experienced paired him up with a new friend. I do not know what I am doing and it could go horribly wrong. Panda deserves the best, so Little Pips it shall be :)
When I told my husband about the plan he obviously wasn't listening, and he only 'got it' last night when we were talking. He was horrified at the thought of Panda going away so I will show him this thread and hopefully he will understand why I want to do it this way.
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I wish Panda all the best! It is well worth travelling. If you have got any worries about having to re-bond his companion in the not too far future, perhaps you may discuss with Erica whether it may be a consideration having the new companion neutered (provided that he is still at a good age for that), so you have got more options when you come up against the same problem again. You may then be able to look for both a boarmate or a couple of sows - although I would still strongly recommend to use a dating service! Sows can very much have their own ideas of who like, too... ;)

I have travelled the same length of time with bereaved single piggies of mine for dating at various rescues within my own reach, depending on which rescue had suitable mates ready for dating at that particular moment. Two years ago, I trekked for that time with the three top sows of my group to let them choose their new "husboar" at a rescue with a choice of two suitable candidates, and I will do the same again whenever necessary.

It has generally taken me between 1-3 piggies to find "Mr or Mrs Right" for my bereaved piggies, but I have always got a very happy bond out of it when they were allowed to find a piggy they clicked with on first sniff.
 
So your giving him to a shelter? I would at least try to introduce a boar to him. Or adopt a neutered female. I could never give my babies away!
 
SingstarPiggies said:
So your giving him to a shelter? I would at least try to introduce a boar to him. Or adopt a neutered female. I could never give my babies away!
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Panda is going to a specialist, high standard guinea pig rescue to be bonded there under expert supervision and over the course of several days with a rescue boar to make sure that the ensuing bond is as stable as a sow bond; depending on how many suitable unbonded rescue boars are up for adoption, he may meet up to three boars over the course of a week. We call this "full or residential boar dating", which not all good rescues can afford to do as it is very time consuming. But it is the by far the best and safest way of finding a suitable new companion for a bereaved boar, as it allows boars of all ages to be bonded with each other. ;)
 
SingstarPiggies said:
Oh okay. I thought you meant she was giving him up for adoption which actually really upset me. Phew that's good :)
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We never recommend to any loving owner to give up their guinea pigs unless there is really no other option for them to hang onto them and to make sure that their guinea pigs' continuing wellbeing and safety are not at risk.
 
Gosh no, really, he is a big part of our family and will be with us until the end of his days. Just hopefully with a new friend he can play and squeak with :)
He might even end up with a girlfriend as he is neutered so is not limited to matching with another boar.
 
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Sue and Smartie said:
Gosh no, really, he is a big part of our family and will be with us until the end of his days. Just hopefully with a new friend he can play and squeak with :)
He might even end up with a girlfriend as he is neutered so is not limited to matching with another boar.
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That is going to up his chances of finding a new mate or two a lot! :tu:

I hope that you will come home the very happy parents of a very happy boy!
 
If he's already neutered then you could certainly get him a pair of wife pigs, that would be very easy & you could get a couple of sows of a similar age so they will have company when he goes to the Bridge. I've just got a lovely young rescue girl for my recently bereaved sow, she was starting to hide away a bit & although eating well was definitely not the same. She wasn't keen on the neutered boar we introduced her to but seemed ok with the young sow, she's about 10 months old & she is already very friendly & loves her new friend :) Our old girl is 4 1/2 & has been running around popcorning :D
 
It's sad that Panda has lost his companion but I'm so pleased for him that you have decided to send him on a bonding session. This way he will get to meet and spend time with potential cage mates and you will get a bond that is stable and long lasting. Panda is very lucky to have such a caring slave.
 
Hopefully I will be speaking to Erica tomorrow about this. Panda has been a little more outgoing , he started vocalising again yesterday, so I think he is ready to meet some new pigs.
So am I!
 
I have spoken to Erica today. It's possible that he could go and meet some new friends next Monday :)
There is a pair of shy sows who could be strong contenders as long as they get on together. I trust Erica, she has paired up a lot of pigs and she no doubt has good instincts about who will like who.
I have seen the girls' picture and I am already in love !
 
He is there now. I am missing him a lot but he is currently in a cage next to the two sows he will (hopefully) be meeting tomorrow. I had a cuddle with them and they are very sweet.
When we got there he was hiding under the hay in his carry box, but after only a short time I could see his little nose come up and he was sniffing like mad. He was very interested in the other pigs.
Keep everything crossed for tomorrow :)
 
Tomorrow Panda will be coming home - with two new friends :) :) :)
They are 18 month old girls, currently named Eve and Tilda (I will probably rename them though). They like each other and are all getting on fine.
I am very very happy :)
 
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