“Hay-Proof” Handheld Vacuum?

[NewGuineaLad]

Hello!

I just adopted a piggy (who will hopefully have 2 friends soon!) and have been spot-cleaning his cage for poop, hay, etc. twice a day. I find vacuuming with a handheld vacuum to be much more convenient then using a mini dustpan and brush, but the handheld vacuum I currently have - while usually pretty solid - does not seem to do well with hay. It ends up becoming stuck/clogged with the hay every time.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a handheld vacuum that does well with cleaning up their Guinea pig’s poop and hay? I really just want to be able to use a handheld vacuum for spot cleaning the cage/fleece bedding without hay clogging it.

 

[Piggylove82]

A boy piggy 'having 2 friends soon', what is your plan?

 

[Siikibam]

I’m afraid I don’t have any suggestions. I used to sweep the hay and poop out. Perhaps try Amazon and see the reviews of some?

As an aside, please bear in mind that a boar trio will more often than not fail. In some cases when the boars are a lot older it can work. If they’re just going to live beside him then you’re fine. But please make sure you go in eyes open

 

[NewGuineaLad]

A boy piggy 'having 2 friends soon', what is your plan?

I am in contact with a rescue, have explained I have a single male, and we are bringing him in to meet the 2 others (they used to be a trio but the other Guinea phi had special needs and was taken in by one of the workers as a result) which they are helping to facilitate. If they do not bond he will remain a single Guinea pig for now until I can find him a suitable companion with their assistance.

 

[NewGuineaLad]

I’m afraid I don’t have any suggestions. I used to sweep the hay and poop out. Perhaps try Amazon and see the reviews of some?

As an aside, please bear in mind that a boar trio will more often than not fail. In some cases when the boars are a lot older it can work. If they’re just going to live beside him then you’re fine. But please make sure you go in eyes open

I am aware - the rescue is also aware and we are bringing him in to meet them (which they are helping to facilitate) to see if it will work or not before any adoption would ever happen. I’m prepared for it to not work out, in which case they are going to wait and assist until we find him a suitable companion. (:

 

[Piggylove82]

I am in contact with a rescue, have explained I have a single male, and we are bringing him in to meet the 2 others (they used to be a trio but the other Guinea phi had special needs and was taken in by one of the workers as a result) which they are helping to facilitate. If they do not bond he will remain a single Guinea pig for now until I can find him a suitable companion with their assistance.

How old is your solo pig? Past maturity? If not I believe it can be a testing time for even a pair, never mind a trio, when they reach their teenage years.

Not meaning to sound negative. Just always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to stability of piggy relationships. Let us know how it all goes.

 

[NewGuineaLad]

How old is your solo pig? Past maturity? If not I believe it can be a testing time for even a pair, never mind a trio, when they reach their teenage years.

Not meaning to sound negative. Just always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to stability of piggy relationships. Let us know how it all goes.

He is about a year old, the other 2 are likely a few months older then him.

I didn’t take it as trying to be negative, no worries! I was hoping it would go well but wanted to see how they all are together since it seems trios of boars are uncommon for good reasons.

I have the other 2 guinea pigs with me (I didn’t adopt them, we are seeing if they will bond or not) who are usually pretty shy. I had all 3 in a neutral location for several hours and tried to follow what I read about letting them “work it out” as they establish a hierarchy and was keeping an eye on how they acted with one another as it all happened. The one typically shy pig ended up being the clear dominant. Lots of teeth chattering at the start and the dominant one periodically would chase my guinea pig around even after several hours with him looking anxious. It is looking like they are not a fit and I am letting the rescue know what I observed.

The rescue is now telling me that trios or larger groups of boars are more common now, and that people saying otherwise usually are using too small of an area/cage or have inaccurate information. From what I have read on here and other reputable websites, that seems like false information.

 

[Piggies&buns]

He is about a year old, the other 2 are likely a few months older then him.

I didn’t take it as trying to be negative, no worries! I was hoping it would go well but wanted to see how they all are together since it seems trios of boars are uncommon for good reasons.

I have the other 2 guinea pigs with me (I didn’t adopt them, we are seeing if they will bond or not) who are usually pretty shy. I had all 3 in a neutral location for several hours and tried to follow what I read about letting them “work it out” as they establish a hierarchy and was keeping an eye on how they acted with one another as it all happened. The one typically shy pig ended up being the clear dominant. Lots of teeth chattering at the start and the dominant one periodically would chase my guinea pig around even after several hours with him looking anxious. It is looking like they are not a fit and I am letting the rescue know what I observed.

The rescue is now telling me that trios or larger groups of boars are more common now, and that people saying otherwise usually are using too small of an area/cage or have inaccurate information. From what I have read on here and other reputable websites, that seems like false information.

Boar trios aren’t common. Most often the attempts we have coming through the forum are thrown together pet shop trios as a result of people receiving poor advice upon purchase and being told it’ll be fine to have that many together in this type of cage.
The other thing is somebody having a bonded pair and then wanting another piggy, going out and buying another and then finding out they don’t get on.
Some boar trios do function, they can occur but it is usually in piggies who are very laid back, have chosen to be together, or are older/carer groups and testosterone has fizzled out.

The main reason they fail is because they find it very hard to reach a functioning hierarchy - usually you end up with two dominant boars who will fight, or the third one being bullied/left out.
Trios and quartets can fail because there just aren’t enough piggies to spread out any tensions.

However, space is a major factor and it is something we always advise on to anybody attempting a boar trio or more. You ideally need a cage covering at least one square metre per piggy to provide enough one with enough territory - so for a trio a minimum of a 3 square metre cage (300x100cm cage which is around a 9x3 c&c). That alone is not going to make any difference if they are not compatible though.

However larger bachelor boar groups can happen but you need a considerable number of boars - around 6 being a minimum and then of course a big enough space, they would be getting into needing need free roam of a whole room by the time you had that many to provide enough territory.

 

[Piggylove82]

I had a successful trio of a neutered boar who lost his wifelet and who I bonded to a pair of females I had. They were sometimes a threesome, sometimes a 1+2 or a (2+1 ) of varying combinations but no one was excluded, bullied or left out. It worked well.

If you want a trio, have the rescue got a pair of girls you could try?

 

[NewGuineaLad]

Boar trios aren’t common. Most often the attempts we have coming through the forum are thrown together pet shop trios as a result of people receiving poor advice upon purchase and being told it’ll be fine to have that many together in this type of cage.
The other thing is somebody having a bonded pair and then wanting another piggy, going out and buying another and then finding out they don’t get on.
Some boar trios do function, they can occur but it is usually in piggies who are very laid back, have chosen to be together, or are older/carer groups and testosterone has fizzled out.

The main reason they fail is because they find it very hard to reach a functioning hierarchy - usually you end up with two dominant boars who will fight, or the third one being bullied/left out.
Trios and quartets can fail because there just aren’t enough piggies to spread out any tensions.

However, space is a major factor and it is something we always advise on to anybody attempting a boar trio or more. You ideally need a cage covering at least one square metre per piggy to provide enough one with enough territory - so for a trio a minimum of a 3 square metre cage (300x100cm cage which is around a 9x3 c&c). That alone is not going to make any difference if they are not compatible though.

However larger bachelor boar groups can happen but you need a considerable number of boars - around 6 being a minimum and then of course a big enough space, they would be getting into needing need free roam of a whole room by the time you had that many to provide enough territory.

Thank you for explaining everything so well - I greatly appreciate it. My C&C cage is 2x6 so it is definitely not big enough for a trio, then.

I did the recommended steps for attempting to bond - neutral space, hay, and the blanket covering the area was clean. I let them “do their thing” for several hours and limited my interference except when I thought it was at the point where the one boar looked as if he may aggress/was escalating.

Overall, I did not get the impression they will work as a trio. Peanut, who is my current Guinea pig, seemed incredibly anxious (in the week I’ve had him he seems to normally be a bit skittish but also is a friendly and curious little guy) and either the one dominant boar was establishing dominance (sometimes to the pig he was already bonded with, but mostly towards Peanut). The rescue is telling me to give them a bit of time together in a neutral area each day and that they can bond over time, but my gut is saying I should tell them they don’t seem like they will work as a trio and continue on with him as a solo pig for now until I can find him another single male pig that he bonds with. Is there any hope or should I tell the rescue it is not seeming to work?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you for explaining everything so well - I greatly appreciate it. My C&C cage is 2x6 so it is definitely not big enough for a trio, then.

I did the recommended steps for attempting to bond - neutral space, hay, and the blanket covering the area was clean. I let them “do their thing” for several hours and limited my interference except when I thought it was at the point where the one boar looked as if he may aggress/was escalating.

Overall, I did not get the impression they will work as a trio. Peanut, who is my current Guinea pig, seemed incredibly anxious (in the week I’ve had him he seems to normally be a bit skittish but also is a friendly and curious little guy) and either the one dominant boar was establishing dominance (sometimes to the pig he was already bonded with, but mostly towards Peanut). The rescue is telling me to give them a bit of time together in a neutral area each day and that they can bond over time, but my gut is saying I should tell them they don’t seem like they will work as a trio and continue on with him as a solo pig for now until I can find him another single male pig that he bonds with. Is there any hope or should I tell the rescue it is not seeming to work?

You can’t bond boars a little each day. If you put them together and then repeatedly separate them all that does is interrupt the process every single time and put them back to the beginning for every single meeting. Not only is that stressful, it’s also not how boars bond.
For boars bonding is an all or nothing, one time thing seen through to conclusion on that one day.

A 2x6 is over just a little over recommended size for two boars (two needing a 2x5). Boars need more room than sows so normal cage sizing requirements when attempting a trio go out the window - i would not attempt three boars in a 2x6.

It’s not always about whether an outright fight occurs (although that is always a clear sign), if Boar trios are difficult - you’re lucky it seems only one wants to be dominant (usually the issue occurs when two want to be) but only you can gauge Peanut’s reaction. If you weren’t feeling comfortable with the behaviours, then you need to trust what you saw

 

[NewGuineaLad]

You can’t bond boars a little each day. If you put them together and then repeatedly separate them all that does is interrupt the process every single time and put them back to the beginning for every single meeting. Not only is that stressful, it’s also not how boars bond.
For boars bonding is an all or nothing, one time thing seen through to conclusion on that one day.

A 2x6 is over just a little over recommended size for two boars (two needing a 2x5). Boars need more room than sows so normal cage sizing requirements when attempting a trio go out the window - i would not attempt three boars in a 2x6.

It’s not always about whether an outright fight occurs (although that is always a clear sign), if Boar trios are difficult - you’re lucky it seems only one wants to be dominant (usually the issue occurs when two want to be) but only you can gauge Peanut’s reaction. If you weren’t feeling comfortable with the behaviours, then you need to trust what you saw

Thank you for clarifying that for me, from what I had read on here it seemed like bonding them a bit each day wasn’t how it worked so hearing verification of that affirmed that what I was told by them is incorrect.

The seeing it through to conclusion that I tried to do 2 days ago lead me to the conclusion that Peanut and one of the other boars will remain test-y, and if it were to get worse I could see one of them getting hurt which I do not want.

I am going to let them know today that, while I love the 2 Guinea pigs, I do not think they will work as a trio and will not go forward to adopt them.

Thank you again for all of the helpful information!

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry that it didn’t work out but glad that it wasn’t so extreme a situation as it could potentially have been.

Do you have the option to have the two living as your boy’s neighbour? If not, I hope you can find him a friend soon.