Lonely Piggy

[waughy123]

Hello all

As some of you may already know I bought myself a boar guinea pig named Percy back in December. He lives on his own and I thought he was perfectly happy but recently his behavior has changed. He has turned aggressive and very depressed looking when in his cage.

I am considering buying a new companion for Percy but since he is a boar I understand that bonding is difficult.

Percy is just under a year old and hasn't shown any sign of dominance since I got him.

What should I do? And if I was to buy another guinea pig, what would be the best age to get?

Many thanks

waughy123

 

[Wiebke]

Hello all

As some of you may already know I bought myself a boar guinea pig named Percy back in December. He lives on his own and I thought he was perfectly happy but recently his behavior has changed. He has turned aggressive and very depressed looking when in his cage.

I am considering buying a new companion for Percy but since he is a boar I understand that bonding is difficult.

Percy is just under a year old and hasn't shown any sign of dominance since I got him.

What should I do? And if I was to buy another guinea pig, what would be the best age to get?

Many thanks

waughy123

Please contact North East Guinea Pig Rescue to help find Percy a friend of his own choice. Layla, the rescue lady, is very experienced and you will have the guarantee that you only come home with a friend if there has been success. This way, you can maximise the chances of finding "Mr Right" at the least risk of you ending up with two guinea pigs that don't get on. You will also always have the rescue to turn to.

http://www.northeastguineapigrescue.co.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/NegprNorthEastGuineaPigRescueAdoptionPage

 

[Critter]

I'm going to tag @Wiekbe

edit:.... ooops, Wiekbe posted a second before me!

 

[Cuddles With Cavies]

I think it would be a great idea to get him a friend!

Try contacting your local shelter. Most will be able to pair your boy with one of their own based on behaviour and temperament. Some also offer piggie dating services which allows some experienced piggie owners to supervise the introduction as with boars it can be a bit tricky!

Just remember to provide two of everything to help reduce jealously. Also throughly clean the cage to get rid of your boys smell before you put them both in together.

Hope everything goes well for you!

 

[Lilly]

You are lucky in that you have boar dating over in the UK. Piggies need a companion, they are herd animals & should not live alone. With boys you can really only pair 2 of them. As the shelters around me in OZ don't offer this service, with the first boy I got at 11 weeks, I waited until he was 7 months and then put in a request to the shelter for the first baby boy they had. That way there was at least a chance of only one boy at a time going through his stroppy teenage phase. Fortunately worked out well for the bonding of my 2. They are now 3 & 4 years old.