May have to separate

ncoopz2019

ncoopz2019

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Hi 👋
Just a question if I had to separate my piggies due to fighting can they live happily living right next to each other or will I still need to find a rescue to bond with new piggies please help I'm so worried right now
Thank you in advance
Natasha
 
Living next door to each other as single piggies is acceptable. Not everybody has the ability to cope with additional piggies but each having a new cage mate is best if at all possible.

If you were to get them each a new cage mate then doing so using the help of a rescue centre so they can choose their own friend is safest to ensure they do bond
 
Piggies&buns said:
Living next door to each other as single piggies is acceptable. Not everybody has the ability to cope with additional piggies but each having a new cage mate is best if at all possible.

If you were to get them each a new cage mate then doing so using the help of a rescue centre so they can choose their own friend is safest to ensure they do bond
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Thank you so much I'll look into every possible option 😊
 
ncoopz2019 said:
Hi 👋
Just a question if I had to separate my piggies due to fighting can they live happily living right next to each other or will I still need to find a rescue to bond with new piggies please help I'm so worried right now
Thank you in advance
Natasha
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

Very sorry that your piggies are touch and go.

When making any decisions you should consider:
- your space: do you have the option to provide enough space for two single cages that allow full interaction (voice, scent/pheromones and crucially full sight of body language for round the clock companionship and ongoing stimulation? If yes, then next door compansionship is an option.
- if you do not have the space for single cages next to each other and would have to keep your piggies (I assume that you are dealing with teenage boars?) on top of each other, pairing up each boar to provide the needed stimulation and companionship would be preferable.

Generally, having a character compatible mate is always better but not everybody can provide the wherewithal and compromises have to be found between space capacities/rescue dating or bonding access/neutering and bonding with a sow each option/financial capacities. The most important point for your piggies' long term mental health and quality of life is the constant access to full interaction/stimulation with their own kind.

Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars (including a chapter on companionship and neutering/de-sexing)
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

Very sorry that your piggies are touch and go.

When making any decisions you should consider:
- your space: do you have the option to provide enough space for two single cages that allow full interaction (voice, scent/pheromones and crucially full sight of body language for round the clock companionship and ongoing stimulation? If yes, then next door compansionship is an option.
- if you do not have the space for single cages next to each other and would have to keep your piggies (I assume that you are dealing with teenage boars?) on top of each other, pairing up each boar to provide the needed stimulation and companionship would be preferable.

Generally, having a character compatible mate is always better but not everybody can provide the wherewithal and compromises have to be found between space capacities/rescue dating or bonding access/neutering and bonding with a sow each option/financial capacities. The most important point for your piggies' long term mental health and quality of life is the constant access to full interaction/stimulation with their own kind.

Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars (including a chapter on companionship and neutering/de-sexing)
Click to expand...
Thank you for the advice I'm hoping with some moving around I'll do 2 3x2 cages next to eachother or do a 6x2 and split it down middle with own corex sheets ain't sure what to go with yet it's all happend so quick and I had a panic attack with it all last night with not much sleep so I'm struggling at the moment
 
ncoopz2019 said:
Thank you for the advice I'm hoping with some moving around I'll do 2 3x2 cages next to eachother or do a 6x2 and split it down middle with own corex sheets ain't sure what to go with yet it's all happend so quick and I had a panic attack with it all last night with not much sleep so I'm struggling at the moment
Click to expand...

Take a deep breath and don't rush into anything. Your boys will hold. Muxh better to take the time for some proper research for the best long term option. The more shared edges two singles cages have, the better. Any you do not need two separate correx trays (one big one will do). What you need is extra grids, connectors and ideally some cable ties to prevent your boys from working the dividing grids loose.

This is a picture of my flexible set up at some point (I have mostly sows with or without a neutered 'husboar', some of which are/were fallen-out boars); perhaps this can give you some more ideas?
PS: the tables are cheap Ikea tables (75-150 cm), which fit perfectly into the footprint of a 2x4 grid cage, in case you want to do more research into keeping two separate pairs.
IMG_2111_edited-1.jpg
 
Wiebke said:
Take a deep breath and don't rush into anything. Your boys will hold. Muxh better to take the time for some proper research for the best long term option. The more shared edges two singles cages have, the better. Any you do not need two separate correx trays (one big one will do). What you need is extra grids, connectors and ideally some cable ties to prevent your boys from working the dividing grids loose.

This is a picture of my flexible set up at some point (I have mostly sows with or without a neutered 'husboar', some of which are/were fallen-out boars); perhaps this can give you some more ideas?
PS: the tables are cheap Ikea tables (75-150 cm), which fit perfectly into the footprint of a 2x4 grid cage, in case you want to do more research into keeping two separate pairs.
View attachment 194903
Click to expand...
Thanks so much that set up looks amazing BTW wish I had that much room only room I have left is to probs do 6x2 for one of the cages or I can have top and bottom but I'd rather them still have interaction with each other
 
Hello and welcome to the Natasha
Sorry you are having problems with one of your boar pairs, living side by side is probably the best solution for now. Perhaps when your boars move out if those teenage months you might want to bond them with a new friend each but it’s certainly not obligatory and they will be fine living side by side 😀
 
Bill & Ted said:
Hello and welcome to the Natasha
Sorry you are having problems with one of your boar pairs, living side by side is probably the best solution for now. Perhaps when your boars move out if those teenage months you might want to bonded them with a new friend each but it’s certainly not obligatory and they will be fine living side bus side
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Helen is this you and gunna have to do something finding this really hard to point scared to go to work tomorrow but side by side is definitely more what I am aiming for
 
ncoopz2019 said:
Thanks so much that set up looks amazing BTW wish I had that much room only room I have left is to probs do 6x2 for one of the cages or I can have top and bottom but I'd rather them still have interaction with each other
Click to expand...

You won’t be able to do one on top and one at the bottom, because as single piggies they do need to be side by side.

If I remember rightly, you have another pair.
You could stack c&c cages -
make two 6x2 cages.
Have one 6x2 cage on top for the pair to live in.
Split the bottom cage into two 3x2 cages so the two single boys can still live side by side
 
Piggies&buns said:
You won’t be able to do one on top and one at the bottom, because as single piggies they do need to be side by side.

If I remember rightly, you have another pair.
You could stack c&c cages -
make two 6x2 cages.
Have one 6x2 cage on top for the pair to live in.
Split the bottom cage into two 3x2 cages so the two single boys can still live side by side
Click to expand...
That sounds like a good idea I'll talk to my husband about that how would I make that safer for the top 2 would I use a catering table or something
 
Piggies&buns said:
Stacked c&c cages can be done just with grids, cable ties and support bars.
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Have you got a link for the support bars I'm not 100 percent what I'm looking at please thanks so much for your support it does mean alot
 
ncoopz2019 said:
Have you got a link for the support bars I'm not 100 percent what I'm looking at please thanks so much for your support it does mean alot
Click to expand...

Pieces of wood can work.

I had a cage kit at one point which came with support bars. It was actually for a lid in my case but it was the same bars as ones used for stacked cages from this company candcguineapigcages
 
Piggies&buns said:
Pieces of wood can work.

I had a cage kit at one point which came with support bars. It was actually for a lid in my case but it was the same bars as ones used for stacked cages from this company candcguineapigcages
Click to expand...
 
ncoopz2019 said:
Helen is this you and gunna have to do something finding this really hard to point scared to go to work tomorrow but side by side is definitely more what I am aiming for
Click to expand...
It is me yes 😊 I’m known as Jane on here my name is Helen Jane I don’t really use Helen only when I need to use it with things involving bank accounts etc x
 
When mine were in a stacked cage, I bought two lengths of wood and just passed them through the grids lengthways. I felt that offered more support than the (two) support bars. But it may have just been me being a little OTT with supporting the upper level.
 
Siikibam said:
When mine were in a stacked cage, I bought two lengths of wood and just passed them through the grids lengthways. I felt that offered more support than the (two) support bars. But it may have just been me being a little OTT with supporting the upper level.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your advice piggies still pushing there luck but I am monitoring them closely to see how they are but they will still lay together eating at times so maybe bond is there still slightly so will see how it goes before making any rash decisions
 
Bill & Ted said:
It is me yes 😊 I’m known as Jane on here my name is Helen Jane I don’t really use Helen only when I need to use it with things involving bank accounts etc x
Click to expand...
ncoopz2019 said:
Aww that's lovely I love the double barrel name x
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@Bill & Ted ’s a ninja spy really I think! :bal::))

Really hope your boys calm down and you can keep them together 🤞:)
 
Claire W said:
Yes, they will be absolutely fine living next door ro each other for stimulation and company
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Hello I’m having a similar problem, do you think having them live one above the other will be ok and then when they have playtime in the evenings they can see each other? I’m quite limited on space too!
 
PebbsPigs said:
Hello I’m having a similar problem, do you think having them live one above the other will be ok and then when they have playtime in the evenings they can see each other? I’m quite limited on space too!
Click to expand...
It’s always best to start your own thread. Posting on an older thread can mean your post is gobbled up.

It is always better for piggies to live alongside each other if they can’t live together. Only seeing each other during floor time is unfortunately not enough. Communication is about more than sharing space - there’s body language and scent as well.

Being as she has been on her own, she may not know how to communicate or ‘be’ a ‘normal’ piggy. Having said that, 9 months isn’t as bad. Please do try and give her the companionship she needs, even if through the bars.

How big is their cage and is it possible to split it so there’s room for the pair and your single? A single/pair of sows need minimum 120x60cm. If you have that size of cage for the single then you have ample space to find her a friend to live with. If space on one floor is at a premium then you could consider stacking your cages (once the newbie is bonded with another piggy). If it’s a commercial, you could use a table to house one above the other.

If you decide to find her a friend, it would be much better for you to take her dating (at a rescue) so she can choose her own friend. It can sometimes take some piggies a couple of tries to find the right friend. Have a read of the guide I’ve linked to below about single piggies.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-forum-recommended-rescues.196734/
 
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