StardustEcho
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi! Today I bought a pair of what I thought to be female guinea pigs. They were off an ad on gumtree. There were around 13 guinea pig pups (6-8 weeks old), 1 boar and 3 sows when I got there. They were all housed in a very small two tier outdoor hutch and my heart just broke for them. My aim had been to get two girls from what I was told was an accidental pregnancy from owners who cared very much for their guinea pigs, but that did not seem to be the case at all (I'd also been told the sexes had been separated - not the case). I know the sensible thing would have been to leave and report them but I just had too overwhelming a desire to save some of these babies. Most were being sold to a pet store later that day, but there were two females without a home. Fully aware they were likely pregnant and might need some extra TLC, I got them anyway.
Upon arriving home I set them up in a separate room from our other piggies (a neutered male/female pair) to quarantine them for three weeks and booked an appointment with the vet for the earliest they could be seen - Wednesday. Then I decided to double check the sex. I should have done it when I got them, I know and I feel so stupid about it. One is a female, but from comparing to guides and our other pigs I'm sure the other is male. I'm pretty sure the poor girl is likely pregnant anyway but I separated them into two cages. They each currently have a 4x2 C&C cage and are communicating through the bars. They can't squeeze through to each other.
I'm looking for advice on how to proceed. My aim with the two females would have been to try and introduce them to my other two as a herd, and if it didn't work out, keep them as a pair. Now I'm not sure what to do. They're around 7 weeks old so neutering the male would be a long way off. I could see if the wee girl gets along with my two and try and find the boy a buddy but I'm just not sure what the best course of action is. Both my partner and I are already head over heels in love with both of them and I just want to do right by them. Thanks to anyone who's taken the time to read this and any advice is much appreciated. They've been wheeking at each other all night and my heart is breaking.
Upon arriving home I set them up in a separate room from our other piggies (a neutered male/female pair) to quarantine them for three weeks and booked an appointment with the vet for the earliest they could be seen - Wednesday. Then I decided to double check the sex. I should have done it when I got them, I know and I feel so stupid about it. One is a female, but from comparing to guides and our other pigs I'm sure the other is male. I'm pretty sure the poor girl is likely pregnant anyway but I separated them into two cages. They each currently have a 4x2 C&C cage and are communicating through the bars. They can't squeeze through to each other.
I'm looking for advice on how to proceed. My aim with the two females would have been to try and introduce them to my other two as a herd, and if it didn't work out, keep them as a pair. Now I'm not sure what to do. They're around 7 weeks old so neutering the male would be a long way off. I could see if the wee girl gets along with my two and try and find the boy a buddy but I'm just not sure what the best course of action is. Both my partner and I are already head over heels in love with both of them and I just want to do right by them. Thanks to anyone who's taken the time to read this and any advice is much appreciated. They've been wheeking at each other all night and my heart is breaking.