Herbietheguinealion
Junior Guinea Pig
I have been pondering once more what's best for my boys. I have posted here a few times over the last year and got some great advice but at times due to inexperience, not enough knowledge and a little to much good intentions we have ended up with our 3 lovely boys. Herbie is almost 4, Sven is about 18mths and Norman is around 7months.
Herbie was our first, and is my wife's baby. Is is a guinea lion, who has no fear, will take on all those who enter his space, he is free range... So this includes the Hoover and the dog (never alone together).
We rehomed Sven also from a p@h adoption thing as a friend for Herbert, but then found out thanks to wiebke all about boars and it turns out that herbie is quiet happy on his own with Sven next door. This was fine and after 6 months they stopped chittering at each other, and when we reintroduced them they ate and were fine for 45 mins and then started the dominance phase and we lost our nerve. I know this is wrong but with a screaming wife it's hard to reiterate a logical point, thus attempts abandoned.
Herb is fine with his arrangement but I felt Sven needed more as he is still very skittish even after nearly a year, tho he is much braver than he was.
So again I saw a 6mth old Norman needing a home and couldn't say no, thinking he was young enough that Sven could have a friend.
After his quarantine it turned out that herbie like Norman and during intros humped him silly which norm took, but he got his bum bruised and again I became the bad guy and the intros were off. The 3 boys live happily side by side and chat away all day and night, each visits the others during their floor time.
I recently spoke to a rescue who offered to take my 3 boys and try to see if they could bond them for me, by which I mean see if a pair could take to each other from the three, and if they could find a friend for the remaining little guy.
But my concerns are as follows...
Herbies health at his age with the stress of it all the rescue is 2 hrs away.
How do I transport them home if the key to success is space and new territories trigger dominance, can't use travel carriers then?
If anything happens to any of her boys, where will I love when my wife throws me out?!?
It's a reputable rescue with experience bonding guineas and they have offered to keep them for a week to ensure the bonds r secure ( as can be).
Wife currently says leave as is, the boys seem content.
I wanted to take all 3 as it helps me and the rescue and a lonely piggy find a new home, but potentially I do think herbie could be happier on his own, he's more of a people piggy.
Space wise the boys have a reasonable sized single beadroom, with most of the floor as a run accessed one at a time with their cages all round the outside.
Herbie was our first, and is my wife's baby. Is is a guinea lion, who has no fear, will take on all those who enter his space, he is free range... So this includes the Hoover and the dog (never alone together).
We rehomed Sven also from a p@h adoption thing as a friend for Herbert, but then found out thanks to wiebke all about boars and it turns out that herbie is quiet happy on his own with Sven next door. This was fine and after 6 months they stopped chittering at each other, and when we reintroduced them they ate and were fine for 45 mins and then started the dominance phase and we lost our nerve. I know this is wrong but with a screaming wife it's hard to reiterate a logical point, thus attempts abandoned.
Herb is fine with his arrangement but I felt Sven needed more as he is still very skittish even after nearly a year, tho he is much braver than he was.
So again I saw a 6mth old Norman needing a home and couldn't say no, thinking he was young enough that Sven could have a friend.
After his quarantine it turned out that herbie like Norman and during intros humped him silly which norm took, but he got his bum bruised and again I became the bad guy and the intros were off. The 3 boys live happily side by side and chat away all day and night, each visits the others during their floor time.
I recently spoke to a rescue who offered to take my 3 boys and try to see if they could bond them for me, by which I mean see if a pair could take to each other from the three, and if they could find a friend for the remaining little guy.
But my concerns are as follows...
Herbies health at his age with the stress of it all the rescue is 2 hrs away.
How do I transport them home if the key to success is space and new territories trigger dominance, can't use travel carriers then?
If anything happens to any of her boys, where will I love when my wife throws me out?!?
It's a reputable rescue with experience bonding guineas and they have offered to keep them for a week to ensure the bonds r secure ( as can be).
Wife currently says leave as is, the boys seem content.
I wanted to take all 3 as it helps me and the rescue and a lonely piggy find a new home, but potentially I do think herbie could be happier on his own, he's more of a people piggy.
Space wise the boys have a reasonable sized single beadroom, with most of the floor as a run accessed one at a time with their cages all round the outside.
