Single Boar Advice Please..

[TrevsHere]

Hi everyone,
I didn’t intended on ending up a Guinea slave but here I am. Also finding myself worrying about everything. So I rescued a Boar from someone that was just constantly using him for breeding. He was living alone in a small hutch uncovered all year round in a garden. The hutch floor was full of holes. He was wet on the front underneath from his own pee. The wood shavings were solid with poo and wee. He didn’t have regular veggies or water and was being fed the pic and mix style food.

I brought him home with the hutch he was in as I had nothing else and put him in the garden. This was on Friday. Since then I’ve brought him an indoor cage, proper nuggets and some toys ect. Given him a new name and Trev now lives with us in the front room. He’s very nervous (I know this is to be expected). He is very tame and not skittish. I’ve no idea how old he is.

When he first came to me he wasn’t pooping but this was sorted with fresh veggies and constant access to fresh water. I have been advised he needs to stay as a lone pig due to how he’s been treated and that boars are hard to bond. I’m struggling with this idea. Financially I am not in the position to be getting another and ending up with two separate pigs if they don’t bond. I don’t have a rescue local to me to have him bonded either.

I was watching a few YouTube videos about Guinea pigs and when he heard them making noise he started wheeking. I just want to do the best by him and would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum and well done for rescuing him.

First, he needs hay. You only mention veg and nuggets but they are purely supplementary in the diet . A good quality hay needs to be 80% of what he eats in a day. Veg is one cup per day (just 15% of daily food intake) and nuggets (just 5% of daily food intake) is just one tablespoon per day.
Making sure he has a good amount of hay each day is vital to his gut and dental health.

Make sure you don’t introduce new veggies too quickly if he isn’t used to them. Doing so can cause digestive upsets and the gut to become imbalanced (a balanced gut relies on high fibre (hay) intake). Only introduce one new veg at a time and leave it a few days before adding more.

Lack of poop is caused by lack of food intake (and by food, we mean hay as their primarily food source).

This guide will help you

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Get into the habit of weighing him every week so you can be sure he is eating enough hay.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Second thing to do is to have him vet checked, particularly given he doesn’t sound to have had a great life. If he has never had hay, a decent diet, or proper care, you need to be sure there aren’t any medical issues caused by sitting his own urine, parasites etc, including dental problems through lack of abrasive action on the teeth.
I would suggest you also start up a fund vet which you save regularly into. Being able to get to a vet, even an emergency out of hours vet without worrying about the fees is so important. Piggies are not cheap pets unfortunately.

In terms of having a friend, yes being kept with another piggy is very important. They are highly social and do need another piggy. He does not need to stay alone.
Boars aren’t hard to bond, it’s a misconception (I’m a boar pair owner myself). They need another piggy with whom they are compatible (but that is no different to sows) and as you have touched upon, having a rescue centre help is the safest way to find a compatible friend.
However, as he has been used for breeding and is used to sows, he may reject being bonded with another boar. As a boar who has been with sows, being bonded with another boar can be seen as a demotion in status to them.
In his situation, being neutered, having the six week post surgery wait to become infertile and then being bonded with a sow may be most likely to have success.

A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)

Do ensure his cage is a minimum of 120x60cm as a welfare point. Indoor pet shop cages tend to be too small, so do check that. This minimum size applies whether he is single or has a sow friend (if he was to live with another boar, then the cage requirements are larger - two boars needing 180x60cm).

This is our rescue list - they are a few in Sussex - https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-forum-recommended-rescues.196734/

This is a collection of new owner guides which will be helpful to you

New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Well done for rescuing Trev. He’s a lucky piggy. It’s great that he’s living with you inside now. Do you have hay for him? That’s their main food. It must never run out. Veggies and 1 tablespoon of nuggets are just extras.

Can’t wait to see a picture of Trev if you’d like to share. You won’t be able to post pictures just yet until your registration is finalised.

I have two boars called Percy and Pepper. They are wonderful.

It’s not impossible to bond boars. They just need to like each other. Good luck.

 

[TrevsHere]

Hi. Sorry yes he does have hay. I make him a kind of bedroom area which I fill with fresh hay daily. He then is on woodchip at the moment which he loves to kick everywhere. I sprinkle in a small amount of pellets in the morning so he can forage for them and veg in the evening.
At the moment I’m not in the position to spend lots so I’m going to have to start a fund for him for vets etc.
As I said financially I am struggling, I just couldn’t leave him. They were rehoming all the already bonded babies and said he was just staying as he was. I couldn’t leave him. He wasn’t in with mum or the babies. Mum died due to not having food. Babies as far as I know are rehomed.
My closest rescue is 1.5 hours away. I have a child’s paddling pool which I blow up and line with a fleece blanket so he can get out of the cage in the evenings. At the moment the cage isn’t big enough it is 100*60 I was told the was okay for a single male. I will need to look for a 2nd hand bigger one. Thank you

Would you take out the rampy bit and give him the pigloo thing instead? I doubt very much he will use the ramp it looks quite steep.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi. Sorry yes he does have hay. I make him a kind of bedroom area which I fill with fresh hay daily. He then is on woodchip at the moment which he loves to kick everywhere. I sprinkle in a small amount of pellets in the morning so he can forage for them and veg in the evening.
At the moment I’m not in the position to spend lots so I’m going to have to start a fund for him for vets etc.
As I said financially I am struggling, I just couldn’t leave him. They were rehoming all the already bonded babies and said he was just staying as he was. I couldn’t leave him. He wasn’t in with mum or the babies. Mum died due to not having food. Babies as far as I know are rehomed.
My closest rescue is 1.5 hours away. I have a child’s paddling pool which I blow up and line with a fleece blanket so he can get out of the cage in the evenings. At the moment the cage isn’t big enough it is 100*60 I was told the was okay for a single male. I will need to look for a 2nd hand bigger one. Thank you

Would you take out the rampy bit and give him the pigloo thing instead? I doubt very much he will use the ramp it looks quite steep.

It’s lovely you’ve saved him. He is definitely better off now!

It’s great you can set up a vet fund. It will be well worth it.

A 1.5 hour journey would be worth it for him to have a friend. Give it some thought and see what you come up with. There is no rush, the main thing is he is safe now!

I'm so sorry you’ve been given bad advice on cage size though. Sadly a 100x60 doesn’t meet RSPCA standards not even for a single piggy. It’s something which is a real bug bear - inadequate cage size still being allowed to be sold.
I would see if you can return the cage as not fit for purpose.

Does he need to be on a table?
The table doesn’t look very big so this may not be feasible but c&c grids come in much cheaper than a commercial cage. My boys live in a shed but when they need to come indoors, I roll out a shower curtain (used to be a cheap piece of plastic sheeting until I put a hole in it a couple of weeks ago!) protect the floor, pop some puppy pads or newspaper and a fleece down, and then get out the c&c grids to make their cage. Your boy could get away with a 2x3 grid cage as a minimum (that comes in at around 112x77cm)

Yes I would take it out and use a proper hidey instead

 

[TrevsHere]

It’s lovely you’ve saved him. He is definitely better off now!

It’s great you can set up a vet fund. It will be well worth it.

A 1.5 hour journey would be worth it for him to have a friend. Give it some thought and see what you come up with. There is no rush, the main thing is he is safe now!

I'm so sorry you’ve been given bad advice on cage size though. Sadly a 100x60 doesn’t meet RSPCA standards not even for a single piggy. It’s something which is a real bug bear - inadequate cage size still being allowed to be sold.
I would see if you can return the cage as not fit for purpose.

Does he need to be on a table?
The table doesn’t look very big so this may not be feasible but c&c grids come in much cheaper than a commercial cage. My boys live in a shed but when they need to come indoors, I roll out a shower curtain (used to be a cheap piece of plastic sheeting until I put a hole in it a couple of weeks ago!) to protect the floor and then get out the c&c grids to make their cage. Your boy could get away with a 2x3 grid cage as a minimum (that comes in at around 112x77cm)

Yes I would take it out and use a proper hidey instead

Thank you. I know I’ve not got things perfect for him but it’s much better than things were for him.
The table would fit the minimum size. It’s 120x60 and I brought it to keep him off the floor since I have two children (one is a toddler) and a cat. He’s been coming out much more since he’s been higher up. I need something enclosed just incase the cat gets interested.

Problem is that I cannot really return the cage because I have nothing else for him to be in in the meantime.

I will take the 2nd floor bit out later on when I clean the cage and do the veggies. Thank you

 

[Winniepeg]

I can’t add any advice that hasn’t already been given. It’s a wonderful thing you’ve done rescuing this poor little fellow. Thank you for doing so

 

[Piggies&buns]

Absolutely it is!
Youll get things round for him, don’t worry - you were thrown in by the sounds of it! There’s plenty of time and we are happy to help answer any questions you have

Ok, an open topped cage won’t work then! We always mention it because c&c cages come in bigger and work out cheaper than commercial cages but not everybody has heard of them!

 

[TrevsHere]

So by way of an update. Trev is missing a bottom front tooth. I sat and tried hand feeding him some pepper in strips last night and he couldn’t really bite them. I broke them into little bits. Still wasn’t working. I separated out a kind of food area so I can monitor what’s being eaten and this morning I can see he’s not eaten much, if at all of his veg/hay. I was told he’s around a year maybe older, I weighed him yesterday and he was 653g. I don’t think he’s doing well. I’m just wondering weather to step in with pellets mixed with some water to create a paste, or to see how his weight goes over the next few days.

 

[Piggies&buns]

So by way of an update. Trev is missing a bottom front tooth. I sat and tried hand feeding him some pepper in strips last night and he couldn’t really bite them. I broke them into little bits. Still wasn’t working. I separated out a kind of food area so I can monitor what’s being eaten and this morning I can see he’s not eaten much, if at all of his veg/hay. I was told he’s around a year maybe older, I weighed him yesterday and he was 653g. I don’t think he’s doing well. I’m just wondering weather to step in with pellets mixed with some water to create a paste, or to see how his weight goes over the next few days.

Hay being the most important part of the diet, if he can’t pick up and eat hay properly then you do need to step in with syringe feeding him. Their teeth do regrow but he will need to be seen by a vet to check it can regrow (too far damaged and they sometimes can’t). It may also be worth having his molars checked
Weigh him daily so you can monitor his hay intake. You can’t judge hay intake by eye

 

[flowerfairy]

Sorry your lovely Trevor is having trouble with his teeth. Hope your vet is able to help.

A really good cage is the ferplast 160 sold by zooplus, for future reference. You will need another table though. I am considering getting one as my two guinea pigs will be in the living room in my new house (they have a room to themselves atm) and I have two dogs, one very young and inquisitive!

 

[weepweeps]

I hope Trev starts to eat soon. Teeth grow back very quickly. Could you try him with some clean grass? Not too much though if his tummy is not used to it yet. I’d much his pellets and see if he’ll eat them.

 

[TrevsHere]

I will try some fresh grass. I will also try mashing up the pellets. If that fails I’ll syringe feed and I’m going to weigh daily so I can keep an eye on what’s going on. He’s drinking lots. Thank you for the advice everyone. I’ll keep you updated

 

[Tnoz]

Aww well done you for saving him, he been used as a breeding machine, poor lad, I know you will do all you can for him, good luck and thanks

 

[TrevsHere]

Well I’ve just got home and he started talking to us as soon as we got in and came Over for a stroke (he’s not even been here a week) he had gone through the pellets. And minus the carrot and a little pepper he’s managed some veg so he’s eating a bit. I’ve given him some extra pellets. They are Timothy based and he seems to be managing them better than hay

 

[Piggies&buns]

Well I’ve just got home and he started talking to us as soon as we got in and came Over for a stroke (he’s not even been here a week) he had gone through the pellets. And minus the carrot and a little pepper he’s managed some veg so he’s eating a bit. I’ve given him some extra pellets. They are Timothy based and he seems to be managing them better than hay

Don’t allow him to have more than one tablespoon of pellets per day. Overeating on pellets will stop him from eating hay.
Pellets don’t wear down the teeth so too many pellets and not enough hay can cause dental and gut problem
Plus, pellets contain too much calcium, and too much calcium can lead to bladder stone formation

 

[TrevsHere]

Even if he is not eating the hay in the first place? He’s trying everything else just not the hay? Sorry just trying to work out what’s best.

 

[Siikibam]

If he’s not eating hay you need to step in and syringe feed him. Either with mushed pellets or critical care.

Another thing some other members do is to put the veg in an egg cup so they can pick it up themselves. So it’s kind of standing up. Hope he starts to improve soon.

 

[TrevsHere]

He is already eating the pellets. Fully willing to syringe feed if needed but I would be using mushed pellets which he is already eating whole and you’re saying not to give more of those. He’s had a tablespoon today. He’s also been eating veg.. albeit slowly but I don’t know his habits as such so I can’t compare his behaviour to anything.
He’s pooping and drinking lots of water. Doesn’t seem really lethargic, he’s out and about more than he’s hiding away.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Even if he is not eating the hay in the first place? He’s trying everything else just not the hay? Sorry just trying to work out what’s best.

Oh sorry, yes, if he cant eat hay at all, then you need to syringe feed him a recovery feed (Critical care or Emeraid are popular ones but there are several others), monitor the amount in ml that he is getting and compare that to his daily weight checks so you can be sure he is getting enough to keep his weight stable. Vitally, calling the vet to ascertain the extent of health issues. Mushed pellets is the emergency measure where recovery feed isn’t available .
I saw ’giving extra pellets’ and thought you were just topping up pellets ad lib. If he can’t eat hay then his fibre intake needs to be replaced with a fibre rich recovery feed.
The incisors are used to pick up food and they do find pellets easier if they have dental issues but also because pellets disintegrate in the mouth and don’t require strenuous chewing that hay does (this is also why pellets don’t prevent dental overgrowth). Short term he needs to eat though and if pellets is all he can manage by himaelf, then itll be fine until his issues can be resolved and he can eat hay again. Cut veg into match sticks and give them to him either by hand or standing up in a bowl as he may find that easier.
Hopefully it’s just a case of waiting for his incisor to grow back in (assuming they break hasnt caused damage) and he will be able to eat hay again once the tooth grows back in, but as you don’t know him or how the tooth broke he does need it and the rest of his teeth to be checked to make sure there arent any other issues preventing hay consumption because they won’t get better on their own

 

[TrevsHere]

So me and Trev are just sat having a chill together. I’ve just weighed him and he’s now 700g he’s put on 47g in 24hrs. He’s pooping a lot more too. I went straight to the vets after your reply earlier @Piggies&buns and got some critical care and explained what was going on and the situation. They said to monitor and check to see if it was broken or completely gone. I can see a small piece of tooth so hopefully it should grow back. Lots more poops today so I’m really hopeful that he will be okay. I haven’t stepped in with critical care yet but it’s here ready for if it’s needed. I will add a pic

 

[Siikibam]

So glad he’s put on weight! Long May it continue and hopefully the tooth grows back well.

PS do weigh him at the same time every day. Morning is better when you’ve yet to give him any food etc. Go Trev

 

[weepweeps]

So me and Trev are just sat having a chill together. I’ve just weighed him and he’s now 700g he’s put on 47g in 24hrs. He’s pooping a lot more too. I went straight to the vets after your reply earlier @Piggies&buns and got some critical care and explained what was going on and the situation. They said to monitor and check to see if it was broken or completely gone. I can see a small piece of tooth so hopefully it should grow back. Lots more poops today so I’m really hopeful that he will be okay. I haven’t stepped in with critical care yet but it’s here ready for if it’s needed. I will add a pic

That’s great news.

 

[Swissgreys]

If there is a small piece of tooth left chances are it will grow back quickly.
In the meantime cutting veg into thin strips can often work.
Here is a thread about my pig Ruby who went through the exact same thing.
Oh Ruby by The Boring Big Slave

 

[TrevsHere]

Following the advice on here I’ve complained to P@H and got Trev an upgrade. After rearranging my front room to accommodate his new living quarters. He is now enjoying exploring his new home

 

[Piggies&buns]

Wonderful! Well done!

 

[Tnoz]

Awesome brilliant well done

 

[Tnoz]

What I did with the end of my girls cage was remove the plastic hay tray, put a puppy pad down in that area and fill it with hay, they love it

 

[Siikibam]

Go you!

 

[Lauraarse03]

I can’t add any advice that hasn’t already been given. It’s a wonderful thing you’ve done rescuing this poor little fellow. Thank you for doing so

It's so happy to hear that you rescued him he's lucky to have you! I also drove 2 hours away to rescue a pig from a person that did not want to take care of him anymore he was bounced around between three other owners before he was 6 months old when I got him he was sitting in his own urine he was soaking wet from his urine he had bumblefoot he was skinny it was heartbreaking to see him like that but now he's healthy and happy and he is such a good boy I love him so much