Thinking about adopting a loan boar to house next to a bonded pair of boars

[Cattittude]

Hi, there is a wee male boar that recently lost his cage mate so he is living alone. The owner says she can’t give him the time he needs etc etc. I feel so bad for him.
I have two 8month old piggies that have been together since I got them. Gizmo and Keef, my only other post here was when I introduced myself. I have them both in a 12sq foot enclosure with two doors leading to a sectioned off part of my living room. This is their running about space. I am thinking that I might be able to section off a part of the extra space and make a new enclosure next to my pair. They would be able to see each other through the bars. I know it’s not wise to put him in with them or try to have a trio. He would have a door to the extra space, which I would make bigger, and I would let him roam around at separate times from the pair.
I'm still thinking this through but I don’t know if it’s wise?
I feel really sad about this wee piggie, I don’t think the owner has bothered to get him a new friend or wants to get another piggy, although I haven’t asked yet. I’ve not spoken to the person yet, I only asked if they still needed a home for him.

I'm just not sure if Gizmo and Keef will like the fact that he will have a home on the extra area they have for roaming. It would be joined to their enclosure and in that territory. I don’t have room in my living room to put a new enclosure without going into this space. I could put him above them but then I’d probably need to get him a new friend to live with and there are no rescues near me. Plus I would need to quarantine him but there isnt room anywhere else in my house in order to do that.

I'm in two minds, it’s a shame for him. Do I or don’t I?

 

[Piggies&buns]

It wont make any difference to your pair that his cage would be in their roaming space, just as long as all three get some roaming time out is their cage but never at the same time as each other.

You may find they are very interested in him and it may cause an increase in dominance between your pair but keeping separate boars/boar pairs next to each other is fine.

It’s more going to come down to whenever you can manage with three (potentially four if it turns out he needs his own new friend) piggies - time, financially etc.

I have four boys - a bonded pair of 5 year olds. I also have two 10 month olds. They were a pair but their bond broken down and now they live side by side. The two oldest boys used to have the shed to themselves but obviously now it’s divided up for the other piggies. They all chat together at the bars quite happily!

Good luck with your decision

 

[Cattittude]

It wont make any difference to your pair that his cage would be in their roaming space, just as long as all three get some roaming time out is their cage but never at the same time as each other.

You may find they are very interested in him and it may cause an increase in dominance between your pair but keeping separate boars/boar pairs next to each other is fine.

It’s more going to come down to whenever you can manage with three (potentially four if it turns out he needs his own new friend) piggies - time, financially etc.

I have four boys - a bonded pair of 5 year olds. I also have two 10 month olds. They were a pair but their bond broken down and now they live side by side. The two oldest boys used to have the shed to themselves but obviously now it’s divided up for the other piggies. They all chat together at the bars quite happily!

Good luck with your decision

Hi, thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, the person who posted the ad hasn’t gotten back to me. I’ve sent about 4 other messages. I got her first reply saying she still has him and that being in a cage next to my two would be just what he needs and that she can drop him off to me.…then nothing. I don’t know what’s going on but she posted the ad 12 weeks ago, so he’s been alone for a few months atleast. We were really keen to take him and I’m saddened she hasn’t got back to me

 

[Cattittude]

Aah…trying not to get too excited but she got back to me and says she will drop him off tomorrow

So I know I have to quarantine him but as he is not going into my pairs enclosure, only next to it, does he have to be in a separate cage away in another room or can he atleast be in the same room but in an actual cage away from the enclosure?

Also are there any signs I can look out for regarding illnesses to determine whether he has something wrong with him or not? I have a funny feeling I will have to clip his nails anyway.

Its just that he’s been alone for almost 4 months, i think his cage mate died probably around a month before she listed him…and she is re homing because she says she can’t give him the attention he needs.
Even if I do need to put him in another room for 2-3 weeks, he will get loads of attention from us but I’m just worried that it might not be enough for him.

 

[Cattittude]

Oh, I won’t be able to take him to the vet until around the 24th of the month

 

[Piggies&buns]

So technically quarantine needs to be done in a separate room for two weeks regardless of the fact he isn’t going to be bonded with your piggies.
If he is otherwise happy, maintaining his weight etc then you would quarantine.

However, quarantine is not done for piggies who are desperately lonely, and those under four months of old. In these cases companionship comes first.
So while you should quarantine him, you also need to make a decision based on what is going to be best for him.
If you do decide to forego quarantine and he does bring something in then be aware that you could end up needing treatment for all your piggies.

You would want to weigh him daily during the first two weeks that you have him and then you can switch to routine weekly weight checks after that.
Otherwise watching for anything of concern as normal - breathing, skin conditions and signs of parasites etc etc

 

[Cattittude]

Thank you

This is what I couldn’t decide, whether his need for companionship outweighs the risk of not quarantining. I think I will keep him in a separate cage and room to observe him and then decide what to do. I’ll have to do that until I add his area onto the enclosure anyway. I guess I’ll know more when I speak to his owner and check him over.

I'm so happy I can help him and I hope he is ok. I’ll write an update with a picture when I have him here

 

[Cattittude]

Hi again….well I should be posting an update with a pic but I haven’t got him yet. She says on her ad that he loves a cuddle and that she hasn’t picked him up in a few weeks. She was ready to leave to come to mine but she couldn’t pick him up. I suggested taking everything out the cage, putting in a box and either herding him in, since there would be nowhere else he could hide, or waiting til he went into it. She claimed to have tried and it didn’t work, I think that’s lies to be honest. I had to do that with my piggies when letting them out to roam and it’s so easy.

I had told her I didn’t want the cage as I have a brand new one he can use til he’s out of quarantine. I think she wants rid of the cage too although she has a car and there is a small animal charity shop near us that would take the cage.
Tomorrow morning she says she will drop him off as her man has a van that can fit the cage. He was away to work at night.
She had several hours to get him in the box and hasn’t managed it somehow, I can’t see why not, I really can’t but maybe I’m missing something.

Anyway, it seems to me like she has never picked him up or let him roam or else she would’ve gotten him into a box easily. So I’m going to assume his nails will probably be curled under, most likely with foot problems. He’s about 16 months and it’s was his brother that died. I’ll assume they were the same age then. That’s pretty young to have died of natural causes and given that I now believe she has lied about picking him up (I may be wrong), then I’m thinking both piggies have been neglected.

I wasn’t looking for another piggie, I was looking at things being given away for free. I wanted furniture that I could use to make an enclosure off the floor. I saw the ad for him and actually thought he would’ve been rehomed already. I just couldn’t not try to help him, he tugged in my heart strings. I’m determined to try and help the poor wee thing. If I have to sell something to pay for a vet I will.
Yes I should have a kitty for my own piggies incase of emergencies but I’ve only had them since basically the beginning of February and I’ve had a lot of stuff going wrong in that time. Washing machine, tumble dryer and my microwave all broke within weeks of each other

I have a flea/mite treatment for piggies that I will put on him, I doubt she has done that either. Fingers crossed he’s not in too bad a condition. I’m kinda glad she hasn’t turned up tonight because I’m actually really peeved off at her right now.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Fingers crossed she turns up with him soon. It’s good you want to help him.
Please do not put a flea or mite treatment on him. It’s best to get him straight to the vet for a check up and a proper diagnosis of any issues. If you use a product on him then it may make diagnosis of actual issues harder and mean he cannot have the right treatment promptly.
Piggies do not get fleas and treatments can be toxic to them.
Only treat for mites if he actually has a vet diagnosed case. He needs a proper course of treatment (here it is Xeno which is given three treatments two weeks apart so six weeks to fully deal with a diagnosed case of mites) if he does actually have mites.
None of us long term owners will ever use on spec off the shelf parasite products as preventatives - it can cause resistance, they aren’t strong enough and there is no need.

 

[Cattittude]

Aah ok that’s good to know. I couldn’t remember what the treatment is that I bought that was specifically for piggies. I haven’t used any on my own piggies but I bought it as there was mice in the building which came from the neighbouring block of flats. A panic buy. I haven’t used it at all because I didn’t research it yet and wouldn’t have used it until I did so, then I would’ve found out not to use it. You just saved me doing all that lol.

Anyway, I have him now. I jumped to a conclusion, she actually had him in a hutch. That explains why she could use the box. I cornered him and grabbed him with a blanket.

He was kept outside. She told me she got them off a lady who had them for a few months and kept them in a tiny hamster type cage. They were only a few months old when she got them. She got the hutch and while moving them into the hutch, he died. She admitted she knew very little about them. The hutch was just filled with hay, no toys, only two water bottles and he was chewing the wooden ramp. Absolutely nothing but hay inside it. It must’ve had about 3
sq foot of floor space then a steep ramp and another foot of space up top.

She doesn’t know why he died but he died in November, that’s when my piggies were born and hers were 6months old then. She said they were given a mite treatment when she got them and had their nails trimmed but hasn’t trimmed then since. I’m now thinking it may have been that treatment that killed the other one?

The wee piggy looks fine at first glance, he’s eaten veggies as she hadn’t given him any today. He demolished them. She said she was feeding him gerty Guinea pig mix . I gave him some nuggets but he spilled them, I need to buy another wee bowl for those. I’ll check later to see if he’s eaten any.

He‘s only been here for about an hour. I have him in a cage in my daughters room at the other end of the house from my piggies. I’m keeping him there until he’s been to the vet atleast and my daughter will help with nail trimming when she gets back. I’ll also be able to have a better look at him. I have a wee camera that I will put on him so I can watch him easier from a far.

Thanks so much for your advice, I will get a picture too

 

[piggieminder]

I'm so pleased to hear you have him out of that situation, what a relief he is now in a nice home and will soon have some company.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Aah ok that’s good to know. I couldn’t remember what the treatment is that I bought that was specifically for piggies. I haven’t used any on my own piggies but I bought it as there was mice in the building which came from the neighbouring block of flats. A panic buy. I haven’t used it at all because I didn’t research it yet and wouldn’t have used it until I did so, then I would’ve found out not to use it. You just saved me doing all that lol.

Anyway, I have him now. I jumped to a conclusion, she actually had him in a hutch. That explains why she could use the box. I cornered him and grabbed him with a blanket.

He was kept outside. She told me she got them off a lady who had them for a few months and kept them in a tiny hamster type cage. They were only a few months old when she got them. She got the hutch and while moving them into the hutch, he died. She admitted she knew very little about them. The hutch was just filled with hay, no toys, only two water bottles and he was chewing the wooden ramp. Absolutely nothing but hay inside it. It must’ve had about 3
sq foot of floor space then a steep ramp and another foot of space up top.

She doesn’t know why he died but he died in November, that’s when my piggies were born and hers were 6months old then. She said they were given a mite treatment when she got them and had their nails trimmed but hasn’t trimmed then since. I’m now thinking it may have been that treatment that killed the other one?

The wee piggy looks fine at first glance, he’s eaten veggies as she hadn’t given him any today. He demolished them. She said she was feeding him gerty Guinea pig mix . I gave him some nuggets but he spilled them, I need to buy another wee bowl for those. I’ll check later to see if he’s eaten any.

He‘s only been here for about an hour. I have him in a cage in my daughters room at the other end of the house from my piggies. I’m keeping him there until he’s been to the vet atleast and my daughter will help with nail trimming when she gets back. I’ll also be able to have a better look at him. I have a wee camera that I will put on him so I can watch him easier from a far.

Thanks so much for your advice, I will get a picture too

I'm glad you have him now.
Weigh him now so you have a baseline. I would weigh him daily until you are sure he is healthy. If he has been fed a muesli mix, and potentially been fed it ad lib, he is likely to lose weight when going onto one tablespoon per day of nuggets.

While definitely far too small, the hutch (from your written word) set up itself doesn’t sound too terrible - being filled with hay is a good thing. It’s excellent he had access to lots of it. Piggies don’t need toys as such - lots of hay to forage through is good enrichment. Mine don’t have commercial toys - they have hay and tunnels (and of course each other for companionship and interaction).
I actually would not bother getting a bowl for the nuggets - I haven’t used food bowls in years. Mix his one tablespoon per day into a pile of hay and encourage him to forage for them. It is excellent enrichment and makes meal times about using his head rather than just sitting at a bowl eating.

We can’t know why he died - Its not likely to be a pet shop mite treatment though.
If they had been moved outside in November without being slowly acclimated to outdoor conditions, then it is possible a sudden change in temperature during the start of winter was a factor in a potential illness.

 

[Cattittude]

I’ll weigh him when my daughter gets here, only because he tried to jump out of the cage when I opened it to avoid me earlier and I need to take a side panel off to lift up that built in hidey, where he will go. It’s not a big enough hole for both my hands to get through and I need an extra pair of hands to ensure he can’t get out when I lift off the side.

She said he died literally in the process of being moved outside. She said she put them in the hutch then lifted it outside, and when she opened it up after placing the hutch down, he was dead . I did also notice when they moved the hutch, like a wooden rabbit hutch, back into the van. It had split in the middle, I don’t know if he could’ve gotten caught in that, it looked dangerous to have them in there while moving, like they could get caught in the gap which would then correct itself when placed. However, she may have bought it new at that point and it would’ve been in better condition.
I was thinking maybe the shop bought treatment might’ve killed him because she hasn’t really been picking him up and so I doubt she was weighing them at all. They were 6 month old when she moved them, she had them for a while before that as the previous owner only had them a few months. The treatment I have says not to give them the treatment if they weigh less than 300g as it can be toxic if overdosed. She says it was done when she got them, I’m guessing they were about 3months or less at that time. I don’t know enough about it to be speculating really but that was my thoughts. I guess it doesn’t really matter at this stage as if it was anything disease wise or contagious, it doesn’t seem to have effected the other one, which I’m sure it should have by now.

The ramp that he has been chewing is that type of hard, shiny, thin wood, several pieces that are glued together, I can’t remember what it is called but it didn’t look too healthy to be chewing on.

I give my piggies those brown wooden chew sticks, sometimes they are shaped like vegetables, plus toilet roll tubes stuffed with hay, I don’t mean those bright coloured things. Gizmo loves throwing the tubes about. I also have the big wooden tunnel, mine love sitting on it too so I put a fleece on top. I will get new piggy a wee hammock and tunnel for his enclosure.

One thing I noticed is that while watching in the camera, it appeared he has trouble with the leaf of lettuce. The other veg I cut up into strips he demolished. He might just be playing with it, I don’t know. I’ll skip the bowl for his nuggets and just mix it through his hay as you say. I did do that with my own but couldn’t really see if they were eating enough of them that way. Gizmo loves to tug the bowl over to him, then he puts his teeth on it and turns it slightly then digs into his nuggets. It’s so cute to watch. It’s like us sitting down to dinner, imagine pulling over a plate from the middle of the table, turning it slightly and then digging in lol.

I'm so pleased to hear you have him out of that situation, what a relief he is now in a nice home and will soon have some company.

Yes so am I, can’t wait to be able to introduce him to Keef and Gizmo and I hope it goes ok

 

[Piggies&buns]

It doesn’t actually matter if the pellets get lost in the hay. I just sprinkle them on top and they find the ones they can find and any others which fall through just get thrown away. I hardly feed any pellets though and even then they only get them three times a week (I’ve actually only remembered to give them pellets once this week). Pellets, for me, are considered a treat.

You could always use a few pellets for hand feeding/bonding time if you want to be sure they are getting some

 

[Bill & Ted]

Good on you for taking him on x

 

[Cattittude]

Fingers crossed she turns up with him soon. It’s good you want to help him.
Please do not put a flea or mite treatment on him. It’s best to get him straight to the vet for a check up and a proper diagnosis of any issues. If you use a product on him then it may make diagnosis of actual issues harder and mean he cannot have the right treatment promptly.
Piggies do not get fleas and treatments can be toxic to them.
Only treat for mites if he actually has a vet diagnosed case. He needs a proper course of treatment (here it is Xeno which is given three treatments two weeks apart so six weeks to fully deal with a diagnosed case of mites) if he does actually have mites.
None of us long term owners will ever use on spec off the shelf parasite products as preventatives - it can cause resistance, they aren’t strong enough and there is no need.

Piggiesandbuns I’m just wondering how piggies don’t get fleas? As far as my knowledge goes regarding fleas, they don’t really care which animal they feed from. Obviously a cat flea prefers cats, a dog flea, dogs but they will jump on an anything, including me, if their preferred food source is not available.

Is it something about their blood that the fleas don’t like? For instance, I hear that Australians drink quite a bit of beer in the outback because the mosquitoes don’t like blood with alcohol in it. True or not, I don’t know but it makes sense.

I would have thought fleas can hitch a ride on my clothing from outside and it would be down to whether they prefer the piggie or me. Or that they could fall off one of those pesky mice that invaded the building.

I found out that the wee piggy that died got flea and mite treatment from the vets attached to pets at home while they got their nails done, at 6months old.Just an update to that part of my post

 

[Piggies&buns]

Piggiesandbuns I’m just wondering how piggies don’t get fleas? As far as my knowledge goes regarding fleas, they don’t really care which animal they feed from. Obviously a cat flea prefers cats, a dog flea, dogs but they will jump on an anything, including me, if their preferred food source is not available.

Is it something about their blood that the fleas don’t like? For instance, I hear that Australians drink quite a bit of beer in the outback because the mosquitoes don’t like blood with alcohol in it. True or not, I don’t know but it makes sense.

I would have thought fleas can hitch a ride on my clothing from outside and it would be down to whether they prefer the piggie or me. Or that they could fall off one of those pesky mice that invaded the building.

I found out that the wee piggy that died got flea and mite treatment from the vets attached to pets at home while they got their nails done, at 6months old.Just an update to that part of my post

There is no piggy specific flea. It’s not something they tend to struggle with. It tends to be that if a flea from a cat for example is on a piggy they don’t tend to stay on them and would look to a more suitable host (ie a cat).

Ivermectin can be overdosed which is why pet shop products aren’t very strong, so if there was an error in dosage on such a small piggy or if an owner had given a piggy a pet shop ivermectin treatment as a preventative ( not recommended) and the vet was not informed it could cause an overdose.
Flea treatments intended for other animals are toxic to guinea pigs.

Fleas And Flea Powders - Warning!
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

 

[Cattittude]

Aah ok, that makes sense thanks.

Update on new piggy.

His nails aren’t that bad but we trimmed them a little bit. His coat is quite dirty feeling, not so much greasy but just like it has a residue, so I’m thinking a wee bath wouldn’t be so bad for him. I don’t have any product to bathe them yet but I need one to wash Gizmos butt anyway, he has quite long white hair. What would be a recommended product?

I watch this woman on YouTube, (cavy central Guinea pig rescue with Lyn) and I find her videos quite informative. She always recommends using Malaseb whenever I see her bathe a piggy. I'm not sure if that’s just for piggies with fungal infections and/or mites? Can’t seem to get it here anyway. I was trying to find it to read about it but it’s only ones for dogs that I’ve seen.

So he looks ok down below and I was checking his hair for signs of beasties and didn’t really see anything, no dandruff type stuff, movement, baldness, thinning or dryness. I only noticed a black patch of skin, (he’s ginger with a white streak between his eyes) not sure if it’s just pigmentation although I will have the vet check that.

He’s eating, drinking, no sign of any injury, infestation or breathing problems, runny nose etc that I can see but I’m still keeping him in my daughters room for a few weeks.

Will update again and try and get that pic finally

 

[Piggies&buns]

A one off bath will be fine. You can use just water if that will get the residue off.
You can buy piggy safe shampoo from Gorgeous Guineas. A baby shampoo can be used if necessary.
I would not use malaseb unless there is a fungal need to do so.

It’s good his skin looks fine. You won’t be able to see mites though ( they aren’t visible to the human eye). All you are likely to see is their evidence - itching, hair loss or egg casings fixed to the hair shaft

 

[Cattittude]

Yeah I’ll try with just water and if that doesn’t work, my daughter has Johnson’s baby shampoo?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yeah I’ll try with just water and if that doesn’t work, my daughter has Johnson’s baby shampoo?

It can be used if necessary on this occasion