what new cagemate to choose?

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bexamil

hi,
i had 2 three month old abysinnians though one suddenly died this morning, which was very sad, especially for the one he left, who now seems very confused and depressed bless him.
So I am looking to get him a new cage mate, though I do not know what age of guinea would be ideal?
I will be getting a boy as I do not want babies though I have heard that non litter mates can fight?
if anyone has any answers I would be extremely grateful, thankyou
 
Hi Bex,

Welcome to the forum. :) So sorry for your loss. Abby's are lovely pigs and I hope your lone boar isn't suffering too much without his cage mate.

There are a lot of myths surrounding boars and it all comes down to personality. Even borothers can fight. I have found with my 8 boars that having an older boar to a younger boar pairing works better. So as you have a babe I would go for a 12 month old boar that has gone through the hormonal stage.

If you are local to a rescue you may even be allowed to take your guinea pig there to bond with a boar. Lots of boars are overlooked at rescue because people think they won't bond but this isn't the case at all. I had two little monkeys that fell out and I never thought they would bond with any pig but they did and they now have their own friends.

Good luck with it,

Louise
:)
 
As he's still pretty young you might try him perhaps with an older boar? Usually, a difference in age works best (as they wont hit the "macho" phase in puberty at the same time), but a difference in character is also important (pairing a dominant boar with a submissive one and vice versa).

A good way to go about it is ringing up all rescues within your reach and see which one has the most "free" boars and then go and road test your boy with the candidates. It is worth asking around, as they might have more piggies available than on the website. You are bound to find a new friend that way, even if it may not be the one YOU like best! Some rescues will even offer to bond your boar for you.

The website for rescues is: http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk

All the best for your little boy! So sorry that he lost his friend so early!
 
Sorry for the double posting - my computer is playing up!
 
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hi, thankyou very much for your advice I will definitely see about rescues, I know of a local one so I will give them a ring and see if they will let me try him out with some older boars, see if he can find a new friend!
Again may thanks
 
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