Guinea Pig Friend Question, please help

[AlisonK]

Hi, my name is Alison and I'm brand new on here. I have just given a home to a gorgeous 9 month guinea pig called George. His previous owner brought him on his own for her kids - but they got bored, so they gave him to a local rehoming charity. They normally only rehome cats and dogs and just get the occasional rabbit etc, so I'm not sure how reliable their advise is. They have suggested to me that he may need to always be kept on his own because that is how he has always been.
But I know that it's not natural for them to be alone and would so much love to find him a friend. I have been reading that it can be difficult to introduce male guineas to each other as they will fight. And I read that adolescence is a prime time for fighting - so bearing in mind George is 9 months old what are my chances?
Also, how do I make this happen. I can't go and just buy him a friend - what if they don't get on? Then I'm stuck with 2 each on their own. Wondering if I can find another in need of a home who I could attempt to introduce to George, should I be looking older or younger? I'm thinking older maybe?
Any advice would be very much appreciated.

[Sophie]

Hi! Welcome to the forum :) well done for taking George, your right that he will probably be happier with a friend and there are loads of rescues about which will do 'boar dating' this Is where you take your boy to the rescue and let him pick his own friend, some opt for young boys and some will go for the older laid back types. Alot of reputable rescues are in this forum so hopefully they will be along shortly to help :)
And we really love pictures of piggies so feel free to ost away :))
there's loads of information and everyones very friendly on here so don't hesitate to ask any questions :)

Sophie x

[HairlessWillow7]

Welcome to the forum Alison :)p

Boars will do best with a companion. It also seems like boars of different ages get along the best, as then they don't go through their hormonal stages at the same time. With any pairing, there is a risk of a fallout, but piggies are so much happier with a companion :)

Maybe this thread will be of use to you, on introducing piggies :)
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562

Hope this helps :)

[Salt n Peppers mum]

Hi Alison,
I'm so happy that you are asking for advice about getting a friend for George.
:)p

I totally agree with Sophie and if you go to a Guinea pig rescue that the forum recommends you will have lifetime backup from the rescue.

Boar dating in a rescue is the safest way to go then George can pick his own friend.

I know Layla at North East Guinea pig rescue often is inundated with Guinea pigs looking for a good home. http://www.northeastguineapigrescue.co.uk/contact/
She will know each piggies individual personality and she is very knowledgable. Layla would help you with the pairing and always be on hand for queries or problems that arise. That is the beauty of going to a specialist Guinea pig rescue.
Is Layla within reasonable distance to you?

I Foster (male) Guinea pigs for Barc, and I have a 18month old piggie looking for a new home - he is a little sweetheart. But I am from South Yorkshire.

I'm glad you are thinking about George having a friend there are too many Male piggies that live a life of solitude because people are giving the wrong information that Boars can't live with other boars grrrr

http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk/gp/centres.asp

Boars living together tend to need more space and I'd recommend they live in as big housing as you can give them so they have the chance to retire to be by themself if they want to.

Anyway, in the meantime, would love to see a pigture if George :)p

Paula

[AlisonK]

Thanks for the replies so far folks. I have to be really honest - I've read lots of the links and stuff and I'm feeling really nervous or maybe a little worried that I made the wrong choice taking on George.
I'm quite trek away from the rehoming lady in South Shields, but am aware of one or two options locally who might be able to help me find George a friend. But even if they get along well enough to bring the second one home I'm scared by the accounts I have read about boars fighting frequently and having to be separated and then reintroduced. Maybe I should have looked around abit more and got 2 females. It's just that my daughters and I fell in love with him and I (rather foolishly, as I should have done my homework first) assumed that either he would be okay on his own with lots of love and attention - or that finding him a friend would be a relatively simple task.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up - its just I'm kinda worried about it all. My really worried bit thinks I should find somewhere I could swap him for 2 girls - but that's really irresponsible I know. Any helpful thoughts anyone?

[Wiebke]

Hi!


The best thing for a boar bond is a big age gap. George is at the moment in one of the most difficult phases, so he would profit from being either paired with a 2 years+ boar or - if you wait a month or so - with a baby boar. You want to basically have only one boar in the stroppy age between between 4-12 months and you also want to keep the dominance issue as unassailable as possible.

However, it really IS worth a longer trip to find a rescue run by an experienced guinea pig person to supervise the boar dating - she can pick up on all the little signs to find the best possible friend for George and help create that stable bond you are after. No complete guarantee, but MUCH improved odds!

[Emiley]

Your best bet is to see if you can get him paired up with a baby. My 1 year old boar was just paired up with a 5 week old boar, however with his previous owner he was tried with an older boar and they would fight all the time.

It really depends on the boar, if he's dominant.. you will need a baby.

[Salt n Peppers mum]

And just to put a spanner in the works :) You might want to go down the 'get George neutered path' - wait 6 weeks then rescue some needy sows or sow so he can have a wife or few. - again whatever you decide I would make a longer trip to finding the right friend and right rescue rather than chance it with a pot luck guinea pig.

I know you must have read some real horror stories but I have only had boars and I know that the right combination of personalities work, even older ones (which I prefer) just as Sows can also clash too if they simply dont see eye to eye. Reading this thread here might balance things out a bit. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=62764

Also the reason why so may you have read about fall out is because too many people put them together with out checking first that they actually get on - which happens when you go get one out of a pet shop. :x With a rescue you do have total backup- (well you do with the one I foster for) And also because if the boars go through the stropy hormonal stage at the same time there can be more fall outs.
I know forum member Nutmeg doesnt come on here as often now, but she has paired hundreds of boars, and she can tell instinctively whether their bond would work or not.

Don't be dishearted.

Let us know how it all turns out?

[AlisonK]

Awww - thanks for that encouragement, I am a dreadful worrier. I will get exploring all my options, just want a happy pet. Will keep you informed.

[KevinandCharlie]

I had baby Kevin on his own and was given an older pig, about 2-3 years old, and they got on fine right from the start, when you introduce them put them somewhere where neither are familiar with so the first pig doesnt thing the new one is intruding their territory,put your self in their situation. imagine if someone walked into your house and lived there all the time!
Im sure when * find a new one you will get on fine with introducing them :)