Advice needed on buying a guinae pig for bereaved male
- Thread starter Jezzie34
- Start date
Jesse's pigs
Adult Guinea Pig
Firstly, I'm so sorry for your loss.
If your male piggy is neutered you can certainly look into getting a female companion otherwise are you thinking of neutering him? The pros of getting a female is you can always add more in the future if you wanted to make a little herd.
A younger or older male could easily work. A young or old male is less likely to threaten your current pigs top pig status and be accepted rather easily. Of course with a young piggy this could then change when the younger one matures into the hormonal period. In my case, I've gotten younger male piggies and thankfully so far both bondings have gone well.
If you can, I'd organise a 'boar date' where you bring your male with you and allow him to choose his friend. I know some rescues in the UK allow this and when I bought bellamy home I asked the breeder if I could bring Steve along so he can decide who he wants.
If your male piggy is neutered you can certainly look into getting a female companion otherwise are you thinking of neutering him? The pros of getting a female is you can always add more in the future if you wanted to make a little herd.
A younger or older male could easily work. A young or old male is less likely to threaten your current pigs top pig status and be accepted rather easily. Of course with a young piggy this could then change when the younger one matures into the hormonal period. In my case, I've gotten younger male piggies and thankfully so far both bondings have gone well.
If you can, I'd organise a 'boar date' where you bring your male with you and allow him to choose his friend. I know some rescues in the UK allow this and when I bought bellamy home I asked the breeder if I could bring Steve along so he can decide who he wants.
D
Deleted member 114675
are you in the UK ?
If so , I recommend you see if there is a rescue near you as they will help you find a compatible companion.
Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues
If so , I recommend you see if there is a rescue near you as they will help you find a compatible companion.
Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues
Hi and welcome!
It is great that you want to find a companion for your boy.
If at all possible and within your reach, please consider rescue dating - this allows you to take your boy for bonding under expert supervision at a good standard rescue so he has got a say in who he wants to be with for a much more stable companionship. You will come home with a healthy, properly sexed and fully quarantined boarmate only if acceptance has happened and can neatly avoid all the usual pitfalls that await the unwary. Key to any successful piggy bond is mutual liking and character compatibility over age or gender.
If you want to consider pairing with a sow, you have to factor in finding a good neutering vet and the necessary 6 weeks post-op safety wait. Spayed sows are usually very rare in any country as there are only very few rescues with a spaying policy. Please be aware that while mised gender pairs are the most stable combination, the big hurdles are at the start re. neutering operation and then acceptance from the sow (not always a given!). You also want to preferably rescue date your neutered boar for a happy bond; you are additionally guaranteed to not bring home an accidentally pregnant sow if you use a good standard rescue with mandatory quarantine/vet care and a pregnancy watch for all incoming sows. That is not a service you will get from any pet shop!
Our boar guide contains both a chapter on companionship options for boars (with recommended good standard rescue links for several countries) and a chapter on neutered boars (with links to recommended vets in several countries). Please take the time to read it as it is more detailed than I can pack into a single post; you will find it helpful in making an informed decision. Generally, your choices depend on your rescue and/or vet access.
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
If you haven't got a good rescue or vet within your reach, then please follow the advice and information in this guide:
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
Please take the time to read up, research your local option and think things through before you decide on the best way forward for you and your boy.
You always need to double-check the gender of all piggies before introductions (the rescue or vet will do this for you), but here is our step-by-step illustrated bonding guide, which takes you through all stages of the rather more complex and drawn out process until the end of the post-bonding dominance phase about two weeks after the introduction. The information and behaviours also apply to what happens after rescue dating and for mixed gender pairs: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
If you can, please use Little Pip's Guinea Pig Rehoming near Sidmouth - it is by far the best guinea pig rescue in the area and it offers residential dating so your boy will come home with a firmly bonded mate.
Some forum members haven't had good experiences with Plymouth rescues.