advice please on what to do?

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mstori

mstori

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As a few of you know I have 4 piggies. Stevie and Comanche my 2 year old boys who were bonded and fell out :( and my two babies Ash and Neo who are aprox 9 weeks (although they seem more like 6 weeks!)

Well, I got the 2 babies to bond with my older boys, but as they have been ill, and needed medication etc, they have been in quarantine together and have now bonded to the point where i dont know if i should split them? they get distressed when apart.

neo and ash are going to the vets next week for their final check and fingers crossed will be getting their clean bill of health!

So, basically what I'm wanting to know is what others think? I really dont want to split them now, but I would still be stuck with the older boys being alone. Any help appreciated

Tori x
 
hmmm well you could get two more to bond with the other boys but that is more expense and time,but i guess if you don't want to get two more your only other choice is to split the young two up to bond with the older,there is one ther option but it probably wouldnt work you could try rebonding the older boars? xxxxxx
 
PLEASEHELPSAVEboris said:
hmmm well you could get two more to bond with the other boys but that is more expense and time,but i guess if you don't want to get two more your only other choice is to split the young two up to bond with the older,there is one ther option but it probably wouldnt work you could try rebonding the older boars? xxxxxx
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I dont think the Oh would let me get 2 more. :( Its the vets fees if anything were to happen, as the 2 babies fees were over £250 so he is reluctant. I've been dropping hints :)) I thought about getting 2 more next time he was working away in the hope he wouldnt mind when he got home but he knows me well and said "remember my bags will be already packed" haha.

Ive also tried to re-bond, but after a big fight a few weeks ago, they will tolerate each other for a while, but then fight again. I dont feel comfortable with trying any longer the stress it causes and the suddeness in which they fell out concerns me if it happened again and i wasnt there they may kill each other 8...

The babies have been crying when i seperate them and get distressed until i return them to each other. I dont know if this would be something that they would get over or if it would be traumatising for them (it upsets me)

I was thinking I could maybe see what they are like in the run with an older boy 1 at a time and see how it goes? x
 
Oh dear it's always so hard knowing what to do...........
Have you tried to bond after a bath so no 'old' smells? Also make it a new towel in an area that is totally neutral and have treats ready and be ready to grab if a fight occurs rolleyes
I wish you all the luck xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I ended up having to divide our cage as the two boys didn't get on at all in the end, this was great as they could see and chatter to each other, maybe this might be an option for you?
 
my pic was taken after bath, there was a new blanket down, and they crawled over and fell asleep, i thought yey! but a while later the fights started again :( and i didnt want to risk further injuries.

Its a horrible situation, because i only got Neo and Ash to bond with them, and now I'm in the same predicament of having the older boys alone

I have 2 two storey hutches, which I was going to put them in (at the mo the babies are indoors) I wish i had the room to house them all indoors, because maybe that would work. Stevie and Comanche talk to each other though so at least i know that they know they are not alone. Its really pulling at my heart, I just love them so much and want whats best, and for once I really dont know what to do, cos if it were up to me id get 2 more babies, but then again, where do you stop? and there is always possibilty they can fall out i suppose at a later date anyway 8...
 
hehe I'm sure you OH would love you getting more when he is away lol.its not ideal but you could have two lone boars for the moment,house them next to eachother so they can talk but not fight and give them lots of run time with a baby each day,in time they may bond with a baby each x
 
Well, I asked Del, my other half about getting 2 more babies when he was next away.. the reply was "can you train the guinea pigs to go out and earn a living? cos i wont be coming home!" so i guess thats a no :p for now! :)) he loves the ones we have, so i guess that is better than some ... and i can always try and work my magic...
Going to see how it goes..hopefully, they will play together in the run, after they been checked at the vets. Suppose thats all I can do, unless lots of people suggest that they REALLY need to be bonded then i will show Del this thread, and see what is said.. in the space of a couple of months we got 2 rabbits and 4 guinea pigs, so i can understand where he is coming from. They are just so addictive, and you just want to do what is best. I'm smitten with them x)
 
how did you manage that one? lol

When i first asked for the rabbits and guinea pigs he said one or the other but i couldnt choose so got both. rolleyes Although they are family pets, I let the kids choose 1 each as "theirs" although i do all the work.. i dont trust them to do it right! :) Ive got the time at the moment and am thoroughly enjoying them, I dont even mind the cleaning out! but he just cant help himself from pinching cuddles! My rabbit wont even go to me now (i have a thread on her) she growls and bites me!

I'm addicted to their cuteness! and their personalities are so different! If it were upto me Id have rats, mice, sugar gliders etc too... but he put his foot down at those! will wait until we have a bigger house before i try again..hehe
 
hehe well as you know tori my OH is very laid back on how many i have athough when we very first got Boris he said no no no until i changed his mind now we have 4 and two on the way and since he has realised how lovely they really are i have been told i can have more and he even supports my idea to rescue them:) I'm shocked but he is great I'm sure you can work on your OH in time;) xxxxx
 
You can still try and introduce the youngsters as intended. With a new friend, they won't feel alone and reorient towards him the same as if their mate had been taken to the vets for PTS.

If you can bear it ( and it will be a HARD day!), leave them separated for a day to make the new introduction more successful. But you should keep them in separate rooms where they can't smell each other and wash your hands between each visit.

As they build up a new "group smell" they won't "recognise" their young friend anymore.
 
lmao.. I just read him those 2 posts and this was the reply.. " you can tell them there are some areas i am impervious to your magic" hmmm... maybe i have to perfect my coffee making skills rolleyes lol

I suppose he is perfect in many ways.. aww i do love him so! x) just have to keep working that magic then! :))
 
Vickyt said:
You can still try and introduce the youngsters as intended. With a new friend, they won't feel alone and reorient towards him the same as if their mate had been taken to the vets for PTS.

If you can bear it ( and it will be a HARD day!), leave them separated for a day to make the new introduction more successful. But you should keep them in separate rooms where they can't smell each other and wash your hands between each visit.

As they build up a new "group smell" they won't "recognise" their young friend anymore.
Click to expand...

If i did this and for some reason they wouldnt bond with the older boys would they re-bond with each other?

I have on loan some indoor cages, so i could seperate them, although may have to go out for the majority of the day! It feels as though I'm doing the wrong thing now, with them being so close. But at the same time, i dont want the older boys to be alone. oooh the things we put ourselves through! xx
 
No, unfortunately, there is no guarantee if it is longer than a couple of days and a bath before you put them back together. It's a risk you have to take with every bonding - even if you get more pigs!

What you CAN do prior to bonding with the older boys is to have each with their intended mate for an extended play session somewhere neutral with lots of space, one after another (with a good clean in between), and see how they react to each other that way. That should give you a good idea!
Make sure you pair a lively boy with a more laid back character and the more dominant with the underpig of the other pairing.

If only one of the older boys is interested, I would recommend you keep the youngsters together and have the friendlier older boar for playtime with them.

What I would not try, and I sympathise with your OH on that point, is getting more boars in before you know what you can DO with the ones you already have! You won't have any more guarantees that you won't end up with more single boars that way, will you?

(My own OH hasn't completely forgiven me my two girls yet...)
 
PS: Have you looked at the parallel thread "bonding boars" in the rescue section of this board? Perhaps you might like to pm one of the experienced people for advice?

I think you should have a good chance with rebonding the young boys, especially if you have a trial run before you go serious.
 
Thanks! I'm going to try your advise. layla said she would help me when i decide what to do also.
The main thing is that they are all happy. Even if that is that they can have playtime together but live in hutches in a pair and 2 singles. When they get checked over at the vets on Monday I will bath them and try with introductions and keep everyone updated
Thanks again,

tori xx
 
Good luck - and go with your gut instinct during introductions. You can FEEL whether it's going to work out or not from all the little signs, even if it may look rough at the time!
 
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