chesca_27
Junior Guinea Pig
Oreo is my beautiful golden agouti who was bereaved last year. I have only just managed to track down a rescue with single males (currently) who is happy to long term foster AND isn't on the other side of England. We are hoping to bond Oreo in a week and a half. It has been a long time since Oreo was a baby and I definitely didn't do everything right the first time so second time round I hope to do everything properly but the situation is different.
I have quite a few questions about bonding an elderly boar to a much younger pig (likely a baby as easier to rehome after fostering). The rescue will be bonding them for me but I have some questions for when I bring them home.
Firstly, in regard to nuggets. Babies are supposed to have unlimited pellets, but Oreo is on a restricted diet (being 5 and a half), so how do I stop him from eating from the other pig's unlimited nuggets? Toffee and Oreo used to share a bowl, so I don't think Oreo would have a problem eating someone else's nuggets. Do I need to feed Alfalfa hay for the new pig?
My next questions are about sanitising and cleaning. Should I sanitize all of Oreo's toys or replace them if I'm bringing a new guinea pig into the picture? Most of Oreo's stuff is new from after I lost Toffee but I still have a few hanging toys and a bendy bridge which both of them used. Toffee didn't have anything contagious (or Oreo would have caught it) so I suspect he passed away from undiagnosed heart failure. Could I still use these toys or would it be better to bin them? I'd rather keep them as we don't have a lot of money at the moment. Will I need to wash all soft toys and fleece items? Should I clean out the cage so it's neutral territory? Also, I am getting a loft for the cage so should I wait to attach it after they've bonded?
Should I bath Oreo before bonding him? He has been bathed since we lost Toffee.
How do I go about taming a baby pig? I was quite young when I got Oreo so my technique was grab the piggie out the hutch and cuddle it, which was always well tolerated. Eventually, they got more and more comfortable with this until they loved cuddle time. Now Oreo is extremely tame.
I have just got a good sized cardboard box and cut an entrance, lined it with fleece and put pellets in for Oreo (it can attach to the cage when supervised). I am going to get him used to the idea of having pellets in there and getting him out for cuddles from there so he can teach the baby pig. With the baby, I would just stroke it and offer veg or treats though. Would this work to get him used to me?
Last questions I promise. Oreo needs dentals every 6 weeks or so. Would I need to bring the baby along for dentals as well, or should I separate them? It is approx a 4 hour round trip. I have a cat carrier, which I plan to use until their bond is more stable. I have scheduled Oreo's dental for this Saturday, so the next one won't need to be for about 5 weeks after they meet. The appointment is also to make sure that Oreo is healthy enough to be introduced to a new pig.
Thank you so much! I'm sorry if these are silly questions, but I have never been in this situation before. Just warning you, I may have more
.
I have quite a few questions about bonding an elderly boar to a much younger pig (likely a baby as easier to rehome after fostering). The rescue will be bonding them for me but I have some questions for when I bring them home.
Firstly, in regard to nuggets. Babies are supposed to have unlimited pellets, but Oreo is on a restricted diet (being 5 and a half), so how do I stop him from eating from the other pig's unlimited nuggets? Toffee and Oreo used to share a bowl, so I don't think Oreo would have a problem eating someone else's nuggets. Do I need to feed Alfalfa hay for the new pig?
My next questions are about sanitising and cleaning. Should I sanitize all of Oreo's toys or replace them if I'm bringing a new guinea pig into the picture? Most of Oreo's stuff is new from after I lost Toffee but I still have a few hanging toys and a bendy bridge which both of them used. Toffee didn't have anything contagious (or Oreo would have caught it) so I suspect he passed away from undiagnosed heart failure. Could I still use these toys or would it be better to bin them? I'd rather keep them as we don't have a lot of money at the moment. Will I need to wash all soft toys and fleece items? Should I clean out the cage so it's neutral territory? Also, I am getting a loft for the cage so should I wait to attach it after they've bonded?
Should I bath Oreo before bonding him? He has been bathed since we lost Toffee.
How do I go about taming a baby pig? I was quite young when I got Oreo so my technique was grab the piggie out the hutch and cuddle it, which was always well tolerated. Eventually, they got more and more comfortable with this until they loved cuddle time. Now Oreo is extremely tame.
I have just got a good sized cardboard box and cut an entrance, lined it with fleece and put pellets in for Oreo (it can attach to the cage when supervised). I am going to get him used to the idea of having pellets in there and getting him out for cuddles from there so he can teach the baby pig. With the baby, I would just stroke it and offer veg or treats though. Would this work to get him used to me?
Last questions I promise. Oreo needs dentals every 6 weeks or so. Would I need to bring the baby along for dentals as well, or should I separate them? It is approx a 4 hour round trip. I have a cat carrier, which I plan to use until their bond is more stable. I have scheduled Oreo's dental for this Saturday, so the next one won't need to be for about 5 weeks after they meet. The appointment is also to make sure that Oreo is healthy enough to be introduced to a new pig.
Thank you so much! I'm sorry if these are silly questions, but I have never been in this situation before. Just warning you, I may have more
.