Bonding help please

I am really really apprehensive of this bonding my mum has set up for Saturday. I just don’t feel good about it.
 
The rescue wanting him for a week to do the bonding is actually good.

There are two forms of dating at a rescue:

Speed dating -
The two piggies meet for a couple of hours and then if acceptance is achieved then you bring them home. However, this only gives them time to get through acceptance phase but not necessarily further into the later stages of dominance and hierarchy.
You have to bring them home separately (it’s too risky to have them in a confined space of a carrier together because they are not fully bonded at this stage and the fear could cause a fight inside a carrier) and then continue with the bonding yourself at home on neutral territory for several more hours.
While this is usually ok for most pairs (once acceptance has occurred on the whole they are ok after that) you have to be prepared that as they have only really got through acceptance there is a chance they might not make it through hierarchy settling once you bring them home.

Residential bonding -
Your piggy goes and stays at the rescue for a week or so to be bonded.
This is rarely offered due to the space it takes up but is a really good way to do it. The piggies, assuming acceptance is achieved, are together long enough to really settle dominance and hierarchy (although the full process takes two weeks) and are then safe to come home together in the same carrier and go straight into their permanent cage. This method of bonding is more likely (never a guarantee though) to mean the bond remains stable once you bring them home.
 
What do you think about the fact the female has already rejected three males? Will it traumatise the poor lad if he goes through what he went through with button?
 
Guineapiggirl34 said:
What do you think about the fact the female has already rejected three males? Will it traumatise the poor lad if he goes through what he went through with button?
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A bond comes down to compatibility. The fact she had rejected three does not mean she will reject your boy. How we the caveat to that is her age - older sows tend to be less willing to take new company.

A failed bond won’t traumatise him to the point that he has to remain single forever. It can take multiple attempts at bonding to find one that works.
 
Ok well let’s hope that she takes to my boy then, what I don’t. Want is a bond that will break quickly leading to three cages…
 
I am still very apprehensive about it, especially as I won’t even be able to go and see if they seem ok, I am housebound.
 
Guineapiggirl34 said:
Ok well let’s hope that she takes to my boy then, what I don’t. Want is a bond that will break quickly leading to three cages…
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The full process of setting up a fully functioning bond takes two weeks and this is where residential bonding has major advantages - they should be enough through that you can be reasonably secure in their liking each other.
If the bond did fail after you brought her home, the rescue would take her back so you don’t have to be in a three cage situation
 
Guineapiggirl34 said:
I am still very apprehensive about it, especially as I won’t even be able to go and see if they seem ok, I am housebound.
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You wouldn’t normally see them during anyway. Once he is dropped off, the rescue would stay in touch with you via call or email but you wouldn’t usually see them until the day they are picked up to come home
 
What about the fact that his diet will presumably be different for a week will that upset his tummy? I am a worrier! But this forum has given me a lot to worry about (too much veg, too many new veg, grass with pee on it, changes in diet etc etc etc)
 
You would need to ask them what they normally do.
It may be that they would want you to provide some food for him
 
And I have one further question, about radiators. The only way we can fit everything in the is room is if the boy and friends cage is against one wall, it will overlap a radiator by about 10 inches on one corner, in can be about 2 inches away from the radiate max but inline with it for 10 inches, rest of the cage off onto one side, is that ok, I know we do t have much choice but do you think there will be a problem.
 
10 inches, I suppose, isn’t a lot but you may have to turn the radiator down a bit so they aren’t getting too hot from being so close
 
Or even put something such as cardboard along the back of the cage so the heat from the radiator does not go straight towards the cage
 
Tell you what is amazing. I have had trouble trying to get someone’s poo from being super pointed. She was on poop soup which she hated and scream3d about, she didn’t like Fibreplex, I had to sandwich it between cucumber. Anyway when she was super stressed next to his cage this week her poos went really wet and gungy. So once we separated them I did notiphi g to stress her. Kept veg the same, no poop soup nothing. Her poops are normal again. The poor little darling has been super stressed by the boys presscence for three months ☹️ that is so sad! I thought we was happy except for not as much veg because of her tummy! And it had nothing to do with new veg! So we will start introducing new veg again. If I only introduce one new veg a week can they have some of eg Brocilli everyday for one week, start with v little and work up to a whole portion? If tolerated try another veg the next week again a little everyday? Until they are tolerant of lots of things and can have veggies in rotations? Thanks
 
You can introduce a small amount of one new veg every few days to a week but you need to ensure that new veg does not upset the digestion before introducing another.

As you specifically mention broccoli, I will say that broccoli is not suitable to be given every day. It is a brassica and every member of the brassica family comes with a risk of causing bloat. You can only give broccoli once a week in a small amount.
You mention a whole portion - If ny boys have broccoli then a whole portion is literally one tiny floret.

The only four veggies they can eat every day is lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper and coriander.
Everything else is only suitable to be fed 1-2 times a week (anything high in calcium is once a week only).
 
Whoever made the veg plattter page says cabbage or spring greens can be given every day? I believe it was weibke. They specify spring greens for the platter yet spring greens have more calcium than savoy cabbage which is why I was planning to give them little bits of savoy cabbage each day with their lettuce…
 
Guineapiggirl34 said:
Whoever made the veg plattter page says cabbage or spring greens can be given every day? I believe it was weibke. They specify spring greens for the platter yet spring greens have more calcium than savoy cabbage which is why I was planning to give them little bits of savoy cabbage each day with their lettuce…
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No, the sample plate shows the spring greens as an example of a variation. Spring greens are not suitable for every day (as it stated in the guide).
Spring greens can be given once a week (for piggies who do not have bladder related issues) as they provide nutrients not readily available in other vegetables.

You should not give Savoy cabbage everyday. It is a brassica so can cause bloat.
Savoy cabbage or any brassica can only be give once a week. So if you give savoy cabbage one day, you should avoid giving another brassica in that same week.

The only four veggies they can have every day are lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper and coriander.

My lot only ever get the four safe veggies. If I happen to have bought something else for us humans for a week then they might get a bit of it once that week - I might add in a bit of broccoli one day in that week, or a bit of parsley for a day another week or a bit of kale one day in another week - the reality is they don’t routinely get anything outside of the four safe veggies
 
Ok thank you that makes me feel better, I thought mine were missing out a lot! I have been on various websites including Guineadad who has lists of safe veg how often and portion size, it is a lot more than you guys say. Then you go on rspca, pcsa etc etc and d they all give different safe ‘every day’ veg one of them says carrot every day 😬
 
It is very confusing! And you dont at first know who to believe. You have given me a lot of good advice so I trust your opinions now, but at the beginning, you could be anyone, and you don’t know whether to trust what you say or what one of these other groups say, there is a lot of conflicting advice! A lot of what I used to take care of my piggies prior to my illness was advice from a Guinea pig book circa 2000. It gets so much wrong. I hate to think how my first piggies lived. Breaks my heart now. I know I was doing what the book said but it was so …wrong!
 
We strive to ensure advice on the forum is accurate.
A lot of care advice has changed over the years!
 
What I am saying is unless you know this is a good website (which I now do) if for example I was a first time piggie owner, would you trust a Guinea pig forum, a book, pdsa, a YouTuber who ‘specialises’ in Guinea pigs. It is a minefield.
 
Even on here I am a little confused, could weibke say if this piece of the food page is still relevant

“spring greens is again the mildest and most suited for a daily diet, as it is not as high in calcium as other cabbages and brassicas, including kale), and some 'green stuff' in the bowl. The leaf of salad can be varied with something else that you don't feed daily.
The plate is pretty much the mainstay of what I feed my own guinea pigs, with seasonal changes and the occasional special treat to keep things interesting.” To me that indicates that spring greens or some cabbage can be daily? And that if the plate is the mainstay of her piggies then presumably the green bean on it is roughly daily?

Is there any way of weibke saying what she normally does, I am sure that even on this forum people have slightly differing ideas on feeding? Thank you so much
 
I can assure you that the recent advice is that spring greens (and including other forms of cabbage) are a once a week only item.
They are the mildest form of cabbage but still contain calcium/oxalate which makes them unsuitable for daily. They do however contain other nutrients which they can’t get elsewhere in the diet hence why it is a once a week recommendation.
I am fairly certain wiebke only feeds spring greens once a week.

A green bean is not really recommended to be daily anymore either

Most of us feed the basic four veg daily and then there is perhaps sometimes variety added with some 1-2 times a week items
 
Thank you, I understand! I was just going by the food page as totally correct, I see things have changed since it was made. I will alter my veg plans accordingly! X
 
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