Brownie

paris_n.x

paris_n.x

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
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Location
Bristol
Hiya guys anyone in here that could let me know
how long adoption centres take to get back to you
i spoken to someone and they got back to me but haven’t got back about a guinea pig
just on a waiting list and obviously my little boy brownie lost his companion 2 weeks ago💔Fudge
if anyone is from bristol and knows anything about it can you please get back to me
as brownie has been on own for 2 weeks now
he’s eating and drinking and seems fine and still get zoomies and runs around everywhere
but he will lay in the cage and not do to much because i think he’s grieving still he does seem fine in himself though still eating hay too
but I'm just worried that if its any longer i dont want him getting depressed
thankyou
 
I've found it depends how busy they are, how long their waiting list is, what guinea pigs they have available and who they have to help with bonding. Bare in mind the people at rescues are volunteers and many have full time jobs. There are so few rescues in this area that will bond single guinea pigs the waiting list can be quite long.
 
piggieminder said:
I've found it depends how busy they are, how long their waiting list is, what guinea pigs they have available and who they have to help with bonding. Bear in mind the people at rescues are volunteers and many have full time jobs. There are so few rescues in this area that will bond single guinea pigs the waiting list can be quite long.
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Oh okay thankyou do you think my little boy will get depressed if to long?
 
You know him best so if you feel he’s not happy then you can think of a different plan.

When Merab’s cagemate died she was very miserable and there was no rescue near me at that time.
I found an independent pet store that only dealt with one breeder and ensured that their animals were well shielded from the public.
Not the best option but better than some and in the circumstances Merab’s need was paramount
Keziah and Jemimah came with their own birthday certificates
 
I agree with merab.
It is ok to wait for a rescue to get back to you provided brownie is ok (remembering to do his weight checks so you are ensuring he is eating enough is an important part of that).
If you feel he is struggling (and certainly if his weight was to drop through not eating enough) then getting him a new friend to stop loneliness becomes the priority - and that may mean you use a pet shop rather than wait for the rescue.

Good luck
 
I agree completely with everything that’s been said above. If your boy becomes depressed and you worry for his welfare, then waiting for a rescue for bonding may not be the best option for him. I always take my cue from the piggy. Some cope ok after a loss. Just a bit subdued for a while but pottering along until you can find them a friend. But if they are acutely pining, with weight loss, changed behaviour etc then I’ve walked the walk of shame (as have many of us at some point) to find them a baby sooner.
 
I'm assuming you have contacted Little Wheekers. There's also Bristol Rabbit Rescue, they only have a pair of boys on their website at the moment but they don't advertise all their piggies especially singles. Not sure if Bath Rabbit Rescue is still going but they were very helpful to me a few years ago, they don't bond for you but will give lots of advice. If you google there a quite a few other animal rescues in the area who sometimes have guinea pigs. Pets at Home rehoming areas sometimes have singles, they no longer sell single babies from stock only pairs.
 
Okay thankyou so much everyone
yeah brownie is eating hay , his veggies and nuggets , and he still is running around and pop corning i’ve found a guinea pig on Pets4Homes
and he’s lovely! i’ll be okay at doing the bonding i think , hopefully fingers crossed i am meeting him on monday afternoon.
Any tips on bonding if that’s okay please
brownie weight is 1176g is that a good weight for a male ?
 
I highly recommend the forum bonding guide.
It certainly saved my sanity.
Also, let us know when you are bonding so we can virtually support you and some of us can try to be around if needed

Based on my experience- give the newbie a few days in a neighbouring cage to settle into his new environment and ensure you have a neutral space for the actual bonding.
I have a child’s paddling pool which I can set up, line with old towels and put in a pile of hay.

As bonding can be stressful for the humans make sure you have something at hand for yourself. Personally I recommend coffee and chocolate 😁
 
paris_n.x said:
Okay thankyou so much everyone
yeah brownie is eating hay , his veggies and nuggets , and he still is running around and pop corning i’ve found a guinea pig on Pets4Homes
and he’s lovely! i’ll be okay at doing the bonding i think , hopefully fingers crossed i am meeting him on monday afternoon.
Any tips on bonding if that’s okay please
brownie weight is 1176g is that a good weight for a male ?
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There’s no good weight - it comes down to what is healthy for him by checking his heft; not the number on the scales. The number on the scales only tells you he is eating enough to maintain weight.

I’ll add the weight management guide which explains how to check heft, and I’ll also add the bonding guide which explains the full process


Wiebke

Thread 'Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours'

1 Introduction
2 Pre-bonding
- Quarantine and sexing
- The need for a plan B
- The rule-breaker: Youngsters under 4 months (sub-teenage)
3 Setting up an introduction
- Getting to know each other
- ‘Buddy baths’ – why not
- Scent swapping - why not
- Setting up a neutral bonding area
- How to start the bonding
4 Acceptance phase: Do we like...
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I find it always best to email as they are always so busy. Good luck, it will definitely be worth the wait
 
Merab said:
I highly recommend the forum bonding guide.
It certainly saved my sanity.
Also, let us know when you are bonding so we can virtually support you and some of us can try to be around if needed

Based on my experience- give the newbie a few days in a neighbouring cage to settle into his new environment and ensure you have a neutral space for the actual bonding.
I have a child’s paddling pool which I can set up, line with old towels and put in a pile of hay.

As bonding can be stressful for the humans make sure you have something at hand for yourself. Personally I recommend coffee and chocolate 😁
Click to expand...
Thankyou very much ❤️
 
Hiya again guys sorry!
I’ve got a question
Is brownie aloud out on the grass ?
it’s nice and sunny today but i’m a bit worried just incase he’ll get i’ll or anything ?
fudge didn’t go on the grass for months only due from being poorly , but i’m worried about brownie will he’ll be aloud out on the grass or not?
and should i only put him out for a small amount of time?
 
paris_n.x said:
Hiya again guys sorry!
I’ve got a question
Is brownie aloud out on the grass ?
it’s nice and sunny today but i’m a bit worried just incase he’ll get i’ll or anything ?
fudge didn’t go on the grass for months only due from being poorly , but i’m worried about brownie will he’ll be aloud out on the grass or not?
and should i only put him out for a small amount of time?
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Not at this time of year, it’s too cold. Outdoor time can’t start until around April.
They can start going out when the grass is dry, and temperatures are above 15 degrees. The guide is that you need to be able to stand barefoot on the grass without feeling wet or cold.

The other thing is that you must build up grass time slowly. I start by handpicking small amounts of grass from Around the end of February and feeding it to them in their cages. It gets built up slowly.
They then get 10 minutes on the grass on a day dry on the grass from around April. Building it up by 15 mins or so a week until they can stay out all day by summer.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Not at this time of year, it’s too cold. Outdoor time can’t start until around April.
They can start going out when the grass is dry, and temperatures are above 15 degrees. The guide is that you need to be able to stand barefoot on the grass without feeling wet or cold.

The other thing is that you must build up grass time slowly. I start by handpicking small amounts of grass from Around the end of February and feeding it to them in their cages. It gets built up slowly.
They then get 10 minutes on the grass on a day dry on the grass from around April. Building it up by 15 mins or so a week until they can stay out all day by summer.
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Thankyou ever so much!
I’m so glad i asked i haven’t put him out was too worried about it being cold and wet and damp
but thankyou very much ! 🤍
 
I meant to add in this guide for you in my last reply. Here it is now

Wiebke

Thread 'Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time'

- How to provide the run
- How to prepare guinea pigs for the lawn season
- Beware!

Warmer spring weather is on the way - and that means the start of the lawn season!

How to provide the run
- Provide a shelter against wind and weather, as temperatures can drop quickly as soon as the sun has gone or a sudden shower crops up. Make sure that your piggies have access to hay to help balance the digestion and ideally a place slightly above the ground that is dry and warm, so...
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Hiya guys i am getting my new piggy today for brownie
his name is going to be milo 🩵
i’m hoping all this boding will come together and work out well hopefully , brownie is the more dominant one because he use to be with fudge 😂😳
I have like a play pen , do i pop brownie in the pen first ? and then milo? with some hay? and stuff and water bottle
and is it correct to let them see eachother first and get use to eachother scent
what would i do about tonight ? i can’t pop them in cage togheter straight away can i? 🤍
 
Would any support be okay too while i’m trying to bond please i will be starting today and so nervous ive never done this before 🤞🏼
 
Also Brownie is on blankets in his cage he has a C&C cage there absolutely amazing brownie loves it😂😂, do i need wash all brownies scent out ?
 
paris_n.x said:
Also Brownie is on blankets in his cage he has a C&C cage there absolutely amazing brownie loves it😂😂, do i need wash all brownies scent out ?
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You need to use an absolutely neutral space for bonding, somewhere where Brownie hasn't been with clean bedding etc. Do read the Bonding guide above, it tells you everything you need to know.

Also as @Merab said it is better to let the new piggy settle side-by-side for a few days before trying to bond. Makes it less stressful for the new boy.
 
It’s best that the two piggies are in separate but side by side cages for a while to allow Milo to settle and calm: this could take a few days or a few weeks, you need to play it by ear. If you are picking him up today I would not attempt bonding until at least next weekend.
Bonding is stressful and the last thing you want is to put him scared into a bonding situation as he might overreact or be defensive which can be detrimental to their bonding.

When it comes to bonding, you put both piggies into a neutral bonding pen. They go in at the same time.
No hides should be put in the pen, just hay and water. Leave them all day in the pen (it can even be overnight if you are unsure of the status of their situation). You don’t want to rush this stage.
Once you are sure they are settled, have accepted each other and are into/through the early stages of bonding (see the bonding guide for the stages of bonding information), you thoroughly clean out brownie’s cage. It cannot smell just of brownie as he may then reject Milo if brownie feels Milo is invading his space.
Once the cage is cleaned you move them to the cage together and leave them to finish sorting things out. This part takes two weeks.

Once they go in the neutral territory pen you do not separate them at all unless the bonding clearly fails.
If you panic and separate unnecessarily then you have stopped the entire bonding which means they have to start all over again from the beginning when you next try. This means you need to be sure on what constitutes positive and negative behaviours.

If the bonding does fail ie there are fights, then you must immediately and safely separate them (never put your hands directly in as you will get injured). If this occurs then sadly you cannot put them together again.
 
Piggies&buns said:
It’s best that the two piggies are in separate but side by side cages for a while to allow Milo to settle and calm: this could take a few days or a few weeks, you need to play it by ear. If you are picking him up today I would not attempt bonding until at least next weekend.
Bonding is stressful and the last thing you want is to put him scared into a bonding situation as he might overreact or be defensive which can be detrimental to their bonding.

When it comes to bonding, you put both piggies into a neutral bonding pen. They go in at the same time.
No hides should be put in the pen, just hay and water. Leave them all day in the pen (it can even be overnight if you are unsure of the status of their situation). You don’t want to rush this stage.
Once you are sure they are settled, have accepted each other and are into/through the early stages of bonding (see the bonding guide for the stages of bonding information), you thoroughly clean out brownie’s cage. It cannot smell just of brownie as he may then reject Milo if brownie feels Milo is invading his space.
Once the cage is cleaned you move them to the cage together and leave them to finish sorting things out. This part takes two weeks.

Once they go in the neutral territory pen you do not separate them at all unless the bonding clearly fails.
If you panic and separate unnecessarily then you have stopped the entire bonding which means they have to start all over again from the beginning when you next try. This means you need to be sure on what constitutes positive and negative behaviours.

If the bonding does fail ie there are fights, then you must immediately and safely separate them (never put your hands directly in as you will get injured). If this occurs then sadly you cannot put them together again.
Click to expand...
thankyou ever so much guys i have the c&C cage
could i just split it off? one at the top and one at the bottom ? 🤍
 
paris_n.x said:
thankyou ever so much guys i have the c&C cage
could i just split it off? one at the top and one at the bottom ? 🤍
Click to expand...

No I’m afraid not as it removes all ability for them to interact between the bars and also means they aren’t getting to know each other at all prior to bonding.
They must be side by side.
 
Piggies&buns said:
No I’m afraid not as it removes all ability for them to interact between the bars and also means they aren’t getting to know each other at all prior to bonding.
They must be side by side.
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okay that’s fine thankyou
 
paris_n.x said:
so i keep milo in a bonding pen ? and put it next to brownie cage ?
Click to expand...

No, the bonding pen must be neutral and used only for bonding.
If you put Milo in the bonding pen next to brownies cage, the bonding pen then becomes Milo’s territory and you won’t be able to use it to bond them in

Essentially you need three separate spaces - a cage for brownie; a cage for Milo and a neutral bonding pen.

If brownie is in a c&c, how big is it on a single level? (Upper levels don’t count and aren’t needed at all)
 
Piggies&buns said:
No, the bonding pen must be neutral and used only for bonding.
If you put Milo in the bonding pen next to brownies cage, the bonding pen then becomes Milo’s territory and you won’t be able to use it to bond them in

Essentially you need three separate spaces - a cage for brownie; a cage for Milo and a neutral bonding pen.

If brownie is in a c&c, how big is it on a single level? (Upper levels don’t count and aren’t needed at all)
Click to expand...
he got another cage now to put milo in
brownie can hear him and i dunno if he sound upsets
 
Brownie is making loads and loads of noises
is that okay?
he seems like uspet i’m not sure but brownie won’t stop sniffing me at all
 
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