Companion for my neutered boar

Ketoprofene17

Ketoprofene17

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all,

I am going to move to Italy with my 2 years old neutered boar. Unfortunately we'll have to leave his play buddy behind (he's not my pig), so we're looking at getting a sow a few days after he'll have settled in the new environment.

Shall I go for a young sow? I seem to remember it may be easier for them to bond. Any particular recommendation on how to make their bonding process as smooth as possible?

Thanks in advance!
 
Ketoprofene17 said:
Hi all,

I am going to move to Italy with my 2 years old neutered boar. Unfortunately we'll have to leave his play buddy behind (he's not my pig), so we're looking at getting a sow a few days after he'll have settled in the new environment.

Shall I go for a young sow? I seem to remember it may be easier for them to bond. Any particular recommendation on how to make their bonding process as smooth as possible?

Thanks in advance!
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Hi and welcome

A sub-adult sow will be a very safe bet; you have her social and biological instincts fully on your side, which is no longer the case with older sows past their ideal pup-bearing age.

What you have to always keep in mind with pet shop or breeder sows is that they could be already be pregnant due to mis-sexing or not separating boars soon enough. There are a very few rescues in Italy that work to a somewhat descent standard but you may have to travel quite a way.
 
Hi, thanks for replying.

I did already notice that finding rescues is hard where I'll be living. In Italy, knowledge/resources/facilities for guinea pigs seem to be very low (I'm Italian myself, not generalising :D). I am quite worried I won't be able to find a knowledgeable vet in my area either.

I think I'll avoid pet shops. There are a few breeders around Rome, but I'm not sure whether a few months old sow would be fine age-wise to get along with Guanciale.
 
Ketoprofene17 said:
Hi, thanks for replying.

I did already notice that finding rescues is hard where I'll be living. In Italy, knowledge/resources/facilities for guinea pigs seem to be very low (I'm Italian myself, not generalising :D). I am quite worried I won't be able to find a knowledgeable vet in my area either.

I think I'll avoid pet shops. There are a few breeders around Rome, but I'm not sure whether a few months old sow would be fine age-wise to get along with Guanciale.
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Yes, I know; I used to spend my holidays with a friend in Italy for over a decade before I switched to the UK and met (and wed) my husband!

Finding good vets outside Rome or Milan won't be easy. I think there are one or two decent exotics vets in the big cities.
I am not quite happy about this place here keeping guinea pigs and rabbits together, but it is supposed to be a reputable rescue; it may also be worth asking them whether they know of piggy savvy vets? - La Collina dei Conigli -
 
We made it to Rome! I also found a breeder who has a few 1-month old teddy sows and we really like one of them. Would it be too young for my 2 years old boar?
 
Ketoprofene17 said:
We made it to Rome! I also found a breeder who has a few 1-month old teddy sows and we really like one of them. Would it be too young for my 2 years old boar?
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No, not at all. Here is my 2 years old Dylan meeting a tiny mis-sexed emergency rescue intake baby sow in January; she was the weight of a small 3 weeks old although she was supposed to be 8 weeks old. They are still together and getting on really well.
However, if you can, please allow your boy to choose the baby girl he likes and not just go by your own preferences; you will reap the benefit of a happy bond and will fall in love with his new wife because of that. ;)

PS: Make sure that any baby boars over 3 weeks old have been removed.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sexing-separating-baby-boars-and-rehoming-babies.109391/
 
Thanks @Wiebke , we obviously would rather have Guanciale pick his new wife but how would you recommend going on about that? Do I take him with us to the breeder and see which butt he sniffs first? :D
 
Ketoprofene17 said:
Thanks @Wiebke , we obviously would rather have Guanciale pick his new wife but how would you recommend going on about that? Do I take him with us to the breeder and see which butt he sniffs first? :D
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There's a bit more to a happy marriage than butt sniffing! After the initial butt sniffing there should be sharing a meal, ear licking, relaxed grooming sat near each other... and probably most importantly no panic and fear aggression from the young lady pig when suddenly confronted with a big manly husboar! I think you should take him to the breeder if they agree and see if you can let him spend some time with his potential future wife and ensure they are happy to do normal friendly piggy things together apart from the obvious humping and butt sniffing bit. The humping bit is like a couple of hours every 16 days or so, they need to enjoy each others company the rest of the time too!
 
Thanks for the advice! I don't think the breeder would allow me to do that, but I'll ask anyway. In case we aren't allowed to do so, any particular advice? I really want this to go well :(
 
Ketoprofene17 said:
FYI I have asked the breeder and he said (I quote) "No need for taking him over".
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Most young sows will be accepting, but if you opt for one of the less dominant ones, then a match should go well.
 
I will try get a less dominant one, thanks for the advice! We'll be going tonight, any further recommendations? Shall I keep her in a separate cage for now? When do you think I can start putting them in the same pen (all going well)?
 
I'm not an expert, but I think I would keep them separate for a while unless you can be sure the sow you get, and the breeder's other pigs, are all healthy and without ringworm etc. Quarantine is Generally a good idea when getting pigs from breeders and shops.
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
I'm not an expert, but I think I would keep them separate for a while unless you can be sure the sow you get, and the breeder's other pigs, are all healthy and without ringworm etc. Quarantine is Generally a good idea when getting pigs from breeders and shops.
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:agr: . This thread explains more Importance Of Quarantine
 
Hi all, the breeder kept the poor pigs in an incredibly unhealthy environment, sharing their cage with birds! We opted for a pet shop, the only other option around here and got a 2-months old female crested. She’s in quarantine but we’re getting a bit worried as she hasn’t eaten or drunk (that we’ve seen) in 5 hours. She barely nibbled at some lettuce. Even upon touching, she’s not extremely responsive. Her heartbeat and breathing are fast (as I’d expect) and she seems lost of course but I was wondering if it’s normal for newly homed pigs to behave like this?
 
Put yourself in her position. She has been ripped from the heart of her family and all she has known, put onto a shop where there are lots of scary noises and smells and just as she was getting used to that she has been taken away again and put somewhere else! For a small prey animal it is a very scary and frightening experience! Try covering her cage with a towel or blanket to help her feel safe. I expect she will venture out to eat when everything is quiet.
 
She has eaten something last night, hopefully it’ll improve. My other pig was also shy at first but not this much! She’s got a wooden shed and plenty of hay to feel secure hopefully. I was wondering how much of this could be because she’s alone (in quarantine). I’ll try get a vet to check her this week and then maybe in a few days try start on neutral ground?
 
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