Considering Getting A New Friend For Bereaved Boar

nikij

nikij

Junior Guinea Pig
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I have a lone boar called Charlie aged just under 3 who's friend passed away a couple of months ago. We are now considering getting another boar but am a bit worried about bonding as I don't want to end up with 2 separate guinea pigs. Charlie was the more dominant of the two. I have read a baby would be best but worried Charlie may bully him - what would you recommend? He seems ok on his own at the moment, he has been inside since Henry passed but has just gone back outside in his bluebell hutch for summer and I worry he will be lonely.
 
nikij said:
I have a lone boar called Charlie aged just under 3 who's friend passed away a couple of months ago. We are now considering getting another boar but am a bit worried about bonding as I don't want to end up with 2 separate guinea pigs. Charlie was the more dominant of the two. I have read a baby would be best but worried Charlie may bully him - what would you recommend? He seems ok on his own at the moment, he has been inside since Henry passed but has just gone back outside in his bluebell hutch for summer and I worry he will be lonely.
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Hi! I am very sorry for your loss.

Key to any piggy bond is mutual liking and character compatibility. And the best way of achieving that is dating at one of our recommended good standard rescues with mandatory quarantine/health check that offer boar dating under expert supervision at the rescue. Irrespective of the age, when boars are allowed to choose, it takes them on average about 1-3 candidates to find Mr Right whether that is a baby or another adult boar. You have also got the rescue to fall back on if the bond doesn't work out - that is maximum safety at minimum risk for your boy and you, and well worth any extra effort. Please always contact any rescues within your reach as it very much depends on what piggies are in rescue and up for adoption; there are also usually more piggies in rescue than on the adoption page, so it is well worth talking to them. There are a couple of good rescues in the Stoke area and another couple in the Leicester area.

If you buy on spec from a shop or a for sale breeder, you have to brace yourself that you may choose wrongly, plus you get an unquarantined and not health checked piggy that has yet to go through the hormonal teenage months where clashes usually happen, so the risks are all on your side.

Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator

Alternatively you could consider neutering with a good vet, so your boy could live with a sow or two after a full 6 weeks post-op safety wait (my Tegan, the baby in my avatar, is the unplanned legacy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks boar; not one of min). He is not too old. The advantage of cross gender bonds is that they are the most stable of them all. The best neutering vet in our wider area is in Northampton with as a near a 100% success rate as any surgeon can get. Worth the trip anytime - he won't even need a post-op check up!
The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic
All the best!
 
When I had a young boar (2 years) left alone I had him neutered and then he lived very happily with 2 sows.

Hope you find a good companion for your boy
 
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