Finding a new friend for our 2 year old boar

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Sarah London

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We got a pair of 2 year old boars a couple of weeks ago from a rescue centre, but very sadly one of them passed away from pneumonia within a week. I’m conscious we need to find a friend for our remaining guinea pig soon, and would love some advice on the best options.

Our boar is un-neutered so we need to get another boar. The rescue doesn’t have any a similar age, but has suggested a 9 week old boar, so we could have a younger-older pair. However I’m concerned about looking after a boar through its teenage years. Alternatively we could try another rescue for an older boar.

Is either of these options likely to result in a more successful bonding?

Am I overly worried about having a younger piggie?

How quickly should we be aiming to find a friend?

Many thanks for any advice!
 
Welcome to the forum and I’m sorry for your loss.

Bonding an adult with a baby tends to be quite successful and generally is the bonding we would recommend in this situation.
The baby is looking for companionship and won’t challenge for dominance.

If you look to a similarly aged boar then there’s going to be the issue of dominance.
The alternative is to get an elderly boar - 4-5 years old+ as they tend to just be looking for companionship again but there is no guarantee.
(I bonded my bereaved 7 year old with one of my other 2 year olds and that went well as the 7 year old just relinquished all dominance in favour of having a friend again).

Generally, if a bereaved piggy is eating and otherwise happy, he is ready for a new friend between 1 and 4 weeks after the passing of the companion. However, you don’t need to rush and finding the right friend is more important.
If he is struggling being alone then the matter becomes more urgent
 
I’m sorry to read your post about the loss of your Guinea pig so soon
Look after yourselves as you grieve
@Piggies&buns has given you great advice and hopefully you can make a decision to get your piggy a friend
I had 2 piggies from 3 months old and they were together when I got them , luckily they sailed thru their teenage years together.
Good luck and we are always here for support and understanding
 
So sorry for your loss.
When I lost one of a boar pair I opted to have Titus neutered and bonded with 2 sows.
He was very happy and the bonding was very easy.

I don’t know if this is an option for you to consider
 
Sarah London said:
Thanks for all your advice - it’s so helpful. We’ve decided to try and find a baby for bonding, and are meeting a couple of options at a rescue this weekend.
Click to expand...
Good luck and hopefully you will find a new baby addition to your piggy family ❤️
 
Just a quick question in advance of our bonding session at the Rescue this weekend. Assuming it’s successful should we clean the cage etc before bringing our new baby guinea pig home so it’s neutral territory, or is it better to leave it with the smell of our existing guinea pig, as we’d expect him to be the dominant guinea pig anyway?
 
Clean the cage.
It’s not about him being dominant, it’s about him
seeing it as his territory.
The cage needs to carry neither piggies scent or carry the scent of them both. It must never contain the scent of just one of them. If it does, they it’ll still be his territory and he can then reject the newbie for territory invasion.

Make sure you know how long they have been together at the rescue centre before you bring them home.
Speed dating ie just a few hours together at the rescue means they don’t usually have enough time to get through the earlier stages of bonding before being moved. Being moved can cause a new round of dominance.
It is often necessary to bring them home and put the back on neutral territory, but crucially not in the main cage, for another few hours or even overnight before moving them to the main cage (once it has been cleaned out)

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours
 
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