Getting a friend for my male guinea-pig?

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stephhh05x

stephhh05x

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I have a male guinea-pig called Marley, who I got last year in June, and he will be 1 year old in about May. He lives outside in a hutch on his own, and I would like to get him a friend, but is it too late? It would be another male guinea-pig as I don't want to breed them, but what is the best thing to do to introduce them?
rolleyes
 
It is a great idea to get Marley a friend. Guinea pigs are social animals and need company of their own kind. The best thing to do is to take Marley boar dating were he can choose his own friend. You will need to find a rescue. It is really worth doing this to avoid getting a boar he does not get along with.
 
The best way to find a congenial friend for Marley is by "boar dating" at a reputable rescue that offers this service. Boars of all ages can be bonded and rebonded; often an age gap is an advantage as it keeps the dominance clear. Boar dating is by far the cheapest, quickest AND safest option available - you will only come back home with another piggy if there has been a success. The introductions will happen under expert supervision and you do not have to go through the nerve racking bonding process yourself. With a good rescue, you will also get support and advice throughout the settling in period and indeed throughout the whole rescue piggy's life.

Whereabouts are you? It is well worth going that bit further afield and making the extra effort for a stable bond that is based on mutual character compatibility. You might find these links here informative and interesting:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76162
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=59233

If boar dating is not an option for you, you could think about having Marley neutered and living with a sow or two. Please be aware that you need to find a really good, experienced vet to do that in order to keep the not inconsiderable risk of post op complications as small as possible; they can occur weeks and even months after the operation. Marley will also face a six week post operation wait until he is 100% safe to go with sows.
http://www.cavyspirit.com/neutering.htm
 
Depending on where you are based and Marleys character I have a boar looking for a home, around 10 months old I would estimate and he is a very chilled and laid back piggy. Needs to be bonded with a placid pig and willing to have "dates" at my home in the run but I'm in Leicester so that depends on your location
 
Lady Kelly said:
Depending on where you are based and Marleys character I have a boar looking for a home, around 10 months old I would estimate and he is a very chilled and laid back piggy. Needs to be bonded with a placid pig and willing to have "dates" at my home in the run but I'm in Leicester so that depends on your location
Click to expand...

Oh that's a shame, as I live 100's of miles away from Leicester! Sorry!
 
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