SusieW
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi guys,
I just wanted to share a bit of happy news and hope for other people with difficult to pair pigs.
One of my guinea pigs has been living as a solo pig for maybe about a month. He is a rescue pig but he was a baby when we got him, but although he is a little pig he is big trouble, and four bonding attempts have failed- he is either the bully or the bullied pig. He's been living in a 5x2 C&C joined to the pair next door so he's had total interaction but I was genuinely considering getting him neutered and rehoming him to live with girls as he just stopped talking (and before then he was the loudest guinea pig I've ever heard), and did nothing but bite his cage bars to the extent he snapped off one of his teeth. He also became really unfriendly with me and just did constant teeth chattering and vibrated whenever I held him and he obviously wasn't happy.
I didn't want any more guinea pigs really as I had 8 (two pairs, one trio, and him), but also didn't want to rehome him as I'm very attached to him so I thought I'd give it one more shot at finding him a friend, and I'm really pleased to report that he's now had a friend/room mate for two days and they are perfect together... so now I have 9. Hopefully that's everyone sorted and happy!
He's really sweet with his new friend and amazingly as soon as his friend arrived he's back to his old self. He hasn't bitten the cage bars at all, he's talking all the time and asking for food again, he's really friendly with me again, confident, lets me hold him with no teeth chattering or vibrating and just really happy.
Just shows what a difference a friend (the right friend) makes!
I just wanted to share a bit of happy news and hope for other people with difficult to pair pigs.
One of my guinea pigs has been living as a solo pig for maybe about a month. He is a rescue pig but he was a baby when we got him, but although he is a little pig he is big trouble, and four bonding attempts have failed- he is either the bully or the bullied pig. He's been living in a 5x2 C&C joined to the pair next door so he's had total interaction but I was genuinely considering getting him neutered and rehoming him to live with girls as he just stopped talking (and before then he was the loudest guinea pig I've ever heard), and did nothing but bite his cage bars to the extent he snapped off one of his teeth. He also became really unfriendly with me and just did constant teeth chattering and vibrated whenever I held him and he obviously wasn't happy.
I didn't want any more guinea pigs really as I had 8 (two pairs, one trio, and him), but also didn't want to rehome him as I'm very attached to him so I thought I'd give it one more shot at finding him a friend, and I'm really pleased to report that he's now had a friend/room mate for two days and they are perfect together... so now I have 9. Hopefully that's everyone sorted and happy!
He's really sweet with his new friend and amazingly as soon as his friend arrived he's back to his old self. He hasn't bitten the cage bars at all, he's talking all the time and asking for food again, he's really friendly with me again, confident, lets me hold him with no teeth chattering or vibrating and just really happy.
Just shows what a difference a friend (the right friend) makes!
