Hello and a bit of help please

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waterbaby

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Hi everyone. I'm Sarah and new to the forum. We are about to adopt 2 gorgeous boars called Timone and Pumba who we found on the guinea pig rescue site. I am so excited to welcome them in to our family!xx>>>

They are our first rescue piggies. I had guinea pigs as a child but we had a hutch outside and a run. Our piggies will be kept indoors, with lots of floor time and as much outdoor time in a run as weather permits.

I have bought them a ferplast 140 and just have a few questions to anybody else with one or similar. They have hay racks, but are these suitable for guinea pigs or rabbits only. Dont know if i have them attached wrongly but they look awfully high. I'm not sure how they would reach the hay? I may be being very thick here though haha. Also do you think they need both hidey houses. They seem to take up a lot of space. Are they likely to prefer a house each or would the extra space be better, or is there a different type of snug they might prefer. I keep seeing little snuggley type things in pics on here. Where can i get one?! I just dont know about lay out and looking for ideas.

Any idea for how to make them feel safe when they arrive. Would you suggest handling them a lot early on to get them used to us, or do they prefer some time alone first to get to know their home? We have two small children. They are both very good with animals, but we still only plan to let them have totally supervised time with the piggies and then they can have more free range time to run about when the children are in bed.

If anybody has any advice then i will be grateful for it. Already learning lots from the bits and bobs i have read on here so far.

Thanks x
 
If the hay rack is too high and you can't adjust it, there are many you can buy at pet shops. As for the hideys, yes, guinea pigs need them as they are prey animals and need that kind of security. Otherwise you might have some very frightened piggies. And as for the snuggies, you can make them yourself using fleece, etc., or buy small cat beds, or ferret beds. Guinea may also like hammocks or even 'cuddle sacks' where they can burrow into. Hope I helped :)
 
Hello and welcome !

Congratulations on the new piggies ! bet you can't wait to get them home ! They hay rack should be fine for the piggies i've never had a problem with any of mine being too high as the piggies tend to just reach up, either just with there heads or if there feeling adventurous they get up on there back legs to get it too !

It's recommended each piggy has there own hidey house, especially with boys as they can be a little territorial !

Many people sell snuggly things and theres alot to choose from, here's my favourite place to get mine !
http://www.pawsup4cosypets.co.uk/

I also buy cat beds and small dog beds to have out for floor time as they can often be a little too big for cages.

Most people say 24 hour settling in period with no touching and then start handling, little and often being the best approach in my opinion although remember they're prey animals and will be very wary at first of touch etc. So try not to make loud noises or quick movements ! A fleece or something cosy is a good way to let them feel safe when you have them out for cuddles etc.

Good luck with the new family members (:
 
Hi and welcome :)
As suggested already, boars like to have their space at times so a hidey each is best. Some boars like to have seperate bowls and water bottles too, I have one pair or boars who share their bowl and bottle and another pair who need one each so don't be worried if they wont share, just get a second one :)

As above, chekc out pawsup, she does excellent cosy cups and beds etc.
Other members on here do them too, check out the for sale section and fundraising for rescues, you'll often spot them in there too.

Hay racks are a preference, I like them as i have long haired piggies so to keep the hay off the ground helps me to keep the coats from getting too tangled. Others prefer a tray or a box. I have these racks:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RABBIT-GU...et_Supplies_Small_Animals&hash=item27ba65340a
You can find them in pet shops too or check out ebay for lots of different types.

The ferplast 140 is a great size for two boars. I would let them settle for a couple of days, let them get used to all the new sounds and smells then handle as soon as you feel ready. I do it from about the second or 3rd day and all my piggies have been very tame :)
You can also used empty boxes for hideys, I bring home from work empty printer paper boxes, turn them over and cut a hole out of each side, they love chewing them etc. Shoe boxes and cereal boxes work too, just use your imagination or check out the galleries in the housing section for ideas.
And dont forget to post pigtures!
 
Thank you both!

I know they need some sort of hidey place, I just wasn't sure if they were going to need one each. Thanks for the advice. I think i need to read up on boars territorial behaviour etc.

Twiams- Looking at the link, I think I will definitely have to invest in some of those! Maybe replace one of the plastice houses for a cosier one. They look amazing!
 
Hi and welcome!

It is great that you want to go rescue!

You may find our boar guide helpful; it contains many useful tips: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76162

You may find that a hay/litter tray under the hay rack comes in handy if you use fabric bedding; many piggies like sit and burrow in hay, as well as use it as a loo.
 
The boar guide made very interesting reading - cheers for that :)

So, I know it is very early days as we don't even pick up our new additions until Sunday...but just say we decided to get more piggies in the future, would we only really be able to go for boars. If we did get another pair of boars obviously they would need to be housed separately but would that go for play time too. What about time in the run in the garden. Could they have any communal time.

Thanks in advance for any answers.

3 More sleeps till piggies!
 
Hi there, I also have two boars and just wanted to add that whilst I have snuggly fleece hideys and plastic pigloos they actually prefer a cardboard box (wine boxes are ideal size) stuffed with newspaper and straw! My boys seems to spend half their life in them, and when they feel hungry they like to eat their hidey too! I have to replace mine weekly as sometimes they have been destroyed mallethead- good job sainsburys seem to have an endless supply of them!

Looknig forward to seeing pics when you have them
 
neuroticmum said:
Hi there, I also have two boars and just wanted to add that whilst I have snuggly fleece hideys and plastic pigloos they actually prefer a cardboard box (wine boxes are ideal size) stuffed with newspaper and straw! My boys seems to spend half their life in them, and when they feel hungry they like to eat their hidey too! I have to replace mine weekly as sometimes they have been destroyed mallethead- good job sainsburys seem to have an endless supply of them!

Looknig forward to seeing pics when you have them
Click to expand...

Do you mean straw or hay? Just that straw isn't good for pigs as it's very sharp and can sometimes poke them in the eyes as they are burrowing which can cause serious damage. Plus, it has very little nutritional value; hay is much much better! :)
 
hi and welcome to the forum, you will find lots of advice and intersting things to do with your new friends, I learnt so much and still am learning all the time.

I had pigs before, never knew about fleece and cozies and made up hides from large drainpipes and cardboard boxes for them. This time round I have started from scratch and looked into everything I can do to make them enjoy their lives with me, I have a small herd of 4 (3 girls and an neutered boar) and a pair of longhaired boars that are indoors, the herd live outside in warmer months, inside in winter.

I have just brought some lovely cozies from here http://www.cavycouture.co.uk/

and I also make some myself and sell http://www.flickr.com/photos/33948186@N08/sets/72157630452093988/with/7558161056/
the squbes (the last red polka dot one in the pictures) are what I am going on to make more of, I also make tunnels http://www.flickr.com/photos/33948186@N08/sets/72157630452382104/ which are all fabric and quilted to make them squishy.

You can buy other types of hayracks, I tend to prefer to use more than one, or as big as possible to hold as much hay as possible, but I cant have them sitting in hay due to my allergies. Most on-line pet shops sell them or have a look around in hardwear stores/pound shops for grid type things to hold hay in - some people (and myself included) use the box wire bird feeders as hay racks.
 
waterbaby said:
The boar guide made very interesting reading - cheers for that :)

So, I know it is very early days as we don't even pick up our new additions until Sunday...but just say we decided to get more piggies in the future, would we only really be able to go for boars. If we did get another pair of boars obviously they would need to be housed separately but would that go for play time too. What about time in the run in the garden. Could they have any communal time.

Thanks in advance for any answers.

3 More sleeps till piggies!
Click to expand...

You could have sows but they would have to be kept out of sight of the boars, some people say in a different room because the smell can cause boars to fight but I know other people keep them in cages on top of each other without problems. I've not had both together so can't really comment. As for getting another boar pair, that would be fine but the two pairs would have to be kept separate all the time because they would fight for dominance and it would be likely to upset the existing bonds within the pairs.
 
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