How do you introduce a new piggy?

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Hoggle*&*Ludo

Hoggle*&*Ludo

Adult Guinea Pig
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I have decided I want a new piggy for Ernie, but am scared I will make the wrong decision and he will get hurt. I really don't want to go down the neutering route, I am going to the P@H preloved section later to see if there is a piggy around his age, who hopefully may have already been neutered. I know people don't approve of P@H but there is nowhere near me and I don't have a car, and travelling on public transport with a baby and a guinea pig isn't ideal, whereas I am 10 mins from there.

I just want to know how to introduce them, Ernie did have a brother until 12 weeks because he passed away :( so he hasn't always been alone, so am hoping he will accept it, and I have definitely noticed him coming out of his shell with me, he runs around the hutch and wheeks now when I am feeding him, whereas he hid in his bed until I had gone previously, so he is coming on great. :)
 
You need to do it on neutral ground out of the cage. Like on a sofa or in a neutral play pen. See how they get on. If they seem to be bonding ok i.e no teeth chattering then you can think about trying them in a cage. You will need to clean the cage thoroughly if its one Ernies used in the past i would use a vinegar solution and then disinfect just to make sure the smells covered. Then you just need to keep an eye on them, make sure they have two of everything for a couple of days so two food bowls, somewhere to hide etc.... Plenty of hay for distraction. I've recently introduced two lots of boys and i've not had any problems. You can expect some rumble strutting thats natural as they have to figure whose in charge but it shouldn't go no further then that. Males aren't as bad as everyone makes out :)
 
Thank you very much, would it be ok to have them play in the bath as I accidentally left the pen in the garage at my old house. :(

I am getting a 2 tier hutch/run for summer so they will eventually have plenty of room. :)
 
what will you do with the other pig you get from p@h if they don't get on? if that is the case you may have to get another hutch/cage just incase , hope it all goes well for you and the lovely ernie :)
 
I have a spare indoor cage he can use for now and I guess I could just keep trying if it doesn't go perfect at first, unless they seriously don't get on. :)
 
If you are going down the 'non-rescue' route, please please please ensure you quarantine any new piggy for a MINIMUM of 3wks. To quarantine you'll need to ensure the new piggy is in a separate cage in a completely different room to your current boy - always handle your current boy first and make sure you practice strict hygiene (plenty of hand-washing - before and after handling both pigs)

Unless from a rescue whereby they've already been through a quarantine period i ALWAYS put any new piggy through an incubation period - i had a girl once who developed serious fungal patches all over her body 4 days after collecting her. All in all i had her in quarantine for a total of 9wks - and I'm so glad i did because had i not quarantined i could have been looking at trying to deal with 2-3 poorly piggies and a very big vets bill! Just treating one piggie daily was hard work enough!

I would also book any new piggy you get in for a vets checkup - not all illnesses have symptoms you can see - last thing you'll want is to put them together straight away and have to deal with two ill piggies.

Other than that - i hope you find the perfect friend and everything goes ok with the bonding
 
Is there any reason why you want a neutered male guinea pig? I just wanted to point out that boars do NOT have to be neutered to live with another boar as it will not change the behaviour :) A boar only needs to be neutered to live with sows.
 
I again would strongly recommend boar dating at a reputable rescue - is there anyone who could take you?

If you pick a pig from P@H there's no guarantee that they'll get on, then you'll be stuck with two single pigs, that will then both be needing a friend. Boar dating means that Ernie can pick a friend that he likes, and likes him back - pigs can often have several unsuccessful dates before finding a friend that they like!
 
Thanks for your replies. Sadly it didn't go to plan, I went to the adoption centre area and it was just bunnies and they had just 1 baby boy pig for sale. I would never attempt to put him in with a baby but the staff member was adamant I am not having him! So they are more responsible than we give them credit for, they advised me to get him neutered and get a sow but I really don't want to put him through that. He said they had just adopted out an older boy too so I missed out.

I would prefer a rescue, and would love to find a local one to boar date, one really local to Preston if poss. There isn't anyone I can rely on to take me unfortunately. xx Thanks again xx
 
Hiya,

We've had a quick look at this rescue website, it looks pretty good to us. Maybe one of the piggy bank rescues may have heard of them and be able to give you more advice but on the whole their website does say all the right things.

Good luck in your search!

Lisa & Ali xx
 
lisaali said:
Hiya,

We've had a quick look at this rescue website, it looks pretty good to us. Maybe one of the piggy bank rescues may have heard of them and be able to give you more advice but on the whole their website does say all the right things.

Good luck in your search!

Lisa & Ali xx
Click to expand...

They are not on the Piggy Bank list but have put feelers out...last time I gave the name of a rescue, it turned out to be not a good place so am cautious now.
 
Wives, hehe. I can't wait to get him a little friend, I feel bad on him. As I couldn't get the one from p@h, I treated him to a nice new bed and some treats and a little ball with a bell in it hehe.
 
Hoggle*&*Ludo said:
Wives, hehe. I can't wait to get him a little friend, I feel bad on him. As I couldn't get the one from p@h, I treated him to a nice new bed and some treats and a little ball with a bell in it hehe.
Click to expand...

Lol, he thinks all his Christmas's and birthdays come at one when he moved in with them :))

I've saw the photo of Ernie's new bed. It's proper cute :)

Considering he has been on his own for a while, he will be fine on his own for a while longer. Don't feel bad. You are trying your best x
 
Thank you! I am so gutted I couldn't get one today, I had my heart set on him. :(

Just thought I would add a pic of Ernie with his new presents, he should be snuggly in his new bed!

907267_490501017671178_1313578704_n.jpg
 
Aww Ernies gorgeous! I hope you can get along to the rescue, that would be brill.
I boar dated one of my boys after his cagemate passed away. Fuzzy was 2 and Tyler was 6 weeks and they have a brilliant bond. Tyler looked up to Fuzzy as a father figure or big brother and Fuzzy has taught him not to be scared of things (Tyler was very skittish when we brought him home but Fuzzy has never been afraid of anything).
Hope he finds a friend soon!
 
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