hey
thanks for your reply. i live in east london and I'm a minor but my mum helps me with anything regarding my pets. i forgot to mention but we bought scruffy and his friend separately so we had to bond them. they were good friends so i dont know if that means scruffy is sociable or not and also i would pair him with another male as i dont really want to neuter him as i heard it can be risky and costly for such small animals.
thanks!
There are several good rescues in the wider London area. The one I can recommend most for your purpose is East Peckham Guinea Pig rescue. This rescue offers residential boar bonding, which is by far the safest and best way of bonding boars. Any resulting pairing is every bit as stable as a sow bond - and all you have to do is take Scruffy to the rescue and pick him and hopefully a friend up a week later again! It is totally worth a longer trip to get there for utter piece of mind!
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator
website:
EAST PECKHAM GUINEA PIG RESCUE
facebook:
East Peckham Guinea Pig Rescue
How does full boar dating work? Scruffy would meet up to three different boars during the course of a week, with some calming down time after each unsuccessful bonding. Any successful bond is then observed and stress tested to make sure that the boars will still get on well when returning to your home. He will come home only with a new boarfriend if there has been success. You are being kept updated about Scruffy's process while he is at the rescue.
This means that you maximise your chances of finding 'Mr Right' while minimising the risk of ending up with two boars that will not get on. Mutual liking and character compatilibity are key for success; age is very much secondary. Full boar dating means that boars of all ages can be bonded with each other, provided that they click with each other!
You are also guaranteed that the new friend is definitely properly sexed, has been fully quaranteed/vet treated and does not come with any nasty passengers. Any rescue piggy has the backing of the rescue for the lifetime of their adopted guinea pigs. Full boar dating still costs you less than a neutering operation!
Because only a few rescues have got the time to conduct 'full' or 'residential' boar dating (which is the rolls royce version of boar bonding), there is usually a waiting list. Scruffy can go on it any time. It is really worth the extra effort for a total hassle free experience.
By the way, the East Peckham rescue lady is
very experienced and can help you further in case there are bonding problems with Scruffy, as she will by then know exactly what his issues are and they are best dealt with. Thankfully only a small number of single guinea pigs that have been kept on their own from a young age without contact with their own kind have lost the ability of seeing themselves as guinea pigs.
All of our recommended rescues will only rehome to cages that comply with minimal RSPCA welfare standards (2x4 ft, better if larger); if you follow our forum care and housing recommendations, you are guaranteed to pass any home check and adoption approval.
By the way, neutering is a valid option in the UK and the success rate has improved massively over the course of the last 5 years. Key is finding a good vet to cut down on the risk of post-op complications. Very few boars die in an operation these days, especially not with a good vet.
I currently have got 8 neutered boars, 6 of which live with one or several sows each, plus one bonded pair.
Should neutering be the way forward for Scruffy, I am sure that the East Peckham Rescue lady can recommend the vet she uses for those boys that are difficult to bond and better off with a sow. We also have a recommended vets locator on the top bar.
I hope that this helps you and your mum?
PS: I have removed your age; please never mention this on a public online place for your own safety!
