I feel guilty for my boys.. What should I do?

AimeeOx

AimeeOx

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi All,

As I'm sure you know and understand, I love my boys to pieces, they are adorable and such wonderful additions to the home!

They are 2 years and 5 months old, and have always been together.

My guilt stems from this: Higgins seems so sad, and craves games and running around, but Gibson just sits and eats his hay, plods around and more or less ignores Higgins (unless Higgins is humping his face, then he can't ignore him!:doh:). Because of this, Higgins spends most of the time looking miserable in his little upstairs house. He loves lap time (it's taken a lot to get him to enjoy a cuddle), but obviously he can't play and interact with me as he would another pig.

I truly believe that Higgins needs to be in a herd, or with a more active boar, but I don't know how to do this and keep both my boys happy?

What can I do? I can't bear to give either of them up, but it's incredibly heartbreaking to see Higgins so sad :no:

As a side note, he has been vet checked and is Ok, no issues and is eating and drinking as normal.
 
If they have always been together then I wouldn't do anything to upset the bond... i know it sounds odd but sometimes we interject our worry's onto our piggies they do not luckily have extensional crisis, so he may not be feeling the way you think he may be feeling it that makes sense.... If Higgins is eating, pooing, maintains weight. Not all piggies will play together but they will still enjoy each others company

You can't add to two boys, it will more than likely go badly wrong. Maybe provide Higgins with a little more lap time to give him more stimulus or pop a chube in the cage for him to nibble on, or Kitchen role tube cut in middle stuffed with hay Guinea Pig Toys
 
Thanks @sport_billy I know I am probably worrying without reason, he just looks so sad!

I had to ban cardboard because Higgins eats it like a maniac and then acts really odd, but he's other tubes and tunnels to play with.. Perhaps I'll have him out in the kitchen more often (Gibson comes out for a while but then sits in a hidey eating hay..!).

No, I know adding boys wouldn't be an option. My partner suggested giving one of them up and finding the other a new friend, but they are so well bonded and have never (touch wood) had a falling out I wouldn't like to risk that bond. Plus I'm not sure I could put Higgins through either a move or neutering to add him to a female herd.

I just want them both to be happy!
 
AimeeOx said:
Thanks @sport_billy I know I am probably worrying without reason, he just looks so sad!

I had to ban cardboard because Higgins eats it like a maniac and then acts really odd, but he's other tubes and tunnels to play with.. Perhaps I'll have him out in the kitchen more often (Gibson comes out for a while but then sits in a hidey eating hay..!).

No, I know adding boys wouldn't be an option. My partner suggested giving one of them up and finding the other a new friend, but they are so well bonded and have never (touch wood) had a falling out I wouldn't like to risk that bond. Plus I'm not sure I could put Higgins through either a move or neutering to add him to a female herd.

I just want them both to be happy!
Click to expand...

I do understand.... getting him out more may help.
 
I too have two boars with one being much older than the other. I felt as you do but Bruno, the youngest, just makes his own fun, with periods of zooming about and he popcorns like crazy when I put hay and veggies in. He spent a lot of time upstairs in his loft room where Jack doesn’t go, but he’s now started spending time with Jack in the hay tray (which is more or less where Jack lives), so they seem happier together. I have had Bruno castrated so that when Jack does pop off over the rainbow bridge (which will hopefully not be fore a long time yet!), I can get him a couple of ladies to make his life complete!
 
Aw @Kath Thompson that's lovely! My Higgins sits in his house upstairs on his own, head hanging over the shelf looking miserable.. Gibson hangs out downstairs in the hay tray - he sleeps, eats, poops and wees all in the same place!

I got them both out yesterday in the kitchen, and kept them out for a few hours. They enjoyed it, but when I tried to serve dinner in there Higgins was having none of it so had to put them back in the run/cage - Higgins likes to take his food inside away from the pot-bellied pig that is Gibson, and there was nowhere to hide in the kitchen!

Higgins was out and about this morning so I will do it again tonight!
 
AimeeOx said:
Aw @Kath Thompson that's lovely! My Higgins sits in his house upstairs on his own, head hanging over the shelf looking miserable.. Gibson hangs out downstairs in the hay tray - he sleeps, eats, poops and wees all in the same place!

I got them both out yesterday in the kitchen, and kept them out for a few hours. They enjoyed it, but when I tried to serve dinner in there Higgins was having none of it so had to put them back in the run/cage - Higgins likes to take his food inside away from the pot-bellied pig that is Gibson, and there was nowhere to hide in the kitchen!

Higgins was out and about this morning so I will do it again tonight!
Click to expand...

Jack sound just like Higgins! Although he likes to go out for grass (or floor time) after a while he ends up just staring at me til I put him back in again. Luckily Bruno doesn’t scoff everything in sight (unlike Jack) but does popcorn when veggies have just gone in. Jack just looks at him as if he’s mad! I love them both to bits and wouldn’t change them for the world!
 
I have a six year old piggy Honey and a 5 month old, Willow. As you can probably imagine, Willow is all up for doing zoomies round the cage but Honey's zooming days are over... they are two very different personalities but it works, I understand what you mean, but opposites can attract, and also remember, you would only be seeing their actions for a short part of the 24 hour day... just having another piggy for friendship I would've thought would be enough, piggies tend to make their own fun... if your looking for toy ideas, mine love a paper bag full of hay, and this even gets Honey a bit excited 😂😂
 
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