I have a lonely piggie! What should I do?

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celestial

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Hello,

I recently adopted three female piggies. My younger sister (she's 13) got a male guinea pig a while ago. I think she just bought him from a pet store and didn't do much research beforehand. His diet is fine but his cage is a bit small and he doesn't live with a friend! Of course, her being just a kid, she got bored of him and does not take him out to play or give him any attention anymore. I feel really bad for him! He has absolutely nothing to do all day and must be bored to death. I talked to my mom about the situation and we are trying to decide what to do.

The obvious option is to get another boy piggie, but my mom doesn't want another pet. And we definitely don't want babies so we can't let him play with my female pigs.

My mom just wants my sister to play with him every day and give him toys. Personally I don't really trust her to stick to that. I thought we could get him neutered so he could live with my guinea pigs, but I don't know if that's the best idea. I heard it's very expensive and could be dangerous.

Is it worth it to neuter him? Should I keep trying to convince my mom to get another boy? Or, is more human interaction enough to keep him happy?

Thanks
 
Welcome to the forum.

Human interaction is never enough for them, so no matter how much time anybody played with him wouldn’t be sufficient.

You have correctly identified the two options -

- Find him a character compatible male friend. This is best done via the assistance of a rescue centre to ensure the new piggy and your boy have compatibility. If you buy a new piggy from a pet shop for example, then there is a risk that they won’t bond and you would then end up with them having still to live separately. For two boars to live together they need a lot of space - a cage measuring 180x60cm is the recommended size.

- Have him neutered, then wait six weeks after surgery for him to become infertile and then bond him in with your girls. This can be a good option also but as I understand it neutering in the US is more expensive than in the UK. Any surgery comes with a risk but it is greatly minimised by having an experienced vet.
The other consideration here is you would then need to ensure your cage is big enough for four piggies to live together. That is a recommended cage size measuring 210x60cm
You would need to follow the correct bonding procedure to bond the boar in with your girls. We have guides and can help with further information on this.

Ive added some guides below for you to read for further information

A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Cage Size Guide
 
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Hi! Welcome to the forum!

I agree with Piggies&buns. I do think neutering him would be the best option. I would recommend calling your local exotic vet or piggy savy vet and find out how much the cost is to neuter. That way you know how much it is going to cost.

Best of luck with your piggies!
 
Hi

It is great that you are caring so much about your guinea pigs, including your sister's. Unfortunately, for younger people, the outdated notions in terms of animal welfare can be very vexing. Like so much, our ideas of what animals and pets need as a species have moved on a lot since their childhood days. The USA, like the UK and many other countries, have formally acknowledged the Five Animal Freedoms (the basic welfare needs) but they are unfortunately still only enforced and legally enshrined in Switzerland, where it is forbidden to sell, keep or own group animals as singles.

Piggies are group animals and not wired to be single. They need round the clock company and interaction every single day of the 5-7 years of a healthy life span. There are only ever very, very few true singles piggies but these have transferred their social expectations fully onto a human and need to be with them all day.

This guide deals with single piggies in a range of situations, their individual challenges; how to best go about companionship and how it can come out when piggies transfer their own social needs onto humans: Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Here is more information on boars and getting further piggies if you cannot rescue date (sadly the one good rescue in your state has closed down now). A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

Rescues, shops, breeders or online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs

I do fully agree with @Piggies&buns in what she says.
 
Please get your pig neutered! No amount of human interaction can make up for this. In the UK they won't sell u a piggie unless you have a friend for them!
 
You should get a cage to put him next to the girls :) If you do that, though, just make sure to get some plexiglass so theres no way he can get to them.
celestial said:
Hello,

I recently adopted three female piggies. My younger sister (she's 13) got a male guinea pig a while ago. I think she just bought him from a pet store and didn't do much research beforehand. His diet is fine but his cage is a bit small and he doesn't live with a friend! Of course, her being just a kid, she got bored of him and does not take him out to play or give him any attention anymore. I feel really bad for him! He has absolutely nothing to do all day and must be bored to death. I talked to my mom about the situation and we are trying to decide what to do.

The obvious option is to get another boy piggie, but my mom doesn't want another pet. And we definitely don't want babies so we can't let him play with my female pigs.

My mom just wants my sister to play with him every day and give him toys. Personally I don't really trust her to stick to that. I thought we could get him neutered so he could live with my guinea pigs, but I don't know if that's the best idea. I heard it's very expensive and could be dangerous.

Is it worth it to neuter him? Should I keep trying to convince my mom to get another boy? Or, is more human interaction enough to keep him happy?

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
In the long term I bet he'd be happier with neutering and living with the girls. Two boars can be a gamble - esp if mom doesn't want any more pets she sure won't want any more problems like if they don't get on!
In GP rescues over here the single males are neutered as standard. Females are not spayed unless there is a medical reason. Although all ops carry risk you can see that neutering is considered low enough risk for it to be widely used to give these little guys the chance of a better life 💕
 
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