Introducing A Third Boar?

[Little Ones]

My friend and her family carelessly bought two Guinea pigs about 9 months ago, they were kept in a small cage in poor conditions and they were never handled or cared for, she even tried to sell them at some point because they were noisy and it annoyed her that the fought sometimes, anyway after 6 months, one of them died (baring in mind they were only babies) because he was ill and they didn't want to spend money to take him to the vets. Anyway, two months ago I encouraged her to get another friend for Jerry (the remaining pig) as he would get lonely especially during bereavement, she didn't. I was thinking about asking her how Jerry is doing and mentioning that if ever she didn't want him, I would take him off of her hands. My mum isn't happy about getting another pig but she will allow me to take on Jerry because of the circumstances. I have a 2x4 two storey cage with a 1x2 loft, I can't expand my cage any further, my boys have been together for two years, I wouldn't say they're well bonded but they are a little I guess apart from last week they began fighting almost constantly but I think they're settling back down. I don't want to disturb the bond which my two boys have and I also don't want to have to expand my cage more for three of them to get along because I just can't do that however I have been worrying about her Guinea pig and I can't help but feel so sorry for the poor thing. I can't get another boar as well as take Jerry then buy a second cage either.

 

[TheCavySlave]

What a conundrum! We have the same cage exactly, loft and all, and I think it's big enough for three just about, but the bonding is a huge problem...but poor Jerry! Looking back, I expect we bought our boys almost carelessly, not realising just how much effort we'd end up puttingin, but looking back...I actually would not change a thing, and our boys are currently thriving (and eating, and pooping)...I'm sure someone will help you out, but I can only imagine what a terrible situation this must be for you.

 

[DM030819]

Is your only option to have them as a trio? Do you have the space for a second cage and he be alone?

The reason I ask is that having a bonded trio very rarely works. I've managed it a couple of times but it needs a huge cage. Your 2x4 is too small and a narrow area like a loft is asking for trouble as it funnels them into being close to each other when they don't want to be.

However, if you have the space for another cage then it sounds to me that he would 100% be better off with you even if he had to live alone. At least you'd care for him, unlike your friend.

 

[VickiA]

With @Jaycey. Sadly boar trios seldom work. And if they do, they need a huge amount of floor space -'4 x2 even with a loft is far too small. I really wouldn't introduce a third piggy no matter how sorry you feel for him. Perhaps encourage your friend to surrender him to a rescue so he can be bonded with another lone piggy and have a happy life together. Cavy Corner, Millhaven and BARC are all excellent rescues in your area.

 

[Little Ones]

What a conundrum! We have the same cage exactly, loft and all, and I think it's big enough for three just about, but the bonding is a huge problem...but poor Jerry! Looking back, I expect we bought our boys almost carelessly, not realising just how much effort we'd end up puttingin, but looking back...I actually would not change a thing, and our boys are currently thriving (and eating, and pooping)...I'm sure someone will help you out, but I can only imagine what a terrible situation this must be for you.

I just can't help but feel so bad for the little guy, stuck in that tiny cage, missing his only friend and living out the rest of his days miserable and alone

Is your only option to have them as a trio? Do you have the space for a second cage and he be alone?

The reason I ask is that having a bonded trio very rarely works. I've managed it a couple of times but it needs a huge cage. Your 2x4 is too small and a narrow area like a loft is asking for trouble as it funnels them into being close to each other when they don't want to be.

However, if you have the space for another cage then it sounds to me that he would 100% be better off with you even if he had to live alone. At least you'd care for him, unlike your friend.

A trio is my only option, I had read that they usually don't work out. There is no space for a second cage at all. I want to help him out so badly, we're only 16 and my friend has horses too but all her time is invested in the horses as that's her passion, her mum and dad don't care for the piggy either, they made that abundantly clear when they said "one down one to go" for the first one died

With @Jaycey. Sadly boar trios seldom work. And if they do, they need a huge amount of floor space -'4 x2 even with a loft is far too small. I really wouldn't introduce a third piggy no matter how sorry you feel for him. Perhaps encourage your friend to surrender him to a rescue so he can be bonded with another lone piggy and have a happy life together. Cavy Corner, Millhaven and BARC are all excellent rescues in your area.

I had mentioned that before to her but she's clear that if she wants to get rid of him she wants money in exchange, she'd rather have more money in her pocket than actually care for her own animals welfare, pretty sad really especially since poor Jerry can't do anything about it, to me as sad as it sounds I feel like now he's just waiting to die

 

[flowerfairy]

Could you buy him and take him to a rescue?

 

[Little Ones]

Could you buy him and take him to a rescue?

I thought about that and I will try it but I imagine that if she was to sell him to me, she'd expect to be informed on him, like send her pictures every now and then and she might even visit him, I don't think she'd sell him to me if he was going to go to a rescue and not to me but I'm not sure. I'll ask her about it, thanks for the suggestion

 

[Wiebke]

My friend and her family carelessly bought two Guinea pigs about 9 months ago, they were kept in a small cage in poor conditions and they were never handled or cared for, she even tried to sell them at some point because they were noisy and it annoyed her that the fought sometimes, anyway after 6 months, one of them died (baring in mind they were only babies) because he was ill and they didn't want to spend money to take him to the vets. Anyway, two months ago I encouraged her to get another friend for Jerry (the remaining pig) as he would get lonely especially during bereavement, she didn't. I was thinking about asking her how Jerry is doing and mentioning that if ever she didn't want him, I would take him off of her hands. My mum isn't happy about getting another pig but she will allow me to take on Jerry because of the circumstances. I have a 2x4 two storey cage with a 1x2 loft, I can't expand my cage any further, my boys have been together for two years, I wouldn't say they're well bonded but they are a little I guess apart from last week they began fighting almost constantly but I think they're settling back down. I don't want to disturb the bond which my two boys have and I also don't want to have to expand my cage more for three of them to get along because I just can't do that however I have been worrying about her Guinea pig and I can't help but feel so sorry for the poor thing. I can't get another boar as well as take Jerry then buy a second cage either.

Hi! I am very sorry for your dilemma.

Would it be a solution if you either spoke with @pig in the city, who fosters guinea pigs for Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity (BARC), or with Cavy Corner sanctuary in Doncaster? In either case, Jerry would come into very safe, experienced and caring hands; he would also be carefully paired up with another suitable single boar or rescue-born baby and would not be left on his own.
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator

This would ensure that Jerry has got a safe and happy future without you risking your own stable boar bond or having to get another cage and a companion for him for the long run.

It is great that you are caring so much about Jerry! Even by getting him into safe hands and ensuring a happy future for him, you are already doing all you reasonably can at this moment in time. There will hopefully come a time when you have more options and possibilities as an independent adult.

 

[Little Ones]

Hi! I am very sorry for your dilemma.

Would it be a solution if you either spoke with @pig in the city, who fosters guinea pigs for Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity (BARC), or with Cavy Corner sanctuary in Doncaster? In either case, Jerry would come into very safe, experienced and caring hands; he would also be carefully paired up with another suitable single boar or rescue-born baby and would not be left on his own.
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator

This would ensure that Jerry has got a safe and happy future without you risking your own stable boar bond or having to get another cage and a companion for him for the long run.

It is great that you are caring so much about Jerry! Even by getting him into safe hands and ensuring a happy future for him, you are already doing all you reasonably can at this moment in time. There will hopefully come a time when you have more options and possibilities as an independent adult.

I'll speak with my friend about it and try and convince her that Jerry would be happier at a rescue, if she says no then I suppose I need to just forget about him because I won't be able to change her mind, I do think he'd be better off at a rescue but I think she'd say she cares about him too much which I know she has other priorities that come far above a Guinea pig.
I know that one day when I have my own house, if a situation like this happens again, I'll be able to take the pig in and give it a forever home

 

[Wiebke]

I'll speak with my friend about it and try and convince her that Jerry would be happier at a rescue, if she says no then I suppose I need to just forget about him because I won't be able to change her mind, I do think he'd be better off at a rescue but I think she'd say she cares about him too much which I know she has other priorities that come far above a Guinea pig.
I know that one day when I have my own house, if a situation like this happens again, I'll be able to take the pig in and give it a forever home

If you go via Cavy Corner sanctuary, she would have a chance to stay in contact - as a pill sweetener.
It is always tough when friends/family are involved in substandard care/neglect and not willing to listen,

 

[DM030819]

Sometimes things are out of our hands and we can't do anything but thank you for trying so hard!.

When I first got piggies I was about 15 and my neighbour copied and got 2 also. They were kept outside in a tiny hutch, screwed to their fence and they were only fed cabbage and carrot.

I tried so hard to get them to give up the pigs, but they were older than me and so obviously knew better.

I feel so sad for the pigs but in a way it was better for them that they passed away quite young. Poor little pigs.

 

[pig in the city]

I'll speak with my friend about it and try and convince her that Jerry would be happier at a rescue, if she says no then I suppose I need to just forget about him because I won't be able to change her mind, I do think he'd be better off at a rescue but I think she'd say she cares about him too much which I know she has other priorities that come far above a Guinea pig.
I know that one day when I have my own house, if a situation like this happens again, I'll be able to take the pig in and give it a forever home

I have sent you a message about this

 

[Shadokat]

Just reading the story of little Jerry and his deceased companion makes my blood boil. I've done small animal rescue for about ten years, mostly with hamsters and guinea pigs. My sister works for a large pet supply chain here in America and she deals with people like this all the time. By that I mean people who have no business getting a pet of any kind. People who come in with a child to buy a guinea pig and make it known that they expect the child to fully care for it. Then a month later they dump the guinea pig back at the store because their 8 year old didn't take care of the poor thing. Well duh! Just recently people brought in a male and female they had irresponsibly put together. They were angry that the female was pregnant and didn't want to "deal with" the babies. She had 3 gorgeous babies and I now have one of them. Then there were the people who put two roborovski hamsters (sorry for going off topic) together and didn't pay attention until one had ripped off half of the other's face. I adopted the little victim after they dumped the poor thing at my sister's workplace, and she had a full and happy life. I recently saw a local ad posted by a family giving away a male and pregnant female. The ad said they had just moved here (Utah USA) and right before they moved the father (ex husband) had given the guinea pigs to the children against the wishes of the mother "because he knew it would start trouble." People who think they can house a pair of guinea pigs in a modular critter trail style hamster cage and can't figure out why they died. Do some research, you know? There are too many people who get pets, small animals in particular, and view them as throwaway. Just tonight I talked to a store cashier who told me she had caught her ex boyfriend playing "hackey sack" with her dwarf hamster! Your friend not caring enough to provide proper care for a guinea pig but unwilling to part with it unless someone gives her money? I just hate that. Why do people get pets if they can't or won't take care of them? I fail to understand the state of mind.

Please forgive my rant. I hope it isn't against the forum rules. I hope this person will let you buy Jerry so you can make sure he gets a loving home. SMH....

Thanks for reading, and please delete if inappropriate (with my apologies).

 

[Little Ones]

Just reading the story of little Jerry and his deceased companion makes my blood boil. I've done small animal rescue for about ten years, mostly with hamsters and guinea pigs. My sister works for a large pet supply chain here in America and she deals with people like this all the time. By that I mean people who have no business getting a pet of any kind. People who come in with a child to buy a guinea pig and make it known that they expect the child to fully care for it. Then a month later they dump the guinea pig back at the store because their 8 year old didn't take care of the poor thing. Well duh! Just recently people brought in a male and female they had irresponsibly put together. They were angry that the female was pregnant and didn't want to "deal with" the babies. She had 3 gorgeous babies and I now have one of them. Then there were the people who put two roborovski hamsters (sorry for going off topic) together and didn't pay attention until one had ripped off half of the other's face. I adopted the little victim after they dumped the poor thing at my sister's workplace, and she had a full and happy life. I recently saw a local ad posted by a family giving away a male and pregnant female. The ad said they had just moved here (Utah USA) and right before they moved the father (ex husband) had given the guinea pigs to the children against the wishes of the mother "because he knew it would start trouble." People who think they can house a pair of guinea pigs in a modular critter trail style hamster cage and can't figure out why they died. Do some research, you know? There are too many people who get pets, small animals in particular, and view them as throwaway. Just tonight I talked to a store cashier who told me she had caught her ex boyfriend playing "hackey sack" with her dwarf hamster! Your friend not caring enough to provide proper care for a guinea pig but unwilling to part with it unless someone gives her money? I just hate that. Why do people get pets if they can't or won't take care of them? I fail to understand the state of mind.

Please forgive my rant. I hope it isn't against the forum rules. I hope this person will let you buy Jerry so you can make sure he gets a loving home. SMH....

Thanks for reading, and please delete if inappropriate (with my apologies).

I completely agree with you - some people treat small pets as if they are significant just because they are smaller, have a shorter life span and require less 'attention' than say a dog would. Honestly, I knew this would happen when she told me they were going Guinea pig shopping, it's ridiculous and I told her I was sceptical but she reassured me and told me she'd look after them, she has horses and she looks after them well so I believed her.
The problem with store bought cages too is that they seem large due to the depth, she told me the cage was huge but she showed me a picture and it was just a store bought 80cm cage, they're just unnecessarily deep which gives the illusion of enough room for two which is definitely not the case. I told her she needed a bigger cage but I didn't want to lecture her as I already had on quite a few things regarding her pigs.
Thank you for sharing all of your twisted tales, you honestly just can't understand what goes through some people's minds... For starters people think that small animals don't require much so they don't feel the need to do research, if they treated the needs of these animals as they would treat the needs of a dog or cat, I doubt many people would get them. All animals have specific and important needs and people do need to do research! Guinea pigs, hamster etc should not be impulse buys!
My friend won't give him to me and she says he's 'happier' now that Ben ( the deceased pig ) is gone. Which I highly doubt - she just can't read the body language of a Guinea pig. Hopefully he's doing well, poor fella.

 

[Tiamolly123]

I'll speak with my friend about it and try and convince her that Jerry would be happier at a rescue, if she says no then I suppose I need to just forget about him because I won't be able to change her mind, I do think he'd be better off at a rescue but I think she'd say she cares about him too much which I know she has other priorities that come far above a Guinea pig.
I know that one day when I have my own house, if a situation like this happens again, I'll be able to take the pig in and give it a forever home

I'll speak with my friend about it and try and convince her that Jerry would be happier at a rescue, if she says no then I suppose I need to just forget about him because I won't be able to change her mind, I do think he'd be better off at a rescue but I think she'd say she cares about him too much which I know she has other priorities that come far above a Guinea pig.
I know that one day when I have my own house, if a situation like this happens again, I'll be able to take the pig in and give it a forever home

id be inclined to buy him, then take him to a rescue. If you have bought him, she has no say about him, he becomes your property.

 

[Tiamolly123]

I thought about that and I will try it but I imagine that if she was to sell him to me, she'd expect to be informed on him, like send her pictures every now and then and she might even visit him, I don't think she'd sell him to me if he was going to go to a rescue and not to me but I'm not sure. I'll ask her about it, thanks for the suggestion

Don't tell her about the rescue, none of her business.