Introducing my boars?

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kay_xx

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Ok not too sure if this thread belongs here, sorry if it doesn't.

Just before christmas I bought a 6 week old boar so my 1 year old boar has company but after bringing him home he turned out to have mange mites. Because of this he was brought inside and is in my bedroom, my other boar is in his hutch in the shed. The vet said they will be ok to be put together now, I have a problem though.

I can't take my baby boar outside in the hutch because of the temperature difference now that he is used to being inside. And I'm not sure if bringing my other guinea pig indoors would be good also because of the temperature change?

My baby boar still scratches and sneezes a bit but I'm worried that if I wait too long to put them together I will have problems with them getting along.

My baby boar is now 11 and a half weeks old.
 
Hello and a big warm welcome to the forum!

Congratulations on your new wee one! Did the vet give any treatment for the mange mites? Is he completely free from mange before you consider putting him in with your elder boar? When you say sneezing.....is his ‘snotty’ around the nose area, is his eyes clear and ears too?
Before putting him in with your other boar make sure he is in quarantine for at least three weeks, the temperature change is too great for either of the two to be moved – its meant to snow next week too! – I’d wait until April/May- however i guess he is going to be around four months old at this time so he’ll be well into the hormonal months.

Is there any way you can gradually change the temperature in the shed so its more warmer over a period of time?

You will need to introduce the boys in a neutral environment, with lots of hay, I’d suggest a gently warm bath before hand and then placing them in a pen for at least 8 hours before you can guarantee they’ll be safe for the evening together, keep a close eye on them over the next week.

They will need to be kept an eye on for the following year as the little one goes through the hormonal months which can be very testing on both the piggies and the owner.
Heres a good thread I made a while back to read:

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76162
 
P.s don't want to scare you but please make sure he is over his mange mites, mange mites CAN kill and have done.

I have lost three of my families piggies in the past year to mange mites, it spreads quickly and once hold, espically on elderly, young and sick piggies, can have a devestating effect. You do sometimes need four rounds of treatment to make sure its completly gone.

This is Maisie-Moo two months before she passed away, we tried so hard for her but after mange (three rounds), a chest infection and the a UTI it took its toll on her wee body.

DSCF3335.jpg


So please make sure that he deffos doesnt have mange before bonding him with your other boar. x
 
Please make sure that the mites have been treated fully and properly. Also make sure that the sneezing is not down to URI.

Would it be possible to find a compromise in a slightly cooler indoors place for both boars to come and live together until spring?

Here are tips for introducing guinea pigs and boar behaviour:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38562
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28949

This Suzygpr's boar dating thread. it contains several videos taken during boar introduction and may help you gauge the behaviours.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=59233
 
*** to add to Wiebkes post, heres a link on URIs:

http://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html

You can tell straight away if they are coming down with a URI, usually they look 'puffy' in their coat, they're wheezy, sneezing/coughing, crusty eyes etc. If he does have a URI a simple course of antibiotics with possible eye drops for a course of one week or more will sort it out, however he wont be able to go in with his possible future cage buddy at this time.
 
Dont no why this thread posted twice sorry about that.
And AudioHeart I'm sorry for your loss
He has been taken to the vets and had 2 rounds of treatment, I check him over daily and he has no discharge from his nose but as I said he does sneeze a fair bit. The vet told me he would be able to go with my other boar a few days ago but as he still sneezes and scratches I'm keeping them seperate for a bit longer.

Preferably I would like to bring my other boar indoors but the temp change could be an issue. My room does not get that hot but its a lot warmer than the shed.

How do you know when the mange has fully gone because my boar has all his fur grown back lovely and the last scab/crust is almost off his ear.
 
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The sneezing can be due to dusty hay if there are no other signs.

Could you give your little boy a very gentle bath/rub down with elbow test warm water to help remove any irritating dead skin and then an very gentle blow dry to make sure that he doesn't catch cold. Normally we don't recommend bathing babies under 4 months old unless medically necessary.

We recommend usually three and in severe cases four rounds of ivermectin treatment, spaced about 10-14 days apart, to make sure that all eggs hatching from the skin are caught. Please be aware that once a piggy has had mites, they can make a comeback whenever the immune is system is lowered due to stress or illness. Just keep an eye out for it, and it won't be problem if you treat asap.
 
He has already had a bath in warm water (no shampoo just plain water) because his bum was very mucky from urine/poo. He does get groomed a lot as he is a peruvian. Thanks for your help :)
 
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