Is my guinea pig unhappy?

[Kkat1126]

I got a baby guinea pig. His name is Jack, and he is about 4 years old now. I always gave him lots of fresh veggies and attention. I started a new job about a year ago that is really perfect -except it requires a lot of travel. It has been increasingly difficult to find someone to watch him while I'm away, and I have an even longer month long work trip coming up. My husband is allergic to him, so it is very hard for him to care for him while I am away. The little piggie doesn't get much attention anymore, and I am worried he is getting lonely. I tried getting him a friend, but he was very aggressive to 2 other pigs. Would he be better off in a new home with someone who has more time for him? I really don't want to give him up, but I want to do what is best for him. He used to be very excited and always running around squealing, but he is now somewhat quiet and reserved, though still friendly to people.

 

[DMS260820]

I dont really know what advice to give. Other than if you do re home him. Please make sure its to a guinea pig rescue with a good reputation. They will pair him up with another pig and rehome as a pair. Another guinea pig is what he needs. It really does make the difference to their activeness.

Welcome to the forum

 

[Kkat1126]

I'm not sure if this is enough for him, but when I am at home, my cat likes to hang around him. He also seems to love following my cat equally as much. My mom has offered to watch my cat for me, but no friends and family will take my piggie while I'm away ): I am very nervous of rehoming as well because I have heard stories of people feeding them to snakes and fake rescues that take animals for bait. I did find a reacue that does home checks and works entirely by volunteer fosters, but I haven't asked yet if they have room because I want to be absolutely sure it would be best option before I give him up

 

[DMS260820]

I'm not sure if this is enough for him, but when I am at home, my cat likes to hang around him. He also seems to love following my cat equally as much. My mom has offered to watch my cat for me, but no friends and family will take my piggie while I'm away ): I am very nervous of rehoming as well because I have heard stories of people feeding them to snakes and fake rescues that take animals for bait. I did find a reacue that does home checks and works entirely by volunteer fosters, but I haven't asked yet if they have room because I want to be absolutely sure it would be best option before I give him up

If you could add your location to your profile, we can point you towards the nearest good rescue in the u.k. i dont like saying you should give your boy up. But it looks like it might be best for him. You can even make a rehome thread for him on here i think. There is a rescue location guide on the forum. Whatever you decide to do anyway, i wish you all the best.

There should be more input tomorrow from other members on here. Its a very active forum during the daytime.

You could keep him and do a guinea pig date at a rescue, this is where you take your boy along, and they will keep him and keep trying him with different boars until he gets on with one.

 

[Kkat1126]

I actually live in the US, not the UK...the US forums I found were mostly about "I like pigs" in general rather than more advice. The nearest rescue that takes guinea pigs by me is about 4 hours away. Thankfully I have time to come up with a solution since I am in no dire situation here. I will keep checking here to see if anyone has any ideas. I really appreciate the help!

 

[Seven7]

Welcome.

I am also in the US and I also hope my Finn and Lara are not unhappy about living separately in two different cages.
I would never give them up for adoption of any kind, but I do sometimes wonder whether they are happy about living side by side.

I don't want to risk a surgery to fix my boy Finn so he can be with Lara in the same cage. My boy Finn is only a year and a half years old, still a baby so he hasn't lived long enough to risk his life with a surgery to fix him.
Lara, who came to me from a friend, can't have a surgery according to my exotic vet unless she has medical issues in her reproductive organs.

My boy Finn and Lara live side by side keeping each other company. They can see, hear and smell each other.

 

[Seven7]

For all of my pets, they have stayed with me until they pass away from old age and it will be no different for my Finn and Lara. They will be with me until they die of old age.

 

[Little Ones]

If you keep him, he definitely needs some kind of pig contact. You mentioned he was aggressive to 2 pigs, is this two separate occasions or rather you attempted to create a trio? Boar trios fail most of the time. Also, by aggressive, do you mean blood was drawn? Or he rather was just not happy (teeth chattering and such) which would indicate more normal behaviour in the boys establishing who’s the boss. If you read some of the threads in the Behaviour and Bonding section, this could help you out. Owning 2 pigs requires a lot of space which most pet store cages don’t provide, I believe the minimum cage space is 120cm in length perhaps this was why him and the other boar seemed to not get along so well if you didn’t provide this. Lastly, guinea pigs - especially boys - don’t get along with just any pig, it usually takes a few attempts to find a boar pairing who like each other, so maybe not all hope is lost?
Equally, if basic daily care isn’t possible for them when you’re away, it may be in his best interest to retire him to a rescue. It seems like whilst you’re away, he won’t even have access to floor time either. I think it’s good that you are considering his needs rather than the fact that you love him, doing right by him is what matters most and if you truly feel like he would be happier elsewhere then definitly search around more to see if there are any better rescues that you can check out. Only you know what’s truly best for him given your own circumstances.
Good luck it must be an incredibly hard decision to make and one that shows your love and care for him, rather than a lack of it.

 

[Kkat1126]

If you keep him, he definitely needs some kind of pig contact. You mentioned he was aggressive to 2 pigs, is this two separate occasions or rather you attempted to create a trio? Boar trios fail most of the time. Also, by aggressive, do you mean blood was drawn? Or he rather was just not happy (teeth chattering and such) which would indicate more normal behaviour in the boys establishing who’s the boss. If you read some of the threads in the Behaviour and Bonding section, this could help you out. Owning 2 pigs requires a lot of space which most pet store cages don’t provide, I believe the minimum cage space is 120cm in length perhaps this was why him and the other boar seemed to not get along so well if you didn’t provide this. Lastly, guinea pigs - especially boys - don’t get along with just any pig, it usually takes a few attempts to find a boar pairing who like each other, so maybe not all hope is lost?
Equally, if basic daily care isn’t possible for them when you’re away, it may be in his best interest to retire him to a rescue. It seems like whilst you’re away, he won’t even have access to floor time either. I think it’s good that you are considering his needs rather than the fact that you love him, doing right by him is what matters most and if you truly feel like he would be happier elsewhere then definitly search around more to see if there are any better rescues that you can check out. Only you know what’s truly best for him given your own circumstances.
Good luck it must be an incredibly hard decision to make and one that shows your love and care for him, rather than a lack of it.

I read on another forum where someone asked if there pig was happy enough wirh basic care (not attention) as they were saying they mostly care about food and habitat...I wasn't too sure about that though because my piggie seems to get really excited when I go near him or talk to him. I tried 2 separate pigs at separate times with him. The first one was about a month after I got him, and he was biting the new pig up pretty badly. The second was a fenale closer in age to him and he would chase her away from any food source -even after I placed multiple sources of food. I don't have a standard cage either. It is one made from those little cube shelve units that you can arrange the squares however you want and then it is fleece lined all around. When I am home, he gets tons of floor time. In the past 2 months I have only been home for a total of a week unfortunately . It wouldn't be so bad if my husband wasn't allergic to him because they he would care for him while I'm away. I liked the idea of having a rescue try to match him with another pig, but then I have 2 pigs that I still have to find someone to care for while I'm away. Assuming I could, they likely would still not get floor time or much personal attention. Would that be bad even with another pig?

 

[DMS260820]

Welcome.

I am also in the US and I also hope my Finn and Lara are not unhappy about living separately in two different cages.
I would never give them up for adoption of any kind, but I do sometimes wonder whether they are happy about living side by side.

I don't want to risk a surgery to fix my boy Finn so he can be with Lara in the same cage. My boy Finn is only a year and a half years old, still a baby so he hasn't lived long enough to risk his life with a surgery to fix him.
Lara, who came to me from a friend, can't have a surgery according to my exotic vet unless she has medical issues in her reproductive organs.

My boy Finn and Lara live side by side keeping each other company. They can see, hear and smell each other.

I got my boar done at about 7 months old. As soon as it was possible. If you have a vet with a good track record, you are good . Got to admit, i was scared when the day came

 

[DMS260820]

I read on another forum where someone asked if there pig was happy enough wirh basic care (not attention) as they were saying they mostly care about food and habitat...I wasn't too sure about that though because my piggie seems to get really excited when I go near him or talk to him. I tried 2 separate pigs at separate times with him. The first one was about a month after I got him, and he was biting the new pig up pretty badly. The second was a fenale closer in age to him and he would chase her away from any food source -even after I placed multiple sources of food. I don't have a standard cage either. It is one made from those little cube shelve units that you can arrange the squares however you want and then it is fleece lined all around. When I am home, he gets tons of floor time. In the past 2 months I have only been home for a total of a week unfortunately . It wouldn't be so bad if my husband wasn't allergic to him because they he would care for him while I'm away. I liked the idea of having a rescue try to match him with another pig, but then I have 2 pigs that I still have to find someone to care for while I'm away. Assuming I could, they likely would still not get floor time or much personal attention. Would that be bad even with another pig?

Wait, did you put a female with your male un neutered?

 

[Little Ones]

I read on another forum where someone asked if there pig was happy enough wirh basic care (not attention) as they were saying they mostly care about food and habitat...I wasn't too sure about that though because my piggie seems to get really excited when I go near him or talk to him. I tried 2 separate pigs at separate times with him. The first one was about a month after I got him, and he was biting the new pig up pretty badly. The second was a fenale closer in age to him and he would chase her away from any food source -even after I placed multiple sources of food. I don't have a standard cage either. It is one made from those little cube shelve units that you can arrange the squares however you want and then it is fleece lined all around. When I am home, he gets tons of floor time. In the past 2 months I have only been home for a total of a week unfortunately . It wouldn't be so bad if my husband wasn't allergic to him because they he would care for him while I'm away. I liked the idea of having a rescue try to match him with another pig, but then I have 2 pigs that I still have to find someone to care for while I'm away. Assuming I could, they likely would still not get floor time or much personal attention. Would that be bad even with another pig?

A guinea pig will not live a happy life without the company of another pig, no exception. It’s completely normal for him to exhibit dominance behaviour considering another pig has entered his territory. Also, unless your guinea pig is neutered do not pair him with a female (unless she is spayed which is extremely rare) otherwise that just leads to babies without a question.
It sounds like you have a nice cage for him, and also like you’re doing your best. However, pigs benefit hugely from human interaction and floor time - even if it’s once a week - it’s important for the pig to stretch its legs and get some excerise. Daily floortime would be ideal in order to keep your pig at a healthy weight. It will also allow your guinea pig to bond with you and calm down any skittish behaviour. If you feel like you can give your pig the ideal care he deserves then look into a friend, if you just don’t have the time then that’s okay as long as you make the right choice for your pig