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Lonely Guinea Pig

J

JAKEINU

New Born Pup
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
4
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Points
20
Location
East London
Hello everyone on the guinea pig forum! I’m making a post as I am looking for advice, in 2017 I bought 2 Guinea pig brothers named Finn and Jake after less than a year (probably around five or six months Finn passed away in the night, Finn was clearly the runt of the litter and did not grow much in the time that I had him and my guess is he died of some kind of a genetic defect, anyhow this then meant that Jake was left all alone and has been neglected of guinea pig contact ever since. I was unaware how important it was that guinea pigs need to be in groups of a minimum of two until recently and I am desperate to make things right, however I am worried that my Jake has been alone too long and may not be able to properly interact with other guinea pigs and if that is the case is there a solution? And would bringing him two new friends or one be the best for him and which gender would best suit a pig who has been used to not sharing for so long? Sorry for the king rambly post, please send advice!
 
Hello! It’s never too long to introduce a new friend for your boar. What was his role in the old partnership? Was he the dominant or submissive piggy?

as he’s a male you will only be able to introduce one male piggie for him or you can have him neutered and placed with two girlies. :)
 
Julesie said:
Hello! It’s never too long to introduce a new friend for your boar. What was his role in the old partnership? Was he the dominant or submissive piggy?

as he’s a male you will only be able to introduce one male piggie for him or you can have him neutered and placed with two girlies. :)
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Julesie said:
Hello! It’s never too long to introduce a new friend for your boar. What was his role in the old partnership? Was he the dominant or submissive piggy?

as he’s a male you will only be able to introduce one male piggie for him or you can have him neutered and placed with two girlies. :)
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Thank you for your reply! Initially he was actually more of a submissive Guinea pig with lots of bites in his ears but as he grew and Finn did not it reversed so perhaps he’s more naturally submissive.
 
JAKEINU said:
Thank you for your reply! Initially he was actually more of a submissive Guinea pig with lots of bites in his ears but as he grew and Finn did not it reversed so perhaps he’s more naturally submissive.
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No problem!

the same happened with two of my boys. Luckily the remaining boar was easy to pair up. Young boars are usually easier to pair up with an older piggie as they haven’t hit teenage hormones yet. that’s one option, otherwise you can try and take your piggie boar dating and see how he gets on with some piggies at a rescue. Usually with this option you have a few piggies to try your boar with.
 
I’m leaning towards the idea of getting two female guinea pigs and neutering Jake as to avoid guinea pig fighting. Do you have any advice on the best way to introduce a male to two females I’m worried jake may find it a shock to have two new piggies to share a den with And it could be a potentially dangerous situation.
 
JAKEINU said:
Hello everyone on the guinea pig forum! I’m making a post as I am looking for advice, in 2017 I bought 2 Guinea pig brothers named Finn and Jake after less than a year (probably around five or six months Finn passed away in the night, Finn was clearly the runt of the litter and did not grow much in the time that I had him and my guess is he died of some kind of a genetic defect, anyhow this then meant that Jake was left all alone and has been neglected of guinea pig contact ever since. I was unaware how important it was that guinea pigs need to be in groups of a minimum of two until recently and I am desperate to make things right, however I am worried that my Jake has been alone too long and may not be able to properly interact with other guinea pigs and if that is the case is there a solution? And would bringing him two new friends or one be the best for him and which gender would best suit a pig who has been used to not sharing for so long? Sorry for the king rambly post, please send advice!
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Hi

No piggy is ever too old for company! The oldest piggy I have ever bonded was a 7 years old peru diva (with another peru diva although it was not the most straight forward process) - but Calli lived to celebrate her 9th birthday because of the stimulation and happiness from having a new best friend.

This guide below will help you, as it discusses the various companionship options in detail and also contains a link to our recommended good welfare standard rescues that in their vast majority offer boar dating at the rescue under expert supervision; it means that you come home with a new friend only if acceptance has happened. That should take a lot of stress out of the equation for you and is well worth the extra effort.
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
 
Thanks for your response and I’ll be sure to read your article. However it’s not that I think he’s too old for company just that he’s been without a companion for so long I’m worried he may struggle with other piggies. But judging by other posts on the forum this dose not appear to be an issue
 
JAKEINU said:
Thanks for your response and I’ll be sure to read your article. However it’s not that I think he’s too old for company just that he’s been without a companion for so long I’m worried he may struggle with other piggies. But judging by other posts on the forum this dose not appear to be an issue
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Unlike sows, boars tend to be more sociable; they mellow as their testosterone fizzles out after age 4-5 years. They tend to be more companionable - even unbondable teenagers and fallen-out boars. ;)

I know of several boars who were so extreme as aggressive teenagers that they had to stay on at the rescue as single but who ended their life serving as very caring 'uncle boars' to newly separated weaned baby boys in order to socialise and care for them until they could find a single/bereaved boar coming for rescue dating.

By rescue dating you are allowing your boy a say in who he wants to be with, which is key to a happy boar bond. You can look at any age; including another adult/older boar, if the rescue has them available for adoption.
 
My boar was without a friend for over a year at a rescue. His friend had died, he didn’t bond well with other boars so eventually he was Neutered. He was a sad little person on his own and very anxious. He now has three females and is SO HAPPY! Honestly if Guinea pigs could smile, he’d be grinning from ear to ear all the time! So don’t hesitate and maybe get him neutered as he May settle better with a little herd of ladies. Good luck!
 
Contact a few resques to see if they do Piggy bonding. A good rescue will know which of their Piggies could be suitable.
 
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