Lonely Wiggy

M

Mirynka

New Born Pup
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
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Location
Cambridgeshire UK
Hi guys, I hope someone can give me a few ideas...
So I adopted a little piggy yesterday (Bash) with some ongoing heath problems but he's cute as a button. I'm planning on introducing him to another little one soon but it's more complicated than it sounds.
From weining age he was split from his litter mates as there were two females and one male. The plan was to introduce him to another little boy but it was discovered Bash had maloclusion of the top teeth and was missing the bottom two, as well as having a ruptured ear drum and an ear infection to top it all off (poor boy).
This meant he was constantly in and out of isolation and the vets, and has been alone for the most part of his life. He is about 5/6 months old now and looking a little lonely.
I want to give him the best chance of being happy with another wiggy but want some ideas to help the process go smoother. Where the difficulty comes in is, for the most part he hasnt been anywhere near another guinea pig and he's constantly under a lot of stress with a vet trip at least once a month for his teeth.
To get him used to the idea of another wiggy I thought maybe a pet safe mirror would work but that's as far as my creativity got me...

Please help ☺️
 
Introduce guinea pigs on neutral territory (I was always recommended the bath, although we introduce ours on a freshly washed kitchen floor!). Alternatively, you could perhaps add a toy to his cage that's been in another piggy's cage? So it will smell like another piggy, without them actually being there (maybe you could get some sort of stuffed animal, so he also gets used to there being something else there?)
 
I tried that he looked at it a couple of times then ignored it. Is there any chance you could get them all together with a divider between them. That would make the transition between them easier.
 
That's a good idea using a scented toy, it never even crossed my mind. I have plenty of neutral territory for when I eventually do introduce one, it's just warming Bash up to the idea I think is going to take some creativity. But thank you I shall give it a go
 
Tiamolly123 said:
I tried that he looked at it a couple of times then ignored it. Is there any chance you could get them all together with a divider between them. That would make the transition between them easier.
Click to expand...
Tiamolly123 said:
I tried that he looked at it a couple of times then ignored it. Is there any chance you could get them all together with a divider between them. That would make the transition between them easier.
Click to expand...
I did think of that and it is a step I'm going to try and take when introducing them. I just figured what's the harm in going the extra mile for such a special boy. I only want the easiest and happiest life for him
 
Mirynka said:
Hi guys, I hope someone can give me a few ideas...
So I adopted a little piggy yesterday (Bash) with some ongoing heath problems but he's cute as a button. I'm planning on introducing him to another little one soon but it's more complicated than it sounds.
From weining age he was split from his litter mates as there were two females and one male. The plan was to introduce him to another little boy but it was discovered Bash had maloclusion of the top teeth and was missing the bottom two, as well as having a ruptured ear drum and an ear infection to top it all off (poor boy).
This meant he was constantly in and out of isolation and the vets, and has been alone for the most part of his life. He is about 5/6 months old now and looking a little lonely.
I want to give him the best chance of being happy with another wiggy but want some ideas to help the process go smoother. Where the difficulty comes in is, for the most part he hasnt been anywhere near another guinea pig and he's constantly under a lot of stress with a vet trip at least once a month for his teeth.
To get him used to the idea of another wiggy I thought maybe a pet safe mirror would work but that's as far as my creativity got me...

Please help ☺️
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome!

Bash has certainly found a caring owner!

Sight is not the strongest sense for guinea pigs. A mirror is a very short distraction before it is going to be ignoired. Even if Bash is never able to share his territory with another piggy, having a neighbour or two with interaction and stimulation through the bars is going to work wonders. Start with that.

With a single same sex piggy you can think about introductions and bonding as long as you have a fallback option (or what I call a plan B).
If you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details, we could direct you to a good standard rescue that offers dating at the rescue. It means Bash can choose who he wants to get on with and the rescue can take his ongoing medical care into consideration and rather choose a suitable laid-back companion if that is an option. But you come home with a new friend only if there has been success and won't end up with two guinea pigs that do not get on. You also have the rescue to fall back on if there are any problems with the bond during their adopted piggy's life. Many rescues have single boars looking for company; rescues with spayed sows are extremely rare (none in the UK).
Any rescue that we recommend have got a mandatory quarantine/vet care and rehomes only properly sexed and healthy piggies; they are also experienced with guinea pigs and with bonding. We have got members from all over the world, which means that this option is not accessible for everybody.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...cation-and-creating-an-avatar-picture.107444/
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator
Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations
 
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