Hello!
My name is Hayley and i would like to share my experience thus far as a guinea pig owner to give new pet parents a new perspective on raising boars and/or sows. My first interaction with a guinea pig was when i started my job in pet care at my local Petsmart. We were a brand new store at the time and i was excited to gain more experience with exotic animals.
A couple months into the job we received another bunch of cavies to sell. One of the piggies immediately became an issue. He would bite and attack any cage mate we placed in with him. After four incidents he was removed from the floor and put in a smaller enclosure in the back. A lot of the staff would barely interact with him and dubbed him as an evil pig. I was a bit fearful but made a point to interact with him and give him exposure to human contact. Eventually, i adopted him out of the store and began my journey with the little pest ( i say that in a loving manner).
When i brought him home his age was an estimated five months old and he was very under his recommended weight limit. Additionally, he was quiet and didn't seem to move a lot. At the time i admit that i had limited knowledge on the species and made some mistakes. I first purchased a Petsmart cage for him and a month or so in I learned that he needed a minimum space of 7 square feet of space. I upgraded his habitat and began to look at different sources and youtube channels for a better understanding on how to really care for my beloved pest. I began the process of feeding him fresh veggies on a daily basis and monitored his food intake. He was also allowed an hour of free roaming in my bedroom every other day. As time went on he began to trust me and would allow me to hold, pet, and feed him treats. Additionally, the changes i made helped him gain weight and he became less lethargic. However, i was still worried about him and would often check on him every chance i got, even if was 3am in the morning. I brought him to several different vets who all claimed he was "fine."
After a lot of debating i began to look into finding a play mate. I read countless posts, articles, and manuals. On two different occasions he became extremely aggressive with any piggy i tried to introduce and i had to return them to their previous living situation. As time passed my piggy appeared to be improving slightly, but he wasn't up to my standards of a healthy, happy animal. He was very anxious and didn't eat without me in the room with him and remained completely silent.
A few months later, three new born boars and one sow were ditched in front of my work in the freezing cold and motherless. I took the runt of the bunch back to my home. I was able to get him to trust me and put a little weight on him. I still decided to introduce the baby to my piggy, before taking him to a local shelter. I did not expect it to work out. When Percy ( my current pig) met the little runt i was ready to provide immediate damage control. After him fighting with six other cage mates i expected them to not get along. After a five minute introduction, Percy was like i have never seen him before. He was speaking, and moving with vigor. I wanted to cry seeing him so content. He would purr and would popcorn so often i felt guilty for not introducing them sooner. Today, a few weeks later they both are attached at the hip and are truly happy, healthy pigs. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN EVIL, UNSOCIABLE GUINEA PIG . I remain with the belief that some piggies are just picky about who they chose to lead their life with.
My name is Hayley and i would like to share my experience thus far as a guinea pig owner to give new pet parents a new perspective on raising boars and/or sows. My first interaction with a guinea pig was when i started my job in pet care at my local Petsmart. We were a brand new store at the time and i was excited to gain more experience with exotic animals.
A couple months into the job we received another bunch of cavies to sell. One of the piggies immediately became an issue. He would bite and attack any cage mate we placed in with him. After four incidents he was removed from the floor and put in a smaller enclosure in the back. A lot of the staff would barely interact with him and dubbed him as an evil pig. I was a bit fearful but made a point to interact with him and give him exposure to human contact. Eventually, i adopted him out of the store and began my journey with the little pest ( i say that in a loving manner).
When i brought him home his age was an estimated five months old and he was very under his recommended weight limit. Additionally, he was quiet and didn't seem to move a lot. At the time i admit that i had limited knowledge on the species and made some mistakes. I first purchased a Petsmart cage for him and a month or so in I learned that he needed a minimum space of 7 square feet of space. I upgraded his habitat and began to look at different sources and youtube channels for a better understanding on how to really care for my beloved pest. I began the process of feeding him fresh veggies on a daily basis and monitored his food intake. He was also allowed an hour of free roaming in my bedroom every other day. As time went on he began to trust me and would allow me to hold, pet, and feed him treats. Additionally, the changes i made helped him gain weight and he became less lethargic. However, i was still worried about him and would often check on him every chance i got, even if was 3am in the morning. I brought him to several different vets who all claimed he was "fine."
After a lot of debating i began to look into finding a play mate. I read countless posts, articles, and manuals. On two different occasions he became extremely aggressive with any piggy i tried to introduce and i had to return them to their previous living situation. As time passed my piggy appeared to be improving slightly, but he wasn't up to my standards of a healthy, happy animal. He was very anxious and didn't eat without me in the room with him and remained completely silent.
A few months later, three new born boars and one sow were ditched in front of my work in the freezing cold and motherless. I took the runt of the bunch back to my home. I was able to get him to trust me and put a little weight on him. I still decided to introduce the baby to my piggy, before taking him to a local shelter. I did not expect it to work out. When Percy ( my current pig) met the little runt i was ready to provide immediate damage control. After him fighting with six other cage mates i expected them to not get along. After a five minute introduction, Percy was like i have never seen him before. He was speaking, and moving with vigor. I wanted to cry seeing him so content. He would purr and would popcorn so often i felt guilty for not introducing them sooner. Today, a few weeks later they both are attached at the hip and are truly happy, healthy pigs. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN EVIL, UNSOCIABLE GUINEA PIG . I remain with the belief that some piggies are just picky about who they chose to lead their life with.