• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here

Need Some Advice

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

catbalou

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 10, 2015
Messages
32
Reaction score
43
Points
125
Hi,

I'm due to get my guinea pigs very soon, but i have a problem in that a few weeks after getting them i have to go to a works conference for 3 days.

would the upheaval of moving in with me for a short time, only to be taken to a small animal boarders for 3 days be too much for them ? or would they adapt.
 
It's hard to say as all pigs are different, but it does seem it would be quite stressful - I personally wouldn't advise it. Especially as it will also lead to them reestablishing heirachy etc in each new environment.

would it be possible to maybe hold off on getting them until your back off the conference?

If your getting them from a rescue this probably wouldn't be a problem?
 
I'm getting them both from different breeders after spotting them on online adverts....(i wont mention the site as I'm sure i read in the terms & conditions of this site that we're not supposed to mention online advert sites by name)

One will be available to be re-homed at end of this month and the other one is due to be re-homed two weeks after.

I think i'll speak to the breeders, but i just dont want to appear like i'm "backing out" of buying them.... because I'm definitely not! i just want whats best for the piggies.... but I'm worried in case the breeders decide to sell them to someone else?
 
the thing is, there not already bonded either if they're from different places. So you can't even be sure they will get on? - piggy relationships are complicated.

Nor can you be sure of the sexes until you have them.

Basically I am now going to advise completely against getting them and then putting them into boarding - as there is too much added stress in this situation.

Also, if you changed your mind, you can actually get healthy - correctly sexed - well bonded pairs from a rescue.
 
Oh dear :-(

ok, thank you for that advice. I guess i'll get in touch with both breeders and cancel both. She has been sending me updates and pictures each week too, and he is adorable.

absolutely gutted..

:(
 
Where they both males?
Sorry but that makes the bonding even harder :(
One of my boars is at a rescue dating and he's apparently impossible!

Don't want you to feel bad about it mind.

I mean, does the breeder with the one your attached to, have two males together ? One he's already with?
If she's been sending you pictures, I'm sure she wouldn't mind holding them a couple of days.

But I really don't, alongside this forum support breeders. And would prefer you hold off and seek out a rescue to get a bonded pair, some even let you go and view a few to pick the pair right for you :)

I just worry about the bonding and relationships and stress, as stress causes illness.
 
Last edited:
Hello and welcome.

As this is a pro rescue forum, we will never recommend that you buy your piggies from breeders as there are literally hundreds of guinea pigs waiting to be re homed all around the Country in various rescues.

I highly recommend that you wait until you are back from your conference and then contact some rescues. They will already have bonded pairs available.

Are the guinea pigs male or female as bonding males can be trickier and they need more space than females?

But if you are still wanting the guinea pigs you have seen from the breeders (at the end of the day, it's your choice), please pospone collecting them until your come back from your conference and be prepared that the bonding may not work out. If the breeders are seriously bothered about their guinea pigs, they will be happy to wait until you return and will offer you advise on how to bond them properly etc. Would the breeders be prepared to take the guinea pig(s) back if things didn't work out with the other one? Or do you have space for two big cages so you could keep them both with plans to try with other guinea pigs in the future therefore posibally having four guinea pigs (two pairs)?

I am just trying to give you possible scenarios but I wish you luck with whatever you decide.
 
yes they are both males.

I was initially going to only get one and asked the breeders advice and she said he would be fine on his own, as long as he had lots of company and play time.

then i did some research and everywhere said it was best to get two.

so i contacted another breeder who was selling a male which is round about the same age as the first one.

i explained to him what i was intending to do (i.e. get one first, let him settle in and then get his) and he seemed quite happy with that.
 
Tbh, males the same age is even harder to bond, especially when they hit the teenage hormones.

If the breeder knows anything about pigs, which for him to be happy about that, seems not. Then he would know males are hard to bond and that this wouldn't be a fab idea.

At the end of the day it's your decision but as Claire said ^ are you ready for it to blow up and end up with two cages and then needed to go boar dating to find them two a friend, which at their ages will be difficult.
 
ok, thank you for the advice.

Looks like there is too much against the plan of getting these 2 guinea pigs and i will have to cancel the reservation on both.

i did have a look at the guinea pig rescue website of the one in my area, and there were very few available for adoption? and the ones that were seemed to already be 3+ years old, and one had a head injury? which i was amazed they were allowing a poorly guinea pig to be re-homed... i would be too scared to handle him.
 
Which rescue was this?

Also, if they are and its a reputable rescue, they will only rehome to someone who can deal with special needs pigs.
 
Where abouts are you located as may be someone can advise you on other nearby rescues?

It is recommended that you phone the rescue as they often don't advertise all of their guinea pigs on their website particularly babies.

Btw, older guinea pigs can give as much love as younger ones and unless they have suffered very bad neglect, will already be tame :D
 
I'm in the north east area (sunderland).

getting an older pair is certainly worth considering by the sounds of it, i will certainly look into that. thanks so much for the advice, really appreciate it. looks like i could have made a really BIG mistake...
(still gutted though, as ive even kinda of "bonded" with them just by gazing at their photos and havent even met them!)

the only reason i wanted young ones, is because i wanted as many years as possible with them
 
North East Guinea Pig rescue are rather good? :)

Or Rosie and Brambles? If they're still running?

Bless you, all pigs are different, one of my boys is heartbreakingly a special needs / short term piggy and he's about 2, so I guess the older pigs have in some way passed that threshold and being in a rescue (some for a while :( ) you'll have as much background as they can give you! :)
 
I too have heard good things about North East guinea pig rescue.

Some rescues do have baby guinea pigs. I had a baby at 6 weeks old and one slightly younger from guinea pig rescues but like I say, many rescues do not advertise their babies online as they like to give the older ones a chance.

I have had 7 guinea pigs from various rescues across the Country all from various ages
Eleanor - 6-8 months
Erin 6 weeks
Ena 4 weeks (Although this was an exceptional circumstance why I had her so young, ideally guinea pigs should be 6 weeks plus when they are re homed)
Enoch 6 - 8 months
Emma 12 months
Erika 12 months

Eliza was a pet shop piggy and was 12 weeks when I had her and Connie was around 6 - 8 months. She came from someone who no longer wanted her.

All of my guinea pigs have given me the same amount of love despite their age :)

I am sorry that you bonded with the babies from the photo's that is only natural. Before I new much about rescues, I enquired about guinea pigs with a local breeder when I was looking for a friend for Eliza after Connie passed. The lady explained that she had no babies available but I could take the mum as 'she was no longer needed'. That upset me no end but I unfortunately had to say no as alarm bells rang and I was offered Eleanor from a rescue. She had had a rough time before she came to me and it filled me with joy that I was able to give her a loving home.

I often think about the piggy the breeder offered me though.
 
All good advice above, just wanted to add that there will be babies in the rescue, if you are prepared to wait. There are often pregnant piggies that end up in rescues. I've just fostered 2 pregnant mums who had 7 babies. Having said that, there's nothing wrong with older piggies as well!

I'm like you and have boned with piggies before I've met them! My daughter thinks I'm mad! Once I was so cross and upset that 'my' guinea pig had been given to someone else!
 
I have just given a home to a rescue piggy after 2 of mine died. He's made himself right at home and screams louder than his wifepig to be fed! :))
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top