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New Cage Mate?

Josephine

Josephine

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 6, 2018
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Location
UK, North East of England
One of my guinea pigs -Teddy- has recently passed after illness. Harry, my other pig did not share a cage with teddy due to fights, however they got lap time together and interacted with each other often. Harry is 3 and a half years old old, and I am considering getting another pig. I don't know what age and gender is best for Harry, he is quite timid, but likes to approach and challenge pigs. Any advice?
 
OK so not a good idea to get a sow then as you will end up with babies! Are there any rescues near you that offer boar dating? There is a rescue locator at the top of the page. You could always go down the neutering route and after the post op 6 week wait pair him with a sow or two. I believe @Wiebke is the best to advise on this. She is very knowledgeable about all aspects guinea pig and is called upon a lot on this forum as everybody wants a piece of her knowledge. Thanks in advance Wiebke!
 
Betsy said:
OK so not a good idea to get a sow then as you will end up with babies! Are there any rescues near you that offer boar dating? There is a rescue locator at the top of the page. You could always go down the neutering route and after the post op 6 week wait pair him with a sow or two. I believe @Wiebke is the best to advise on this. She is very knowledgeable about all aspects guinea pig and is called upon a lot on this forum as everybody wants a piece of her knowledge. Thanks in advance Wiebke!
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Boar dating seems like a good option, however I live in the north east of England, where I can't seem to find any rescue centres that do boar dating. I don't know much about guinea pig neutering so any advice on that is much appreciated:)
 
I had a boar neutered so he could have female companionship and sow as many wild oats as he wanted without consequences.
If you have a vet you're confident with then it's a straightforward procedure and most boars will come through with no problem.
@Wiebke does have much more experience and wisdom, so will probably add to this.
The bonding worked very well and Titus was a happy boy with his girls for the rest of his life.
 
Josephine said:
One of my guinea pigs -Teddy- has recently passed after illness. Harry, my other pig did not share a cage with teddy due to fights, however they got lap time together and interacted with each other often. Harry is 3 and a half years old old, and I am considering getting another pig. I don't know what age and gender is best for Harry, he is quite timid, but likes to approach and challenge pigs. Any advice?
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If you can, please contact as many of our recommended rescues; the vast majority offers boar dating at the rescue, so you come home only with a new mate if acceptance has happened.
A few UK rescues also offer residential boar where the full bonding happens during a several days' stay at the rescue. Since it is very time intensive, not all rescues are able to provide this level of bonding and there can be waiting lists. But this works for boars of all ages and any resulting bond is as stable as a sow bond with none of the worries for you
Abyway, by adopting from a recommended good standard rescue you will only rehome a healthy, properly sexed and chatacter compatible companion at no or very little risk to Henry and have the support of the rescue in case things go wrong. I would recommend to mention that Henry is timid and may have some fear aggression issues, so the rescue can take that into account.

The other option is to neuter. Important for that is researching for a good vet, either a general vet with experience in guinea pig neutering (usually one that neuters regularly for a rescue) or an exotics vets with practice in small furries' ops. This to cut down on the otherwise still common risk of post-op complications. Since you haven't added your county or city to your details, we cannot give you more detailed recommendations for the best rescues or vets within reasonable reach.
Guinea Pig Vet Locator
When neutering, please also factor in a full 6 weeks post-op wait before Henry will be able to be safely inroduced to sows. The little baby in my avatar is the legacy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post-op boar (not one of mine), just to prove that particular point! This recommendation follows best UK rescue practice; there have no reports of accidents despite rescue boar neutering becoming much more common since this guideline has been taken over by the RSPCA and good standard guinea pig rescues.
 
Merab's Slave said:
I had a boar neutered so he could have female companionship and sow as many wild oats as he wanted without consequences.
If you have a vet you're confident with then it's a straightforward procedure and most boars will come through with no problem.
@Wiebke does have much more experience and wisdom, so will probably add to this.
The bonding worked very well and Titus was a happy boy with his girls for the rest of his life.
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Thank you, I am going to look at some vets, as my previous experiences haven't been ideal.It's good to know my piggy has a chance to have a friend. :)
 
Wiebke said:
If you can, please contact as...good standard guinea pig rescues.
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Thank you for the advice, I'll have a ring of some rescues, using the rescue finder and ask about boar dating. As I'm quite paranoid about operations I'll see how this goes. The pup is very cute :D, the fella in my avatar is Teddy.
 
Josephine said:
Thank you for the advice, I'll have a ring of some rescues, using the rescue finder and ask about boar dating. As I'm quite paranoid about operations I'll see how this goes. The pup is very cute :D, the fella in my avatar is Teddy.
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We have listed only those rescues we can guarantee that you will in safe and experienced hands. Since all rescues (including the RSPCA) are entirely volunteer run, please be patient and try again if you do not get an answer back straight away. ;)
 
Wiebke said:
We have listed only those rescues we can guarantee that you will in safe and experienced hands. Since all rescues (including the RSPCA) are entirely volunteer run, please be patient and try again if you do not get an answer back straight away. ;)
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I'll be sure to take this into account. Thanks!
 
Josephine said:
I'll be sure to take this into account. Thanks!
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The best rescues in your area North East Guinea Pig Rescue in South Shields (not very quick in coming back to you, but a very good place - preferred contact by email) or Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue in Middlesbrough. I can recommend both places warmly.
 
Wiebke said:
The best rescues in your area North East Guinea Pig Rescue in South Shields (not very quick in coming back to you, but a very good place - preferred contact by email) or Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue in Middlesbrough. I can recommend both places warmly.
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Both places offer boar dating.
 
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