Reasons to adopt an adult guinea pig?

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cavykind

I seem to be getting a lot of enquiries at the moment about baby guinea pigs, but little interest is being shown in the adults unfortunately...especially if entire boars :'(

I am thinking of putting another poster up in the vets, extolling the virtues of the more mature pig and why to consider one...
So, if anyone care to give me a few ideas to start with :)

Barbara
 
Adult pigs are less skittish in my experience if been handled right
 
How long they can live for perhaps. Some people still think only 3-4 years.
I'l try and think up some more. Are there any medical advantages that you know of?
 
darkest.dreaming said:
How long they can live for perhaps. Some people still think only 3-4 years.
I'l try and think up some more. Are there any medical advantages that you know of?
Click to expand...

Thank you :)

Actually I can't think of any medical advantages at all.
It's not even like dogs, where one of the advantages is that you can see how big they will grow ::)

I suppose their adult temperament is known, that is a good thing and as SL said, they are generally less skittish.

Barbara

Barbara
 
Already bonded pairs are exactly that, no fussing trying to pair them up
 
Well baby guineapigs are cute, it has to be said. However they are VERY hard for an inexperienced piggy owner to catch and handle (didn't someone just post they'd accidentally dropped theirs) and very skittish and nervous. Now Fudge is older he is cute, talks to me, likes his chin tickled and just generally a nice 'pet' rather than a timid creature that hides all the time.

I would never now adopt two sows, I'd always go for a neutered boar and a sow, and I have to say I think this is the way forwards as fewer people want boars. Do boar/sow partnerships seem happier than sow/sow or boar/boar? I know Gemma's Ernest and Emily always seem very happy and cuddly whereas my girls are two independent pigs who happen to live in the same cage.
 
When looking for a new friend for our bereaved 4 year old Sammy, we deliberately chose an adult boar. We were concerned that, if we got a baby, he would (probably) appear to accept Sammy as 'Boss' but might then 'rebel' later when we were not expecting it. We felt that, by choosing an adult, any disagreement would become apparent early on when we were alert to it rather than surfacing later on.
This has worked out very well. The introduction period was slow, but we now have two happy friends. :)
 
I took on a lovely 6 year old free adds sow about 6 months ago. She lives with my other three sows. Olga is adorable and I love her to bits. Ive never had baby baby piggies mine have always been rescues at about a year. The older they are the funnier they are and the personaities are all different.

Older piggers forme all the time ! :)
 
agree with Bev totally and agree their personalitys are already developed I love boys they are so close to you Floo is like my baby he waits for me and calls for me we are soo close,
 
Guinea pigs improve with age.
I can't understand why anyone would chose a scatty scared wriggly baby over a confident easy to hold adult.

You can see the adults temperament more easily, you can see what their coat is actually like, you can see how big they actaully are. With a baby there are so many unknowns. How dominant will they be? Will they like to be cuddled? Do they know how to give you the eye?

And adult guineas have tjhose beautiful lips :D
 
Like was said before, you already know their personalities, you won't have to guess. If you want someone to cuddle, then you get one known for cuddling. If you want someone to be energetic and run around, get one known for being energetic and running around. With babies they may be one way then grow up completely different.

Another thing I try to do at my rescue is tell them they can come out and choose which ones they would like to adopt. Have them try to catch a few babies (which can be very difficult) and then bring them to the adults. Picking up the adults is normally easy, and they're typically the ones who come to the bars wanting to come out and play/cuddle. I've had a whole bunch of people come for babies and leave ecstatically with babies.

Hope I could help!
Kimmie
 
Completley agree with the skittish babies - and they are very hard to catch! After my 7 year old sow died last September, I then got my 2 peruvians who were only 8 weeks at the time and boy was it a shock to the system! I couldn't catch them, I never saw them. All I saw was bedding moving as they ran to hide. I was used to my old girl who was tame and friendly and easy to catch and I have to admit there was a bit of me who thought 'what have I done?'. It took weeks of patience before they learnt to trust me and become the easy to catch, sit and be stroked things they are now. I think some of the problems with people new to piggys buying babies is they don't realise how much work is required to tame them up - and how much patience you need. And as has been said before, you don't know what their true personalities will be like until they are older. My older sow who died, was actually not that nice a piggy as a youngster. I always said she was a bit** piggy. She was happy enough in her run and to be stroked but she would go mad if you picked her up or tried to handle her. There was no real reason for it and her sister was never like it but as she grew older so she mellowed and became very loving and cuddly. :)
 
Aaaaaw it's such a shame that the older boars are being looked over. I specifically went to my local rescue, asking for an adult boar. I needed an adult one just purely because he was going to play a huge part in my roadshows, but also because from experience of looking after them at college, I feel that boars have more personality about them. Of course I only got to meet half a dozen, four of which were male, but I such seem to take a shine to the boys.

Rodeny was approx 9 - 12 months when I got him, so not old at all. I think you need to stress to people the speed at which Guineas grow. Tell them all about them being born fully furred, eyes open, running around and within a few hours they can eat solid food. So within only a short few weeks, baby guineas will be looking like aldults in no time.....so why not take an adult which is already used to being handled?
 
My adult girlies are very laid back, and boars are so cuddly if you want affection get a boar lol ;D
 
My big bruiser Merlin is a big softie.
Hes so laid back he is even lays down to eat.
I LOVE BIG BEAUTIFUL BOYS :)
 
Also if there are going to be any hereditory nasties you would have found out about it by the time they are adults. They've been round the block enough to know when they're on to a good thing & as put previously chill out alot quicker.
You won't go through the terrible teens either.
 
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