Single boar - advice on next steps please

curlykrish

curlykrish

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello, as some of you may know from my other post, Kylo passed on Monday leaving behind his 6 month old son Ren. Because Kylo was so young (9months) the vet advised to wait until Ren gets to about 8 months to rule out him having inherited anything sinister.

I don’t really want to leave him alone all of that time and so have been offered a temp boar who can live next to him for a month. Would this be a good option? (He would be on his own sectioned off part of the cage separated by grids)

Then he might be alone for a while as we would wait until he is 8 months, have him checked by the vet and then plan on getting him neutered so we have more options on piggies we can pair with him. Would this be a sensible approach? Would it be bad to have him alone for 2 months given he is so young? I could try to get another temporary friend. Also, just worried he will still be in his teens - is it possible to do new bonding at this age?
 
I would try and keep his alone time as minimal as possible. Having one live next door isn’t a bad idea for now. It can be difficult to bond boars in their teens, but it’s not entirely impossible. It’s still about character compatibility. Could you get him to rescues where he could be bonded? I would ask around first before you rule it out entirely now.

When would you book him in for the neutering? Even that waiting time (6 weeks) he would do better with some company, even if through the bars.

If the single boar isn’t bonded with another could you try them together?
 
Thanks. Will speak with the rescue that I got Ren from. I’m sure they are more than willing to find him a suitable partner.

The vet suggested to wait until we can confirm he is fine before getting him Neutered, but I agree, I think this would end up being 3 months away until he is ready.

The temp boar can’t be bonded because he has another home to go to, so he is truly only on loan. But rescue may have other boars that could be a
Match.
 
curlykrish said:
Hello, as some of you may know from my other post, Kylo passed on Monday leaving behind his 6 month old son Ren. Because Kylo was so young (9months) the vet advised to wait until Ren gets to about 8 months to rule out him having inherited anything sinister.

I don’t really want to leave him alone all of that time and so have been offered a temp boar who can live next to him for a month. Would this be a good option? (He would be on his own sectioned off part of the cage separated by grids)

Then he might be alone for a while as we would wait until he is 8 months, have him checked by the vet and then plan on getting him neutered so we have more options on piggies we can pair with him. Would this be a sensible approach? Would it be bad to have him alone for 2 months given he is so young? I could try to get another temporary friend. Also, just worried he will still be in his teens - is it possible to do new bonding at this age?
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All the best!
 
Hello, just an update on Ren... we got a boar on loan from the rescue today to keep Ren company. His name is Neville and will be with us for the next 5-6 weeks. Quick question - how long should i expect rumblestrutting at the barrier / trying to bite at the bars /teeth chattering / whining go on for? Also - they have managed to stink out the room with whatever they are doing! at the moment they only take a break for a few minutes to eat something / rest and then they are back at it.
 
curlykrish said:
Hello, just an update on Ren... we got a boar on loan from the rescue today to keep Ren company. His name is Neville and will be with us for the next 5-6 weeks. Quick question - how long should i expect rumblestrutting at the barrier / trying to bite at the bars /teeth chattering / whining go on for? Also - they have managed to stink out the room with whatever they are doing! at the moment they only take a break for a few minutes to eat something / rest and then they are back at it.
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they’ll do it until they get used to each other - each piggy is going to be different so it’s impossible to say how long really.
They are scent marking. Make sure you don’t overclean their cages - the more you clean, the more they will mark, the more it will smell
 
Sounds very much like a measuring up contest of which of them is the biggest macho boar. If Neville is only temporary, then they can stay like this and give each other enough mutual stimulation through the bars by marking their territories and playing one-upboarship with each other. it would be less upsetting for both sides but this behaviour is likely to last another day or two.
I call the rumblestrutting along the bars a 'boar haka'. It is the normal way how boars measure up against each other. He who has the biggest rumble comes out on top. Boars also do this to impress sows, since it is the sows that accept a boar/choose a boar, not the other way round.

PS: Even neutered boars can still stink up a room in now time flat when meeting other piggies of either gender...
 
Thanks! Its actually quite funny to watch because although Neville is only a month or two older than Ren, he is probably twice the size and produces a really deep and serious rumble, but it is Ren that it giving it all he has and constantly beckoning Neville to come to the bars and really biting on them. He is now sleeping by the bars and just waiting! Neville has walked off several times as if to say "give it a rest!" but then also doesn't really want to give in! At least its brought Ren out of always being inside one of his hidey's or sheltered area.
 
Hello - just thought i'd give an update. Ren is really enjoying his next door neighbour's company and his weight gain has improved. He still has a go at the biting the bars every so often and sleeping by the divider to mark his territory long after Neville has retreated. We will be taking him to the vet tomorrow for a check up and discuss neutering. Here is a video of both of them enjoying their mid-day grass time.
 
Hello, next update in my journey with Ren... He is going to the vet tomorrow for his neutering operation. Like someone else posted about recently, the surgery will also be abdominal route. I am a little nervous about it...especially getting it done just before lock down, but the vet said they would be open for emergencies as per last time, and they would continue with all his post op appointments as they come due.
 
So, Ren had his Op today and we have brought him home! yay! Vet said that he seemed to recover from GA fairly well, and ate all the food and hay I had given while he was there and they had been syringe feeding him - which he took well. He also passed some stools there and one or two since he has been back. He has been munching on some grass and bits of hay since he has been back, but i tried to give him some critical care, and he was only interested in about 1ml! Vet said that if he is eating himself then I didn't really need to syringe feed..but i thought i would try a bit just a couple of times before i go to bed. However, i also don't want to stress him out too much by repeatedly having to get him out of his cage as it seems like he just wants to be left alone for a bit and rest. He's not overly fond of his pellets either (which he never has been and probably only ever eats 1/2 tablespoon of them a day). He's has had all his metcam now, so think its an issue with the feed rather than the syringe feeding. Did someone mention to try very finely grated apple with it?

He has also said hello to his neighbour and rumblestrutted a couple of times. Although doesn't looks like he doesn't quite got the strength to bother with the bar biting!
 
Monitor his weight daily as it is your guide to what is actually going into him food wise. if he is eating enough for himself and isn't losing weight, then he won't need to be syringe fed.
Yes you can add grated apple to make it a bit nicer tasting
 
So Ren is back to his usual self today, shown by the bar biting, rumblestrutting and sleeping by the divider to mark his territory. His weight was down 9 grams from his last weigh in, but that might also be due to me weighing him much earlier in the day than I would do usually. He appears to be eating completely normally today, but will continue with the daily weighs to keep an eye on it. I had a quick look at his stitches and they look pretty neat and clean. I will see if i can upload a photo later if anyone is curious to see what it looks like.

I've let the rescue know, so hopefully he can start the dating process on the 15th of December! I'm so excited! :luv:
 
curlykrish said:
So Ren is back to his usual self today, shown by the bar biting, rumblestrutting and sleeping by the divider to mark his territory. His weight was down 9 grams from his last weigh in, but that might also be due to me weighing him much earlier in the day than I would do usually. He appears to be eating completely normally today, but will continue with the daily weighs to keep an eye on it. I had a quick look at his stitches and they look pretty neat and clean. I will see if i can upload a photo later if anyone is curious to see what it looks like.

I've let the rescue know, so hopefully he can start the dating process on the 15th of December! I'm so excited! :luv:
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Aw great news, wishing Ren a speedy recovery, roll on the 15th December x
 
Beautiful incision/wound. Glad to hear he’s doing well.
 
Thanks. Unfortunately the wound site doesn’t quite look as it did after the first day and to me it’s starting to look very bumpy, but not sure how these things normally look when healing. Particularly the lower half looks a little swollen. He has lost a little weight equivalent to what was removed but today is down a few more grams, so will go back to syringe feeding him.
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curlykrish said:
Thanks. Unfortunately the wound site doesn’t quite look as it did after the first day and to me it’s starting to look very bumpy, but not sure how these things normally look when healing. Particularly the lower half looks a little swollen. He has lost a little weight equivalent to what was removed but today is down a few more grams, so will go back to syringe feeding him.
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I'm no expert but I would say that's looking pretty good compared to Winston's anyway! There's no puss/no sign of infection and the wound is closed. And I'm presuming he's not in much pain when you touch it. took a good week for Winston's wound to look like that then Winston chewed into his wound pulling his stitches out which caused a lump to form and it got infected by him chewing into it again.. started looking bad again. If you are concerned you could send pictures to your vet that's what I've been doing. Or book a post op appointment sooner than planned. I've had 4 Post op appointments and they've all been free! Best of luck. I was also told not to clean the wound!
 
Tara95 said:
I'm no expert but I would say that's looking pretty good compared to Winston's anyway! There's no puss/no sign of infection and the wound is closed. And I'm presuming he's not in much pain when you touch it. took a good week for Winston's wound to look like that then Winston chewed into his wound pulling his stitches out which caused a lump to form and it got infected by him chewing into it again.. started looking bad again. If you are concerned you could send pictures to your vet that's what I've been doing. Or book a post op appointment sooner than planned. I've had 4 Post op appointments and they've all been free! Best of luck. I was also told not to clean the wound!
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Thanks. I haven't been brave enough to touch it unfortunately! he had his Op on Tuesday, so its less than a week so far. i will see what it looks like tomorrow and take it from there. Yes, i haven't been doing any cleaning of him either, and just making sure he gets his meds as instructed, and then keeping his living area as clean as possible, and changing soiled bedding more often.

I just get the feeling that its quite hard given they spend quite a lot of time laying down, so that area will always touch on the bedding, vs what i have seen of the old method, where the slits are at the side, where really the incision site looks tucked away. I know they say that the piggies drag their bottoms, but the times i see Ren doing this vs the time he spends laying on his belly.. i don't know that it really makes enough difference vs how stressful this method seems on the owners, especially as it appears rescue's and more experienced owners don't go this route.
 
curlykrish said:
Thanks. I haven't been brave enough to touch it unfortunately! he had his Op on Tuesday, so its less than a week so far. i will see what it looks like tomorrow and take it from there. Yes, i haven't been doing any cleaning of him either, and just making sure he gets his meds as instructed, and then keeping his living area as clean as possible, and changing soiled bedding more often.

I just get the feeling that its quite hard given they spend quite a lot of time laying down, so that area will always touch on the bedding, vs what i have seen of the old method, where the slits are at the side, where really the incision site looks tucked away. I know they say that the piggies drag their bottoms, but the times i see Ren doing this vs the time he spends laying on his belly.. i don't know that it really makes enough difference vs how stressful this method seems on the owners, especially as it appears rescue's and more experienced owners don't go this route.
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I was exactly the same especially at the start, I just found it so stressful the whole procedure, despite the vets being amazing. I just felt like it's alot to put an animal through (regardless of the method). Especially such a naturally anxious animal like a guinea pig. Being away From home, under anaesthetic, there are just so many risks and unknowns. I feel so sorry for the guinea pigs that don't make it through the anaesthetic, must be heartbreaking. And then on top of that meds twice a day and constantly being handled, traveling to the vets every few days, it must be so stressful for them. I wouldn't put my sows through it. But anyway it'll be worth it in the end. Luckily I had the first week off work when he had his operation but I can't imagine going through all of that again whilst working! Best of luck you sound like you're doing an amazing job. I think it's the first two weeks where there are the most risks after that it'll be a smooth Ride (I hope) xx
 
curlykrish said:
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Just posting an update of how the wound is healing at 1w+1day.

Its certainly looking a lot less lumpy, so I'm feeling a little less anxious and Ren is maintaining his weight. He has his next check up tomorrow evening.
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I think that looks great. I’ve just gone through the neutering process too- mine was the scrotum method. But I appreciate how nerve racking it all is for you! It will be worth it. Glad to see that he’s doing so well.
 
Hello - Ren is doing really well now, and his fur is starting to grow back. One question though.. has anyone else noticed a change in poop shape after neutering? prior to neutering Ren's output was always jelly bean shape, so slightly curved. I noticed the difference compared to his already neutered nextdoor neighbour who had what i would describe as black bean shaped output - with no curve to them. Ren's father Kylo (RIP) also had jellybean shaped output. Since Ren has been neutered, pretty much straight away, his poops came out black-bean shaped rather than jellybean shaped. I don't think there is any issue here, as they all look normal in consistency, size, quantity etc, it was just the shape change - is it the removal of the testicles that causes this?
 
curlykrish said:
Hello - Ren is doing really well now, and his fur is starting to grow back. One question though.. has anyone else noticed a change in poop shape after neutering? prior to neutering Ren's output was always jelly bean shape, so slightly curved. I noticed the difference compared to his already neutered nextdoor neighbour who had what i would describe as black bean shaped output - with no curve to them. Ren's father Kylo (RIP) also had jellybean shaped output. Since Ren has been neutered, pretty much straight away, his poops came out black-bean shaped rather than jellybean shaped. I don't think there is any issue here, as they all look normal in consistency, size, quantity etc, it was just the shape change - is it the removal of the testicles that causes this?
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I'm no expert but before neutering Winston used to do massive poos compared to the sows. They were really long but looked normal now his poos are the same size as the sows I mentioned this to the vets and they said this was normal. I think his poos are slighter bigger now that it's been three weeks. and glad Ren is doing really well :)
 
Yes I have read on the forum that the change in poo shape and size after neutering is completely normal. It happened with Jazzy too.
 
So, today we dropped Ren off back to the rescue...where hopefully he will bonded with some lucky ladies, and I shall have a mini herd by the end of the week! Fingers crossed it all works out between them 🤞. On a sadder note we had to say goodbye to our loan piggie Neville. The whole family had cuddles with him before he left to return him to the rescue..where he will also meet some ladies and go to his forever home. best of luck in your new home Neville... we will miss your very loud squeaks, deep rumbles and gorgeous cuddly coat!
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