Single piggy, limited floor space

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pudgypiggy

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey guys, I have a male boar from pets at home (yes i know they are notoriously terrible) and a cage that is a little bit too small (95x57)- but he free roams all day and I'm home studying, interacting and giving him pets ect, to be honest he basically owns the house at this point 😂 he has so many tunnels and hideys that we swap out and change every night to keep him excited to explore in the morning. But i know he really needs a friend, the issue being the size of the 'home base' cage- I'm in a very small apartment which is very cramped and I'm unsure as to how i move foward in getting him a friend, i know c&c grids are great but its literally just the floor space issue. Any advice would be appreciated, i just want my boy to be happy (he came with ringworm and a respiratory infection, and i just want to see him thriving and happy now he has recovered)
 
Welcome to the forum

What a difficult situation! It’s clear you love him
And you’re doing your absolute best for him.

The reality is though that the cage isn’t big enough for one and certainly not for two (two boys need 180x60cm or a 5x2 c&c). Free roaming is great but only until it comes time for him/them to ever be shut in the cage, the cage then needs to be big enough .

Getting him a friend is likely going to be difficult but keeping him alone is also quite a decision to have to take.

The best way to find a friend is to seek help from a rescue centre for dating to find a character compatible friend but a rescue will not approve a cage of that size. 24/7 free roaming is not likely practical, I don’t know if a rescue would approve that either due to safety(?).

Getting another piggy from a pet shop means you run the risk of a failed bonding and then you would have to keep them separated at all times which would make things even harder.
(You’d also have to have a neutral area to carry out the bonding so you would not be able to do it anywhere your piggy free roams).

I’m not sure there is going to be a simple solution here unless you can rearrange your apartment to fit a suitable cage to then speak to a rescue for dating
 
Hi and welcome you are clearly a very caring person and dearly love your boy 🥰, just an idea and not sure what space you have to work with but when I was trying to rearrange my guinea room for a foster boy I took a photo and asked Chat GPT for ideas 🤔
 
Good evening all- i hope you are doing well! :)
Just an update, i have upgraded the cage into a 2x4 (120x60) he still free roams all day, but is very content with his new set up. I'm now searching for a responsive rescue, but when i go up the road to local pets at home to get hay it breaks my heart seeing the tiny babies conditions 💔☹️ i know its risky to get another from there (for two reasons, unsuccessful bonding and the risk of getting my boy sick 'again') but i have been searching and reaching out to rescues near me and they don't seem responsive- I'm going back to studies very soon, and don't want him being home alone all day. Any ideas? Thank you in advance!
 
It’s so great you’ve got him a bigger cage!

Smaller rescues are often run by volunteers so getting replies isn’t always quick. Keep calling them.

I don’t want this to come across as negative as you are doing an absolutely brilliant job - getting that degree upgrade is brilliant, but I’m afraid you could still struggle with the cage size and getting rescue approval for adoption.
Free roam is good but they would require a cage to meet their requirements for any time the piggies have to be locked in. Rescues set their own standard on cage sizing and often it’s larger than the RSPCA minimums.

Unfortunately a 120x60cm is too small for two boars to be locked into. Two boys need 180x60cm (150x60cm as a minimum). A reputable rescue wouldn’t allow a 120cm cage for two boys due to the fact that locking two boys into a cage of that size is likely to cause space related tension and consequently fights. It would be difficult to fit in enough resources (you need two of everything at least a body length apart for boars) and still have enough space to move past each other without having to get close into a 120 cage. For boars, lots of space is vital to keep them harmonious.

If you could consider getting him neutered and then having the six week post op wait to become safe then that might help. A neutered boar/sow pair can get away with a slightly smaller cage. However, while a 120x60cm is considered RSPCA minimum size for a neutered boar/sow pair again, another rescue may not approve it and would be very likely to want 150x60cm as a minimum.

Please don’t be disheartened and definitely keep trying though. They may have some helpful suggestions.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-forum-recommended-rescues.196734/
Cage Size Guide

(Just so there isn’t confusion if you’re reading other areas of the forum, cage sizing for commercial cages is referred to in their cm measurement so yours is a 120 commercial cage. I know you mean 2x4 feet when you mentioned your cage but
If you see 2x4 or 2x5 mentioned elsewhere, then those are referring to c&c cages but not their measurements. A 2x4 means a c&c cage of 2 grids by 4 grids which measures 150x70cm)
 
Have you tried the RSPCA place at Burford?
It’s the only one I know of near you.

When I was in urgent need of a companion for newly bereaved Merab I went Pets Corner in Thatcham.
They are much better at caring for the animals than PAH , and much more knowledgeable.
I know we are a pro rescue forum but sometimes it just isn’t possible to find a rescue piggy and a piggy’s need for companionship is more important
 
Going elsewhere for a piggy is of course going to have to be the next thing but a failed bonding is a risk and when space is so limited keeping two piggies side by side in separate cages takes up a lot of room. It’s a tricky situation
 
Hey all! Thank you so much for your detailed replies- i really appreciate it, as I'm just trying to do whats best for him (although, even i struggle with my living space size ☹️😅)

when i say 2x4- it is 2 grids by 4- its this plastic sort of c&c gridding off amazon, I'm not sure if average c&c grids are bigger or not?

I'm not sure i would want to get him neutered, but i am trying to move out of this small flat- so fingers crossed..

in the meantime, what can i do to keep him happy and playful- as ive noticed hes sleeping most of the day although he does popcorn and have zoomies at least twice before his naps, and wheeks for dinner ect.. i just want him to be happy :(
 
Hello he’s a lovely piggy 🥰
Just a thought …if your flat is very small could you raise the c&c and use the space underneath as storage freeing up space to make it a 2x5 c&c cage …then you could easily have 2 boars.
Good luck with your flat hunt
 
You are doing a brilliant job for him.

Right, so it is a c&c but if it measures 120 then they can’t be standard sized grids.
A normal c&c grid measures 35cm, making a 2x4 150x70cm
 
I think you can put this grids length ways can't you? Not sure though just an idea.
He is a handsome boy isn't he 🥰
 
Some of my grids aren't standard c&c and I have mine going the long length horizontally and it's gives nice extra room 📏
 
Thank you all for your ideas! He is a sweetheart 💕🥺 umm to be honest i don't own a tape measure, i just eyeballed it and came to the conclusion that each grid looks roughly the same as a 30cm ruler (60x120-2x4) but i will try get my hands on a tape measure to be sure, unfortunately the length way (longer) cage wouldnt work 🥲 because the rooms are quite small, i could just about fit that cage in- and have to dodge it when walking into the room 😅 all worth it for his happiness tho obviously! he brings so much joy and attitude into my life, bless him xx
 
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