Single piggy

mazza198

mazza198

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I'm looking for some advice and opinions from experienced guinea pig owners.

I got my male guinea pig from Pets at Home, and he was being housed on his own because he had been aggressive towards other guinea pigs. Hoping he might still be able to have a friend, I sent him to a bonding service for two weeks. Unfortunately, they weren't able to bond him because he was aggressive towards the other guinea pigs there as well.

Now I'm wondering what the best thing to do is. The options seem to be either leaving him as a single guinea pig or having him neutered and eventually trying to bond him with a female. My concern is that I don't want to put him through surgery if there's a chance he may still prefer to be on his own afterwards.

At home he seems very happy. He popcorns regularly, makes lots of happy noises, enjoys roaming around the house, and interacts well with us. He doesn't show any obvious signs of being unhappy or withdrawn.

I took him to the vet today and she advised me not to rush into anything and suggested getting some opinions from other guinea pig owners before making a decision.

Has anyone had a guinea pig with a similar history? Did neutering help with bonding to a female? Or have you successfully kept a guinea pig happy on their own when they genuinely didn't seem to get along with others?

I'd really appreciate any advice or experiences. My main concern is doing what's best for him while avoiding unnecessary risks.
 
Welcome to the forum

I have moved your post out of the thread you posted on and into a thread of its own.
The care sections of the forum are monitored by staff to ensure accurate advice is given

How old is he?

You aren’t the first person to have been sold a PaH piggy labeled as needing to be kept alone. For most piggies it simply isn’t the case.
There are members on here who have been told the same thing but have gone on to neuter and bond their piggies with sows very very successfully.

It is rare for a guinea pig to truly prefer being alone but it can happen.

If this were me, I would go ahead with the neutering and try him with a sow. It, a lot of the time, is the thing that works best.
If a sow bonding did fail, then at least you know you did everything you could to get him a live in friend.

Do note that piggies rarely do show signs of being lonely (it’s a survival thing), but they still feel it.

The alternative for piggies who genuinely cannot share a cage with another piggy is to live side by side with another/pair of piggies (if this is an option for you). This provides the interaction and companionship with another piggy but between the bars so without the pressures of sharing territory and forming hierarchies.

I have added a guide below which explains things further

Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

@Merab - am i remembering correctly that you had this situation with Micah?
 
I agree, if he's young enough for neutering then I'd go that route. He will need 6 weeks before he's infertile which gives plenty of time to find him a lady friend or two as hopefully cage mates or at worst neighbours.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Welcome to the forum

I have moved your post out of the thread you posted on and into a thread of its own.
The care sections of the forum are monitored by staff to ensure accurate advice is given

How old is he?

You aren’t the first person to have been sold a PaH piggy labeled as needing to be kept alone. For most piggies it simply isn’t the case.
There are members on here who have been told the same thing but have gone on to neuter and bond their piggies with sows very very successfully.

It is rare for a guinea pig to truly prefer being alone but it can happen.

If this were me, I would go ahead with the neutering and try him with a sow. It, a lot of the time, is the thing that works best.
If a sow bonding did fail, then at least you know you did everything you could to get him a live in friend.

Do note that piggies rarely do show signs of being lonely (it’s a survival thing), but they still feel it.

The alternative for piggies who genuinely cannot share a cage with another piggy is to live side by side with another/pair of piggies (if this is an option for you). This provides the interaction and companionship with another piggy but between the bars so without the pressures of sharing territory and forming hierarchies.

I have added a guide below which explains things further

Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

@Merab - am i remembering correctly that you had this situation with Micah?
Click to expand...
Yes. Micah had been bullied because PAH had no clue about bonding boars.
He was labelled as having to live alone so I took him home, had him neutered and he lived a very life with my sows.
I’m sure he was a runt with dodgy eyes and an an extra toe but he was a wonderful character
 
The way I view single pigs is that they just haven’t found the right pig. I recall one boy I had from TEAS and he just hated other boars…along comes 2 young females - tah-dah! Changed pigsonality…

I occasionally get a single piggy for various reasons and oddly it’s usually boars for boarding and they are given extra cuddles. I continue to recommend finding them a friend.
I did have one girl who after time lost her friends, she came in for boarding over Xmas and it was evident she was very depressed- she didn’t go home after Xmas in fact we agreed she would be bonded with my herd and I still have her after 3 years. She’s a different piggy. They just have to find the right friends in my opinion,
 
I’m glad he is ok.
Him seeming calmer and letting you stroke him is because he has settled in. Neutering a boar doesn’t make them friendlier or change their behaviour - it just stops them from being able to make babies.

Yes he needs and is now ready for a new friend.

Let us know how you get on in finding him a sow friend!
 
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