Splitting an established herd

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Hi everyone,

I work with a (dog) rescue centre that has recently had a herd of 7 females dumped in a box.
The centre isn’t really equipt for them long term so is keen to rehome them sooner rather than later. They are currently in foster and doing well but due to it being a dog rescue they just don’t have the facilities longer term, they have contacted g.pig local rescues but none have space for them at the moment. They are not handled at all and scream if you try and handle them in any way.

They have asked my advice about splitting them (as I have Guinea pigs myself) to make rehoming easier but I wasn’t sure whether splitting them was ethical and for the best?

As far as they can tell, there are two older Peruvians. The other 4 are short haired, 2 solid colour and 2 mixed colours. None of them seem particularly ‘paired’ but I know from previous research that they are likely to have bonded within themselves?

Firstly is it fair to them to do this? Will they likely be upset when split?
How do we find out which ones are best to go together or is it not as important as long as they go in pairs. Would 2 groups of 3/4 work better?

Thankyou!
 
I've got no advice to give you, but I'll be interested to see what the experts have to say.
Well done to your rescue for taking them in, and I hope they all find loving homes soon. 🥰
 
Realistically it is very unlikely that they will be able to find a home as a group of seven. Rescues usually struggle to rehome even groups of four and usually have to split them into pairs. Also there is no way of knowing how long they have been together or how well they function as a herd, so splitting them into smaller groups/pairs may be for the best any way.

As to knowing who to pair with who, observing them over time once they are feeling more settled should give some indication as to who gets on with who best but obviously this may not be practical in your situation. A test as to whether someone particularly doesn't get along with someone else would be to put two together in a confined space such as a cat carrier for 5 or 10 minutes, they will let it be known if they have a strong dislike for their companion, that is assuming they are feeling relatively settled in general and not terrified.

Perhaps you ask a local, experienced guinea pig rescue if they could visit and help advise who to pair with who.
 
Was going to advise the exact same as Pound shilling & pig.
Separating them into smaller groups will be better for their long term situation as trying to find a home for a group of 7 guinea pigs will be almost impossible. Of course it’s a shame to separate a bonded group, but they will get over it and be just fine. Observing them closely for a day should provide a little bit of insight of whom spends most time with who. You may see behaviours such an eye licking which is a sign of a healthy relationship between piggies. However they may not feel safe enough to do normal behaviours considering their sudden circumstances.
Good on you for caring so much about them and for the dog shelter in temporarily looking after them, good luck!
 
I completely agree. Splitting them makes their chances of finding a new home much higher.

They will be fine being split, and watching them to see who spends most time together is the way to find out where to make the separations
 
Thank you all of you 🙂

I will see if we can get them to relax enough to see who likes who and then split. They are in a c&c type of cage at the moment but as soon as anyone enters the space they all scream and huddle together. Handling them for health checks and nail clipping etc was traumatic for all, a few of them did bite.

I think the two long haired ones are sisters judging by how identical they are so I will suggest they stay together then perhaps split the others into a 2 and a 3.
 
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