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stressed poorly pig-advice needed!

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bunny mad lisa

bunny mad lisa

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i have an 8 week old male pig. i got him 3 weeks ago and he was kept with an older female to keep him company whilst he settled in. i kept them together until last week but had to seperate as i obviously didn't want him to mate with her. i have him in a seperate cage and since i seperated him he hasn't been too happy. He's been eating o.k and very perky but very skittish on his own. if i have him out on my lap he does everything possible to get away and to try to get to the female who he can see in the cage below. I noticed last night he had a big scab on him and his ear was dry and a bit scabby. I took him to the vet today and he thinks it is a mite infection brought on by stress...which was my first thought. he's had an ivermectin jab and baytril(just incase its bacterial) and i'm taking him back next week for another jab and have more baytril to give him.

my main worry now is how to i help the little guy not be stressed! he has a cuddly toy which he does sit next too and i do try not to disturb him too much. i'm so worried that i have considered getting another male baby to be his friend. The only problem is i had planned for him to be a companion for my two females once he was castrated and i know that 2 males couldn't go in together with females.
i have also heard that 2 males must be kept away from females as they may fight and my cages are situated on top of each other and i don't have room for them elsewhere.

any suggestins?
 
When did you separate him from the female? Are you aware they can mate from just 3 weeks? Your female could already be pregnant :(!

Can you divide the cage so that he can see the girlies and wheek to them but can't get near them? He should settle down after time!
 
Only advice I can say is you don't need to keep males away from females if they are in different cages. Mine do fine in the shed and the males can smell the females and visa versa, only they can't see each other. However some peoples pigs do get problems when kept in the same area as the opposite sex. So you could just see how they get on.
 
I just wanted to add I only said my comment to make sure you are aware that it is possible, obviously watch your girl for signs, it may well not be the case :)!
 
Your boy will be better off if his cage was next to his girl's as long as they are both alone.

You can have your boy neutered from 4-6 months onwards and then need 4-6 weeks wait until you can put him safely back with any females.

Depending on whether your girl turns out to be pregnant or not, you may not want to make any plans right now. On the other hand - a 10 week pregnancy watch is a long time, so you may want to think about permanent arrangements, like pairing the little boy off with another baby boar. In this case, they would be better off being out of sight of females, as that can spark bloody fights and permanent fall-outs.

Keep an eye out for your girl starting to put on quite a bit of weight and becoming very thirsty (first signs of pregnancy). Make sure that she is getting plenty of vitamin C in form of high vitamin C veg like peppers, broccoli or parsley until you are sure that she is NOT pregnant.

How old is that female and has she had babies before?
 
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If he is on his own then you should keep him in a separate cage with the girls next door! I would be on pregnancy alert with your sows as he may have already got them! If you are planning on getting him neutered then you need to find a very good guinea pig vet! ask your local rescues who they use and check out the stickies about neutering!
 
You've had some excellent advice, I hope your female hasn't been caught.
 
thanks for the comments.
I was adviced that the baby could stay with the female for a couple of weeks as he was very small(then 5 weeks) and wouldn't be able to physically mate her as she was adult. I have seen no signs of that behaviour. he was kept with her for just a week. i thought i was doing the right things to help him settle and i hope the advice was right!
 
You could get a cuddle cup or hidey, and put it in the females cage so it gains her scent, then in with him. This may may him a bit overexcited at first, but once he has got over that hopefully it should be a comfort to him.
 
bunny mad lisa said:
thanks for the comments.
I was adviced that the baby could stay with the female for a couple of weeks as he was very small(then 5 weeks) and wouldn't be able to physically mate her as she was adult. I have seen no signs of that behaviour. he was kept with her for just a week. i thought i was doing the right things to help him settle and i hope the advice was right!
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Please do keep an eye on the female just incase, It can happen and obviously do not let him near the girls again until he has been sniped!

If you don't already weigh your piggies, it may be a good time to start :), that way you can monitor weight gain!
 
Oh no no no no no!

Baby boars should only stay with their mothers for up till about 4 weeks as they can get her and any sisters pregnant! Whoever informed you that wasn't very well educated on Guinea Pigs!

Its not your fault that you were informed wrong, but it is very possible she is now pregnant! You'll know in a few weeks as she'll get bigger, weigh her every few days. First sign of a pregnant sow is they start to drink LOADS! How old is she?
 
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You could get a cuddle cup or hidey, and put it in the females cage so it gains her scent, then in with him. This may may him a bit overexcited at first, but once he has got over that hopefully it should be a comfort to him.
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thats a good idea


Oh no no no no no!

Baby boars should only stay with their mothers for up till about 4 weeks as they can get her and any sisters pregnant! Whoever informed you that wasn't very well educated on Guinea Pigs!

Its not your fault that you were informed wrong, but it is very possible she is now pregnant! You'll know in a few weeks as she'll get bigger, weigh her every few days. First sign of a pregnant sow is they start to drink LOADS! How old is she?
Click to expand...

as if i wasn't stressed enough! i will certainly be keeping a very close eye on her! Rest assured if it does happen i will keep the babies and give them a good home, as it's my responsibilty! just hope it doesn't happen!
 
Phew! I was worried you'd say over 1 year or something.

She's at the right age for giving birth as her hips won't of fused together and you won't have any problems in that respect.

If it does turn out she's preggers and you have any concerns or questions, please post in the Pregnancy and Labour section as alot of people here will be able to help you out with advice.
 
Don't panic - not all baby boars are ready to mate with 3-4 weeks, but the longer you leave him in with another female, that bigger the chances that something can happen!

Please, start weighing your piggies once a week; you need to do that anyway. Have a look at your girl's nipples now (or better, take a picture), so you can use it as a reference. About halfway through a pregnancy the nipples get longer and start sweeling up; it is one of the most reliable signs of pregnancy.

PS: A cuddly toy for either of the lonely piggies to cuddle up to may be welcome!
 
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Well, I'm not the best on how to bond a baby with a new piggie and I see your problem about waiting to get him neutered if he's lonely. I agree with the living arrangements suggested in the above posts, but I also wanted to add that just giving him lots of cuddles might help a bit!

I've had a couple of pigs over the years who've preferred living alone (usually a temper reason, or occasionally health related) and they become incredibly affectionate if you socialise with them a lot. Maybe try that?

I hope they're both ok. Do try and post some pigtures of them soon - we love looking at everyone's piggies!
 
I think that you are doing your best under the circumstances - considering that the two of them should never have been put together in the first place!

Where abouts are you? You could always try to adopt another boar. Your little male is still young enough to be paired with an older boar under supervision at a rescue centre. Try to find one within reasonable reach of you, so ideally you can take your boy and let him make his choice of partner.
Here is a list of rescues: http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk/gp/centres.asp

Baby piggies usually take it very hard at being separated and on their own.

here are tips on how to settle new piggies:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239

Of course, a youngster craves company, so give him lots of cuddles and talk to him whenever you are close by.
 
Would leaving a radio on all day in the same room as him help, might make him feel more secure? I find mine seem to enjoy listening to Radio 1 during the day...
 
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