Two questions...

[larnanoomia]

Hi

We rehomed two boars on Saturday so we have had them 1 week now. They are settling in well, came in a really small cage so we have got them two playpens and connected them to make a really big enclosure for them.
They are approx 1 year old. Settling in quite well but the less dominant one is now asserting dominance. Hope fights dont start soon. They both have a house each and a food bowl each and other places to hide.

Side note - my husband works away and is allergic we discovered last night. So not sure what the future holds for us. Doesn't seem fair to rehome again.

 

[larnanoomia]

P.s they also have two hay trays in litter trays at the end of the cage you just cant see them on the picture

 

[larnanoomia]

I just realised my post title is two questions but I didn't ask any questions, here is a pic of the full set up, they are too nervous to be picked up yet sometimes riachu let's us stroke him on the head (the one with black on) - any tips on anything at all ? They also went the vet Tuesday to get their nails cut as they were extremely long and curled under

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

A few tips for teen boars:

You should not use single exits hides with teen boars - so the wooden house and the pink pigloo. You should only use hides which have two doors so that no piggy can trap the other inside. A single exit hide means there is no other way out and fights can break out inside if one piggy feels trapped.

Please ensure you also have two water bottles.

We do not recommend the use of food bowls. A food bowl means the dominant piggy can food hog but also eating from a bowl is a mindless activity. Keeping them mentally stimulated is so important so we recommend scatter feeding around the cage so they have to forage and search for their food.

We recommend they are just left to settle in for the first week or so - all pairs (regardless of how long they have been together) have a two week period of reestablishing their bond in a new environment so they will be going through a lot right now

You will need to get them used to being handled as they need to be weighed every week as part of routine care but handling is not always an easy thing. Most piggies don’t like being picked up so I will add guides below which will help you further.
I only really handle my own piggies for their routine weekly weight and health checks as they don’t really like being cuddled

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
New Guinea Pigs: How to Best Manage Arrival and Settling In
Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment

 

[larnanoomia]

Welcome to the forum

A few tips for teen boars:

You should not use single exits hides with teen boars - so the wooden house and the pink pigloo. You should only use hides which have two doors so that no piggy can trap the other inside. A single exit hide means there is no other way out and fights can break out inside if one piggy feels trapped.

Please ensure you also have two water bottles.

We do not recommend the use of food bowls. A food bowl means the dominant piggy can food hog but also eating from a bowl is a mindless activity. Keeping them mentally stimulated is so important so we recommend scatter feeding around the cage so they have to forage and search for their food.

We recommend they are just left to settle in for the first week or so - all pairs (regardless of how long they have been together) have a two week period of reestablishing their bond in a new environment so they will be going through a lot right now

You will need to get them used to being handled as they need to be weighed every week as part of routine care but handling is not always an easy thing. Most piggies don’t like being picked up so I will add guides below which will help you further.
I only really handle my own piggies for their routine weekly weight and health checks as they don’t really like being cuddled

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
New Guinea Pigs: How to Best Manage Arrival and Settling In
Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment

Thanks I will put a second hole in the wooden house & scatter feed them & put a extra water bottle in

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks I will put a second hole in the wooden house & scatter feed them & put a extra water bottle in

You need two hides so you will need to remove the pink one and replace it with something else with two holes (even if it is a cardboard box)

And to add, they should only have one tablespoon of pellets per pig and they should not be left with access to pellets all day. They are the least important and least healthy part of the diet so do ensure they are kept limited at all times

 

[larnanoomia]

You need two hides so you will need to remove the pink one and replace it with something else with two holes (even if it is a cardboard box)

And to add, they should only have one tablespoon of pellets per pig and they should not be left with access to pellets all day. They are the least important and least healthy part of the diet so do ensure they are kept limited at all times

Will do - thank you . What about a fleece tube with two exits can that substitute as another hideaway ?

 

[Piggies&buns]

it could do except if we get hot weather again then they may not want to use a fleece tunnel.

Personally I’d go with two wooden hides (with two exits (I avoid plastic hides because in summer they can become too hot inside) and then any other tunnels are bonus ‘toys’ rather than hides

 

[piggieminder]

They've got the fleece forests so effectively have a hide each. I would take the pink hide out. In hot weather plastic hides can get a build up of condensation which can contribute to fungal disease. I have some houses similar to the wooden one, my partner cut another door in the side.
I wonder if your husband is allergic to the hay rather than the piggies? Hay allergies are more common, some of us find different kinds of hay are more problematic. My partner is very allergic to Timothy hay but finds Meadow okay he ca be in the room as long as he doesn't handle it. When I go away and he looks after the piggies he wears a mask, gloves and long sleeves to clean them out and do hay top ups!

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
Your boys are lovely.
So sorry that your husband is allergic.

 

[larnanoomia]

They've got the fleece forests so effectively have a hide each. I would take the pink hide out. In hot weather plastic hides can get a build up of condensation which can contribute to fungal disease. I have some houses similar to the wooden one, my partner cut another door in the side.
I wonder if your husband is allergic to the hay rather than the piggies? Hay allergies are more common, some of us find different kinds of hay are more problematic. My partner is very allergic to Timothy hay but finds Meadow okay he ca be in the room as long as he doesn't handle it. When I go away and he looks after the piggies he wears a mask, gloves and long sleeves to clean them out and do hay top ups!

Thank you I am going to try different hay to see if that makes a difference

 

[Roselina]

How lovely you’ve rehomed these two gorgeous boys
Sounds like they’re settling into their new home
It’s a learning experience having guinea pigs ….this forum is so useful
I found I made lots of changes in the first week or two
I’m not allergic to pigs or hay but sometimes I have a sneezing session with a new batch of hay
I always buy the dust extracted type
Enjoy your boys