Unsure On What To Do!

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ChloeCee98

ChloeCee98

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Went to pets at home to get the babies food yesterday and there was a 2 year old boar waiting to be adopted...ON HIS OWN! I've been sat here stewing all day thinking about him :( after lots of begging my partners agreed that I can go and save him.

BUT! I have two sows and I'm unsure how I would go about keeping him. I have spare cages so he could go in there and be quarantined but he's 2 so I don't want to get him neutered if there's a lot of risk. Would I be able to make my c&c cage bigger and put him in a sectioned off but with a lid? Will this make him happy or not :( just so unsure on what to do. I definitely want to go and get him tho:( he looks exactly like my MoMo. Also if I was to get him done, MoMo is fairly boisterous is it possible she might fight with Noodle when he joined them?

Really need some advice! I don't want him to be cooped up in there like he has been for two years :'(
 
I think it's so sweet that you want to save him. I can't imagine he would be unhappy having a forever family of his own. If you have the space and resources, I would only applaud and admire you for taking him in. Sending good vibes your way :D
 
Ok, you sound to be in a bit of a tizz and it is not good to adopt / buy in a flap so take a step back for a mo and breathe!
Firstly, just because he is in the shop in the 'adoption' section does not mean he has been there for 2 years. He may have been returned to store after being in a home or have been used for breeding or who knows. Can you ring the shop and ask about his history?
Certainly one option would be to have him neutered to bond with your sows. @pig in the city mght advise more but I would say 2yrs is still ok for neuter ops but there are always some risks. But the potentially bigger gamble is whether your sow would accept him after all that if you think she is a challenging character. This is why it is better to bond at a true rescue because you have help with bonding.
If it didn't work, would you have space and funds to adopt another piggy as his companion?
 
We had a boy neutered at 6 months to go in with my 3 sows. They did not like him at all, fighting etc. So I put him at the end of the girls cage with a grid between. I felt really guilty so got him a mate. At 2 he should be passed the the hormonal bit. You still take the he chance will bond, if he does l think it would be with a young one. Regarding going in with girls I wouldn't know. Just take a little time to think, I know it's hard not to be impulsive. Worst that could happen is someone else would take him. Having him neutered at 2 is fine.
I don't know why people dump these animals back to pet shops they would be far better in a rescue.
 
lauraboara said:
Ok, you sound to be in a bit of a tizz and it is not good to adopt / buy in a flap so take a step back for a mo and breathe!
Firstly, just because he is in the shop in the 'adoption' section does not mean he has been there for 2 years. He may have been returned to store after being in a home or have been used for breeding or who knows. Can you ring the shop and ask about his history?
Certainly one option would be to have him neutered to bond with your sows. @pig in the city mght advise more but I would say 2yrs is still ok for neuter ops but there are always some risks. But the potentially bigger gamble is whether your sow would accept him after all that if you think she is a challenging character. This is why it is better to bond at a true rescue because you have help with bonding.
If it didn't work, would you have space and funds to adopt another piggy as his companion?
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I know I've been thinking of all possible ways to keep him. Yes I would get another boar if need be. It says on his introduction thing near where he is that he has been with them for 2 years. I asked the assistant if he had come in from someone and she said no that he has been at pets at home all this time. I got MoMo from a lady who had taken her to pets at home to be adopted. I would do my best to make sure he's happy ☺x
 
Tiamolly123 said:
We had a boy neutered at 6 months to go in with my 3 sows. They did not like him at all, fighting etc. So I put him at the end of the girls cage with a grid between. I felt really guilty so got him a mate. At 2 he should be passed the the hormonal bit. You still take the he chance will bond, if he does l think it would be with a young one. Regarding going in with girls I wouldn't know. Just take a little time to think, I know it's hard not to be impulsive. Worst that could happen is someone else would take him. Having him neutered at 2 is fine.
I don't know why people dump these animals back to pet shops they would be far better in a rescue.
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I'm going to ring pets at home now I will update soon. Thank you for your advice :) x
 
Good luck, it sounds like he is coming to a good home. Sometimes you just know if the piggy is for you or not :)
 
I was in a similar situation a few weeks ago when I was up in Scarborough for a few days.I popped in a pet shop to get the pigs a present and saw they had pets so had a look and the birds were in cages too tiny and had been plucking their feathers out.I saw one guinea pig on his own with no water, the food bowl was attached to a ring that clipped on the side and was too high up so he couldn't reach.He had little hay and nothing else in the hutch like a house or toys etc.I was really saddened to see this and when the shop Keeper asked if everything was ok my mum said no we're concerned about the guinea pig so the lady sent the other worker to give him some water(who said she'd forgotten to do it earlier) and to put the food bowl on the floor.I really wanted to take him home with me but it wasn't practical as it was a long train journey back with extra luggage and also I didn't really have the space for another piggie.
 
Gem789 said:
I was in a similar situation a few weeks ago when I was up in Scarborough for a few days.I popped in a pet shop to get the pigs a present and saw they had pets so had a look and the birds were in cages too tiny and had been plucking their feathers out.I saw one guinea pig on his own with no water, the food bowl was attached to a ring that clipped on the side and was too high up so he couldn't reach.He had little hay and nothing else in the hutch like a house or toys etc.I was really saddened to see this and when the shop Keeper asked if everything was ok my mum said no we're concerned about the guinea pig so the lady sent the other worker to give him some water(who said she'd forgotten to do it earlier) and to put the food bowl on the floor.I really wanted to take him home with me but it wasn't practical as it was a long train journey back with extra luggage and also I didn't really have the space for another piggie.
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Bless you! You should have contacted the local council x
 
I'm not sure it's a good idea to keep him in a sectioned off bit in the C & C, with male hormones flowing he could try to get over the top to get in with the girls, maybe injuring himself doing so. In a way, it's unfair to keep him in a smell but don't touch situation & stressful for him. If you intend on getting him it would be good to take him boar dating to a Rescue to get him a friend of his own (male) them house them well away from your girls. There are loads of piggies in Rescues atm, several report being full to capacity; or maybe consider getting a female from a Rescue to add to your existing girls instead. Whilst he is in PAH at least he is fed & watered etc & well looked after.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I'm not sure it's a good idea to keep him in a sectioned off bit in the C & C, with male hormones flowing he could try to get over the top to get in with the girls, maybe injuring himself doing so. In a way, it's unfair to keep him in a smell but don't touch situation & stressful for him. If you intend on getting him it would be good to take him boar dating to a Rescue to get him a friend of his own (male) them house them well away from your girls. There are loads of piggies in Rescues atm, several report being full to capacity; or maybe consider getting a female from a Rescue to add to your existing girls instead. Whilst he is in PAH at least he is fed & watered etc & well looked after.
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I don't trust pets at home to be giving any guinea pigs the life they deserve tbh :/ he will be in a cage for a while anyway as he will need to be quarantined etc. I have the space to get another boar too, and there is the option for neutering (don't really want to do that tho :( )

I've read on here that interaction through the bars is okay as long as there is a lid?
 
Well put it this way, if I was sat in a room with a glass window watching other people scoff chocolate I would be extremely unimpressed lol :) He will have the urge to mate with them & they will in effect be teasing him, so in my mind, it's a bit unfair & no-one wants unwanted babies, there are enough unwanted piggies in the world, plus it's dangerous for older sows to get pregnant & give birth, some die giving birth so it's not a risk I would take personally. There's a video going around of a piggy that easily climbs over his C & C grids & wanders around, so there are pigs that are capable of climbing grids out there.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Well put it this way, if I was sat in a room with a glass window watching other people scoff chocolate I would be extremely unimpressed lol :) He will have the urge to mate with them & they will in effect be teasing him, so in my mind, it's a bit unfair & no-one wants unwanted babies, there are enough unwanted piggies in the world, plus it's dangerous for older sows to get pregnant & give birth, some die giving birth so it's not a risk I would take personally. There's a video going around of a piggy that easily climbs over his C & C grids & wanders around, so there are pigs that are capable of climbing grids out there.
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So you think I shouldn't get him :(
 
To be blunt, no. If you can't find him a friend & you have two males that fall out, will you be able to house them in two separate cages? Or place them in their own C & C but separated from each other? I've even read on here of two boys climbing over then fighting unfortunately.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
To be blunt, no. If you can't find him a friend & you have two males that fall out, will you be able to house them in two separate cages? Or place them in their own C & C but separated from each other? I've even read on here of two boys climbing over then fighting unfortunately.
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My piggys have their own room. And I have two spare large cages (1 that Hudson will be in) and yes I could make another c&c cage for the males in another room. There's lots of options. Neutering would be my last option. Thank you for your help x
 
You are welcome, have a look at the Rescues on our Rescue page first though, there are a lot of already bonded/neutered piggies waiting for homes, they are healthy & desperately need homes :)
 
Poppy'sMum said:
You are welcome, have a look at the Rescues on our Rescue page first though, there are a lot of already bonded/neutered piggies waiting for homes, they are healthy & desperately need homes :)
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I look everyday I don't drive and none are in my area I went all the way to Leeds to get MoMo. I will have a long think tonight and chat with pets at home tomorrow, make my decision. Will update tomorrow x
 
Everyone meet Hudson :) I got some more info about him. He's never had a companion so PAH said if he's content it's best not to stress him as he is over 2 years old. He's amazing at being handled and loves cabbage. He's never had lots of different food so I have to introduce things slowly. He's very small for his age but has recently had a check up at vets and had PAH home check up too. My girls are at the vets next week so will take him along too. He's in his cage now with his food and hay checking out MoMo and Noodle who are showing themselves off to him nosey girls. My partner is convinced that Hudson can be his guineapig and I can have the naughty girls lol I don't think soooo. I'm going to leave him be for a few days just gonna top up food & spot clean etc with little interaction until he adjusts. He's a flamboyant boy with a pink and purple cage lol

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flowerfairy said:
Congratulations. Is he going to be a friend for your girls?
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I'm not sure he's going to be near enough to chat with them and see them. I just don't fancy getting him neutered because he's 2, I might find him a cage mate tho:) but he has been on his own all of his life so I will just wait and see how he gets on x

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Two is still really young. If you have an experienced vet it is fine to neuter them at that age. Check out the vet locator at the top of the page.
 
I hate it when pet shops say "he's been alone all his life so don't stress him out" because it's bull lol. He would love a friend.

Neutering, when done by a good vet, would be absolutely fine for such a young boy! Just need to make sure you have a decent vet though, your typical "dog" vets are pretty useless and can mess it up.

Good luck for you and your handsome boy!

How are your girls doing now?
 
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