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What next for Charlie?

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hellsbells82

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Hiya,

After sadly losing Dinky last night I'm concerned about leaving Charlie on his own for too long and would like to at least have a "plan" of what to do.

Charlie is only 4 months but already 900g so is going to be a big boy I think, he's almost as heavy as Fitz and Roy who are older, he's very active and loves to charge round the cage doing circuits and jumping on and off everything in sight. He's very confident and loves his humans and is forever up at the bars of the cage waiting for a fuss or his veggies, he's always been very gentle with Dinky and let him pinch his food etc, but Dinky was much, much smaller so no competition really.

Anyway the possible options are;

1) to try and bond him with Fitz (18 months) and Roy (9 months) and attempt a trio in 2 level 2x4 C&C cage that I was originally going to have as two levels for both pairs of boys. This would be my OH's preference as if it worked it would maximise the space all the piggies have. However as him and Roy aren't that far apart in age I'm wary of this causing problems, and scared that I'll end up with 3 single boars, whereas currently Fitz and Roy are very happy together.

2) Get another boar to go with him, although due to his age I'm worried about finding someone and then ending up with fallouts, I guess an older boar would be better maybe.

3) Neuter him and get a sow once he's past the safe 6 week mark, while I guess this is the safest option in terms of fall outs I'm really worried about the op, and also concerned that the smell of a sow close in the new C&C cage I'm making will aggravate Fitz and Roy.

So any thoughts please?
 
The easiest thing would be to neuter him and find a sow, but I do think this might wind up your other males unfortunately.

I'd probably opt for finding him an older boar to bond with. Or wait until he's over his hormones and then find a baby? It would mean him being on his own for quite a few months but he may be ok with that. You'd have to judge that yourself. It sounds like he can speak to the other boys so isn't completely lonely. Or even just wait until Roy is out of the 'teenage' phase and then slowly introduce the 3 of them. Sorry I'm not much help.

I hate seeing them on their own. I know how difficult it is to do the right thing but I'm sure whatever you decide will be right for Charlie. He sounds a lovely boy x)

So sorry for the loss of Dinky. Sweet dreams little man x
 
Maybe take him boar dating with an older boar?

Hehe, psoted at the same time as Rachel.....

Thanks, yes that's an option, although not sure there's anywhere that local that do it and I don't have a car, will call round in a bit and see.
 
BIG HUG

I am so sorry for your loss!

I would recommend boar dating; neutering is an option, but there may be problems if Charlie is to live close to the two other boys. AS Charlie is coming up to the big hormones, I'd rather not try with Fitz and Roy, tempting as that may be!

There is RAGS in Keresley Newlands right across town; they usually have quite a few boars and will allow you to bring Charlie:
http://www.freewebs.com/rags-rabbits/guineapigsforrehoming.htm

Would you consider trying RNGP Welfare in Rugby? You could use the train to get there. I have rehomed from them after a piggy bereavement by piggy dating. http://www.rngp.org/index-photo.shtml

There is an RSPCA in Coventry as well, but they don't have piggies all that often and I don;t know whether they do piggy dating.

If you could find somebody to take you, Honeybunnies are just up the M69 by the junction with the M1. My Caron is from them: http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/rescue.asp?Rescue=461
Unfortunately, hub is not here this weekend due to a family emergency, so I can't volunteer him!

Best ring up and ask whether they have got any suitable candidates; often there are more piggies than on the website. Charlie is at an age where you can try him with either an adult or a baby.
 
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PS: Sorry, the edit cut out. Honeybunnies are just down the road from Fosse Park, if you can get there.
 
I'm in the same boat after Jack passing away at the weekend. I'm not sure what to do for the best. I've worked out that Victor should definitely be 6 months by the end of May so the option would be there to get him neutered and pair him with a sow(am i right in thinking that we should wait til after he is 6 months old?).

There arent that many rescue centres near me except the SSPCA so i think boar dating might be difficult. Plus he is young and was the more dominating one of the two and a big boy too. It's really hard to think of what to do next, i dont like to think of him getting lonely. He has been enjoying his cuddles a lot more though and even started purring the other day. :)
 
Thanks all, Wiebke those links are really useful thanks, OH does drive but works mon-fri then studies at the uni sat-sun and evenings until 9pm, so is very limited to times he can take me anywhere, but somewhere fairly local he can always take me somewhere just before uni in the morning on Sat/sun and I can always get a bus/train back or a taxi if local.

I REALLY feel like I don't want another piggy at the minute, but just feel like it's not fair to keep Charlie alone, and also worry that if he gets used to being alone it'll be harder for him to then bond with another boar. I think seeing how upset I've been over the past few days with Dinky being unwell etc has really put OH off as well as now having lost 3 piggies prematurely in 3 months he's seeing what heartache it brings. BUT we have to think about what's fairest for Charlie.
 
Well RAGS was a no go, she wasn't keen on the idea of bonding boars at all really and said that even if it might work none of hers were suitable as they were too independent. Have just e-mailed Rugby, if he might have a chance with a baby I feel like this might suit him better as he's used to being the dominant boar and Dinky was much smaller than him (although the same age) and he's also VERY energetic which might just annoy an older boar!
 
I'm in the same boat after Jack passing away at the weekend. I'm not sure what to do for the best. I've worked out that Victor should definitely be 6 months by the end of May so the option would be there to get him neutered and pair him with a sow(am i right in thinking that we should wait til after he is 6 months old?).

There arent that many rescue centres near me except the SSPCA so i think boar dating might be difficult. Plus he is young and was the more dominating one of the two and a big boy too. It's really hard to think of what to do next, i dont like to think of him getting lonely. He has been enjoying his cuddles a lot more though and even started purring the other day. :)

Neutering depends less on the age than on the weight and physical development, apart from good health. Most vets wait until a boar is fully developed and has a good weight, but boars can be neutered earlier of they fulfill the requirements. It depends on the vet and the pre-op exam. I would recommend a chat with the vet. Finding a good vet with experience is crucial.
Here is very good and detailed advice about neutering and how to go about it: http://www.cavyspirit.com/neutering.htm
 
I just phoned the SSPCA in Petterden to see if they had any boars that might be suitable to pair with Victor but they dont have anyone suitable at the moment. I told her that i would maybe be best having Victor neutered then introducing a sow but i was worried that he might get too use to being on his own as it would be the end of June by the time i'd be able to introduce the sow.

She suggested getting the sow but keeping them separate so they could get use to each other, then introducing them after he had been neutered and had the 6 weeks after his operation.

Has anyone else done this? Do you think this would be a good idea? Confused dot com!
 
Well RAGS was a no go, she wasn't keen on the idea of bonding boars at all really and said that even if it might work none of hers were suitable as they were too independent. Have just e-mailed Rugby, if he might have a chance with a baby I feel like this might suit him better as he's used to being the dominant boar and Dinky was much smaller than him (although the same age) and he's also VERY energetic which might just annoy an older boar!

I hope that you can find somebody for Charlie! These are the rescues within your reach at the moment. You could also pm kidsgroviemad in Stoke-on-Trent if you can get there by train in case you draw a blank with the other rescues. Or Hopper Haven in Redditch.

Otherwise, neutering may be an option. In that case, I would strongly recommend going through Simon Maddock in Northampton. He neuters for Rugby rescue and has all the experience you could wish for!
 
I just phoned the SSPCA in Petterden to see if they had any boars that might be suitable to pair with Victor but they dont have anyone suitable at the moment. I told her that i would maybe be best having Victor neutered then introducing a sow but i was worried that he might get too use to being on his own as it would be the end of June by the time i'd be able to introduce the sow.

She suggested getting the sow but keeping them separate so they could get use to each other, then introducing them after he had been neutered and had the 6 weeks after his operation.

Has anyone else done this? Do you think this would be a good idea? Confused dot com!

It can and has been done, mainly in cases of missexing when somebody found they'd ended up with a cross gender pair instead of a same sex pair, so the boy had to be neutered before he could go back with his girlfriend. It is certainly a possibility. But you need to make sure that Victor's cage is bomb proof (floor and top!) - you won't believe how determined a boar can be!

Flips has her single foster boars living next to her girls' cage. One of them has been neutered to live with them permanently. My Hywel was living right next to my girls since about two weeks post op (with a break during his illness).
 
Neutering depends less on the age than on the weight and physical development, apart from good health. Most vets wait until a boar is fully developed and has a good weight, but boars can be neutered earlier of they fulfill the requirements. It depends on the vet and the pre-op exam. I would recommend a chat with the vet. Finding a good vet with experience is crucial.
Here is very good and detailed advice about neutering and how to go about it: http://www.cavyspirit.com/neutering.htm


Thanks for the information, it is really helpful! When i took Victor to the vet on monday for his examination she said he was a good healthy size and there was no reason why we couldn't do the operation next month. I will check that is the case with her again before booking him in and also check her previous experience of doing the op.

Thanks again. :)
 
I hope that you can find somebody for Charlie! These are the rescues within your reach at the moment. You could also pm kidsgroviemad in Stoke-on-Trent if you can get there by train in case you draw a blank with the other rescues. Or Hopper Haven in Redditch.

Otherwise, neutering may be an option. In that case, I would strongly recommend going through Simon Maddock in Northampton. He neuters for Rugby rescue and has all the experience you could wish for!

Kidsgrove is right near where my parents live so could be ideal as I'm actually insured on my mum's car, so could take him up there for a weekend if I can get a lift with one of my travelling siblings - it also means I can go back and forth without dragging the kids, so that might be a very sensible option- thankyou for that suggestion!

Yes I've got the Northampton centre bookmarked and have worked out a public transport route too- I was actually thinking of trying to get Dinky there this week if he hadn't gone downhill so fast.
 
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