Another Guinea pig thread, URGENT

[Sookeh]

A friend of mine on a whim bought 2 boy guinea pigs who she has now decided she no longer wants. They have not been together long as she has only had them a couple of weeks and has said that she'd be fine seperating them. If they don't get picked up today she will take them to a rescue.

I would quite like to adopt them but am generally clueless. Should I split them up? The cage was bought at pets at home and looks only big enough for 1 but friend said all pets at home guinea cages are suitable for 2 as they usually are bought as a pair?

DP has said he'd prefer to only get 1 to keep costs down, is it really that much more to have a pair?

They are both males, could this cause problems?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as DD and I have sort of fallen in love and need to know what to do ASAP!

Sookeh you are doing a brilliant job. They both sound like they are making great progress. When my pigs are on antibiotics it takes them about 2-3 days before the antibiotics seem to conquer what is causing the problem.

Probiotics should be given 2 hours after antibiotics and can be put in their water bottle as well.

I also syringe feed the probiotic so that I know that my pigs have had what they need.

I can see why GPs are seen as "exotics" by vets. They are not hardy and their anatomy is more like large mammals like horses. Both GPs and horses cannot be sick.

Thanks for the kind words and advice all, I'd of probably lost them both by now if it wasn't for you lot.

Funny you should say that Silver. I have been around horses for most of my life and i can see so many similarities between them and the pigs. Especially behavior wise. Maybe its why Im attracted to them.....I kind of already get it but on a much smaller scale.
I am aware that makes me sound bit mad

Sookeh you are doing a fab job. Well done. :)

The MN Super Furry Animal Guinea-Pig Section are here to help!

(I was posting on here (Sort of Help! Am I mad? My DD wants a GP )before I got the 2 boars- I'd had loads of hogs but never 2 adult boys before. They are a learning curve)

I got loads of advice, mainly about the temprement of boars and their keeping.
They are quite different to sows IME.

How do I know if they like being held? Would they be struggling if they hated it?

I've never met a GP who didn't like being held,(with the exception of Evil Edna - named after the Willow-the-Wisp witch) but they are all different.
Our GP1 squeaks when he's lifted (he always has since the day we met him, so it was him not us )
GP2 scuttles around refusing to be caught until he's had a chase!

Some of the GPs I had as a child would sit for hours (and hold their bladders for this time until they let us know they wanted a pee)
Others would tolerate a half hour maximum.
Evil Edna was not a cuddly GP-she'd dive off my lap as soon as she could but would follow us round the kitchen like a little dog.

I've always held them on my left shoulder with a hand under the bum and one behind the ears (even tiny GPs, they like to be up at your neck) Very tiny GPs can jump though. GP1 jumped out of my arms in January, little blighter.

I've seen videos where people hold them like "Lion King" or even by the scruff (not nice).

Sometimes they don't like being caught if they're not used to it, maybe just little and often if they are like this.

Hope your boys are progressing. Keep up the Good Work.

Sookeh At first they may not like being held but I believe they take comfort from cuddles.

Queen - I love horses too - beautiful animals. I remember the way we used to be very careful that horses did not eat large amounts of the fresh spring grass which could kill them. Cannot remember its name but it sounds like the GP version of bloat.

Tyrion definitely loves being under my neck, but I'm worried I'm mistaking happy squeaks for stressed squeaks. I've looked on YouTube and they sound quite similar.

Scruffles' eye looks loads better tonight, I think we might be on the road to health

silver Laminitus - too much spring grass usually causes it. They get a crippling inflammation in the soft tissues of the hoof. They can shed the hoof wall and it can be life limiting
or
Colic- twisted gut but not necessarily from over-grassing.

The main similarity I've noticed with horses and guineas (apart from the non vomiting) is they have to eat pretty constantly. (my hogs have fresh daily hay and if at all possible, grazing or cut grass)

And boedom leads to bad habits with both animals.

GP1 squeaks when lifted (not stress, more indignation) but when he's cuddled it's more a "toodle-oodle-doo" sound.

I take him up to DD bed to wake her some days and try to keep him quiet -no chance- he loves to go to her room, and sneaks onto her bed .
He's like a little teddy bear when he cuddles up to her - cute- and sticks his bristly little nose up to her neck.

I'd always thought of guineas being quite alot like cows, but I can see the horse connection as well. I think one of mine would feel honoured to be compared to a horse, but affronted to be thought of as a small round cow!

I've had 8 pigs in my time and each has been individual. The lovely thing is getting to know them as they get to know you, their likes and dislikes food wise, where they like to be scratched and tickled, what noises make and the hilarious little things that they do. It's really humbling I find to know that something so small, so low on the "pecking order" of life can still have such an individual personality, and can have such a capacity to give affection and comfort to each other, and to humans.

I hope things are still going well with your wee boys' recovery. It sounds like they are so lucky to have you!

Woke up this morning and when I walked downstairs (cage is currently in downstairs hallway) Scruffles started squeaking happily! He's like a different pig today, his eye is almost totally better, he feels heavier and he's hopping and squeaking away. I'm so so relieved.

Tyrion is still far too quiet for my liking but he seems perfectly healthy. Maybe it's just his personality? He doesn't seem happy at all but I'm hoping it's just loneliness, he's eating and drinking fine and looks healthy enough. If they keep improving I'm hoping to reintroduce them on Friday and get Scruffles back in the bigger cage.

My mum has just told me she has a huge white cage that isn't being used, it's big but not big enough for my babies so I'll try and see if there's any way I can fashion a bigger cage out of the two I'll have. No idea how I'll do this, Ideally I want to make it two floors with a ramp.

I find looking after them really therapeutic and calming, especially with my depression. I've warned DP that I'll be wanting two girls eventually too .

Also, should I pick grass from the garden to give to them if they aren't out grazing?

70 - that is it colic. Used to dread that and thankfully never saw it.

Sookeh - your pigs sounds like they doing really well. The squeaking is a brilliant sign. When my Blondie pig was ill it took a few days on antibiotics before she went back to her old self.

Maybe Tyrion is quiet because of the mites and missing his friend? Can he hear your other piggie?

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that you should not give GPs cut grass. Also, you need to be careful with your GP on antibiotics as an upset stomach can kill GPs - we have lost one that way. One of my pigs is on antibiotics at the moment so I have cut down on the veg a bit just in case.

It is easy to become hooked on these beautiful gentle loving little creatures. My piggies were bought for my children who are now teenagers. After having to have my dog of 17 years put down I felt that I could not take the heart break again and assumed that I would look after but not love the pigs.

How wrong could I be? Within a week I loved them all with abandon and 5 years on nothing has changed. DH feels the same.

Silver, I think the rule is not to give them lawn mowings (they go off very quickly), but a handful of grass pulled from the garden will be fine. Just take out whatever's left after half an hour or so -- probably nothing!

Is this bedding in the main cage ok?

Sheet of vinyl/Lino on the bottom
Towel
Fleece
Spot cleaned twice daily bedding changed 2x a week

I don't want to keep buying newspapers just to use them in the cages and they look soggy and horrible after an hour!

Tyrion is still being very stroppy and apparently doesn't like cucumber but can't get carrot stuffed into his cheeks fast enough!

Hi Sookeh your pigs sound like they are doing well. Probably Tyrion is just a quieter personality , if he's eating and poohing then that's a good sign.
The bedding sounds fine providing they've got hay to munch and they don't eat the towel/fleece/lino.
I give mine cardboard and newspaper under their hay outside and rubber cat mats as the base layer- but they don't chew.
The fleece should wick through to the towel, and stay dry .
I use Catsan and newspaper indoors to mask/cope with the aroma de boar .
Trial and error really!

And as for the grass- yes a handful of fresh cut is fine. If mine don't graze for whatever reason I cut a handful of grass and rinse it well. They hoover it up.

Scruffles has come on leaps and bounds and seems almost totally better, his eye is almost healed as well.

When holding Tyrion he makes a clicking sound, it's just a little click click noise and doesn't seem angry, he's not chattering his teeth or anything.

I'm worried he just hates being held and I'm ignoring the signs but he's not trying to run and hide or anything when I hold him. He still seems very quiet, rarely out of his house and only seems to come out when we're all in another room or at night.

Scruffles is the total opposite and is a total black hole, he finishes his food so quickly and constantly wants more and loves attention.

Just don't know what I'm doing wrong with Tyrion

I'm going to reintroduce them tomorrow and hope that that cheers him up.

Tyrion is definitely eating less than Scruffles too

Good news that they are both getting better! :)

Tyrion may just be lonely. He has had a hell of a week for a little pig. I would just carry on doing what your doing. If he is not obviously in distress when he is held then I should think he is ok.
Have you got a old fleece blanket? My big pig was quite reserved when he was alone (no other pigs around)but give him a blanket on the sofa to burrow in and he was a very noisy happy chappy. He pokes his nose out, then dive back down, and popcorn in the banket

Are they both getting time out of their cages for a run round?

A hallway is a good place, just shut all the doors, plonk down a few tunnels or boxes and let them play for a bit :)

Good luck with getting them back together! Make sure you put them in a neutral place for a while and give the cage a complete clean so it doesn't smell like one piggy.
Oh and be prepared for some humping

Is Tyrion eating enough?

Some pigs eat more than others.

How much food is he having?

He's nibbling but doesn't seem to be eating nearly anything compared to what Scruffles is eating. He seems totally healthy to me but he's just so quiet and seems depressed. I'm hoping he'll be better when Scruffles is back with him.

Tyrion seems more like a hamster whereas Scruffles thinks he's a person I think

We have carpet everywhere except the bathroom and kitchen and DP will moan and moan if they pee and poo on the carpet so will have to let them run about in the kitchen.

It's really been stressful, just want to settle down to enjoying them now instead of worrying they're going to die any second.

They sound like they are well on the way to recovery, so hopefully no more worrying.

Maybe Scruffles is a pig (no pun intended ) , but as long as Tyrion is eating, even if it does seem like small amounts, its a good sign.
Hopefully if you can get them back together it should make a difference.

Is he getting through plenty of hay?

Are they next to each other at the moment? My two are only separated by bars, they still sniff and taunt each other.

It does sound like you are doing all the right things. You've really been amazing under the circumstances!

I think you are probably right that Tyrion will probably be happier once he's got a companion. But, pigs really do vary in personality and appetite.

One of my boars is much more picky than the other. You put veg in and DB2 (Darling Boar!) grabs all he can handle and runs into the bedroom to hide it, then comes back for more. DB1, if it's something he's not fond of, will just look up with puppy eyes that say, "Ah mum, can I have something else please?" When DB1 was a bit poorly recently, I was worried it would be harder to get him to eat, and it was, but once he got back in his stride, he was fine.

I had another boar (Boar 4 in the canon) who always seemed to live on his nerves. He was about 3 when I got him from the rescue and I think he'd spent alot of time living with a rabbit. He was prone to bouts of depression - really that's what it was, particularly after he had an operation to remove a badly inflamed eye. I was doing a Reiki night class at the time and tried it on him, and believe it or not, it seemed to help with his "mood."

Cuddles and just hanging in there are the key I think. You really are doing everything possible, and I'm sure the little guys actually know it. I think piggies are intuitive in that way, honest!

You have inspired me Sookeh, Im going to try and get my boys back together later today.
Big pig needs a bath anyway,coz he stinks and his new fave place to sit is sprawled out on my chest/neck,right underneath my nose so Little pig can have one too. I have their blankets in the wash as we speak .
Good luck, I hope it goes smoothly no idea if that's too you or me