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Small pets

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Original poster

Keeping a single guinea pig

34 replies

foofooyeah · 26/10/2013 05:58

We have had a pair of guinea pig boars for about 2.5 years. One sadly had to be PTS yesterday. I am worried about the remaining one. Would it be cruel to keep him on his own? His cage is in he kitchen so will see us a lot but can't help but think he needs companionship. But being a boar can we introduce another g pig ?
Is it successful ?
I have read about introducing in neutral territory and having dividers in the cage.
Would appreciate any comments, or info from anyone who has done this.

Thanks.

OP posts:

differentnameforthis · 26/10/2013 06:39

GP can live quite happily on their own.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 26/10/2013 09:13

for the loss of your guinea-pig.

You have a boar now who is 'in mourning' so keep an eye on him, lots of cuddles and see how he goes.
Your GP in the kitchen will have lots of interaction in the daytime (mine live outside in their Pighouse)

One of my boars died in July (he would've been 3 last week) and our remaining boar went very morose .He was sleeping in my DD room at night and in his Pighouse by day. Our boys need their space so keeping him indoors all the time isn't an option (their nightcage is 4'x2' and they are very judgey).

We got a little 6 week boar from Rescue after a week - and yes, it does take a bit of planning (steam cleaning the cage to remove all pig smells) . Watching them (neutral territory). And our older boy having this tiny very dependant piglet who was new to everything and practically welded to the older boars side.

I'm 100% glad we got him. They have the odd spat , but now GP3 is mature (about 5 months now) , he's huge. Heavier and bigger than GP1. He did go through a stage of trying to mount GP1, I think that's stopped.
But there's alot of hours in the day, and night , when they are on their own, GPs are active dawn and dusk to poo eat and forage ( crepuscular).

Even if they don't sit together they have a same species companion to share the day with .Potter about in the hay. Tussel over food and popcorn.
And my DD got her baby piglet that she coveted.
And we rescued a piglet (our two original boars were adult rescue)

alemci · 26/10/2013 09:30

our boar is kept alone and always has been. he used to live with dogs but he has lived with us since 2010 and he lives in the kitchen so at least we are there some of the time so he seems ok.

Might be harder if they are used to other gps.

sparkle101 · 26/10/2013 09:47

If you can introduce another I would, gps are very sociable animals and never sleep for Lomb periods so whilst they get to see you lots in the day thru definitely need someone to snuggle up to at night.

I have always been able to introduce another boar. Agree it needs to be I neutral ground (we've always done it in living room floor), if you take some wood shavings from your current ones hutch and rub it on the new one it gives the new one the old ones smell and they are more likely to take to it.

If you ask where you get the new one from to give you some soiled shavings, when they are being introduced put them in the current ones hutch and when they go back it'll have both their smells.

It'll become very apparent in half hour or do if they'll get on. Good luck. And look at Google for advice too.

oddslippers · 26/10/2013 09:55

I'm in a similar situation to you op, we're taking our lonely pig to a rescue tomorrow where he will do some speed dating to see if he gets on with any of their lone boars, fingers crossed

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 26/10/2013 11:18

oddslippers good luck with the boar-dating .

(DD and I had a mental image of the piglet we wanted. The Rescue had taken in a consignment of boars a couple of days before, so we thought we'd come home with a little black/white or tri-colour to complement our agouti boy.

No, GP1 chose an agouti boy
And when they are in the run, we need to look hard to tell them apart .)

oddslippers · 26/10/2013 11:35

Thanks, I have had to prepare my ds that tom pig will get the choice so there is no point constantly looking at the pictures on the rescue website, hasn't stopped me though :o we have just been shopping to get some new tunnels and things so they can have a fresh start together if a new pig comes home.

FernieB · 26/10/2013 15:37

Good luck oddslippers! Hope he finds a companion he can share his cucumber with .

FernieB · 26/10/2013 15:45

Foofooyeah - I would say you'd have to think carefully. Getting another boar can be done but the chances of an adult getting on with your boy are smaller so a baby boy would be easier. You would have to let your boy choose his friend - they don't all like each other . Then you are in a cycle of older pig and young pig so it's likely you would face this problem again at some sad day in the future.

The second option is to get your boy neutered and find him a wife of a similar age.

Third option - keep him as an 'only pig'. Not normally recommended but if he's in the kitchen and you're anything like me and spend a lot of time in there, he should be fine. You can also take him into other rooms with you for evening cuddles and so he can watch TV (mine love watching TV ).

Whatever you decide - good luck! Let us know what you do.

Original poster

foofooyeah · 26/10/2013 21:43

Thanks so much for the advice.

I am veering towards keeping him on his own, but he has been calling out this evening and I think he is looking for his mate.

I shall think about it for a couple of days and see how he is.

OP posts:

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 26/10/2013 22:54

Bit morbid but did you let your piggie spend some time with the body?
They need to accept that their cagemate is gone,
(We put GP2 body in the Pighouse bed when he died to let GP1 spend one last night. Then he'd know that we hadn't just hidden him)

oddslippers · 27/10/2013 18:18

Our piggy speed dating wasn't a success so Tom pig is staying as an only pig for now :(

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 27/10/2013 18:49

Aw what was amiss?

Boars are strong piganalities . A tiny baby boar can be the best bet but then you worry if the older one will bully it.

But it seems that they get on or they don't.

oddslippers · 27/10/2013 20:40

I think it was because the first pig they put in tried to attack Tom pig so then when they tried a gentler younger pig that was trying to be really friendly Tom pigsat in the corner chattering his teeth and being very judgey. A shame because he's very gentle and I think he may have taken to the younger one if he hadn't been upset by the first. I will give him a week and then we may try again. He lives inside so is getting plenty of interaction with us.

FernieB · 27/10/2013 21:20

Poor Tom - hope it's more successful next time. Until then at least he doesn't have to share his veg

BigArea · 27/10/2013 21:45

This Page is really informative and lots of advice on adding a second GP. Good luck

KRITIQ · 28/10/2013 11:48

I only have one experience of boar matching with adult pigs - mine was an extremely laid back pig and he "chose" bachelor number 4 under the careful guidance of Alison Coulson, who's a specialist on this. That was about 12 years ago, so I'm sure the "techniques" have been refined even more. I wouldn't give up on finding your lone boar a companion, including getting a very young male.

Twice, I thought I might manage to keep a solo boar. In one case, I took the pig to work with me every day so he wouldn't be alone, but in both cases, I could just see the animals declining - usually starts to get rough for them after about the 2 week point, so relented and got a companion. It may be that they do "get used" to being alone, but I would always suggest that unless there is a very compelling reason you can't get another companion (i.e. family crisis, can't find a home for the remaining lone boar, etc.) try your best to find a second pig. Best of luck.

FernieB · 28/10/2013 14:18

Would have loved to see your pig going off to work with you . I have suggested to DH that he could take Current Bun but he has declined so far.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 28/10/2013 18:12

Your DH needs a Take Your Rabbit to Work Day

oddslippers · 04/11/2013 21:16

Update on Tom pig (sorry for the hijack op) we got a new baby pig on Friday after leaving them separated but next to each other night they went together with no issues at all on Saturday. I expected lots of chattering and general bad tempered behaviour but it was very simple indeed :) followed the advice given and have set them up in a neutral area which I think helped, they are even snuggled together in the same igloo. Only bad thing now is that Tom still isn't really eating much which is very out of character :(

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/11/2013 21:26

Squeee baby piggie

Tom might be a bit bemused and confused by it all. When I got Dill (our piglet) poor GP1 couldn't even walk the length of himself without being wheeked at "Dad, Dad, I'm lost where are you?"
And he'd run back to the baby.

Maybe leave a few piles of veg dotted about so he doesn't have to venture too far.

Your baby needs to find his feet/paws. Everything will be new to him.

Was he with other pigs his own age or with his mum?
He's got a new adult who will be set in his ways to fathom out.
Ours stole food from GP1 mouth and tried to dive under his belly.
Then ran through the food plate and water bowl

Enjoy the pigletty times, they are so sweet and tiny aren't they.

oddslippers · 04/11/2013 21:35

The baby is very cute, he was with others his own age we watched for a while to choose the one with the gentlest nature. Have got piles of veg all over the place nothing seems to be tempting Tom apart from dandelions which I'm struggling to find at the mo. He seems to mouth at a bit of food and then gives up.

MindyWiller · 04/11/2013 21:41

My sister had two guinea pigs and one died about a year ago, the other one has been ok since. kept good health and doesn't seem lonely. my sister gives her plenty of attention.

FernieB · 04/11/2013 22:01

Oddslippers - I hope Tom perks up soon. Have you tried parsley - according to my pigs it cures everything and solves all problems. He's probably a bit confused by this rowdy young thing that's appeared. Give him time and hopefully they'll settle down.

70 - my DH is currently working from home so technically Current Bun is at work with him . He's a very good shredder (Current Bun not DH).

MindyWiller · 04/11/2013 22:30

oddslippers- have you tried the spinach you get in bags in the supermarket?

sisters pig loves it.

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