loney piggy

[Laura]

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i have got 2 piggies last january from a local pet shop - 2 girls of course - well a couple of months later Ruby got really fat - now i have 4 and i love them all!

Both the babies are girls so they live with Ruby in one cage while Brodie is on his own in another.

i know they like company so i've got the cages close enought that they can all still talk but now Brodie (my boy) had got really quiet and hardly comes out of his wee house anymore

i really want to get him some company I was just looking for advice on what would be best. I think if i get another male, Brodie will be soo much bigger than him that they will fight because of the girls nextdoor and that bunnies are a big no no. I was thinking maybe i could get him nutered and they could all go back together?

any ideas

[crzy4piggers]

Getting him another boar in that close of a proximity of sows could be a huge problem. They would fight and blood would most likely be shed. I have 2 neutered boars that live in with sows, however they are living in seperate cages so there is no interaction between the boars. They have their sows and are content.

IF you can find a cavy knowledgable vet that has neutered guinea pigs with success I would try that route. If you can not find a vet with any knowledge he will have to be content watching the sows between the bars.

During the day I would take his wee lil house out so he does have to interact. My herd has no houses, they however have ledges to snuggle under if they need safety. If they did have houses I would take them out during the day so they could interact with me.

I hope that helps... Good luck!

[Amethystbelle]

If you want to get him neutered the best thing to do is to find a vet who you can trust and knows his stuff with guinea pigs. My only concern is that if he's depressed then getting him neutered isn't a very good idea at the moment as its a big stress on him and if he's not himself then he's going to feel below par and an operation won't do him any good! Have you tried getting him out more? Interacting with him more? I think it would be a good idea for you to take his house away from him in the day to make him more social and if you can and spend as much time as you can with him as maybe he's just feeling neglected as the other guinea pigs have each other, have you tried moving him away from the females as maybe thats making him depressed as he can see them but can't get at them if you get my drift ? As a last resort i always find cuddles and a piece of broccolli work wonders too !

Going back to what you said on guinea pigs and rabbits although its not really the best idea in the world and is frowned upon i have heard of a lot of people successfully keeping dwarf rabbits with guinea pigs as company for each other. The general idea is if the cage is big enough then problems shouldn't arise as long as they are fed separately and have plenty of space but what works for one person doesn't always work for another!

[Laura]

thanks guys - i spoke to my vet today - very good with guinea pigs has her group, and her boar got neutred and is now living happily with his girlies. I think i am going to get him neutred and modify the cages to they have the space in both - seems like the best opition to go for.

He has mites just now too - we have another 2 weeks of treatment to go then i can arrange for him to get done.

In the meantime lots of attention for Brodie and I'm going to try taking his house out during the day too.

thanks

[crzy4piggers]

Okay, if he has mites you better treat the girls too. If one pig has them they all do.

[Amethystbelle]

Well i hope it all turns out ok for your piggie and he's with the hoard very soon

Mites i've never had them so far but i have had an outbreak of mange twice. My guinea pigs lived at vets for 2 summers as they kept getting mange and there was no reason for them to be getting it as good diet and well looked after, it turned out to be stress from a neighbour looking after them whilst i was on holiday her dogs stressed them out and caused mange to develop so i don't leave them anymore unless my parents can look after them and they haven't had it since!

[crzy4piggers]

Mange is a type of mites. If a guinea pig gets stressed they flare up.

Quote: Mites i've never had them so far but i have had an outbreak of mange twice. My guinea pigs lived at vets for 2 summers as they kept getting mange and there was no reason for them to be getting it as good diet and well looked after, it turned out to be stress from a neighbour looking after them whilst i was on holiday her dogs stressed them out and caused mange to develop so i don't leave them anymore unless my parents can look after them and they haven't had it since!

[Amethystbelle]

My guinea pigs have nothing to stress them they have the easiest life ever, they have the biggest cage you can imagine its like a palace, they have fresh bedding everyday, the best food and a big bowl of mixed fruit and veggies each night and the biggest cuddles, knew it had to be that pesky dog and asked the vet and he agreed, been well over a year now and not had another outbreak