Which guinea pig to pick?

[Whimsy]

I have found a couple of ads in the local paper/website about guinea pigs that need a new home. One is an "only" pig and the other ones come from a group of 6 pigs (two boars).
Is there an advantage to picking one of them, when I try to find a good buddy match for Melvin? Are they easier to match when they are used to being together with other pigs a or when they are used to being alone?
I can only take one of the guiney pigs!

[3piggles]

No! ;D Had to say that!!! Lone pigs, depending on how long they have been alone, may not be very sociable. If so, you will know that soon after they meet, as both will think they are dominant, and the meet and greet won't go well. However, lone pigs that have been lonely and are really happy to have a pal, will act completely differently.

Groups pigs can be more socialized, but they have also fought harder for everything they got. Some become very dominant just to get anything. Again, you won't know if they are just socialized, or if they are scrappers, until the meet and greet.

That's why the date or meet and greet is so important. There is no formula for choosing a good piggy pal. Both pigs have to meet and decide if they want to be pals. Don't be discouraged. I've known people who did endless boar dates/meet and greets, with bad or even awful results. Then their boars fell for a pig they hadn't even considered, and thought would be totally wrong.

Call and make appointments to meet both. See how the dates go, and if neither is good, keep looking.

[Whimsy]

I did contact the one, but he got a new home yesterday. I guess that's good news. I will keep looking and I'll try to set up a guinea pig date with somebody.

[3piggles]

You both will know when you find the right pig!

[colonthree]

I hope you find a buddy for your little guy soon!

[jolovespiggies]

Good luck love, you will know when you come across the right piggy.

Hugs

jO xx

[justagrrl]

It took about 5 months of my boys not liking eachother before I put them together outside and then they seemed to get along. I had a divider up in the meantime. Now they all get along for the most part. There's still squabbles sometimes and one will chase the other to tell him to bugger off. They'll be a year old in November, so I guess I've been lucky.

[Whimsy]

I'm still looking for a friend for Melvin. I have seen a few ads in the paper and at the local SPCA for guinea pigs needing new homes, but most of them are either females or come in pairs, which just won't work for us. I really hope I find one soon.

[3piggles]

Unfortunately, even if you find a single male not Melvin's age, they may not get along. Matching boars can be hard, so you might consider getting Melvin neutered, so you can get him a sow friend. It's rare that sows and boars don't get along! I hope you find him a friend soon.

[Whimsy]

I am thinking about asking my vet about the neutering and take it from there. It sounds like the procedure is quite risky, so I want to make sure my vet is experienced.

[3piggles]

I've had two pigs neutered with no problem, but I've heard of other people having a lot of problems. I think one of Yodelpigs boys had post op problems. It is important to scheduled the surgery at the beginning of the week, so the vet is open for business for the first few days post op. Also, have a back up/emergency vet who knows guinea pigs, just in case. I figure the better prepared you are, the less likely you are to need it!

Most US vets say to keep the neutered boar separate from sows for 4 weeks post op. That clears their reproductive system of any remaining sperm. UK vets say 6 weeks post op, so you can do either, but give him at least 4 weeks.

[Whimsy]

Today I went to the SPCA, where they have 5 or 6 guinea pigs right now. I saw the two boars, but the sows were all kind if hiding. They were pretty skittish, but I held one of them and he seemed ok with that. The gp "expert" wasn't there today, so I will have to go back later and talk to them about a possible guinea pig date - if I'm allowed to bring Melvin there. The sows are all spayed, but not used to being handled at all. The boars are a little bit better, but they are rescues and still very skittish. If I end up getting one of them, do you think they will come around and learn to be more sociable? I wonder if it would be better to get a spayed female friend for my gp or one of the male ones? I am guessing it would all depend on which one Melvin seems to like more? I would like to help one of these little piggies to get a good home, but of course I also want what's best for the one guinea pig I already have.

[3piggles]

I would go with the spayed female, as it saves you having to get Melvin neutered, or find a boar he likes as a pal. It sounds as if the sows are in a larger group of pigs than the boars are, which also means they find protection in each other. One isn't likely to leave that protection to greet you, but that doesn't mean they aren't at all socialized. It just means they need to be removed from the protection of the group.

Once at your house, in a nice cage, with a boar friend, etc., she should show more of her own personality.

Initially Melvin will pester her endlessly for sex, but she will tolerate only as much as she wants, then shut him down. Unless he draws blood, let them work out their own issues.

[Whimsy]

The sows are in a group of 3 or 4 and I think they came to the shelter as babies or maybe they were born there - I'm not sure. They haven't been socialized much, but it sounds like that can change if I adopt one. If I'm allowed to bring Melvin there, will I do a guinea pig "date" with the sows (one at the time) like I would do with the boars or is Melvin just going to like any sow just because he thinks there will be sex in the near future? :-)

[3piggles]

With the sows, I would date one at a time. It's not just about sex. Melvin and his sow friend have to like each other, too. Yodelpig has a lot of experience with how the two are likely to react to one another if they like each other.

My limited experience has been that they want to spend a lot of time together. She will put him in his place, he will keep trying, but it should slow down to getting to know each other.

[Whimsy]

So I went back to the shelter today to talk to their "expert". Not sure how much of an expert she was. She was definitely not open to trying the guinea pig dating thing, so I was a little disappointed. They have 4 spayed sows that need a home and very little interest in them, so you would think they would be willing to do whatever it takes to find those little girls a good home. Now I'm not sure what to do. Do I just pick one (based on what?) and hope for the best or what are my options really?

[yodelpig]

AWWW - you lucky woman! Spayed sows are so rare, and to have a choice!!!

You can date Melvin with the girls singly in a neutral spot and see whether there is mutual interest soon after the piggies meet. Start with the girl you'd like best and leave the top sow of the group for last - undersows are generally easier to bond and more accepting of a boar. If acceptance hasn't happened within about 20 minutes, if there is no sign of interest from the sow (or Melvin) or if there are outright hostilities like teeth chattering or even lunging, then I would move on. Give Melvin some cuddle time to calm him down before he meets the next girl. The best scenario is a sow that will touch noses and show interest in Melvin pretty quickly, let him sniff her bum and will let Melvin mount her at least once even though she is not in season (she will discourage him otherwise, preferably vocally and by getting her bum out of his reach). In a good bond, Melvin and his lady love will stick close to each other, even though things can be very vocal.

Immediately afterwards, the piggies will move onto the dominance phase. Boars who meet a girl for the first time can go rather overboard and lose the on-switch of their brain; they will mount everything and anything from whatever direction. You may want to take a soft humping toy with you until the worst is over - it can take a day or two! Make sure that during that time you don't have any hideys with only one exit available - sizeable cardboard boxes with two open sides or just a couple of towels draped over part of the cage are useful. Aggression and fights can happen if a put-upon sow feels cornered and wants out at any cost.

Please transport the piggies home in separate conveyances, in case the girl suddenly panics. have the cage cleaned and rearranged upon their return.

I would not worry too much about the girls being very skittish; they will come round, especially with the help of a confident piggy, as they will take their cues from him! And you will treasure the very special moment you know that she has learned to trust you!

[Whimsy]

Thanks for the answer. My problem is though, that dating is not an option since the shelter won't let me try that. I basically have to pick a girl,adopt her, bring her home and then see what happens. As far as I know they have to be quarantined for a couple of weeks before they actually meet. Is it possible for them to meet briefly (date) at my home and then quarantine the girl? After that I introduce them on neutral grounds etc.
If this is my option, since I'm not sure what else to do, when the shelter isn't very accommodating, which guinea pig do I choose? I was thinking one of the youngest ones (3-4 months old), but I'm not sure. It would just be so much easier if the shelter was willing to let Melvin meet the girls before making a decision.

[3piggles]

Quarantine is 21 days, or 3 weeks, no less and no "visits" before that. The reason is, if the incoming pig has parasites or a contagious illness, symptoms will show by then, and can be treated before the two are introduced. It is also best to get a complete vet check up of the incoming pig, before doing any introductions. Also, quarantine should be in different rooms, and you should wear something over your clothes when dealing with the new pig, take that off before dealing with the existing pig. I used an old bathrobe over my clothes, and just left it by the new pigs cage.

It sounds as if the expert is strict about the quarantine aspect, and not open to your pig possibly bringing an illness or parasites to her rescue. That is a consideration, so it's not unreasonable of her to ask that.

Spayed sows are rare. If you have the space, and the rescue isn't asking too much, take all four of them!!! Ooh, Melvin would be in boar heaven. He will pick a favorite, but herd life is a wonderful thing. I have 3 pigs, which is only a minimal herd, and would love to go to 4-5, just to have a lot happening. It also brings out all the personality in each pig, and makes them that much more interesting. It's impossible for you to decide which sow Melvin would like best, so if you go with just one, there is no rule for choosing which one.

[Whimsy]

I guess I am a little confused by the whole dating thing. I totally understand the quarantine aspect, but if they date first to see if they are a good match, they have already been exposed to potential illnesses. I guess I don't quite understand when guinea pig dating is used then.
Anyway, it would be nice to rescue all of the girls, but I just don't have the room for a cage big enough. I will consider maybe getting two girls (don't tell my boyfriend :-) ), but we will see.
When you adopt from the SPCA the first vet visit is included in the price, so I will definitely take her there soon after I get her.
I wish that the shelter was concerned about the quarantine issue as you mention 3piggles and that was the reason why the pigs can't do the dating thing before I pick one, but she made it sound like dating was out of the question, because their guinea pigs would be freaked out and wouldn't act naturally, which wouldn't give me an indication if they would get along or not. She also said that guinea pigs live until they are 9-12 years old, which made me a little skeptical of her expertise. I don't know. Obviously I am still learning myself, which is why I ask these questions, but I just feel that this shelter doesn't always know enough about the animals there.