I have adopted an adult pig and need some help!

[speedysmom]

Hi everybody! I am so happy to be a new cavy mom. I have never had a pig before, but couldn't let this little guy go! (not that he's little he's actually pretty big looking at some of the pigs in the pet store. He's adopted from our local shelter, not purchased from a pet store! ) Anyway, While I was at the shelter I found Speedy, he's a 2 year old male and was all alone... they just didn't have any other pigs. So my question is this. I did some research, okay well alot of research, and with him being 2 years old already and having been a single pig all of his life (the previous owners decided that he was too much work and was just going to let him outside and have that be that, their neighbors convinced them to take him to the shelter, he was there 6 weeks in a cage by himself and I adopted him), will he accept another piggie? I love him already even thought he is pretty stand offish but is comming around, and only want him to have a healthy hapy fufilled life. I have him in our living room where we spend all of our time, myself my husband, our 2 kids and our cat, who is actually terrified of him, we still never leave them alone. I have been giving him fresh veggies everyday, bell peppers, asparagus, lettuce, carrots and kiwi, but he'll only eat the kiwi. I am going to assume the previous owners didn't give him many veggies, i was told they'd occasionally give him carrots, which he loves by the way, and maybe an orange once a month. He's in great health though according to the vet at the shelter. He'll only eat the carrots and none of the other fruits or veggies. He loves his hay.

I guess this has just been a really round about way of asking for help but I thought you might like to know our story. So here's what I need to know. Should I get him another piggie? If so, a male or a female? (I don't intend to breed, he's not a special breed and there is already so many for adoption) Any ideas on how to get him to try new veggies or fruit? Can he eat too many carrots? Ironically enogh he was he only pig available for adoption in our county, so where can I look next if I need to get him a friend?(I would hate to buy from a pet store when so many need good homes)

Any help I could get would be great! Thank you all so much in advance, I'm sure I will spend days reading all the posts on the page and checking out all the awesome cages! Which I will also need help with! So much to do and so hard to contain the excitment!!!

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Unless you get him neutered, you shouldn't adopt a female.

Find a baby boar or a submissive adult boar.

[sparkyisnumber1]

If you are looking for a buddy, get a male, best bet is to get a young one, that way he will learn from Speedy. Go to Petfinder.com you can put your zip code in and they will list all the pigs within your area or outside your county. Always adopt, petstores are not the place to go.They buy from breeders which causes more pigs to be homeless. For food make sure you give your pig pellet food, no treats inside the food. Hay should be always avaiable. I have a little couch thing I fill up with hay in the morning. As for veggies I always give my boys three carrots a piece, then some greens, If he doesnt eat the greens give him time he might be a little shocked with the new home and all the love he is getting. As for a cage, I would say a CC cage is the best bet. I have the large for my two boys and added a top floor, Cosmo loves going up his ramp. Store cages are too small and dont give your boy enough room to run around. Floor time is important make sure to have him outside the cage for atleast for an hour. I always do thirty minutes in the morning then 3o minutes before bed time. Guinea pigs will give a lot love and will grow on you. If you have any more questions you can send me a message. Congrads on getting your piggie and I hope you get another.

[AnimalHouse36]

I wouldn't feed him anymore Kiwi. He is probably just perposely not eating the veggies to get the Kiwi. GPs are smarter than you think. If you can't find any pigs near you on Petfinder, you can look on Craigslist and similiar sites.

If you haven't noticed already, we love pigtures!

[fourboys4now]

I would also suggest a baby boy to go with him. I have 2 older pigs who were at least 3 years old and I adopted a 5 week old baby and they took to him so well. They love him and treat him like their baby. Good luck.

[speedysmom]

Okay...
I have checked petfinder my local classifieds craigs list classifieds from other papers and the closest adoptable guinea pig I can find is 4 hours away. If you have any other ideas let me know. The only other thing is some people who have babies for adoption say they will ship, but I have to imagine that'd be stressful on the cavy. If you have any opinions on shipping the baby, let me know. Thanks so much for your opinions earlier. I really do appreciate it!

[speedysmom]

Oh and also, my zip code is 37601, so you can see that I'm really looking and have been for almost 12 hours straight now.

[PiggieMamaKelly]

Sounds like he is lucky to have found such a great home after spending so many lonely weeks in the shelter! Sometimes if you just wait a while the perfect pig will pop up for adoption. With Speedy being in the living room and having so much human interaction, I don't think he's going to suffer any ill effects from being alone for a few more weeks or months.

So, do you have any pigtures to share??

[PixieStix]

Under the diet and nutrition forum is a great chart by Ly&Pigs for fruits and veggies. Carrots should be limited to a baby carrot per day, but there are many other safe fruits and veggies. If a piggy has never had veggies before, you should only introduce a couple veggies slowly, for example lettuce and bell pepper are good choices. Keep offering and eventually he may try some. Good luck!

[Ziggy&Herald]

When I was adopting, I looked on pet finder and Craigslist everyday for weeks until the perfect ones came along. This last time around, I put an wanted add up in CL and was contacted almost the next day with someone who was looking to rehome. It may be a little harder for you since you need to look for one of a more specific age.

I would not buy from anyone who will ship GP's. They are not only breeders, but you will probably get a dead piggie when you pick it up. Piggies stress very easily and will overheat very fast.

If you found a rescue in a surrounding area, contact them and see if they have any in your area in a foster home. If not, many times they will work up a piggy train to bring the piggie closer to you. Good Luck, this is not something you want to rush in to. Take your time and the perfect piggie will show up.

[naturegal592]

I have driven a long ways to get my girls, 1,700 miles and 450 miles. I make little vacations out of it. My family went to NY for 3 days to get two of them and just went shopping and stayed overnight so we could bring Bella home. I am done now. Keep your eyes open, he will be fine by himself until you can find him a friend.

[ittybitty98577]

Have you tried the local class. craigslist.com should have at least one piggy up for adoption usually they are free. I would get him a male friend, but if you dont have a big enough cage to support two pigs I would wait untill you can get a C&C cage.