Should I get my piggy a friend?

emmyotto · Oct 5, 2011

I have a solo adult male named Spud. He's my first pig and I absolutely love him. Never envisioned myself with a piggy but my husband (a vet) had Spud as a patient... The owner intended to use Spud for snake food. I was horrified and volunteered to adopt him. I've had him for a year and a half now, and I want to get him a buddy but I'm scared he might be too set in his ways. He's not the friendliest piggy - He likes me to scratch his chin and he comes to wheet at me… however he hates being picked up. He’s ok once he’s in your lap but the process of picking him up is a pain. He will run laps around his cage. Don’t get me wrong, he’s never bit or anything like that… I don’t know how old he is; I am guessing about 3… Anyone have thoughts on getting him a friend?

SurfingPigs · Oct 5, 2011

Definitely. Have you checked for guinea pig rescues in your area? If there are any, you can likely take Spud for a meet and greet to see if you can find the right buddy for him. A young boar will usually do quite well with an adult boar like Spud.

Also, I wouldn't assume he may have problems with a friend from how he reacts to being picked up. Pigs are herd animals and he will likely be very happy and do even better than he already is if he has a buddy. If you let us know where you are located some of us may be able to help you find a nearby rescue.

ETA: A careful eye would have noticed your location is listed. Here is a rescue that is only about 45 minutes from you and has some great piggies!

https://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelterid=TX1117&preview=1

emmyotto · Oct 5, 2011

That is a great idea with the meet and greet. I have been looking at rescue websites around Houston. My husband wants an Abyssinian type if we can find one.

SurfingPigs · Oct 5, 2011

Meet and greets are awesome, especially when you are unsure about your pig's temperment toward other pigs. Even better is that you can let them pick their buddy out. If my solo pig Yeti wasn't with me when I went to adopt a friend, I would not have ended up with Grizzly because she was rather shy at first. Now, they get along great (with another friend, too), and Grizzly is a great lap pig.

Letting your pig pick out the friend makes life so much easier!

Supermissdeedee · Oct 5, 2011

I completely agree with surfingpigs. Also how big is your cage? Male's should have at least a 2x5 to reduce fighting. Even with that they can start to fight, like my guys :weepy:. Anyway I hope you meet an abby you and Spud love, I love petting my abby he has the coolest hair :cheerful:

emmyotto · Oct 5, 2011

Right now I have a 2 x 3, but I ordered a 2 x 4 kit with a 2 x 2 loft/ramp set from C & C yesterday. Should come in next week!

CavyMama · Oct 5, 2011

Okay a 2X4 is the minimum size for 2 pigs (upper levels don't count toward square footage). I've had two males in a 2X4 with some success so it should be okay.

SurfingPigs · Oct 5, 2011

I would think if you do a meet and greet, a 2x4 shouldn't be much of a problem. One of your boars has already gone through puberty which is going to make life a lot easier.

bpatters · Oct 5, 2011

emmyotto, the only working rescue I know of in Houston is Precious Critters Pet Rescue in Spring. Their website is www.petfinder.com/shelters/TX1117.html.

There's a shelter out toward Katy run by Citizens for Animal Protection. Their site is www.cap4pets.org/pet-care/lost-pets/houston-animal-shelters. They take in all kinds of animals, and when I was talking to them, didn't seem a guinea pig-savvy as Precious Critters, but they do get guinea pigs through there.

There are also guinea pigs pretty frequently on Houston's craiglist, but there are also a bunch of breeders who post there, so you have to be careful of them.

emmyotto · Oct 6, 2011

Thanks everybody! I have emails to several rescues now. I also checked Craigslist and I have to say I am appalled at all the "guinea pig balls" for sale! There were 3 posted for sale in the past 2 months.

lemonham · Oct 6, 2011

I have a question about "meet and greets." If the new pig is supposed to be quarantined before they meet, how do you do a meet and greet at the rescue without risking lice etc?
Thanks.

SurfingPigs · Oct 6, 2011

Any reputable rescue that offers a meet and greet will have already had the pig in their possession for some time and have already monitored it for any infections, be it mites or URI or anything else. The rescue I volunteer for absolutely ensures an animal is healthy prior to offering it for adoption (and thus a meet and greet).

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Should I get my piggy a friend?

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