All about my herd//HOUSING HELP??

[MommaMel]

Hello! I bought a guinea pig from Petco back in march (a terrible idea i have learned for many reasons) and soon after bought "him" a friend from a local pet shop. My first pig melvin turned out to be a girl and i woke up to my little baby dino one morning 2 months later. Chester, the father was immediately separated. We kept dino and paired him with his father (who have been doing wonderfully since late may) and bought another female from the same local pet shop for the mother, melvin. As i thought things were going very well with the big pairings, i noticed melvin growing in size and began to worry instantly. I was in shock, and not knowledgabe enough at the time to realize she had been with the father for hours (probably, as i dont know at exactly what time dino was born) and was pregnant again. I hit the internet and found this forum, and it got me through the pregnancy! My melvin delivered 4 beautiful pups this morning, all weighing in at 90-100 grams! I woke up as the last baby was being cleaned off, around 9:00 this morning, with no signs of complication. However, i do have some concerns- momma Mel did not eat one of the placentas (i think thats what it was- a big dark reddish blob attached to what looked like an umbilical cord--- i just looked it up and i now believe it is a miscarriages, however it was more of a blob with no recognizable parts) and she seems very stressed with the babies. She hasnt eaten her veggies - given to her right on schedule, just nibbled at some kale. I know toxemia is a possibility, but she is not breathing heavily or drooling just seems anxious.

On the other hand, i have four beautiful pups to rehome, and possibly in mine. I know i cannot keep all four, but i do wish to keep atleast 1. I am just unsure about the future herd. As of now i have chester and dino in one cage, melvin and her pups in one cage, and binx in another (they had to be separated because binx was getting aggressive). I wish to neuter my males in order to form a herd, how young can i do so? I am also curious, as i have herd having a herd with more than one male is nearly impossible, is there a chance i could have a herd with more than one if they are father-son?

I would greatly appreciate ANY advice/feedback as i do not believe a google search will give me the quality answers i have been finding here on this forum. Thank you so much!!!

 

[MommaMel]

Heard having a herd**��

 

[MommaMel]

I've seen mixed-sex herds with multiple males work, but it's very, very rare that it will. The herd I have personally met with multiple males was one where the vast majority of the pigs were older and very chill. I've also seen people on the forums here who say they have mixed herds with multiple males, but they're in environments with lots of pigs and a very large amount of space. Since your male baby is very young and I assume the dad is also young because he came from a pet store, I wouldn't have a lot of confidence that a herd with both of them and females would work. Not enough to put them through the surgery. I think you'd be better off having a boys' group and a girls' group rather than trying to mix them, or to keep only one neutered male for the herd. Guinea pigs don't really have a sense of who their parents or children are once the babies grow up.

I'm not sure what age you need to wait for in order to neuter, so I'll defer to somebody else with that knowledge.

Thank you so much! I have been very on the fence about getting the surgery done at all just because i am extremely worried as they are small animals and we only have one vet within an hours drive who would do the neuterings. Its a lot to consider for me, but your advice really helped me get a clearer picture! Thanks again

 

[MommaMel]

Guinea pig relationships like mom, dad, siblings, and so forth don’t really exist in herds. My sibling pair of a neutered male and female don’t act like how siblings should... if you get what I mean. Most suggestions state more than one male among females does not work most of the time
There’s a You-tube channel called Little Adventures and she at one point had two males and three females in her herd. It worked but every herd is different.
But father-son will not change how they react with each other. We see that relationship but they just see another male pig.
As far as neutering pig, 600 grams or 4 months old is when it can be done. Then they need 4 weeks of separation before they can be put together.
There are many questions about neutering on this forum! Use the search button and start reading

I love little adventures!! Shes my favorite when it comes to piggy videos thank you so much!!