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Post by lore on Nov 28, 2012 22:14:18 GMT
Hello, I am a new Guinea Boar Mom (born Nov 7th) his name is Hamlet, we  him to pieces.  We have done tons of reading *albeit mostly after the fact* we are now well informed, I am 'Torn' as to if we 'need to' / 'have to' or really should get him a cage mate. He really seems happy, making wonderfully silly Guinea noises in and out of his cage, playing with his toys and eating and drinking just fine. I read they 'can' do fine with plenty of attention, I hesitate as I am 'afraid' of bringing in a cage mate and if he were to pick on Hamlet (ear biting etc) I would be gutted if I did that to him KWIM? When thus far he has led a seemingly fine little life, HOWEVER enter me being torn again, I video him while my daughter is holding him, we preview the video. While watching the video Hamlet gets the loudest we have EVER heard him, his little Guinea ears popping up and down he was popping up and down it was adorable (and to me, sad at the same time, he was looking all over the place, for the source of this sound) ... so is this a sign of him 'wanting' a cage mate? or an I over analyzing this whole thing  and he was just reacting to hearing a noise and he is perfectly happy. We just love him so much and want to do what is best for him. Thank you for your time. youtu.be/fhVQgVW8Sbs<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fhVQgVW8Sbs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> |
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Post by Kayleigh on Nov 28, 2012 22:30:51 GMT
Hi and welcome, firstly Hamlet is gorgeous!!!!!
Secondly Hamlet is very young, 21days old he should still be with his mum or at the very least still with his breeder, unless of course you bred him.
The loud wheeking you mention sounds like the pineing young boars do when they are taken from their mum. Im sure he is frightened and unsure. He would thrive with a companion, so i would strongly suggest pairing him. Its unlikely he will fight with a boar, being so young.
Welcome again
Kayleigh
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Post by cordane on Nov 28, 2012 23:03:46 GMT
I completely agree with Kayleigh. At 21 days old, he is far to young to be away from Mum. Any guinea pig I have ever gotten remains with the breeder til they are no less than 5 weeks, 6 weeks is more common.
Considering his young age, it would be best to get him a friend as, like Kayleigh said, he is probably pining for a friend.
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Post by lore on Nov 29, 2012 0:06:28 GMT
Thank you, for your great information. I had a feeling that when I got him ( on the 17th ) that he was so young. I picked him up at a local animal exposition where the kids and I went, no intent of getting a new pet, certainly never had any intentions of getting a guinea pig... ever. During this time I have fallen deeply in love with him and guinea pigs as a whole. I am amazed at how interactive they are and I just love everything about them. I am sad to know that the breeder removed him from his mom too early, gave us little information on them when I purchased him just gave us half price because he was the last one  . I do hope he will be ok. He sure has grown alot since we brought him home. I will admit he was a purchase of pure adorable. Now we have our stack of books, he has a wonderfully large cage and plenty of room for a cage mate. Next step doing research on doing proper introductions once we do get our second Guinea. |
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Post by cordane on Nov 29, 2012 0:23:37 GMT
In all honesty, whether this is right or not, I essentially just plonk them in the cage with the others. Well not quite.. I will introduce them on the couch which is as neutral territory as it gets around here and watch their reactions to each other, their stance, the sounds the make and so on. Most of the time its all good news, grooming and purring. Since your baby is still very young, getting a young boar is more than likely your best option though there is a chance that an older boar may act like a surrogate father. You got him at just a mere 10 days old? (insert extremely shocked face here). I'm actually really shocked that anyone would wean.. anything that young. I suppose some people who are inexperienced may think that since a guinea is born fully formed and ready to go that they don't need Mum. I wonder.. Anywho.. I wish you all the luck I can give in finding a friend for Hamlet  Oh! I also suggest getting a boar with a similar temperament to him. |
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Post by lore on Nov 29, 2012 1:11:07 GMT
Thank You. I hope to update within the next week or so that we have a new cage mate and that all is well. Yes definitely a boar, I don't want babies. ... However, How do I make 'sure' he is a HE. After looking online on how to properly sex a Guinea pig & that breeders check their sex after they are weened, I got nervous knowing I got Hamlet so young... how did she 'know' I got a male...  upon close inspection of my Hamlet... uhm, do I have a name change in my future.... is HE a SHE???  |
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Post by cordane on Nov 29, 2012 1:37:43 GMT
Well to me and a breeder friend of mine who can sex them from a few days old.. Hamlet looks like a Hamletta..
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Post by lisa21264 on Nov 29, 2012 5:28:34 GMT
Hello and welcome. Hamlet is a cutie! He is very young to be away from mom. You might want to weigh him frequently to make sure he is thriving. I weigh my Terra weekly.
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Post by Kayleigh on Nov 29, 2012 7:16:45 GMT
Oh it infuriates me that a breeder would sell a pup on at a mere 10 days old! That has truely shocked me. Too add to it as hes a skinny he would have been a fair price and to come with no information/support from the breeder screams "back yard money making breeder" I cant seem to see the picture its tiny. If theres a small dot on the lump (thats the penis) if you apply pressure just above that area the penis should become exposed) If nothing pops out then hes a she. (ill post the picture elsewhere to get others opinions too, im on my phone just now so cant do much) Ok sorry back to this little guy/gal at hand, He is indeed too young to be away but these things obviously happen. Id get his weight and keep a close eye on it (ie weigh him every 3 days or so) Ensure hes eating his pellets, veg and hay. As he is still so young you can supplement him with a milk if you think hes not gaining enough weight. You can use evaporated milk/water in a bottle and latch it to his cage. With regards to getting him a friend, I would suggest a laid back adult boar/sow (depending on the sex of Hamlet) but the decision is ultimately yours, if your able to, contact a breeder (a good one) and ask them if they have any boars that are good with youngsters, explain you have a very young pig who needs a friend. You could also ask them to sex Hamlet for you 100%, just so you dont get an opposite sexed pig. Welcome to the wonderful world of piggies, im sure you will enjoy them as much as we all do. If you have any questions or worries just post Kayleigh |
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Post by Orlaith on Nov 29, 2012 12:31:26 GMT
Wow, I can't believe you were sold a piggy so young! That's awful.
I would definitely get him/her a friend, but as Kayleigh said, go to a good breeder and get them to double check the sex. It's much easier to tell in person than from a photo.
Since he/she is so young, would you consider supplementing with alfalfa hay? Normally I would consider it unnecessary, but since it's high in calcium and he has missed out on so much milk, it might be an idea to boost him with it.
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Post by Kayleigh on Nov 29, 2012 12:54:34 GMT
Just got a quick glance and Hamlet looks to be a boar. Definately have a press about to expose the penis..to be sure.
How recent is the picture you posted? Maybe taking another and posting, that would help.
Kayleigh
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Post by lore on Nov 29, 2012 15:36:17 GMT
Thank you so much for your help. The picture was taken last night shortly before posting it. I put him on our digital scale after reading the posts here, he is 7.1oz he has easily doubled in size since we got him. He has filled out a ton and just over all looks alot different than when we got him. This is a picture I took shortly after I got him.  Oh and I wanted to add, that I put pressure as suggested and he revealed that indeed he is male. Thank you for that. |
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Post by Kayleigh on Nov 29, 2012 17:43:19 GMT
Glad hes doing so well. Keep a close eye on his weight. It sounds like your doing everything right. He really is s cutie pie. I love pink eyed pigs .
Let us know if you decide to get him a friend. Loom forward to hearing about his progress.
Kayleigh
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Post by lore on Nov 30, 2012 16:18:03 GMT
I am getting him a cage mate, I found a breeder (3 hours away)  So we will be making the drive on Sunday to pick up our new boar I cannot wait to share him with you all. I was sent a picture through my cellphone, he is precious. |
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Post by Kayleigh on Nov 30, 2012 17:54:08 GMT
Oh thats great news. Is he a skinny or hairy pig? And how old?.
Look forward to the introduction of your new pig
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Post by lore on Nov 30, 2012 22:49:49 GMT
He is another skinny, tho different colors than Hamlet he is black and white, and I was told he is a month old.
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Post by ShinyLuna on Dec 1, 2012 1:25:11 GMT
He's so cute. I'm also a new guinea pig owner, though mine are quite a bit older. From 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 + years old. Welcome! Hope to see more pictures.
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Post by Kayleigh on Dec 1, 2012 10:02:25 GMT
Is it common around your area to rehome guinea pigs under 6 weeks? I only ask as here in the UK and in various other places its considered unfair to rehome before this age. The pigs especially boars are usually removed between 3-4 weeks old then given a couple of weeks to continue to grow and adapt being away from their mum. They are also monitored to ensure they are putting weight on etc.
I find it very strange that any "good" breeder would rehome a pig before 6 weeks old.
I look forward to seeing your newbie, skinnies are wonderful pigs.
Kayleigh
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Post by lore on Dec 1, 2012 13:02:18 GMT
I am very new to Guinea Pigs as a whole, aside from the new books on care that I have read (which I will tell you, alot of them conflict as far as diet goes, lol) so in my short time I've combined my sources to make sure I have the very best information I can to provide the best care I can for Hamlet. I have read from many of the books that 6 weeks is the standard, so while I 'know' what is right have either pet store guineas or hand raised guineas as my option, I was told he is in a cage with all his brothers currently (there were 3 others I saw I picked him from) although when we meet they said I can pick any one of them if they say I find I prefer any of the others in person, disposition or otherwise. They say they handle them every day, etc. Does that make them good? Although I suppose they 'could' say anything. They did offer to meet me half way instead of me driving 3 hours, although I opted to drive the whole way so I could see them all. I can't say breeders are in big supply around here? Certainly not if I am driving 3 hours away. I would have taken a any kind of guinea as a cage mate if there were a breeder close by with baby guineas, that was the closest one I could find that was not at the 'expo' I went to before (which there is one this Saturday, but I questioned myself going back there being sold a 10 day old guinea last time) Here my mother in law is terrifying me telling me her sons boy hamsters one 'ate' the other & to be careful having these 2 males in a cage Guinea pigs are not like that right? OMG. Little did I know when I brought this little fellow home this would all be so confusing. |
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Post by cordane on Dec 1, 2012 18:48:08 GMT
From what I have heard, a lot of hamsters are meant to be housed alone as they are territorial or something (I personally have no idea). Don't worry, guinea pigs aren't like that.
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Post by Kayleigh on Dec 1, 2012 19:23:49 GMT
I would personally be quite wary of anyone willing to rehome a guinea pig before they are 6 weeks. It is true they are seperated from mum at 3-4 weeks and usually put with their brothers or an uncle pig. (This is the arguement i often hear...why cant they be rehomed, they are away from mum?) But remember they are still babies, the sows are still with mum learning new things etc they need to adjust to living without mum and the breeder should ensure they are gaining weight well. Boars are only removed to prevent them breeding with their mum/sisters. If this werent an issue all pups would remain with mum until 6 weeks old, and although theu are eating food, hay and veg, the seperation is often stressful on the pups, adding rehoming to that can be too much for some pigs.
Iv had a couple of cases of people getting pigs at 3-4 weeks and then they stop eating become unwell and pass away, although rare this can happen.
I wouldnt worry too much about intoducing the two, they will chase, mount, rumble and may even chatter, skinnies also scratch but this is all normal and should be allowed. As they mature it could get worse as hormones kick in, but hopefully this wont be the case.
Ask the breeder lots of questions, what feed are they on, veggies, hay etc. Ask to see parents too.
Handling is s good thing from a young age but all youngsters can be scatty.
Is this pig coming with a pedigree?
I understand breeders may not be close or easy to find, i had alot of trouble sourcing good himis myself. Just keep an open eye to make sure your getting a healthy pig. Your travelling a fair distance for this pig. Id hate for him to be unhealthy. Ensure you habe a quiet box for him to travel in.
Looking forward to seeing your newbie.
(Ps most hamsters must live alone as they can hurt eachother, dwarf and chinese and russians can be paired i think) never been a big hamster fan myself.
Kayleigh
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Post by lore on Dec 2, 2012 23:45:42 GMT
7 hours on the road. It was a long day, lol. Introductions went well, the noises were adorable, the 2 are already inseparable, moving every in the cage together.  I asked plenty of questions while there, they were great people. He was born Oct. 28th to a litter of 4 boars. They gave me all sorts of wonderful information, kind of like I had no idea they would enjoy a bath, I have organic wipey'd Hamlet, but never would have thought he would play in water. She also said in the summer make an out door play area? They love to be in the grass, etc. They were very informative, much more so than when I got Hamlet. I was happy I made the drive to get him. He is very calm, and friendly, has a great disposition like Hamlet maybe a little more relaxed in the hands than Hamlet, tho I know that can take time, as he is just happy to 'sit' there. Introducing: Mozzie He has made us instantly happy & Hamlet seems quite thrilled to have him by his side as well, he has not left his side since put together in the cage.  |
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Post by Kayleigh on Dec 3, 2012 6:57:22 GMT
He is gorgeous!! And looks like a very healthy pig.
Im glad thd two are getting along. Its amazing the difference company can make to pigs.
Yes pigs enjoy the outdoors, you will need to apply sun cream to them unless its 100% shaded.
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Post by Orlaith on Dec 3, 2012 9:13:57 GMT
Aw they're so cute together! I hope they continue to be great friends |
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