Lonely Boar in IL

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DonkeyBrainz

Post   » Tue Jan 10, 2017 12:57 pm


Basically, I'm looking for a friend for my boar, Buster.

I feel like an explanation is needed, so please bear with me. I'm 26 and still live at home with my parents (vet school=no money). Almost 2 years ago our beloved rabbit, Jack, had to be put down. He was 8 years old and a stroke paralyzed his back legs. I knew I would want another rabbit, but I wasn't ready until October. One day I randomly went to our local shelter and immediately fell in love with a guinea pig named Buster. I'd never had a guinea pig before, so I was super excited to bring him home and learn all about him.

His background: Buster was left at the shelter when his owner got ill and could no longer care for him. He had been adopted and brought back twice and was 2 1/2 years old when I adopted him on October 1st, 2016. I have no idea why he was brought back to the shelter, but his size is a little...intimidating. I called my mom from the shelter and she bought a "regular" size cage (which we all know is way too small for an average size pig, let alone a 3 1/2 lb one). When I brought him home my parents were surprised at his size and we had to go out and get a bigger cage the next day (he gets free roam of the room all day though).

The thing that's breaking my heart is he acts so lonely. The shelter had him alone and I'm pretty sure he's been housed alone his whole life, but he LOVES to play. He grooms my cats and sleeps by them. He whines and seems depressed whenever I leave the room. I'm thinking he needs a friend but here's the thing: I've done this every time I get a pet. Then they end up fighting and we have to separate them. The good thing is I have two cages in case that happens. (not that I really expect them to fight if introduced properly)

Since Buster is an intact male I have been trying to find a spayed female, thinking that would be the best roommate. So I'm wondering if anyone near me (central IL) has a spayed guinea pig up for adoption?

The easier option would be to get Buster neutered, but at his age I'm not sure how well he'd handle the anesthesia. He is also antibiotic intolerant, which makes me even more weary of him going under the knife.

Any advice, comments, etc are greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

-Candice

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:08 pm


Use Petfinder to search for rescues near you. Illinois has several very good ones.

DonkeyBrainz

Post   » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:34 pm


Thank you bpatters! I have signed up on Petfinder as well as PetHarbor to receive notifications when any guinea pig becomes adoptable in my area.

I have these other questions and I'm not really sure where I should post them, but they are related.

Like, any alternative ideas?
I just said a spayed female but what about another male who is neutered? Would Buster be aggressive?

I thought about neutering Buster so I wanted to ask if anyone has had it done to their adult guinea pig?

What about a dwarf rabbit for a friend? (separate cages when unsupervised)

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:59 pm


No rabbits. They carry bordatella, which guinea pigs can't be vaccinated against.

Whether or not your pig gets along with another depends entirely on the personality of the pigs, not whether they've been neutered. A good rescue will let you bring your pig in to pick out his own buddy. It's not 100% guaranteed that the pairing will work, but you'll at least avoid the ones that hate each other at first sight.

WICharlie

Post   » Mon Feb 27, 2017 8:22 pm


Critter Corral!!! You must contact them!

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