After a short illness, Barney's friend, Fred, passed away last night. He had been poorly since New Year's Day and despite a visit to the vet on Tuesday and me syringe feeding him with Critical Care food for two days, he went to the bridge last night. We will bury him under the cherry tree, where he was happiest.

Is it best to find a new mate for Barney straight away? I believe guineas are social critters and need company so I don't want him on his own too long.

Barney is not neutered and he and Fred had been together from babies (I believe they were siblings). Am I correct in thinking that the best partner for him would therefore be either a very young and gentle natured boar or a sow who has already been spayed? Barney is over 3 years old and I don't want to have him neutered now. I would also say that he was the dominant piggie in the duo - he is much bigger than Fred was and although they were perfectly happy together, I think that Barney was the boss.

Any advice from you knowledgeable guinea folks would be greatly appreciated. Barney is back in his hutch and run today and looks very lonely Even better, if there is a suitable friend for him in rescue anywhere that anyone knows of, please let me know. We are in Lincolnshire, out on the Fens.

Many thanks

Sorry to hear that Fred has passed over. Under the Cherry Tree sounds smashing

I'd get Barney someone as soon as yuo can - start looking now, because finding the right piggy can take time.

If you don't want to have Barney neutered, you'll need a baby boar, someone for him to Lord it over who won't get upset.

Here's a link to another forum (pro-rescue, but very friendly) - you might find somewhere on the list that you can get to.

Guinea Forum

Samantha

Thank you Samantha, I'll take a look at the forum link you posted. I did think a baby boar was the way to go, but would it also be possible to put Barney with a sow who has already been spayed? Perhaps an older girl who has, like Barney, recently lost her mate??

It is very unlikely that you will find a spayed girl - they don't often survive the op (my vet says he'd only consider it as a last resort, if the sow would die anyway). If you are lucky enough to find one, then yes, it should work.

Snipping Barney is the only other option. You should see the grin they get on their little faces when they are given a wife. But at 3, you should see what your vet thinks (and it can be very pricey).

Samantha

Thank you Samantha - very helpful advice.

We would LOVE to give Barney a wife, of course, but I can't put him through neutering at his age - it'd be so stressful for him and I think he's been through enough this past week or so with his friend being poorly and then dying

If we are lucky enough to find a lovely spayed older lady, that would be absolutely fab. Otherwise, we are more than willing to rehome a young boar who would be happy letting Barney be boss-pig...

If anyone is looking to rehome a spayed lady or young boar, please get in touch! Barney is a lonely piggie and it's so upsetting to see

Thanks

Is that the general view? I had a girl emergency spayed with cancer and she died anyway, but my vet suggested having the other girls done rountinely as a preventative measure, as they recommend with rabbits.

Well now you've asked, Ceri..... That is what I understand and I will check with my friends on the other forum, but my vet is very pig-savvy. On the other hand, when I had piggies when I was a child (and we're talking cough-cough!!! years ago), they couldn't even take an anaesthetic, would die if you even thought about it. Basil had several ops and was fine.

Henry's mum - I've put a thread on the forum to see if there is a baby boar out there and if anything comes up, I'll e-mail you the details.

Samantha

Many thanks, Samantha. Have seen your post on the other forum too and posted on there so people can contact me either through you or directly.

Really sorry to hear about Fred

I'd start looking straight away too - if you find a piggie in a rescue centre, they could well want to organise a home check so it all takes time.

Have a look at Guinea Pig Rehome - you can search by age/area and there is a list of rescues too. It looks a bit odd at the moment, but hopefully still functions OK!

Thanks Karen. I wasn't sure if it would be seen as a bit strange to be looking for another piggie so soon, but it's not for me, it's for Barney. He needs a pal.

I did have a good old search through the rehome link you sent me but all the boys local to us or in surrounding counties are already a bonded pair unfortunately. And the only neutered female on there in the whole country already has a husband

I'm sure the right piggie will turn up soon - we just need to get the word out that we are looking.

You are putting Barney's happiness first, that's what counts! If one of my rabbits lost his/her companion I would be looking for a new companion asap.

If you have any rescues locally, it's worth contacting them just in case they have something suitable on their waiting list to come in.