Boris – from fostering to a love story

Boris, a 4-year-old guinea pig, arrived at our Hertfordshire centre in December when his owner was unfortunately no longer able to look after him. We wanted to share with you his rehoming journey, as he is the perfect example of why fostering is so important to our charity.

He had previously tried living with another male guinea pig, but it had not worked out well and he had been living solo ever since. Guinea pigs are social animals and would naturally live in large herds. It is important that they have at least one bonded friend for companionship in their home. This increases their happiness, decreases their stress, and has a positive impact on their physical health too. So, we thought it would be best to neuter Boris and find a female guinea pig for him to live with.

To make sure that Boris didn’t get too lonely, and to give him round the clock post-op care following his surgery, we sent him to one of our guinea pig fosterers. This was so that he could benefit from being in a home while he waited to find his forever home. During this time, Boris became more confident, and he made a speedy recovery from his operation without any complications.

During this time, we received a call from a previous adopter about their female guinea pig Holly, who they rehomed from the Hertfordshire centre in 2021. Holly was now on her own and in desperate need of a new companion. Her owner was particularly keen to find a gentle, friendly piggie, as Holly had previously struggled to intergrate into a larger herd. Holly was the missing piece needed to complete Boris’ rescue journey and he was the perfect cure for her loneliness. We soon made an appointment for Boris to return from his foster care and be officially adopted.

After a few weeks of living seperately and admiring each other from afar, Boris and Holly were introduced to each other and soon formed a strong bond. There was wheaking all around as the pair were delighted to have finally found each other. Boris is now known as Toby and his owners say that he and Holly couldn’t be happier.

If you would be interested in fostering for us, please complete the relevant form for your local centre to apply today. You can find the forms here.