Your boy must be kept separate from your girls until the 6 week post neuter date is reached. The Nest will let you know the date on your adoption form, please drop us a message if you haven’t heard.
Your boy can be held and cuddled with one of your girls over this time. This means they can have some company, but nothing can happen, as your hands are on them. Other things you can do to help bonding during this time is, swapping dirty cosies between cages, and swapping the boys and girls into each other’s (dirty) cages. This way the boy gets a bit more space for a while and they both get used to each other’s smell, the girls will be fine in a small space for a couple of hours.
Where you choose to keep the boy will depend on your set up and space. A C&C cage can be split into two, so they are side by side. If you have a cage, it can be next to your girls cage, or stacked on top. It’s nice for boys to be able to see the girls ideally, but not essential. They can get frustrated when they can’t reach the girls. This should settle over a couple of days. If you feel he is too stressed, then you can always move his cage away. There’s no right or wrong for this part!
One week before the 6 weeks post neuter date, the boy can start to join your girls for some floor or run time. Please supervise this closely and give the boy a nudge if he tries to mount the girls!
During this post neuter time we would ask that only adults hold the piggies together, it’s too easy for children to misunderstand and let the piggies spend time together. For children, stick to the rule that they must be kept apart for the full 6 weeks!
All of this will help a slow bond, so when the big day is here, you can just leave them together, in a neutral space at first. There may be some chasing and mounting but it will settle. Contact us if you are having any bonding issues!
If your boy does manage to get to your girls before the 6 weeks is up, don’t panic, it happens occasionally and we’ve never had babies yet! Just secure your cage so it doesn’t happen again!
Keep an eye on the boys neuter wound for a couple of weeks post neuter. Occasionally they may get an infection or abscess, you are looking for redness or swelling. If you’re not sure, send us a photo!
