I've had my first guinea pig for the last 4 years. I've always wanted to get her a friend because they are social animals. Hazel is now 4 years old (born about July 2016?), so I didn't know if she would not like a friend now that she is older. I'm new to the introducing them to each other, so any advice will help. It probably wouldn't be until February if I get another. Hazel just went to the vet for bumblefoot, so I would like her to heal before getting another. Plus I'll be down next month for a couple weeks for gallbladder removal. But would a female be better for her? I'm not sure whether to look for a younger one or try to find one more her age. Any guidance is greatly appreciated!
Adopting a new guinea pig?
- Thread starter mlmmars89
- Start date
they are never too young to have a friend, so well done on getting one for her.
age is not relevant when it comes to having a successful bond, character compatibility is. The safest way to find her a new friend is to go to a rescue centre and using a dating service so her own can choose her own new friend. The centre can often help with the bonding procedure itself.
if you go out and buy another piggy from a pet shop for example, then you will have no idea if the two piggies will be compatible and there is a risk the bonding will fail. That means you would need an alternative plan of keeping them in separate but side by side cages for interaction through the bars.
if you go to a rescue centre, then she can choose the sex of her new friend herself - she may like a female or she may prefer a neutered male. If you buy a piggy yourself, you must be absolutely certain that the piggy is definitely female. Young males from a pet shop won’t be neutered so she must not be accidentally put with a pet shop male as there is then the risk of pregnancy occurring.
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
age is not relevant when it comes to having a successful bond, character compatibility is. The safest way to find her a new friend is to go to a rescue centre and using a dating service so her own can choose her own new friend. The centre can often help with the bonding procedure itself.
if you go out and buy another piggy from a pet shop for example, then you will have no idea if the two piggies will be compatible and there is a risk the bonding will fail. That means you would need an alternative plan of keeping them in separate but side by side cages for interaction through the bars.
if you go to a rescue centre, then she can choose the sex of her new friend herself - she may like a female or she may prefer a neutered male. If you buy a piggy yourself, you must be absolutely certain that the piggy is definitely female. Young males from a pet shop won’t be neutered so she must not be accidentally put with a pet shop male as there is then the risk of pregnancy occurring.
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Little Ones
Adult Guinea Pig
They’re definitely never too old to find a friend. I recently bonded a 6 year old piggy, Digby, who had been alone for the past 5 years with my own 6 year old.
I will say that the bonding process was quite rough as Digby didn’t really understand how to behave at first. For the first 3 hours or so, it seemed like it was hopeless. He was being insanely dominant and the other piggy didn’t get a break. After those 3 hours, it was a lot better. The whole bonding lasted 13 hours. So even though it took a lot of persistence and an extreme amount of patience from the other pig, it was only bad for a small amount of time in the grand scheme of things.
I’d say that for it to work for you, you’d need another guinea pig who has a lot of patience just in case yours behaves like Digby did due to being alone so long. Since the bond, Digby and his friend, Little, are doing amazingly well. Digby is thrilled to have a companion. It’s definitely worth doing.
Please let a rescue do it though, it’s a lot to do by yourself to start with but it’ll be even harder if you don’t know what you’re doing at all. They’ll try to match her up best with the piggies they have available. If you’re looking to do it, I’d call about it now in case they have a waiting list. That way, you can get on the list
I will say that the bonding process was quite rough as Digby didn’t really understand how to behave at first. For the first 3 hours or so, it seemed like it was hopeless. He was being insanely dominant and the other piggy didn’t get a break. After those 3 hours, it was a lot better. The whole bonding lasted 13 hours. So even though it took a lot of persistence and an extreme amount of patience from the other pig, it was only bad for a small amount of time in the grand scheme of things.
I’d say that for it to work for you, you’d need another guinea pig who has a lot of patience just in case yours behaves like Digby did due to being alone so long. Since the bond, Digby and his friend, Little, are doing amazingly well. Digby is thrilled to have a companion. It’s definitely worth doing.
Please let a rescue do it though, it’s a lot to do by yourself to start with but it’ll be even harder if you don’t know what you’re doing at all. They’ll try to match her up best with the piggies they have available. If you’re looking to do it, I’d call about it now in case they have a waiting list. That way, you can get on the list