• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here

Alone guinea pig

Janlo

Janlo

New Born Pup
Joined
Jul 28, 2020
Messages
12
Reaction score
23
Points
80
Location
Southampton
Hello, I have got a 2 year old guinea pig named Rocky who has been alone all his whole life and I was very concerned about his wellbeing so I decided to purchase a new guinea pig Rey and I’m worried rocky won’t be able to socialise with Rey

what are your thoughts, is it going to be a problem rocky being alone his whole life?
 
I am very new to this all so I don’t know wether I posted this in the right place!
 
Welcome to the forum
You’ve done the right thing to get him a friend, but it is important you go about introducing them to each other the right way. Character compatibility is the most important part of a successful bond - two piggies have to like each other.

First, you need to make sure your new baby is a boy.

Illustrated Sexing Guide

The guides below explain how to introduce them to each other on neutral territory, what behaviour you will see and what is normal

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

It’s important with two boars together that they have plenty of space - their cage needs to be 180cm x 60cm to give them each enough space so as not to cause territory problems.
You also need to have two of every item (two bowls, two bottles, two hay piles) and only use hideys with two exits to ensure no piggy can get cornered in a hidey.
 
We got rocky is neutered (sorry I forgot to mention) and Rey is a female as I read that sows seem more comfortable with a neutered male and thank you for the extras tips it was much appreciated
 
:wel: to the forum!
Make sure to read all of the guides that Piggies&buns has linked as they are all very helpful.
 
Janlo said:
We got rocky is neutered (sorry I forgot to mention) and Rey is a female as I read that sows seem more comfortable with a neutered male and thank you for the extras tips it was much appreciated
Click to expand...

Ok, that’s good. As long as he is six weeks post neuter then you can try the introduction as he will be infertile. If it is less than six weeks ago since you had him neutered don’t put them together yet as he will still be able to get her pregnant.
sow/boar pairings do tend to be more stable, but it still comes down to character compatibility
 
Okay thanks on Friday it would of been six weeks, thanks for your cage size advice and giving them two of everything really appreciated
Here’s what Rey looks like (the brown one with the white nose
And rocky (The ginger one)
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    110.9 KB · Views: 12
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    66 KB · Views: 21
But I have got a few questions is it normal for rocky the neutered male to keep rumble strutting and pushing/head flicking towards Rey it’s been 2 days since they moved in together and it’s still going on. Will it stop eventually?
 
The dominance and sorting of hierarchy can continue up to two weeks after they move in together. And dominance behaviour will still continue into adulthood for boars. Being neutered doesn’t cut off their hormones or change their behaviour, it’s only good for one thing 😉
 
I'm sure Rocky will love life with his new wife 😍 they are gorgeous....I love that picture of Rocky watching Rey so seriously as if there's a right way to eat cucumber!
 
Neutered guinea pig males still have all their usual manly urges, sounds like he is trying to impress her! If she isn't impressed or isnt in season she will probably tell him so, and hopefully he will learn to cut back on the male posturing and relax once the novelty of having a new wife wears off a bit :)
 
:agr:
He will still continue to do it throughout his life though, it’s what boars do, neutered or not.
The full bonding process takes about 2 weeks so they are still very much at the beginning of their process
 
When Merry was introduced to my girls he was very excited and thought he was on the 24/7 love bus. He soon gave up when the girls put him in his place and I never see him trying anything now. He fills his life with diy on his cardboard boxes, playing with his ball and other fulfilling manly activities 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top