bonding help !

[chonkychippy]

hello ! i recently got a new piggy who is 7 months old, he’s a male >.< his previous owners never got him a bonded pair and told me not to get one i was a bit hesitant about that but adopted chippy. he doesn’t move around much right now when i’m around but as soon as i get into bed and turn off my lights he’s eating, drinking water, going under his hidey, and even running around very fast. i’m not sure what this means

 

[Sophia_Oreo108]

Hi,
How long have you had chippy for?
It may just be because he is nervous. Move slowly and quietly around him and try to hand feed and give him cuddles when he is settled in to his new home.

You could try covering up half or all of his cage with a sheet as I have heard f people on here that have done that when they had new nervous piggies.
Running fast (zoomies) is a good thing as it means he is happy.

I hope this helps and he becomes his normal self again.[/QUOTE]

 

[Deleted member 139433]

Guinea pigs should not be kept alone and are very social creatures. It's difficult right now with the Covid situation, but would you consider some piggie dating at a rescue centre to try find him a friend? It might be worth contacting some centres. Be careful about just introducing a friend, as bonding is a tricky business and you must have the right personalities.

There are some excellent bonding guides on here.

As for him being nervous, it does take them a while to settle. I find that they very much love routine. When I've had young or nervous pigs, they soon learn the feeding and cleaning routines and soon get more confident.

 

[Sophia_Oreo108]

hello ! i recently got a new piggy who is 7 months old, he’s a male >.< his previous owners never got him a bonded pair and told me not to get one i was a bit hesitant about that but adopted chippy. he doesn’t move around much right now when i’m around but as soon as i get into bed and turn off my lights he’s eating, drinking water, going under his hidey, and even running around very fast. i’m not sure what this means

Sorry I think I misread this. Is chippy living alone?

 

[Wiebke]

hello ! i recently got a new piggy who is 7 months old, he’s a male >.< his previous owners never got him a bonded pair and told me not to get one i was a bit hesitant about that but adopted chippy. he doesn’t move around much right now when i’m around but as soon as i get into bed and turn off my lights he’s eating, drinking water, going under his hidey, and even running around very fast. i’m not sure what this means

Hi!

Your boy is currently feeling very lost in territory that he doesn't know is friendly.
Please take the time to read our settling in guides (which tell you how arrival in a new home looks from the perspective of a guinea pig, how guinea pig prey animal instincts work and also contain a little lesson in 'piggy whispering' in order to take yourself out of the predator category and how to invite him into your herd and tell him you love him. The poor guy doesn't seem to come from a good home, so you need to treat him like a piggy that has never had any friendly human contact.
Here is the access link to our information on human/cavy interaction and settling in: Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide

In the longer term it would be great if your boy had company of his own kind. the best way of finding it is by dating him at a rescue that offers this service if you can get to one, so your boy can choose who he likes and is getting on with. Key to any happy piggy bond is mutual liking and character compatibility - and that is something that pet stores and breeders don't provide; hence why especially boars are failed badly and often repeatedly. your boy is currently right in the thick of his teenage and the age when boar bonding is at its trickiest, so taking your time to do your research is not wasted right now.

Here is our forum information on looking after single piggies and how to best tackle companionship (including good welfare standard rescue lists for several countries) as well as information on boars and their specific needs:
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

All the links are part of our comprehensive New Owners information and practical tips collection, which is currently likely the best resource available and well worth bookmarking, browsing, reading and re-reading at need: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

You are always welcome to ask any questions you may have but brace yourself for us linking in guides for more in-depth information as we cannot explain everything from scratch in all detail to everybody coming on here, seeing that we are all doing this for free in our own free on top of a job, our own guinea pigs and our own private life. It helps us to answer all posts on this forum as quickly but allows everybody to get more insight into what they are asking about, what and how they need to exactly go about things.

 

[chonkychippy]

hello ! i really want to look into getting Chippy siblings ! two female guinea pigs are needing to be adopted near me, are all three of them going to be safe together?

 

[VickiA]

You cannot have an un-neutered male with un-neutered females. That will result inevitably in pregnancies. If you wish to keep him with females he will need to be neutered and then wait 6 weeks until he meets the sows so that he is “safe” and cannot impregnate them.

 

[Thor & Loki]

Mine were shy at the start also..what I found helped..is to put a blanket on half the cage so that they feel like they are hid..but in fact I can see them. They started running around and feeling a bit more comfortable. Also helps if you are near them most of the time..as in..watching TV or whatever..so that they hear your voice and get used to you. Try feeding them from your hand as well..mine can't refuse lettuce or parsley leaves! within a few days they get accustomed. I wouldn't worry

 

[Thor & Loki]

And also..guinea pigs can be kept alone. BUT you need to be able to give them A LOT of attention and love and play time..otherwise they will get really lonely. If you have a boy..I would get another boy. Dont get a mix.

 

[Piggies&buns]

And also..guinea pigs can be kept alone. BUT you need to be able to give them A LOT of attention and love and play time..otherwise they will get really lonely. If you have a boy..I would get another boy. Dont get a mix.

This is incorrect. Guinea pigs cannot be kept alone. No amount of human interaction is ever going to be enough as no human can speak guinea pig, you cannot have the same amount of interaction as another guinea pig can no matter how much time you spend with them.

you can keep a mixed sex pair provided the boar is neutered

 

[Thor & Loki]

This is incorrect. Guinea pigs cannot be kept alone. No amount of human interaction is ever going to be enough as no human can speak guinea pig, you cannot have the same amount of interaction as another guinea pig can no matter how much time you spend with them.

you can keep a mixed sex pair provided the boar is neutered

I'm only speaking in regards to people I know who have had guineas. Those who had one, in most cases are fully ok on their own. I've also been told it is completely OK to just have one.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm only speaking in regards to people I know who have had guineas. Those who had one, in most cases are fully ok on their own. I've also been told it is completely OK to just have one.

Please accept that the experience and advice of this forum is exactly the opposite of that. They only ever appear to be ok on their own. They adapt and get on with life because they have no choice but to do so. It’s not the same as actually thriving.

 

[VickiA]

I'm only speaking in regards to people I know who have had guineas. Those who had one, in most cases are fully ok on their own. I've also been told it is completely OK to just have one.

I’m not sure who told you it was ok to have a solo guinea pig. But I can assure you that Guinea pigs are social creatures who should not be kept alone.