Boys And Girls

[guinea.awsome]

hello danielle i am a 2 guinea pig owner in south australia i know its not the uk but stay with me currently in the whole state there are only to guinea pigs at a shelter or adoption rescue they are called dale and chips they are both males and have been desexed my current 2 guinea pigs are female so I'm looking at getting dale and chips (not for breeding) but i came up with a c and c cage idea where there was a gate in the middle so i could put the girls on one side of the gate and the boys on the other then i would open up the gate for certain time periods to let them become friends then for the rest of the day this c and c cage would become the boys home until both the females and the males got used to each other and wont have as many fights then i would rebuild the c and c cage for another purpose and let all the guinea pigs live in the current hutch i have now is this a good idea

 

[sport_billy]

Welcome to the forum

Two boys and two girls would not get along unfortunately even when neutered the boy piggies would most likely fight. It is most common to have one boy in with a herd of girls. If you really want boys and girls in pairs you would need to house them separately

 

[Wiebke]

hello danielle i am a 2 guinea pig owner in south australia i know its not the uk but stay with me currently in the whole state there are only to guinea pigs at a shelter or adoption rescue they are called dale and chips they are both males and have been desexed my current 2 guinea pigs are female so I'm looking at getting dale and chips (not for breeding) but i came up with a c and c cage idea where there was a gate in the middle so i could put the girls on one side of the gate and the boys on the other then i would open up the gate for certain time periods to let them become friends then for the rest of the day this c and c cage would become the boys home until both the females and the males got used to each other and wont have as many fights then i would rebuild the c and c cage for another purpose and let all the guinea pigs live in the current hutch i have now is this a good idea

Hi!

It is great that you are considering adoption! However, two boys and two sows don't mix. Neutering only takes away the ability to make babies, but it doesn't change behaviours. The boys are going most likely going to fight; it is very rare that two very laid-back boars get on in the presence of sows for any length of time. The risk that they will not go back together after a confrontation is a LOT higher!

You can also not give guinea pigs play time together; time together has a completely different meaning for them. Each time they meet they will start the bonding protocol; if you separate, it is very frustrating for them as they can't get anywhere with their natural behaviour and instincts.

You can either pair each boy with one of your girls to create a stable cross gender pair (which can live happily next to each other) or keep the two boys out of sight (and reach of pheromones!) from the girls. Or you can have one of the boys live with your bonded sows and find a new wife or two for the other if you do not want to split your girls up.

As we have members from all over the world, we find it very very helpful if you please added your country/state to your details, so we can always tailor any advice and recommendations to what is possible and available where you are and also take your climate into account where necessary. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thank you!