Can a male guinea pig around 2 years old still have a friend?

Bacon

Bacon

New Born Pup
Joined
Jul 27, 2018
Messages
14
Reaction score
12
Points
155
I'm new to owning a guinea pig and before I got my 2 year old male guinea pig named Waffle everywhere I looked was saying no matter what he needs to have another guinea pig with him. I went to the pet store the other day and they said that since he is a older unbounded male he is now too territorial for a friend but then I went online to search males being territorial they said to get a baby guinea pig to be with him. What is the right thing to do for him?
 
So good you want to get him a friend. There is no reason that shouldn't happen (more bad advice from pet shops). Males don't necessarily get on with each other, but if you can find a rescue which does boar dating they can bond him for you (see the rescues tab at the top of the page). A baby boar might work. Alternatively you could consider having him neutered and after 6 weeks wait after his op, you could get him a wife. Don't just plop two piggies in together though - that's a recipe for disaster. Here are some bonding guidelines. Behaviour and Bonding
 
Welcome.
I was also told to get a mate irregardless of their age and if there is age gap, they won't fight as much.
I have Finn and Lara in separate cages but in close proximity.
 
Reenie said:
So good you want to get him a friend. There is no reason that shouldn't happen (more bad advice from pet shops). Males don't necessarily get on with each other, but if you can find a rescue which does boar dating they can bond him for you (see the rescues tab at the top of the page). A baby boar might work. Alternatively you could consider having him neutered and after 6 weeks wait after his op, you could get him a wife. Don't just plop two piggies in together though - that's a recipe for disaster. Here are some bonding guidelines. Behaviour and Bonding
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your helpful advice!😁
 
Bacon said:
Thank you so much for your helpful advice!😁
Click to expand...
No problem... it's 5.45am and I can't sleep, so I'm having fun answering questions lol. The forum tabs and the experts on here are great for advice. I've learned so much from them since being a member. Good luck!
 
A piggy is never too old for company. What matters most is personality. Piggies have to like each other. Imagine you being in an environment with someone you don't like and don't get on with and being forced to live together it is the same with piggies. Boar dating at a rescue has already been mentioned is the best thing to do. Not all do this so you need to contact them and ask.
 
Yes he can definitely still have a friend! I've got a piggy boy of around two who I found on Gumtree as free to a good home and he's just been bonded with another single piggy via this forum!
 
I was told the same about my guinea Ted. He was three when he lost his brother. I was told from a few places hes too old, too bossy don't do it. I had a crazy moment when I saw a lone piggie up for adoption and I tried him with Ted and Ted was so happy! It made me sad I didn't do it sooner. Since Ted passing I have also bonded Bruno who will be about 2 with his now best bud Harold.
There is always a chance it won't work, I was warned from the rescue it might fail but so far I've been lucky.
 
Guinea pigs are never to old to bond with another. It's about personality with piggies.
 
My boy is now 6 🙀 and his friend passed away 6 months ago. I asked at a piggy show what was best and they said as long as he is happy and still eating then maybe he is too old to bond. Instead we got two more and they are in cages side by side so he has some friends!😍
 
Hello and welcome to the forum :) he is absolutely not too old to bond with a friend and I’m sure he would love a little baby boy to play with :) Alternativley, you could have him neutered and bond him with a sow or two after the 6 weeks post op wait
 
I bonded a lone 2 year old boar after his brother died.
He had a little snip on Christmas Eve one year and 6 weeks later bonded very happily with 2 sows.
 
A piggie is never too old for a friend. If anything, their mental happiness and survival instics highly depend on having a friend. Please be aware of the age commitment you will be making if getting your new guinea a friend. Yours is currently two, so if you get one that is younger, you could be adding 1 or 2+ years of guinea pig husbrandry to your life. Plus, you have to always think about what you will do when one dies and the other is left alone. I suggest finding a piggie that is the same age or older if you do not wish to add more years to your current husbandry.

Another piece of advice would be to try finding him a friend via a rescue, since they offer matching services. However, if this is not possible for you, then please do not hesitate in getting them a new friend from a pet shop (though it really should be the last choice!). The most important thing is finding him a friend, and always be prepared if things go sour between their bond. Best of luck to you! :)
 
MomoMura said:
A piggie is never too old for a friend. If anything, their mental happiness and survival instics highly depend on having a friend. Please be aware of the age commitment you will be making if getting your new guinea a friend. Yours is currently two, so if you get one that is younger, you could be adding 1 or 2+ years of guinea pig husbrandry to your life. Plus, you have to always think about what you will do when one dies and the other is left alone. I suggest finding a piggie that is the same age or older if you do not wish to add more years to your current husbandry.

Another piece of advice would be to try finding him a friend via a rescue, since they offer matching services. However, if this is not possible for you, then please do not hesitate in getting them a new friend from a pet shop (though it really should be the last choice!). The most important thing is finding him a friend, and always be prepared if things go sour between their bond. Best of luck to you! :)
Click to expand...

This is the problem as I want to break the cycle one day. Thankfully at the moment, there's only an 8 month age gap between my Ellen and Edward so I'm hoping that they will live a long and happy life together but hindsight is a wonderful thing and if one should die first, I don't believe in only having one guinea pig left alone despite their age
 
Bacon said:
I'm new to owning a guinea pig and before I got my 2 year old male guinea pig named Waffle everywhere I looked was saying no matter what he needs to have another guinea pig with him. I went to the pet store the other day and they said that since he is a older unbounded male he is now too territorial for a friend but then I went online to search males being territorial they said to get a baby guinea pig to be with him. What is the right thing to do for him?
Click to expand...

Hi!

Here is a video of my 2 year old Dylan with his little boarfriend I took yesterday afternoon of their first roam in the guinea pig room at the end of a round of cage cleaning. Dylan has been living as a single piggy in a tiny cage for two years before he ended up as surplus to requirement on the free-ads and was picked up by a rescue and neutered.
Sadly he didn't find favour with any of my difficult to bond sows, so I have given him the choice to try two special special baby boys in the hopes that one of them would click with him.
If that hadn't worked out, I'd taken him to a local(ish) rescue for dating to find a companion he would be happy with.

No guinea pig is ever too old for company! The oldest piggies I have bonded/re-bonded have been 7 and 8 years old respectively - latter lived until she was a venerable 9 years old because the company kept her going. Calli had come here when she became depressed after losing the last of her life long companions. Two years is a young adult. ;)

The best place to find a character compatible mate is one of our recommended good standard rescues that offer dating at the rescue, so you come home only with a new mate if they have clicked with each other. Mutual liking and character compatibility is key to any successful boar bond - but that is something where pet shops and breeders fall woefully short. Not every boar will necessarily accept every baby. It takes on average 1-3 candidates to find 'Mr Right', but he can be essentially any age provided the boars can have a say who the want to live with before you bring them back home.
As you are saying pet store and not pet shop, I assume that you are either from the US or Canada. Here is the appropriate link to recommended good standard rescues for those countries: Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations

Dylan had the choice between two baby brothers that were born in my home when I emergency holiday sat a highly pet shop pregnant sow for a local friend's workmate. I chose the one he got on better even though I like the guy more - but a stable bond relies on whether the boys like each other and not on my preferences!
The other boy has gone on to a local rescue and has been chosen by a bereaved 3 year old boar during a dating afternoon after the bereaved boar didn't like any of the older 4 boars he was introduced first.
Here is a bonding video of Dylan with the two baby boys. You can clearly see that one of the babies is much more dominant with Dylan (mounting and rumblestrutting) than the other, who is just happy to play with him.

If you cannot access a good rescue and are not able to date you little boy, please have a plan B in case the bonding doesn't come off. In most cases, single guinea pigs still profit from having round the clock interaction and stimulation through the bars from a neighbour. True singles are pretty rare.
If you have to choose a shop baby, look for one that is preferably more submissive and not one to challenge your boy when he goes through the teenage months at 4-14 months old. That will increase your chances.

Boars: A guide to successful companionship.
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

Since we have members and enquiries from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details so we can always tailor any advice to what is relevant and available where you are straight away. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to account details and then down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make and saves everybody time. Thank you!
 
Claire W said:
This is the problem as I want to break the cycle one day. Thankfully at the moment, there's only an 8 month age gap between my Ellen and Edward so I'm hoping that they will live a long and happy life together but hindsight is a wonderful thing and if one should die first, I don't believe in only having one guinea pig left alone despite their age
Click to expand...
It can be difficult to get out of the guinea pig seesaw once you're in it! Lol! But with such a small age difference, you may consider trying to foster a guinea pig if one of your original babies sadly passes away and leaves the other one at an old age. You can then provide them with a partner (or multiple partners if the foster gets adopted in your care!). Something worth considering ^.^ Though I have no experience in this myself.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top