Friend for older, unspayed girl GP

[Jaac]

Hi there,

We would like to get a friend for our GP. She came from a shelter, and we don’t know how old she is but we have had her for a year and she was already fully grown when we got her. She is not desexed.

When we first got her, we had another male, younger, desexed GP, and she was not nice to him! She chased him all the time and would spray urine in his face if he came near!

He sadly passed away about 8 months ago, but we’re really unsure about getting a friend for her because of her behaviour with him. Although, she has calmed down a lot since then and now accepts cuddles, hand feeding etc.

We have a 2x3 c&c cage with 2x1 attic, and had separate cubbies for them.

Any advice is welcome! Obviously we won’t get an undesexed male, but between a baby female,adult female, or a desexed baby or adult male, what do you suggest?

We’re a bit worried about getting her desexed at this stage because she might be quite old.

Thanks very much for any advice,
Jaac

 

[Siikibam]

Firstly, sorry for loss.

The cage is that unfortunately your cage doesn’t meet the minimum space recommended for two piggies. You need to get rid of the loft and extend the lower level. Piggies are ground roaming so other levels don’t count.

Females only need spaying if there is an issue that is solved by doing so (ovarian cysts being one). It’s a more complex operation so isn’t done unless necessary.

Whether the bond works will depend on personality and not whether it’s a boar or young sow. The best way to find her a friend would be to take her ‘dating’ at a rescue. If there are any near you, I would ask them if they offer the service. Then she can choose her own friend - the best way to do it. If not, then maybe try a younger female.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum.
Character compatibility is essential when it comes to bonding piggies. The best way to get a character compatible friend is to go to a rescue centre as they can help find a friend who she will like. They put your piggy with available piggies until one is found whom she gets on with. You then bring them both back home. If you just go out and buy a new piggy, then there is always going to be a chance that they won’t get on.

A 2x3 c&c is not big enough for two piggies though.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Cage Size Guide

 

[Jaac]

Welcome to the forum.
Character compatibility is essential when it comes to bonding piggies. The best way to get a character compatible friend is to go to a rescue centre as they can help find a friend who she will like. They put your piggy with available piggies until one is found whom she gets on with. You then bring them both back home. If you just go out and buy a new piggy, then there is always going to be a chance that they won’t get on.

A 2x3 c&c is not big enough for two piggies though

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Hi there,

Thanks very much for the fast reply (you probably figured I meant 'undesexed' in the subject, not 'undeserved'!). Yes, it's good advice about going to the rescue shelter. But that is exactly what we did when we got her. We took our boy along, and they tried him with different piggies until this one seemed to work. The trouble all started when we got home.

Jaac

 

[Jaac]

Firstly, sorry for loss.

The cage is that unfortunately your cage doesn’t meet the minimum space recommended for two piggies. You need to get rid of the loft and extend the lower level. Piggies are ground roaming so other levels don’t count.

Females only need spaying if there is an issue that is solved by doing so (ovarian cysts being one). It’s a more complex operation so isn’t done unless necessary.

Whether the bond works will depend on personality and not whether it’s a boar or young sow. The best way to find her a friend would be to take her ‘dating’ at a rescue. If there are any near you, I would ask them if they offer the service. Then she can choose her own friend - the best way to do it. If not, then maybe try a younger female.

Thanks very much for this advice. We'll look into extending our cage.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi there,

Thanks very much for the fast reply (you probably figured I meant 'undesexed' in the subject, not 'undeserved'!). Yes, it's good advice about going to the rescue shelter. But that is exactly what we did when we got her. We took our boy along, and they tried him with different piggies until this one seemed to work. The trouble all started when we got home.

Jaac

The actual establishing of a relationship and hierarchy takes a lot longer than the initial meeting. It takes around two weeks before things settle into a stable bonding. It also requires one piggy to be happy being the submissive piggy and if you end up with two who want to be dominant, again problems occur
If your cage was that size at the time, then that may also be a reason why things became problematic. Too small a space is a good reason for piggies to fall out.
Also, you have to ensure the cage is cleaned down before putting new piggies in otherwise territory disputes can happen.

 

[BossHogg]

Corrected the title for you.