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Guinea pig weight

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Robbie12345

New Born Pup
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Hi all,

I just bought a guinea pig from Pets at Home who assured me that he was 8 weeks old. However he looks much smaller than I ever remember my other piggys being. I just weighed him and hes only 298g, is it likely he is younger?
 
Possibly. About 250g is approximately 3 weeks of age, there is obviously some variation but I’d think younger than 8 weeks.

Is being housed with another piggy? As he is too young to be by himself. (Boars doing best kept in pairs, more than two together and fights occur)
 
I got him alone because I have another male guinea who is just under a year that I wanted to bond him with. We kept him separate until they are bonded, we planned to wait a week before we started the bonding process
 
Piggies&buns said:
You can’t wait where young babies are concerned, you have to forego everything else to meet their social needs. Please bond him straight away. It’s vital a young baby isn’t alone
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Pets at home said to wait a week to allow him to settle into his new home
 
Piggies&buns said:
No, please don’t wait. He is too young to be by himself, it’s vital he has the guidance and social interaction of another piggy
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Hes so much smaller than the 1year old I have. Would it be better to get another baby piggy and then bond the two babies with my 1 year old when they get a bit bigger?
Pets at home said to wait a week, then start bonding them and eventually put the little one in the main cage after about a month, and honestly I'm not really sure what to do!
 
Robbie12345 said:
Hes so much smaller than the 1year old I have. Would it be better to get another baby piggy and then bond the two babies with my 1 year old when they get a bit bigger?
Pets at home said to wait a week, then start bonding them and eventually put the little one in the main cage after about a month, and honestly I'm not really sure what to do!
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Your older piggy will be absolutely fine with the baby, he won’t hurt him.
If you get another baby piggy to bond with this baby, then you could end up with problems. Having two who would be the same age and going through hormones at the same time can mean problems as there is no guarantee of compatibility. Plus, you cannot keep three boars together in one cage as trios have a 90% failure rate. You would end up having to separate them when the young ones reach their teens as they would fight and at worst you could end up with three single piggies.
Go ahead and bond the baby with your older piggy. It’s so important for the baby’s wellbeing. Please don’t go by what PAH have told you, it’s incorrect and does not take the baby’s vital social needs into account
 
With boars you can’t have them in groups of more than 2, I’d read the guides, from what I have read in here an older pig won’t harm a baby as as previous posters said he will need to learn from an older pig!
 
Robbie12345 said:
Okay thank you!

How long should I be bonding them before I put them together permenantly?
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The guides below explain the process. It could take several hours before they can go into their cage.
You need a neutral bonding pen, put them both in it with no hides but with hay. Leave them in there to start their processes. While they are in there for a few hours, you need to clean down the cage you intend them to live in, thoroughly, it needs to not smell of your original piggy. When they are getting on ok (the guides below explain) you can move them into the cage together. Don’t put them together and then separate, and then put them together again. They need to be out together and permanently left together from then on (unless bonding fails in which case they will need to live separately permanently). Their establishing a hierarchy and relationship will take around two weeks.
It’s important you have a large cage - 180cm x 60cm for two boars is needed as lack of space can cause problems. Ensure you have two of every item and that all hideys have two exits (no enclosed hideys) so that no piggy can get cornered

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