Guinea pigs bonded, but not very close with one another

[maisiemillar]

Hey, my guinea pigs Willow (3) and Nala (1) have been together for a while now, they are bonded and perfectly fine but they don’t seem as close as other guinea pigs I’ve seen on my insta feeds etc. They don’t snuggle up together, and if one attempts to cuddle with the other, they’ll just give a warning nip as to tell the piggie to “go away”. Sometime’s they’ll sit down and lick each other but it only lasts for a minute before one of them nips the other and they end up sleeping on separate sides of the cage. They don’t hate eachother, and don’t get into big fights, but they don’t enjoy snuggling up with one another. Willow and my last guinea pig, Luna, would cuddle up together (Luna passed due to a problem with her gut in 2019), but when it comes to Nala and Willow it just wont happen. Does anyone know why they are like this? And is there any way for me to get them to build a stronger bond with one another?

 

[Bill & Ted]

Piggies are as individual as people! Although your pair are not the most openly loving pair, that in no way means they dislike each other. I think we sometimes humanise a cuddling pair of piggies, there’s lots online and yes they are immensely cute, but accept their bond for what it is, a good bond, individual to them and enjoy them x

 

[Zanzan]

I think you see a lot of the cute snuggling pictures on Instagram because pictures of pigs sitting separately just arent as Instagramable. None of my three snuggle but they interact beautifully in other ways and I know they are happy with each other. Many many pigs live happily with each other without snuggling.

 

[Wiebke]

Hey, my guinea pigs Willow (3) and Nala (1) have been together for a while now, they are bonded and perfectly fine but they don’t seem as close as other guinea pigs I’ve seen on my insta feeds etc. They don’t snuggle up together, and if one attempts to cuddle with the other, they’ll just give a warning nip as to tell the piggie to “go away”. Sometime’s they’ll sit down and lick each other but it only lasts for a minute before one of them nips the other and they end up sleeping on separate sides of the cage. They don’t hate eachother, and don’t get into big fights, but they don’t enjoy snuggling up with one another. Willow and my last guinea pig, Luna, would cuddle up together (Luna passed due to a problem with her gut in 2019), but when it comes to Nala and Willow it just wont happen. Does anyone know why they are like this? And is there any way for me to get them to build a stronger bond with one another?

Hi!

Please keep in mind that social media reflect what humans want to see, not what is normal guinea pig behaviour. This means that by getting your piggy preparation just from watching 'cute' videos, you will inevitably end up with some rather unrealistic expectations. Who wants to upload and watch videos of piggies sleeping each in their own preferred spot? - And yet, that is much more common than snuggly piggies; especially for adults. How many married couples of all ages do you know who are forever kissing and snuggling in public, especially when you take into account that the majority of piggy bonds are in fact arranged marriages unless you rescue date?

Nothing wrong with your piggies since it doesn't say anything about the quality of their bond; just about some misplaced human expectations.