Hello! Around two weeks ago i went to get a guinea pig (only got one) for the last day he hasn’t been acting like his self such as staying in his hideouts for long periods of times, laying down often, and not responding to food as he usually does for example, he’s not running to the cage door as he usually does. I have assume that he was probably lonely so now i’m looking into buying another guinea pig but, seeing him like this still worries me. so i’m asking you what should i do.
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Lady Kelly
Senior Guinea Pig
Guinea pigs are social, herd animals and not wired to live alone so he definitely needs a companion
So after i adopt another guinea pig and introduce them, will my original guide pig be okay?
Buddy the pig
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If you introduce them in a big enough space where your first guinea pig hasn’t marked his territory yet with lots of hidies(and yes he should be happier with a companion)
one more question so after the quarantine period i bought a cage that has a divider so after i introduce them and everything seems fine can i put both of them in that cage with the divider still up?
Buddy the pig
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If they get along well they don’t need the divider and might like it more without the divider but if either they don’t get along or you just want to leave it in it should be fine but if it’s removable I would recommend removing it if they get along.
last one but i have to wait another week in order for everything to be delivered would that be okay for him?
Buddy the pig
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It’s fine as long as you still give your guinea pig a lot of attention and lots of love until then.
thank you so much, stay safe!
Bill & Ted
Forum Buddy
Have a good read at the guinea Guides in the green bar, there is a guides that instructs on the proper way to bond piggies in a neutral area. Also check the sex of your piggie first, so you know beforehand so no slip ups x
Siikibam
Senior Guinea Pig
If you decide to buy a companion from a pet shop then please be ready with a plan B in case things don't work out. A good bond is based on character matching rather than just because it's another guinea pig, or it's younger etc. The best route to go would be to email rescues and let them know your boy is looking for a companion. If you do decide to buy another, then you have to double-check the sex, as mentioned above by Bill&Ted.
Depending on how old they are (your current and the new one), you're best placed to quarantine the new one just to be sure there are no illnesses lurking. Then you need to introduce them on neutral ground - a play pen with just hay in the middle. While deciding what to do, have a read of the threads I'm linking below.
PS did you double check that your piggy is a boy?
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?
Depending on how old they are (your current and the new one), you're best placed to quarantine the new one just to be sure there are no illnesses lurking. Then you need to introduce them on neutral ground - a play pen with just hay in the middle. While deciding what to do, have a read of the threads I'm linking below.
PS did you double check that your piggy is a boy?
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?
LMPigs
Junior Guinea Pig
hello,
Its a good idea to get your guinea a friend. In the meantime, there is a guide on the forum about caring for a loan piggie that you should read: Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
While your guinea is hopefully just lonely, it is also possible he is unwell if there has been a sudden change of behaviour.
You mention he is not coming to get food from you. If he isn't eating normally, this would be a very serious health issue for a guinea pig. Do you weigh him regularly? (unexplained weight loss is often an indicator of ill health - and weighing is really the only way to keep track of how much they are eating, especially hay with makes up 80% of the diet). If you don't weigh him, I would start a daily weigh in since he's unwell. You could also check he's pooing normally.
If in doubt at all, I would take him to (or at least speak on the phone with) a cavy savvy vet so get this checked.
The other thing that I understand from the forum guide could cause lethargy would be overheating. See this thread: Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes I'm not sure where you are based or what the weather is like, but is it possible he could be too hot?
Its a good idea to get your guinea a friend. In the meantime, there is a guide on the forum about caring for a loan piggie that you should read: Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
While your guinea is hopefully just lonely, it is also possible he is unwell if there has been a sudden change of behaviour.
You mention he is not coming to get food from you. If he isn't eating normally, this would be a very serious health issue for a guinea pig. Do you weigh him regularly? (unexplained weight loss is often an indicator of ill health - and weighing is really the only way to keep track of how much they are eating, especially hay with makes up 80% of the diet). If you don't weigh him, I would start a daily weigh in since he's unwell. You could also check he's pooing normally.
If in doubt at all, I would take him to (or at least speak on the phone with) a cavy savvy vet so get this checked.
The other thing that I understand from the forum guide could cause lethargy would be overheating. See this thread: Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes I'm not sure where you are based or what the weather is like, but is it possible he could be too hot?
I went to PetSmart and they said they only carry males not females and should i not get another guinea pig from PetSmart?
Today he’s acting more like his self compared to yesterday such as eating more.
Siikibam
Senior Guinea Pig
I wouldn’t believe everything they tell you I’m afraid. Are they saying all females are kept to then become pregnant and produce yet more boars for them to sell? I know it’s only what they told you but I wouldn’t believe that at all.
I would wait and try to bond him with a rescue boar. If you feel you really must go to petsmart then just be aware of the problems that could arise. If they fail to bond you have to have a plan b - living alongside each other. If the piggy comes home with illness you will have to have them treated by a vet - if infectious you have to get piggy well before bonding. You have to quarantine any piggy you get from there, as long as it’s not too young. If it’s the wrong sex you could end up with an already pregnant sow, or a possibly pregnant sow when you realise he may be a she.
Siikibam
Senior Guinea Pig
Have a look at the link below for rescues in the US. Find one that’s near enough to get to and email them about bonding your boy with another piggy. Did you check to make sure you have a boar? And how old is he by the way?
Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations
Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations
how long would it take with a recuse boar?
They did not tell me how old he is
Siikibam
Senior Guinea Pig
I just did and he’s a boy
LMPigs
Junior Guinea Pig
Well done
There are a number of issues with getting a guinea pig from a chain pet store. These include that they generally have very poor animal welfare policies, and the animals often come with pre-existing health problems etc.
However, wherever you get a new pig from, you will not know until they meet whether the new pig and the old pig get on. The big advantage from this perspective of using a reputable rescue (in addition to the fact that you’re giving an unwanted animal a home) is that they will often let you bring your pig to “date” several of their single boys and find a pair that works. Even if you cannot find a rescue that offers this “boar dating” service, rescues might also agree to take back a pig that doesn’t work (so you effectively can carry out the ‘dating’ at home).
If you get a new pig from a pet shop and then the two of them do not bond, you’re just going to end up with two single pigs instead of one. This could even happen multiple times…
By the way, if you have not yet read the forum guides on bonding and boar behaviour generally, it would be worth doing that.
One other consideration is that, if your guinea pig is not yet an adult, then he could continue to experience hormone spikes until they reach adult hood. This means that even if you get a pair that works, the bond could conceivably fail again as they age.
I know it probably all seems very complicated. Keep educating yourself, don't rush into anything, and keep coming back here for questions and support as required!
Hello, so the animal shelters i’ve looked at aren’t carrying guinea pigs and i have no other places except pet stores, so what should i do?Well done
There are a number of issues with getting a guinea pig from a chain pet store. These include that they generally have very poor animal welfare policies, and the animals often come with pre-existing health problems etc.
However, wherever you get a new pig from, you will not know until they meet whether the new pig and the old pig get on. The big advantage from this perspective of using a reputable rescue (in addition to the fact that you’re giving an unwanted animal a home) is that they will often let you bring your pig to “date” several of their single boys and find a pair that works. Even if you cannot find a rescue that offers this “boar dating” service, rescues might also agree to take back a pig that doesn’t work (so you effectively can carry out the ‘dating’ at home).
If you get a new pig from a pet shop and then the two of them do not bond, you’re just going to end up with two single pigs instead of one. This could even happen multiple times…
By the way, if you have not yet read the forum guides on bonding and boar behaviour generally, it would be worth doing that.
One other consideration is that, if your guinea pig is not yet an adult, then he could continue to experience hormone spikes until they reach adult hood. This means that even if you get a pair that works, the bond could conceivably fail again as they age.
I know it probably all seems very complicated. Keep educating yourself, don't rush into anything, and keep coming back here for questions and support as required!
yes
LMPigs
Junior Guinea Pig
Try these links:
Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations
Adopt, Support or Start a Rescue, Report Abuse, Petfinder - Guinea Lynx Forums
By the way, Guinea Lynx is a great source of information generally, and also US based, so you might find it helpful to bookmark their site.
Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations
Adopt, Support or Start a Rescue, Report Abuse, Petfinder - Guinea Lynx Forums
By the way, Guinea Lynx is a great source of information generally, and also US based, so you might find it helpful to bookmark their site.
yes i’ve been looking at these websites in the mean time and they are only selling in pairs and if they are in singles it’s really far from where i live. And i don’t know what to do if i should get two more or?
LMPigs
Junior Guinea Pig
Hey,
Many rescues / shelters don't advertise singles because they are unwilling to adopt them out by themselves. Website listing are also not always up to date. It would be worth emailing or calling to make an enquiry so you can let them know what you're looking for, what pigs they have coming up and, if necessary, get on their waiting lists.
Good luck!
Many rescues / shelters don't advertise singles because they are unwilling to adopt them out by themselves. Website listing are also not always up to date. It would be worth emailing or calling to make an enquiry so you can let them know what you're looking for, what pigs they have coming up and, if necessary, get on their waiting lists.
Good luck!
Siikibam
Senior Guinea Pig
I agree with above. In quite a lot of cases they don’t list single piggies because they don’t want people taking home singles.
You need to only get one other boar. Boar trios are a very hard balance and more often than not they don’t get on - and you could end up with them living in three separate cages.
We can only advise you about the best way to find your boy a friend. If you do decide to go with a pet shop piggy, just be aware of what could happen. And depending on how old your piggy is, then if he’s in his teenage phase (4-14 months of age) it could make things difficult to bond because of the hormones etc.
Do his testicles look like they’ve descended? Having said all that we’ve yet to see a photo of him. You can never post too many on here
You need to only get one other boar. Boar trios are a very hard balance and more often than not they don’t get on - and you could end up with them living in three separate cages.
We can only advise you about the best way to find your boy a friend. If you do decide to go with a pet shop piggy, just be aware of what could happen. And depending on how old your piggy is, then if he’s in his teenage phase (4-14 months of age) it could make things difficult to bond because of the hormones etc.
Do his testicles look like they’ve descended? Having said all that we’ve yet to see a photo of him. You can never post too many on here
Siikibam
Senior Guinea Pig
Do you mean to bond? He could find his friend on the first or fifth go, it’s not an exact science. Another thing to know is that bonding and dominance can continue for up to two weeks after the introductions have been made. So when they move into their new home/cage.
Another important thing with boars is space. 150x60cm is the minimum, but if you can go 180x60cm then that’s even better. You also need two of everything - hay area, bowl, bottle, hides etc.
yes i know, the cage i bought is really big the reviews says it larger than expected and it has dividers so they both will have their own space. Also yes i’m aware of have two of each of everything i basically already have everything i need except an extra water bottle and some toys. I’ve been looking at adoption websites all evening and all i see is two pairs and the only one pair i see is a female and that’s not a good idea so honestly right now i’m stuck and i really don’t know what to do.