Gullfaks
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi!
My female guinea pig of 2 years just lost her "sister" and best friend to sickness. I adopted them one year ago - and I assume they had lived together since they were young.
Now I am looking for a new female guinea pig to become her new bestie. I read that it is important that their personalities will fit together - but unfortunately we do not have guinea pig rescues or "dating"-opportunities for piggies here in Norway.
Hence, the likely case is that I will adopt a guinea pig from an owner that would not want her anymore. They will likely just want to get rid of her as quick as possible - and not let my guinea pig have a playdate first to check their compatibilities. So there will always be some risk that they might not get along, and must live side- by side in their own cages.
However - to maximalize their chances of getting along, I read that I should get a younger guinea pig that is likely to be submissive of my current pig (she was the dominant one in the previous couple). However - guinea pigs reach their full body sizes quite quickly - so I wonder: can guinea pigs sense ages, if not related to their body sizes?
If I adopt a 1 year old - will my two year old realize that she is younger - if their sizes are more or less the same?
Thanks for all answers and experiences!
My female guinea pig of 2 years just lost her "sister" and best friend to sickness. I adopted them one year ago - and I assume they had lived together since they were young.
Now I am looking for a new female guinea pig to become her new bestie. I read that it is important that their personalities will fit together - but unfortunately we do not have guinea pig rescues or "dating"-opportunities for piggies here in Norway.
Hence, the likely case is that I will adopt a guinea pig from an owner that would not want her anymore. They will likely just want to get rid of her as quick as possible - and not let my guinea pig have a playdate first to check their compatibilities. So there will always be some risk that they might not get along, and must live side- by side in their own cages.
However - to maximalize their chances of getting along, I read that I should get a younger guinea pig that is likely to be submissive of my current pig (she was the dominant one in the previous couple). However - guinea pigs reach their full body sizes quite quickly - so I wonder: can guinea pigs sense ages, if not related to their body sizes?
If I adopt a 1 year old - will my two year old realize that she is younger - if their sizes are more or less the same?
Thanks for all answers and experiences!