Is this ok?

wheek!guinea

wheek!guinea

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi:luv: we are getting a best friend for Glacier next week but we wanted to see if this cage set up was ok?

Right now Glacier is in a 2 x 4 cage. Is it safe to split the cage in half with a divider so they get to know each other safely? Then after we would take the divider out. Or would you recommend a second cage entirely?
 
The minimum for a single piggy is at least 120x60 so you would need to get another 2x4.
If Glacier is a boar you’ll need the cage to be at least 2x5 to house them both. Where are you getting his friend from considering there’s lockdown at the moment?
 
:agr: A cage of that size split in half means each half is far too small, even as a temporary arrangement.

And an additional consideration , character compatibility is the key to a successful bond. If you are just choosing another piggy yourself, rather than allowing glacier to find his own friend via dating (which is likely to not be possible at present due to lockdowns), then you will have no idea whether they will like each other and any bonding has a chance of failure so they will need to live separately permanently making the need for a second cage essential.
 
Siikibam said:
The minimum for a single piggy is at least 120x60 so you would need to get another 2x4.
If Glacier is a boar you’ll need the cage to be at least 2x5 to house them both. Where are you getting his friend from considering there’s lockdown at the moment?
Click to expand...
My friend who no longer wants their boar :(. They live in the next neighborhood over from me. They dont believe he needs a buddy as he's read online that males are solitary in the wild, but then notices that his guinea pig is almost too mellow. I've offered to take him in as Glacier needs a new pal, we've done a play date where they see each other separated. We're being extremely safe with the lockdown too, considering we work together. They were really curious and rumbled at each other a little bit, but I'm not 100% if they'll like each other, what does that even look like? I've looked online and they said there's always a chance of falling out too. Ah, I'm such a nervous guinea pig mom I just want the best for Glacier and any other piggy involved :).

As for the cage, thank you! That's really helpful. I'm glad we didn't order the grids yet.
 
wheek!guinea said:
My friend who no longer wants their boar :(. They live in the next neighborhood over from me. They dont believe he needs a buddy as he's read online that males are solitary in the wild, but then notices that his guinea pig is almost too mellow. I've offered to take him in as Glacier needs a new pal, we've done a play date where they see each other separated. We're being extremely safe with the lockdown too, considering we work together. They were really curious and rumbled at each other a little bit, but I'm not 100% if they'll like each other, what does that even look like? I've looked online and they said there's always a chance of falling out too. Ah, I'm such a nervous guinea pig mom I just want the best for Glacier and any other piggy involved :).

As for the cage, thank you! That's really helpful. I'm glad we didn't order the grids yet.
Click to expand...
Also side note: our state is lifting the SAH order next week unless it is extended.
 
Unfortunately doing a meeting where they are separated by bars will not tell you anything. The only way to know is to do a proper introduction on neutral territory following the procedure in this guide. Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

It is absolutely essential that if you put them together that you see the meeting through to conclusion, whether that be success or failure. You cannot interrupt boars bonding unless a fight is breaking out. You cannot do an introduction/play date, separate them and then put them together again on a different day - the session has to be done in one go. If they like each other then they need to be moved to their cage together at that point and then remain together from then on. You also need to be aware that bonding actually goes on for some weeks after the initial introductions and at any point during that time it could fail.

As mentioned above two boars need a much larger cage.

This guides will help you determine behaviours
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
 
Piggies&buns said:
Unfortunately doing a meeting where they are separated by bars will not tell you anything. The only way to know is to do a proper introduction on neutral territory following the procedure in this guide. Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

It is absolutely essential that if you put them together that you see the meeting through to conclusion, whether that be success or failure. You cannot interrupt boars bonding unless a fight is breaking out. You cannot do an introduction/play date, separate them and then put them together again on a different day - the session has to be done in one go. If they like each other then they need to be moved to their cage together at that point and then remain together from then on. You also need to be aware that bonding actually goes on for some weeks after the initial introductions and at any point during that time it could fail.

As mentioned above two boars need a much larger cage.

This guides will help you determine behaviours
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! This forum is really helpful.

Also how can I convince my friend that boards need a buddy? He's convinced that they're solitary single because of the misinformation online :(
 
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