Hi, Sarah!
You can have as many guinea pigs as you can care for. With two separate pairs cost basically doubles. Please be aware that the biggest financial factor is vet cost, which can quickly run into the hundreds of pounds/dollars if your guinea pig is seriously ill and needs an operation or expensive tests, so you need to provide for that.
If you live in rented accommodation, you also need to have your landlord's permission to keep pets.
If you want more guinea pigs at this stage, you need to consider these factors:
- boars go through a hormonal teenage stage between ca. 4-14 months of age during which they develop their adult identity. Only then it decides whether they are character compatible. The risk of splits and fall-outs is higher if you have bought a couple of babies that have not been character matched and that have to go through the big hormone spikes together. Being brothers doesn't change anything - two dominant boars will fight and if you have one that is too dominant and the other too submissive, you can end up with bullying. Boars generally work best in pairs or in really large groups, least in trios, quartets and small groups.
You may want to consider whether it is better if you waited a few months to see how your delightful little babies are doing first when they turn into boars, and whether you need to find them a character compatible partner each if you have to split; whether that is a rescue dated boar or a sow or two each 6 weeks after your boars have been neutered (you need a good vet for that and the operation is not cheap in OZ). Being able to provide plenty of space and having the option to find new companions is a real boon, as it gives you so many more options.
- you need to keep any boars only pairs out of sight and reach of sow pheromones, as that can set them off when sows have a strong season. That means that any boar cage is ideally across the room, above the sow cage or at least separated by an opaque high divider.
I have my upper cages on 75X150 cm Ikea tables (some of them extended by now) that accommodate a cable tied 2x4 grid cage. It fits into the bottom cage. I clean the bottom by lifting the table with my shoulder to pull out the soiled bedding and put new underlay and fleece in.
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- if you want sows, please get them from a reputable rescue if possible to eliminate the risk of buying pregnant sows. Boars start firing live rounds from 3-5 weeks onwards while sows have their first season between 4-6 weeks. Mis-sexing is not uncommon, nor is ignorance about the fact that guinea pigs can make babies basically as soon as they are weaned and long before the testicles have descended. Basic ignorance is still rampant especially in breeding circles that breed for sale.
There are several good standard guinea pig rescues in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area, one in Melbourne and one rescue in NSW; if you add your state to your details, I can provide you with contacts.
