My Guinea pig recently has started sleeping under my bed

[GuineaDad92]

Bit of a mad one, we adopted a baby Guinea pig in November and we have in our flat. We took him to the vet a few days ago and she said everything was fine with him.

He has recently started to rattle his cage to get out when we go to bed, so we open it up and he finds a spot under our bed and just runs around all night in and out of his cage having fun. Is this behaviour normal for a Guinea pig? Or should I move him to another room when he starts rattling the cage. I don’t mind it to be honest because it’s funny to see him follow me round the house to the fridge or run past me while I am working from home.

Just want to make sure he’s in the right environment is all

 

[Engel]

He could be lonely. Does he have a friend?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Guinea pigs are highly social herd animals and must be kept in pairs so they don’t get lonely. If he does not have a friend, then this could explain this behaviour.

It may not be safe for him to be running around out of the cage if you are asleep

Companionship

 

[GuineaDad92]

Guinea pigs are highly social herd animals and must be kept in pairs so they don’t get lonely. If he does not have a friend, then this could explain this behaviour.

It may not be safe for him to be running around out of the cage if you are asleep

Companionship

He doesn’t have a friend, he was adopted because he couldn’t be in a space with or rascals as they would always fight. We have had him for about 5 months now. We wouldn’t have space for a second cage in our apartment, is it possible to introduce them without that ?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

It sounds very much like the attention seeking behaviour of a lonely piggy that is desperate for whatever attention (positive or negative) they can get.
Who is the Boss - Your Guinea Pig or You?
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities (the last chapter deals with the issues that arise when a single is transferring their social needs onto their owner)

If you can, please find him a same sex mate and check the gender of both before introductions (we do have both step-by-step bonding and sexing guides).

 

[Wiebke]

He doesn’t have a friend, he was adopted because he couldn’t be in a space with or rascals as they would always fight. We have had him for about 5 months now. We wouldn’t have space for a second cage in our apartment, is it possible to introduce them without that ?

Hi

Are you withing reach of one of these rescues so you could date your boy and only come home with a new friend if acceptance has happened? Rescue Locator

The other option would be neutering so he could live with a sow from 6 weeks after his operation; I have adopted many 'unbondable' boars to have a very happy and fulfilling second career as a neutered 'husboar' living with a sow or even 13...
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars (includes chapters on companionship options and neutered boars)
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Rescues (Adoption and Dating), Shops, Breeders or Online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs

 

[Swissgreys]

He doesn’t have a friend, he was adopted because he couldn’t be in a space with or rascals as they would always fight. We have had him for about 5 months now. We wouldn’t have space for a second cage in our apartment, is it possible to introduce them without that ?

What rescue did he come from?
I only ask as I can't think of any reputable rescue who would rehome a single boar.
If he came from a chain pet store in the adoption section, then he may not have ever had a chance to meet multiple piggies, and the label of 'antisocial' may simply be because of one falling out.
It can take a few goes to find a friend, but with time and patience it usually is possible.

If his current cage is a decent size and he was bonded at a rescue you wouldn't need to get another cage - the idea would be that they live together so he has company of his own kind.

If his current cage isn't big enough for 2, then as you seem quite relaxed about them having space outside the cage you could attach a permeant additional run area, that is safe and enclosed.

 

[GuineaDad92]

What rescue did he come from?
I only ask as I can't think of any reputable rescue who would rehome a single boar.
If he came from a chain pet store in the adoption section, then he may not have ever had a chance to meet multiple piggies, and the label of 'antisocial' may simply be because of one falling out.
It can take a few goes to find a friend, but with time and patience it usually is possible.

If his current cage is a decent size and he was bonded at a rescue you wouldn't need to get another cage - the idea would be that they live together so he has company of his own kind.

If his current cage isn't big enough for 2, then as you seem quite relaxed about them having space outside the cage you could attach a permeant additional run area, that is safe and enclosed.

We got him as a single adoption from pets at home.

His current cage is a rabbit one, I bought the cage first with the intention of two piggies

 

[Piggies&buns]

We got him as a single adoption from pets at home.

His current cage is a rabbit one, I bought the cage first with the intention of two piggies

Then I would not trust what you have been told. He is likely to be able to be bonded with another piggy. It’s possible he fell out with is previous cage mate due to character incompatibility but it does not make him anti-social or unbondable - he simply needs to find the right friend.

if you could get in touch with a rescue centre, then they can help you find a suitable friend for him via boar dating or through neutering him, having his six weeks post op wait and then bonding with a compatible sow.

If you could give us the measurements of the cage, then it would be useful for us to be able to advise you on whether its big enough to add another piggy.
A lot of pet shop commercial cages aren’t appropriate (particularly for boars) and being called a rabbit cage does not mean it is big enough (in fact most cages labelled for rabbits would be woefully undersized for such)

 

[YvonneBlue]

My piggy Milo came from the adoption area of PAH, he had been there on his own for more than 4 months. When i asked about him i was told he would never be able to live with other piggies as he was 'nasty' with them. I didn't believe a word of it. It became obvious when we got him home that he was incredibly lonely and he interacted immediately with my other piggies through the bars of the run. We had him neutered and 6 weeks post op bonded him successfully with Hazel (who we sadly lost last year). He is actually a very sociable piggy and never leaves the side of his current wifelets Maud and Pol.

Please think about having your piggy neutered or getting him bonded with another boar. You will see his personality shine through when he has the company of another piggy.