New Guinea Pig(s)?

[lovewalkedby]

i have had my sow, amy, for four years now and sadly she has been kept alone for two years. i have never tried resocializing her after my last sow, cookie, passed away (two years ago). the reason i haven’t tried pairing her up isn’t because she seems rude or i believe she wouldn’t do well with another cage mate, it’s simply because my parents weren’t too keen with the idea of owning another guinea pig.

however, the time has come where i finally convinced them and they agreed to finding her a female friend or friends. i'm interested in two female guinea pigs (from a rescue) that are sisters and are around eight months old. but i have read over and over that trios tend to not work out and that one will most likely be left out, this worries me because the reason why i wanted to get new guinea pig(s) in the first place is so amy wouldn't be so lonely anymore. the idea of her being left out doesn’t appeal to me.

there aren’t many rescues around my area that put up single piggies for adoption and i don’t want to wait any longer than i have to for my baby to get a companion(s).

btw, i estimate amy is around five years of age and shows no signs of illness. when she lived with cookie, she was the dominant one. amy and cookie did fight a lot, but that could be because i placed them in a cage that was too small (which i regret very much). i do believe that amy is very sweet, she lets me pet her all the time. i can’t imagine amy being considered a mean piggy and desperately want to find her someone/piggies she could cuddle up to at night.

i would really appreciate your opinions and suggestions. i’m new to this forum but I'm anxious to get some feedback. thank you

 

[Tiamolly123]

The bad things you've heard about Trios, is trios of boys which rarely work. I boar & a couple of girls should be fine. I would think after a couple of years alone, she would be desperate for company. If you get piggies from a rescue they will bond them all, but that could be a long time. However I think they have quite a large dating list. I would go for younger piggies, that'll breathe some fun & live into Amy. Hope everything goes well.

 

[Wiebke]

i have had my sow, amy, for four years now and sadly she has been kept alone for two years. i have never tried resocializing her after my last sow, cookie, passed away (two years ago). the reason i haven’t tried pairing her up isn’t because she seems rude or i believe she wouldn’t do well with another cage mate, it’s simply because my parents weren’t too keen with the idea of owning another guinea pig.

however, the time has come where i finally convinced them and they agreed to finding her a female friend or friends. i'm interested in two female guinea pigs (from a rescue) that are sisters and are around eight months old. but i have read over and over that trios tend to not work out and that one will most likely be left out, this worries me because the reason why i wanted to get new guinea pig(s) in the first place is so amy wouldn't be so lonely anymore. the idea of her being left out doesn’t appeal to me.

there aren’t many rescues around my area that put up single piggies for adoption and i don’t want to wait any longer than i have to for my baby to get a companion(s).

btw, i estimate amy is around five years of age and shows no signs of illness. when she lived with cookie, she was the dominant one. amy and cookie did fight a lot, but that could be because i placed them in a cage that was too small (which i regret very much). i do believe that amy is very sweet, she lets me pet her all the time. i can’t imagine amy being considered a mean piggy and desperately want to find her someone/piggies she could cuddle up to at night.

i would really appreciate your opinions and suggestions. i’m new to this forum but I'm anxious to get some feedback. thank you

Hi and welcome!

What you call 'mean' is dominance behaviour at the core of any guinea pig social interaction. Guinea pigs live in strictly hierarchical groups. Not cuddling up (which is what most piggies do) doesn't mean that they aren't firmly bonded or best of friends.

The best and safest way to find Amy a friend of her own choice - whether that is a neutered boar, a submissive adult sow or a pair of young sows (ideally well bonded ones) that will have each other for company in the longer term and that cannot threaten your girl's top spot - is one of our recommended rescues. Most offer dating at the rescue; they can also guarantee that any of their adoptees is healthy, not pregnant, stably bonded if in a pair and has had regular human interaction while in rescue. The rescue will also support you if things do not work out to plan. that is a lot more service than you will get anywhere else and is really worth any extra effort!
Please be aware that we can guarantee only for the listed rescues; anybody can call themselves a rescue or breeder without license or control, and the results can be accordingly.
Since we have members from all over the world, it would be helpful if you could please add your country to your details, so we can tailor any advice to what is relevant and available where you are. Thank you!
Recommended good standard rescue in the UK: Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator
Recommended good rescues in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: Rescue Organizations

Guinea pig behaviour and bonding dynamics:
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Sow Behaviour

 

[sport_billy]

Welcome to the forum I can't add to the advice above but just wanted to say hi