New Guinea Pig

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Oreo94544

Junior Guinea Pig
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My Mom bought my son a guinea pig. It's a baby and we've only had her for two days. I have been reading that we should have two of them because they get lonely, but how long should I wait to bring in another female baby? Or should I do it right away? Our current guinea pig ( Oreo ) is still very scared and we have been trying to hold her and talk to her, but she is still very stand offish so I'm not sure if now is a good time to bring another one in before she gets adjusted or wait for her to get adjusted and then introduce another female to her?
 
Oreo94544 said:
My Mom bought my son a guinea pig. It's a baby and we've only had her for two days. I have been reading that we should have two of them because they get lonely, but how long should I wait to bring in another female baby? Or should I do it right away? Our current guinea pig ( Oreo ) is still very scared and we have been trying to hold her and talk to her, but she is still very stand offish so I'm not sure if now is a good time to bring another one in before she gets adjusted or wait for her to get adjusted and then introduce another female to her?
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Hi and welcome

The sooner you can get your little girl a same sex companion, the better. Babies are simply desperate for company and are feeling very lost without. You are actually going to speed up the settling in if they are not feeling so alone and exposed. ;)

Please double-check the gender of both piggies before you introduce them.
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
Sexing Guide

Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Sow Behaviour

Tips on settling in, handling, interacting and understanding guinea pigs as well as care, learning what is normal and what not and spotting illness as well as saving up for vet care right from the start via this link here:
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
 
Thank you everyone. I'm going to go get her a friend. It breaks my heart to think she is scared and lonely, but I had no idea they like to be in pairs. She is my first guinea pig so I've been doing a lot of reading and just trying to learn as much as possible.
 
I am going today after work to get her friend.

I'm getting a new cage so there that it will be brand new to both of them and I got a play yard for their introduction and for play in the future. Should I get a hut or house big enough for both of them or should I get one for each? Also, toys?

Sorry so many questions. I've always had animals, but never guinea pigs. I'm excited to start this new journey with my new friends.
 
Oreo94544 said:
I am going today after work to get her friend.

I'm getting a new cage so there that it will be brand new to both of them and I got a play yard for their introduction and for play in the future. Should I get a hut or house big enough for both of them or should I get one for each? Also, toys?

Sorry so many questions. I've always had animals, but never guinea pigs. I'm excited to start this new journey with my new friends.
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Get a house each, what size your cage?
 
Ena kletka in skupna sprehajalka Veliko veselja z novimi prijatelji.
 
Skypipdot said:
Get a house each, what size your cage?
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The new cage I got is

35 in L x 17 in W x 20.25 in H without play yard
35 in L x 51 in W x 20.25 in H with play yard

The play yard attaches to the cage. I figured that would be good for the introduction?
 
Make sure to get two of everything - food bowls, bottles etc. a hidey which fits two piggies is a good idea but still get two of each in case they want to sleep separately.
Toys - tunnels (cardboard) are always popular.

Is there playspace going to be available to them 24/7? Ive just done a conversion from inches to cm and without the play space available to them 24/7 then the cage isn’t big enough. I assume these are inch measurements which makes the cage only 88 x 43cms without the playspace which is far too small. A cage measuring 140cm by 60cm is necessary for two females but bigger is always better and then an additional playspace on top of that is always good. A cage which is too small is a very common cause of them arguing and relationship breakdown.
Do Correct me if I’ve misunderstood though.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Make sure to get two of everything - food bowls, bottles etc. a hidey which fits two piggies is a good idea but still get two of each in case they want to sleep separately.
Toys - tunnels (cardboard) are always popular.

Is there playspace going to be available to them 24/7? Ive just done a conversion from inches to cm and without the play space available to them 24/7 then the cage isn’t big enough. I assume these are inch measurements which makes the cage only 88 x 43cms without the playspace which is far too small. A cage measuring 140cm by 60cm is necessary for two females but bigger is always better and then an additional playspace on top of that is always good. A cage which is too small is a very common cause of them arguing and relationship breakdown.
Do Correct me if I’ve misunderstood though.
Click to expand...

Is it safe to give them the playspace when nobody is around to watch them? The other cage ( the one Oreo is in now ) is bigger. Could I use this cage just simply for introduction and play time then keep them in the other cage when they are not being watched or would that confuse them and cause problems? I planned on letting them use the new cage and play yard for a few hours tonight during introduction then letting them sleep in the new cage tonight since it does not have either of their scents on it. Then tomorrow night move them over to the bigger cage after I thoroughly clean it and let it air out overnight.
 
it depends on what the playpen is like and whether you’ve got other pets that might hurt them. A lot of people keep their piggies in c&c cages which are open topped and obviously they are left unattended at various periods.
There is no problem with having a cage for them to live in and a separate playspace so moving them from one to the other shouldn’t cause problems once they are used to their difference spaces.
As you know, you need to bond in a neutral space when you’ve got a few hours to watch them and then they get moved into their cage together, so what you have planned doesn’t sound like a problem given neither of them will have been in the new cage previously anyway.
What a lot of people do with commercial cages (which I am assuming yours is) when one isn’t big enough is join two together so that they have a larger cage permamently, and then have a separate playspace which can be attached to the cage when in use.
Do make 100% sure that yours is a female and that the friend you get is also definitely female.
Read the bonding guides on here on how to do bonding, but also signs to watch out for as to whether bonding has worked.
 
Piggies&buns said:
it depends on what the playpen is like and whether you’ve got other pets that might hurt them. A lot of people keep their piggies in c&c cages which are open topped and obviously they are left unattended at various periods.
There is no problem with having a cage for them to live in and a separate playspace so moving them from one to the other shouldn’t cause problems once they are used to their difference spaces.
As you know, you need to bond in a neutral space when you’ve got a few hours to watch them and then they get moved into their cage together, so what you have planned doesn’t sound like a problem given neither of them will have been in the new cage previously anyway.
What a lot of people do with commercial cages (which I am assuming yours is) when one isn’t big enough is join two together so that they have a larger cage permamently, and then have a separate playspace which can be attached to the cage when in use.
Do make 100% sure that yours is a female and that the friend you get is also definitely female.
Read the bonding guides on here on how to do bonding, but also signs to watch out for as to whether bonding has worked.
Click to expand...

Yes, I read about them needing to bond in a neutral place that's why I figured the brand new cage with the play yard would be perfect. I'll have a few hours tonight to sit with them and watch them while they get to know each other. Then ( fingers crossed ) all goes well with them during the bonding time I will let them sleep in the new cage just for tonight.

I don't think the play pen is a safe place for them to be alone. I do have dogs, but Oreo and her new friend are in my son's room and we keep the door shut so the dogs can't get in. But, not sure how high the play yard fence is yet.

I will get them separate houses or huts tonight as well so they can go their separate ways when going to sleep if they'd like.

I will check out the bonding guides right now. Thanks.
 
Or maybe I should let them sleep in separate cages for now? And then when I am home I can put them in the playpen together?
 
Oreo94544 said:
Or maybe I should let them sleep in separate cages for now? And then when I am home I can put them in the playpen together?
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Try to keep it to once introduced dont ever split them apart unless the bond hasnt worked out
 
Oreo94544 said:
Or maybe I should let them sleep in separate cages for now? And then when I am home I can put them in the playpen together?
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Welcome. Sounds good.
I think slow is better in this case so I would put them in separate cages but put them close to each other so they can see and hear each other until they get used to each other.
 
OK, last question. Sorry I'm a pain. So should I let them sleep in the new cage ( neutral cage brand new ) or put them in the bigger cage that Oreo has been living in after I clean it?
 
It may just be better to put them straight into Oreo’s clean cage rather than use the new one, given you say oreo’s cage is bigger than the new one. No point bonding them and then putting them into a cage which we know is too small for two. So, pop them into the neutral bonding pen and while they are in there, clean Oreo’s cage - importantly though, that is provided you can still keep an eye on them while they are doing their introductions - and then put them into Oreo’s bigger cage once the introductions have gone well.
I agree with seven - it may be better to keep them separate but next to each other for a while so they can realise that there is another piggy nearby before actually putting them completely together for introductions.
 
Got it. I will keep them in separate cages for a few days, but put them right next to eachother so they can see eachother and smell eachother Then this weekend I'll introduce them in the playpen part of the new cage and get the big cage cleaned out for them to make their home.

Thank you everyone so very much for all this information. It has helped me so much. I'm sure we'll all be talking again soon.
 
Update - I got Oreo a friend, her name is Snickers. I put their cages together and they were talking to each other and trying to get to each other so I decided to attempt to let them meet and it went great! They are really getting along.
 
Oreo94544 said:
Update - I got Oreo a friend, her name is Snickers. I put their cages together and they were talking to each other and trying to get to each other so I decided to attempt to let them meet and it went great! They are really getting along.
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Thats great, I'm happy for you and your pigs
 
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