Older guinea pig on her own- need advice for finding her a new friend

[G&C&C]

After one of my two guinea pigs passed over a month ago I’m looking at finding a new friend for my guinea pig who is now by herself. She’s 5 now so on the older side for a guinea pig, she was always the more dominant of the two, she’s actually calmer now she’s on her own, my other was a little on the feisty side too so whilst they were inseparable they had their fair share of squeaky arguments . But she’s not as active and does seek a lot more socialisation from me (which I try to give her plenty of but I’m not always there to) and that suggests she’d be better with a friend. I’ve been looking at rescue places but it’s hard to find any female guinea pigs not already paired. I’ve heard that a younger guinea pig would be easier to bond as they’re more likely to accept an older pig as the dominant one. I am worried there’s the possibility they won’t get along. Any advice for bonding guinea pigs etc?

 

[Bill & Ted]

So sorry you lost one of your girls
The best thing to do would be to email the rescues and tell them you have a bereaved female. Most rescues have singles waiting to be paired up that aren’t advertised so don’t be put off if you don’t see them online. Be prepared to look a little further too as most piggies travel very well in a cat carrier with hay and some vegetables
Have you looked on our recommended rescue page? Good luck!

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-forum-recommended-rescues.196734/

 

[Merab]

Have a look at the bonding guides.
They have some good information on what works or doesn’t work.

When I was left with an older sow I opted to get 2 young sows on the basis that if the bonding didn’t work they could live side by side but the new pair would have each other.
I didn’t live anywhere near a rescue at the time so dating wasn’t an option.

I was lucky in that Merab was so desperate for companionship that bonding was easy.
The 2 young ones were never a threat to her status and we had a very happy trio.

So sorry for your loss. I hope you find a lovely companion soon.
The Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue is in Kidsgrove which may be accessible to you.

 

[Wiebke]

After one of my two guinea pigs passed over a month ago I’m looking at finding a new friend for my guinea pig who is now by herself. She’s 5 now so on the older side for a guinea pig, she was always the more dominant of the two, she’s actually calmer now she’s on her own, my other was a little on the feisty side too so whilst they were inseparable they had their fair share of squeaky arguments . But she’s not as active and does seek a lot more socialisation from me (which I try to give her plenty of but I’m not always there to) and that suggests she’d be better with a friend. I’ve been looking at rescue places but it’s hard to find any female guinea pigs not already paired. I’ve heard that a younger guinea pig would be easier to bond as they’re more likely to accept an older pig as the dominant one. I am worried there’s the possibility they won’t get along. Any advice for bonding guinea pigs etc?

Have you tried Bunnies in Need, which is a new rescue? They have one of their very experienced fosterers in Wallsall who used to foster for the RSPCA for a long time. Log in to Facebook

Your other option would be to rescue date a submissive/laid back neutered boar. Rescues know the temperament of their piggies and can help you with finding a match of your old lady's choice.
If you want to find out more how rescue dating works: Rescues (Adoption and Dating), Shops, Breeders or Online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs

 

[sunshine1981]

After one of my two guinea pigs passed over a month ago I’m looking at finding a new friend for my guinea pig who is now by herself. She’s 5 now so on the older side for a guinea pig, she was always the more dominant of the two, she’s actually calmer now she’s on her own, my other was a little on the feisty side too so whilst they were inseparable they had their fair share of squeaky arguments . But she’s not as active and does seek a lot more socialisation from me (which I try to give her plenty of but I’m not always there to) and that suggests she’d be better with a friend. I’ve been looking at rescue places but it’s hard to find any female guinea pigs not already paired. I’ve heard that a younger guinea pig would be easier to bond as they’re more likely to accept an older pig as the dominant one. I am worried there’s the possibility they won’t get along. Any advice for bonding guinea pigs et.

After one of my two guinea pigs passed over a month ago I’m looking at finding a new friend for my guinea pig who is now by herself. She’s 5 now so on the older side for a guinea pig, she was always the more dominant of the two, she’s actually calmer now she’s on her own, my other was a little on the feisty side too so whilst they were inseparable they had their fair share of squeaky arguments . But she’s not as active and does seek a lot more socialisation from me (which I try to give her plenty of but I’m not always there to) and that suggests she’d be better with a friend. I’ve been looking at rescue places but it’s hard to find any female guinea pigs not already paired. I’ve heard that a younger guinea pig would be easier to bond as they’re more likely to accept an older pig as the dominant one. I am worried there’s the possibility they won’t get along. Any advice for bonding guinea pigs etc?

I am in the exact same situation, I had a bonded pair of female piggies. And sadly we lost our precious lil Honey,. It has been a month now and we are going to adopt a lil baby piggie. I am a lil scared because Sunshine is 3 and she was the dominant pig. We are adopting a lil tiny guinea pig that was born in August and we are not quite sure how is the best way to bond the new lil one. We are so excited about our new addition! And just want to do it right. Good luck to you! And hope you find your new forever lil forever friend!

 

[Merab]

I am in the exact same situation, I had a bonded pair of female piggies. And sadly we lost our precious lil Honey,. It has been a month now and we are going to adopt a lil baby piggie. I am a lil scared because Sunshine is 3 and she was the dominant pig. We are adopting a lil tiny guinea pig that was born in August and we are not quite sure how is the best way to bond the new lil one. We are so excited about our new addition! And just want to do it right. Good luck to you! And hope you find your new forever lil forever friend!

Have you seen the bonding guides on the forum?
They are very good for guidance on how to bond piggies.