Single Guinea Pig - Looking For A Buddy

[hannahpiglets]

Hi everyone,

Up until recently I had 3 male piggies. Sadly 2 of them have passed away over the last week or so. We now have 1 little guy by himself.

When I first got the piggies, they all lived together - two baby twin brothers and a 3 year old. They all got along well until the babies hit the teenage years, but then one of the babies started chasing the older pig around and biting him and drawing blood. The babies absolutely loved each other so since then the babies lived in one side of the cage with the older gent on the other. He seemed a lot less stressed out like this and would still popcorn and seemed happy with the arrangement.

The babies have now died and my older pig is completely alone. I'm not a guinea pig expert at all, but based on my experience of him being repeatedly chased and bitten by the little piglet, I'm going to assume my surviving piggy is quite submissive and laid back. When I adopted him, I was told that he had previously lived with another male who had died.

I'm going to try to find a new pal for my boy but I'm torn between looking for a baby or a grown pig. The benefits of a grown pig are that he would have grown into his personality so we could tell if he's likely to continue to get along with my piggy, but my baby piggies developed such a bond with me and I would like to try to replicate this with another piglet that I have from very young.

Does anyone know what would be best?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry for your loss.

A successful bond comes down to character compatibility, with age much less of a factor. The best way to find such a character compatible friend is via the help of a rescue centre. If you can take him dating then he can choose his own friend - he may choose a younger or older but the fact he has chosen himself is the important part.

As you have found boar trios mostly don’t work - three boars together find it rather difficult to get the mix of characters right and this is why it mostly fails. Plus the space required to attempt a boar trio is considerably larger than normal cage sizing requirements.

Any piggy can form a bond with you regardless of their age but it is worth noting that on the whole boars tend to mellow with age anyway and become more friendly as they get older

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

 

[hannahpiglets]

I’m sorry for your loss.

A successful bond comes down to character compatibility, with age much less of a factor. The best way to find such a character compatible friend is via the help of a rescue centre. If you can take him dating then he can choose his own friend - he may choose a younger or older but the fact he has chosen himself is the important part.

As you have found boar trios mostly don’t work - three boars together find it rather difficult to get the mix of characters right and this is why it mostly fails. Plus the space required to attempt a boar trio is considerably larger than normal cage sizing requirements.

Any piggy can form a bond with you regardless of their age but it is worth noting that on the whole boars tend to mellow with age anyway and become more friendly as they get older

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Thanks very much for your advice.

I'm not going to attempt 3 boars again, though we do have a fairly large space - 5x2 - though I understand more is better, particularly with boars. Just 2 this time!

Dating would be a good idea. I have had a look for rescues around here that do guinea pig dating, but unfortunately the only one I found was no longer offering the service due to Covid. I will keep my eyes peeled, though, and maybe if I explain the situation to rescues who don't advertise a dating service will allow me to bring my piggy to meet a potential cagemate before taking them home.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Definitely just stick to a bonded pair. A 5x2 is the recommended size for a boar pair but is far too small to attempt a trio (you would need to double it to get close to being big enough for a trio).

If they don’t offer a dating service, then often they will allow you to try the bonding at home and then return the piggy and try another if it is unsuccessful.

Good luck