hey guys. my guinea pig hank is around a year and a half. i rescued him from a shelter about 2 weeks ago and they aren’t 100 percent sure how old he is. lately he’s been going under his little blanket we have for him in his play pen and just sitting under it all day unless he’s eating or drinking. is this normal for a guinea that’s new to a family or just normal in general? thanks!
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sleeping guinea?
- Thread starter baijensen
- Start date
Seven7
Forum Donator 2026/27
Welcome
Guinea pigs do better in pairs. Because they are herd animals, they need to be with another piggy of same sex. I am not sure if he is fixed or not. Boys do better in smaller group of no more than two and a big cage for them to roam around.
Hank is probably not confident enough to come out from under blanket on his own.
Guinea pigs do better in pairs. Because they are herd animals, they need to be with another piggy of same sex. I am not sure if he is fixed or not. Boys do better in smaller group of no more than two and a big cage for them to roam around.
Hank is probably not confident enough to come out from under blanket on his own.
Eviolus-
Teenage Guinea Pig
He's probably still scared, try putting a blanket over the cage and having another pig will definitely help him come out his shell
Guinea pigs are prey animals and, as such, are cautious little guys. In a new environment, especially alone, it's pretty normal for them to seek cover to help them feel safe and protected. I work from home and can also vouch for the fact that my pigs are up in the morning when the kids are getting ready for school, then lay around (besides occasionally eating and drinking) for much of the day until the kids come home again (at which point they get back up to try to convince the kids to feed them.) Then they are active in the evening for snack time and floor time and then crawl into the pigloo together and go to sleep. So the daily routine of a guinea pig may not be that adventurous, and I don't think it's uncommon that your pig is spending a lot of time not being active. I would also really encourage you to consider a companion pig for him- they really are wired to be social and two guinea pigs are a lot happier and more active than one.
when we got hank everyone at the shelter said he HATED being with other guinea pigs... he would bit them and control them and so my family decided they just didn’t want to deal with it.
Eviolus-
Teenage Guinea Pig
You could try having him in a cage with another pig with a divider for a while before giving up on letting him have a friend
Hi and welcome!
Guinea pigs are prey animals that live in groups. they are territorial and define themselves first and foremost through membership of a group.
They take time to get used to a new environment; especially a noisy home environment. It doesn't sound like Hank has had much in the way of friendly interactions with humans or has had any positive experiences in terms of a home environment.
They also feel much more exposed when on their own; especially if his companion has died or he was separated after a fight.
Please take the time to read the information in the links below carefully. It tells you about how coming into a home and being handled by humans looks to them, how prey animal instincts function and how you can work around them; how you can make friends with Hanks in ways that he instinctively understands (piggy whispering) and slowly build up a bond of trust. Please be aware that this is not a quick process, but a much more satisfying one when you can bring a traumatised, stressed pet round eventually!
Here is the access link: Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide
Here is our boar guide, which also contains a chapter on how to best go about companionship: A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
And here is the link to our full New Owners' very useful and practical 'how to' information guides that cover all the areas we get the most questions and concerns about from new owners: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides