Hi! I’m new to the forum. I am Abby. I’m a fairly New Guinea pig owner. I have 3 guinea pigs, 2 of which are brothers( Gronk and Bingus ) , and 1 who is my newest member(Oreo). When we got Oreo they said he was around 2 months old, and he was very skittish at first but now he is a lot more comfortable with us but recently he has a lot of energy and has been popcorning a lot. Is this normal?
Super energized piggy
- Thread starter 0_abby
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Welcome to the forum. Are all 3 boars living together?
Siikibam
Senior Guinea Pig
You will need to find the new boy a piggy to live with in a pair. Boar trios rarely work and you don’t want to risk three singles. The new one is not yet in his teens (4-14 months). That time is enough to test even a well bonded pair, so mixing that in with a trio is madness.
No, Oreo is in his own habitat, but my other 2 males (Gronk and bingus) are brothers and are in the habitat.
Yes it's great he is more active, he has now settled in and has become more comfortable.
You will need to find Oreo his own new friend though for his long term happiness. He won't be lonely as he as long as he is kept side by side with the pair so they can interact through the bars but as he is only young, he will benefit from having a cagemate to share his space with.
Do remember that boar pairs need a cage of 180cm x 60cm as they are more territorial and need a lot more space.
You will need to find Oreo his own new friend though for his long term happiness. He won't be lonely as he as long as he is kept side by side with the pair so they can interact through the bars but as he is only young, he will benefit from having a cagemate to share his space with.
Do remember that boar pairs need a cage of 180cm x 60cm as they are more territorial and need a lot more space.
Siikibam
Senior Guinea Pig
You need to get the 2 month old a companion as soon as possible. At that age they need companionship more than anything - and that means living with another piggy rather than communicating through the bars. How long ago did you get him?W
I did find a companion, but was not able to adopt them because they were being treated for an URI. I got Oreo about a week and a half ago, and the companion I found was just put on antibiotics a week ago. We plan on adopting him as soon as we can.
My siblings have a 10sq ft habitat. I have 4 different hides and lots of space for them to run around. I do keep an eye out for any aggravation towards one another but haven’t seen any signs of them being aggressive. I do have a back up cage just in case they do end up having a falling out. The place I got my piggies from said it is very hard to find a pair of piggies that get along as well as the ones I have.
That's fine. Its a little smaller than we recommend for boars but 10 sq ft is the minimum cage size for two boars.
Its not necessary the case that its hard to find two piggies who get on well - its about character compatibility and its something every single functioning pair of guinea pigs has to have to be able to live together.
It's lovely you've found a new friend for Oreo. Do be aware though that if they have if you are taking the new piggy on without dating them first (which you've obviously not been able to do due to the URI), then there is a risk they won't be compatible upon introduction or when they hit their teens (4-14 months of age)
The place we got Oreo from said he was about 2 months, and my siblings are now about 6 months In 2 weeks, the piggy companion what I am waiting for is a about 2-3 months.
We do have our eyes on a larger habitat that is about 16 sq ft but we are redoing the room we keep the piggies in so I have a very limited space at the time. I have been in contact with the vet about the companion and when the soonest I am able to adopt them, and they said if all goes well with the baytril that I might be able to take them home sooner and finish off their antibiotic session at home.