Two Male piggies together? Need advice...

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Annie59

I'm wondering if anyone could give me advice. I have a 8-9 month old male piggy, Ricky. He is my pride and joy! I feel sad that he is all alone and have thought about getting another. I don't have much room in the house but I'm sure I can get a bigger cage and bring in a new GP. Here's my problem... I swore never to get a piggie from a pet store again since poor Ricky has been sick since the day I got him. One abscess after another (5 in total). He is still a baby. Finally, it's a month since no abscesses, which is a record! He always grows another one about a week after the last one heals. My fingers are crossed. My dilema is this....I hate pet stores since Ricky came from one (but I wouldn't trade him for the world!), but we have a small local pet store here and I have been going in there for months now and there is a guinea pig that is always there. In a little small corner cage. The babies come and go, but this one is always there. I spoke to a girl in the store and she said no one buys him because he is big now. He is just over a year old and gorgous. A beautiful orange. He has never been sick, which is a good sign after Ricky always being sick. I swore that when I got back from vacation on July 12th that if he is still there, I am taking him home, but I have been advised not to put two males together. So I am wondering how many of you out there have two males and what do you think about this? I really need advice. I am told males fight a lot. I want to take him home and give him the love he deserves. He has been in a little cage for a year with only water and pellets. The girl in the store says they take him out and play with him but I wonder how often. I want to cry when I see him. I always go straight to his cage and he is always there, hiding in his log. I don't want to upset Ricky but I can't bare to see this little piggie alone anymore. What do you all think? I appreciate any advice!
 
Hi Annie,

The poor thing. :( The problem is they may not get along as they are round the same age. Ricky may benefit from a young boar. If you do get this lad from the pet shop then you have to be prepared for the falling out and have space to seperate.

Are there any rescues in your area?

Good luck whatever you decide,

Louise
x
 
aww poor pig. Well knowing me I would probably get him ::) but you do have to be prepared for fallings out (as louise said) which sometimes boars have. On the other hand they could really enjoy each others company and never argue.
 
Obviously it depends on the pigs they all have different personalities, I've always kept boars in pairs and luckily never seen a fight but i've always either got them together as babies or paired a baby with an adult which seems to work most times. I know how you feel, I almost want to ask you where the petshop is but am restraining myself, I would be hesitant about trying to bond two adults especially since ones had health issues and the other has become accustomed to being alone but if you have the space for two cages should they not want to live together you can but try.
 
Thank you all for your advice. I'm actually in New York. I know most of you are from the UK. The pet shop is here in Long Island NY. I wish some really great family would come and get him and give him a loving home. Sadly, most people here just buy them for their children to play with and know nothing about GP's. Actually, about 10 or 15 years ago, my sis had a guinea pig for her 4 kids. I remember going over there and holding him. He was adorable. But when I asked her what ever happened to him, she said....."I don't remember". I love my sister, but that broke my heart. She may have brought it back to the petshop because the kids outgrew him. Me, I love mine so much that I would be sick if anything happened to him. Maybe that's why I feel so sad for this lonely gp in the pet store. I have to go there today for Ricky's hay and I always go visit him. I think I may ask if I can hold him today. Just to see his disposition. I'm sure there are rescues in the area, but I just can't shake this little guy out of my head. Maybe they are wrong and it's a girl. But then I'd have to worry about babies! I can't make any decisions until I come back from vacation on July 12. My mom and dad are taking care of Ricky. He was going to go to my sisters (who now can't get enough of animals!) but since we actually live at my parents house it will be easier. I didn't want to stick my parents with both my cats and Ricky. But they want to do it. They won't take him out though, so I feel bad about that, but I know he'll be ok. My dad loves him.
I would buy a larger cage so if it became a problem I would have the old one, but I don't have room for two cages! Oh what a big dilema! :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ Well, I appreciate any one's experiences with two males. It will help in my decision! I'll let you all know.
 
I've 6 males all in pairs and it can work out. I can't see why Ricky and this guy can't work out but you have to be prepared if it doesn't.

As for if she is female well she is way past the age for a first pregnancy so wouldn't be advisable to put them together without getting Ricky neutered.

:)
 
I have 8 boars and paired most of them and it all comes down to personality as to wether they will get along. It is imossible for you to judge as you havent seen each GP in that situation. One that seems shy in your arms could be veru dominant when put with another boar!
The most important consideration is to have the space etc if the pairing doesnt work and they can live in separate cages side by side.
Secondly, how you inroduce them is very important. Slowly slowly in neutral territory over a period of days, even weeks. There is some good advice on bonding boars on the cavyspirit site or if you go ahead, come back here for our experiences!
I have one older boar who I tried pairing up twice and both times he attacked them. He is happiest alone but within sight of the others.

Best of luck and really glad Ricky is well at last :)
 
I am the voice of doom regarding boys ;D

I have 4 boys all living separately - Huxley & Hamish were 6 & 9 wks old when they were first introduced and were separated when Huxley started to bully Hamish when they were approx 16 months old, there was no fighting but he wouldn't allow Hamish to walk freely and would run between food bowls/pigloos to prevent Hamish eating or resting.
These 2 are now just over 3 & have lived happily side by side since i separated them, they they can see each other & can interact if they choose but mostly they potter about doing their own thing.

Toddie, aged 10 months at the time chose himself a 6wk old baby; Irving. He loved Irving & would cry for him if i took him out of the hutch. All was well for approx 5 wks; i noticed Toddie was bullying him, he wouldn't let him eat veggies no matter how i scattered them around the hutch, then he wouldn't let Irving down the ramp, if Irving "dared" to go near him he would chase him into a corner. I felt i had no choice but to separate them before full on fighting started.
I did try them again in my run - Irving did a huge jump in the air, teeth chattering and landed on Toddie who obviously reciprocated with chattering teeth, they had made their point & now live side by side - happily winding one another up ;D

If you have the room to accommodate 2 single boys (if he is a boy) then go for it :)
 
Thank you all for all your input. I've got time to make a decision. When I come back from vacation on July 12th, he may have already been taken from the store. I doubt it since he's been there well over a year and no one has shown any interest. But it sure would make it easier for me. Although I would be a little sad. I wish I could find a big cage with a seperation down the middle. I've never seen one like it here. Well, thank you all so far for all the info. It helps me to know what I might expect!
 
You could get c & c `s and it is easy to split them down the middle and they are really cheap in the States and loads of places do them. Target stores do coloured grids and they are the cheapest I think! You can get the correx from sign stores.

www.cavycages.com

;)
 
Gee Lavenderjade, I wish I read your e-mail earlier! I just came home from Target! Thanks for the input, I WILL look into it!
 
If it was me, I'd have to at least give it a go! And as others have said, you can built a divide in the cage if they don't get on well enough.
 
Hey, I have two boars when I got them I was told not to put them together because they fought.So I let them together at floor time and they fought a little not any blood just trying to find out who the boss was.I did that a couple times till I got a bigger cage and then I put them together and the fuss if I take them apart now they love each other. As long as they don't fight when you let them meet I would not worry.But let them meet on the floor or something.
 
Thanks again guys! I think I may give it a shot. I went to go see him today. He's a cutie. He's all rust color (light orange). When I stick my face in front of the cage to talk to him, he runs in his little wooden box. I feel so bad. He deserves a loving home. Not a small corner cage in a pet shop for over a year. I won't be able to get him until after July 13. I'm sure he'll still be there. I'll let you all know if I take him home!
 
Two Female piggies that don't get along

Hello,

I am looking for any advice about what to do when guinea pigs do not get along. I bought Oreo (female-1 year old) a year ago, and she seems very lonely. I am not in the house so much anymore, so I thought I would get her a pal. I bought Nutmeg (female- 8 weeks old) about 2 weeks ago. They are in separate cages for now, but Oreo's cage is big enough for 2, so the hope was to put them both in there so they could keep each other company.

I take them out everyday to play with both of them together, so that they get used to each other and stuff... Nutmeg loves Oreo, she follows her around and always wants to be near her. This really annoys Oreo and she attacks her a lot. I have been looking online about fighting, and she does not draw blood, because I always separate them when they start fighting. It seems some websites suggest not separating them until they draw blood and anything before that is just establishing dominance, and the fighting wont stop until this is done... Does this seem right? I don't want either of them to be hurt (though Nutmeg is the only one that would be hurt, as she is a lot smaller than Oreo).

I am wondering how long should i try to get them to get along before I give up? If I put them in the same cage, will they deal with each other? or will they like kill each other? If they don't ever get along is the only thing i can do leave them in separate cages? Are there any tricks to get them to like each other?

Any advice is welcome,

Thanks,

-Jen
 
Re: Two Female piggies that don't get along

kase342 said:
Hello,

I am looking for any advice about what to do when guinea pigs do not get along.  I bought Oreo (female-1 year old) a year ago, and she seems very lonely.  I am not in the house so much anymore, so I thought I would get her a pal.  I bought Nutmeg (female- 8 weeks old) about 2 weeks ago.  They are in separate cages for now, but Oreo's cage is big enough for 2, so the hope was to put them both in there so they could keep each other company. 

I take them out everyday to play with both of them together, so that they get used to each other and stuff... Nutmeg loves Oreo, she follows her around and always wants to be near her.  This really annoys Oreo and she attacks her a lot.  I have been looking online about fighting, and she does not draw blood, because I always separate them when they start fighting.  It seems some websites suggest not separating them until they draw blood and anything before that is just establishing dominance, and the fighting wont stop until this is done... Does this seem right?  I don't want either of them to be hurt (though Nutmeg is the only one that would be hurt, as she is a lot smaller than Oreo).

I am wondering how long should i try to get them to get along before I give up? If I put them in the same cage, will they deal with each other? or will they like kill each other?  If they don't ever get along is the only thing i can do leave them in separate cages?  Are there any tricks to get them to like each other?

Any advice is welcome,

Thanks,

-Jen
Click to expand...

I believe you know within a few days as to wether they are going to get along unless a fight breaks out.  I'm not one for waiting til blood is drawn before i separate, why have a wounded piggy  :-\
Oreo being the lead sow will chase and nip Nutmeg, this is all normal behaviour & she's letting Nutmeg know she is the boss, if she decides she doesn't wish to share her home then they can live separately but side by side so they can interact/see one another but they may be ok at run time together.
Introductions should be done on totally neutral ground, a pile of veggies helps, hoping that they should be distracted by the veggies and by the time they've eaten them have gotten used to the other being around.  Nothing in the run where one piggy can trap another & you may have to do this a few times for an hour or so before Oreo hopefully accepts Nutmeg

Good Luck with them  :)
 
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