Aggressive bereaved guinea

[Tflynn]

I have a recently bereaved guinea pig who has always had a nervous personality compared to her mate. My mum has 7 guinea pigs so we have tried introducing her to them. We have followed all the guidelines of separate cages next to each other etc. She is still aggressive with them. I now need to decide what to do next. Keep her alone inside with us for company or consider if a younger mate may be more acceptable . She is two now. Any help or advice would be amazing

 

[Siikibam]

Did you introduce on neutral ground? How is she aggressive? Could you perhaps take one from the 7 and pair them with her for company? She really does need to be near other piggies, even if it’s through the bars.

Otherwise the best Way to go would be to find her a friend from a rescue that does dating. character match is the main thing rather than age.

 

[Wiebke]

I have a recently bereaved guinea pig who has always had a nervous personality compared to her mate. My mum has 7 guinea pigs so we have tried introducing her to them. We have followed all the guidelines of separate cages next to each other etc. She is still aggressive with them. I now need to decide what to do next. Keep her alone inside with us for company or consider if a younger mate may be more acceptable . She is two now. Any help or advice would be amazing

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry for your loss!

Fear-aggression in bereaved guinea pigs that have lost a life-long companion and have not the first handle on how to interact with strangers is pretty common.

Please give these piggies time to live alongside others to get used to interaction and gradually lose their fear. It is generally not a quick process in my own experience and can take weeks or even months to work past. During this time, having neighbours through the bars is interaction and stimulation enough.
Always introduce on neutral ground. Please also accept that happily bonded piggies usually do not appreciate being ripped out of a group or bond.

If you want to try a youngster or a neutered boar, please enquire about rescue dating. Good welfare standard rescues are currently working on socially distanced safe procedures to allow adoptions and bonding sessions to resume again over the coming weeks and months, as official guidance and further Covid-19 flare-ups allow.
Please never get a companion on spec with a fear-aggressive piggy unless you have got a plan in the rather likely case a bonding attempt will fail. I assume that you have a girl?
Rescue Locator (recommended rescues link for some other countries at the bottom)

Here is more information on fear-aggression:
Moody guinea pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics (includes a chapter on the typical fear-aggressive behaviours)