Guinea pig not accepting the new one

[Flora]

(I apologise in advance for any mistakes english isn't my first language)

About 2 weeks ago one of my guinea pigs died.The other guinea pig Chelsey get's afraid very fast so I deceided it would be the best to get her a new friend soon so she wouldn't feel alone and frightened.
We got one from the shelter and introduced them to eachother in the hallway (neutral terrain) Things seemed to be going quite ok but then Chelsey started to bite. So we decided they both needed more time so we put them in seperate cages but in such a way they could still see and smell eachoter. But as soon as we put them toghether again Chelsey started to bite again she even bit me very hard when I tried to seperate them. So we put them apart again and tried a few days later and the same thing happened. I really don't know why because Indy never does anything and Chelsey was never aggresive before. Now I don't know what to do anymore?/
Indy get's more and more afraid afraid everytime so I don't want to put her together with Chelsey anymore. Now I have two dillema’s; Should I try getting another guinea pig for Chelsey? Do I bring Indy back to the shelter ( I am already quite attached to her) or do I get her a new friend and keep her here.

Not an option:
-Keeping both Indy and Chelsey apart; because Indy is very sweet and she doesn’t deserve to life alone when there is no need to.
-Getting a new friend for both of them: there is now way my parents will agree with that and I can’t take 4 guinea pigs with me when I go life on my own (hopefully this summer)
-Putting Chelsey and Indy together again. Unless a miracle happens somehow and Chelsey is not crazy anymore.

Option my parents wont mind:
- Giving Indy back to the shelter and keeping Chelsey alone. I am already quite attached to her though and she is a bit of an older guinea pig so I don’t think she would find a new owner fast.

Options I would have to get my parents to agree with first:
- Get a new friend for Indy and keep Chelsey alone. This would mean Indy and the new one get the big oustide cage, Chelsey the smaller one and I would take Chelsey with me when I live on my own. (And if I live on my own I can come and clean the outside cage when I am at home in the weekend)
- Get a new friend for Indy and when they are used to eachother maybe try putting them all together . They can all live in the big outside cage then.

What do you think is the best thing to do?

 

[Flora]

My parents have said we can get another guinea pig when it is spring. So at least Indy can get a new friend.

 

[Wiebke]

Good news!

I agree that Indy should have a new friend. Sadly, some older sows won't accept a new mate, but they will still appreciate having the company of other piggies next door.

 

[Flora]

Yes they both seem to like seeing eachother trough the gauze(not sure if that is the right word) now. I guess they don't see eachoter as threaths this way.

 

[Flora]

I do wonder though what to do if we get another guinea pig. My idea was to get Indy and the new one used to each other for a while and then maybe try if we can ad Chelsey to the group maybe she won't be so aggresive when she is outnumbered and now she had some time to cope with the death of her friend.
Is this a good idea?

 

[Wiebke]

The best way to make sure that Indy gets along with her new friend is to take her to a rescue where she can "piggy date" and finds a piggy she clicks with, either a girl or a neutered boar.

I have done that twice with good success, once bonding two sows and once an older sow with a younger neutered boar. However, not every sow will necessarily accept a boar; but it is aways worth finding out.

Here is a list of rescues in Britain. It is worth ringing around, as not all rescues offer dating or have suitable piggies in at all times. http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk/gp/centres.asp

As to Chelsey, you could take her dating as well; perhaps you are lucky. Otherwise, I would concentrate on Indy and let her settle with her new mate first. Chelsey might unbend eventually, but in my own experience it is counterproductive to try and push any piggy - they will generally dig their heels in.

 

[Flora]

" piggy dating" sounds nice. Unfortunately I live in the Netherlands where the closest rescue is a 35 minutes drive. The last time my dad picked up Indy there after his work because it was quite close. But that is not really an option then. My parents (and especially my mother) are not so willing to get a new guinea pig and having to drive a lot doesn't really help. My mother is even saying now that we should try putting Chelsey and Indy together again. I am not sure that that is a good idea:{

There are no neutered boars in the closest rescue. (the closest one with neutered boars is a 58 minutes drive away.)

I have to see what I can do. It depends a lot on my parents as long as I still live at home.

 

[Wiebke]

Wishing you and Iny the best of luck!

I am lucky enough that although my hubby DOES mind, he will drive me those distances or more to get a guinea pig or to bond a piggy.

If you cannot date your guinea pigs, getting a few weeks old baby/youngster would be your best alternative for safe bonding.

 

[Flora]

Thank you. You are lucky for having such a helpful husband.

There are no baby guinea pigs in the rescue at the moment. (But there still is some time till spring so maybe there are some then). I will ask the rescue if Indy can go (and try to get my parents to agree with) guinea pig dating in the spring.

Edit: I just noticed I posted this in the wrong place. Sorry. I think this should be placed in Guinea pig care- behaviour.

 

[scpiggy]

Good news!
Sadly, some older sows won't accept a new mate, but they will still appreciate having the company of other piggies next door.

While that may be true for some sows my girl pumpkin was 3 when i introduced her to the two sows she's with now. she lost her sister when she was a year old and wouldnt bond with our other pig sprinkles so we kept them in cages next door to each other. but when sprinkles passed away we tried introducing pumpkin to two young sows and she's now a very happy pig because of it (she doesnt like being taken out of the cage alone for cuddles because she misses them x) ). so i wouldn't give up on Chelsey not bonding with any other guinea pig just yet.
wish you lots of luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[Flora]

It is good to know that there is still a chance that Chelsey will accept an other guinea pig. At the moment I am thinking of taking both Chelsey and Indy to the rescue so I can try finding a sow they both like but I don't know if that is possible in that rescue and I must get my parents to agree with me.
At the moment I am also really wondering wether I should take the piggies with me when I go live on my own. We have a wonderfull huge home for them outside and I would need to find a solution if I want to keep them inside since we only have a small cage for indoors. I still have some time to think this trough though. I will probably move the end of the summer if I am lucky.
If I do decide to take them with me that might make my parents a bit more helpful.

 

[Flora]

After a lot of online reading about bonding guinea pigs. I decided a while ago to give it one more try and only intervene when I saw blood. I put them in a new bought run on the grass. At first Chelsey was pulling out fur of Elly/Indy (we changed her name) and Elly was squeaking loudly. It was very hard for me seeing this and not do anything but there was no blood. And I noticed Elly was squaking out of fear, not of pain. The grass was a good distraction and Chelsey became less agressive and Elly less scared. After a while they were eating grass together.

Now they are together for 1-2 weeks and they are getting quite attached to eachother. Chelsey has tought Elly how to walk stairs. (the lower floor is grass) A few days ago I saw them downstairs eating grass together. They are also lying next to eachother in there sleep area.

I am really happy for both of themxx>>> I had little hope I would be able to bond them, let alone that they would like each other this much.