I Bought A Guinea Pig Yesterday, Should I Get Another One?

Christine101 · Jul 30, 2014

Hello everyone! I am new to this forum. My 14 year old daughter got a guinea pig yesterday after wanting one for quite some time, and we brought it home. It is a male, aged 5-6 months. We put him in a temporary cage while we are finishing up his 1x4 CNC cage. I was wondering if they are okay by themselves, or if they need a companion. I am just worried because he hasn't moved much and standoffish since we brought him home. My daughter stuck her hand in the tank to fix the water bottle and he ran around the cage; is he just scared because he is in a new home? And if we did get another one, should it be younger and smaller? We were watching him interact with the younger guinea pigs in his 'tank' at PetSmart, and he nipped and chased the younger one. However, he was sweet when we held him before purchasing him. We are just wondering if we should wait to put him in his new CNC cage so that they can both be on new ground, or if we should just put him in there when it is finished (in a few hours), and use a separation system. If we do get a new one-we would probably get it either tomorrow, or Friday. He seems perfectly fine in his temporary cage now, but still isn't moving. Will his bond with my daughter not be as strong if he were with another guinea pig? And will they fight later on? Thank you all for your help!

MycuteBoys · Jul 30, 2014

Hiya and welcome. He really needs a friend Hun because they are social animals and they get lonely on their own, there is a rescue link at the top of the page it will help you find a proper rescue place near you, they will be able to help you with piggy dating which is when your helped to find another boar to pair with your fella

MycuteBoys · Jul 30, 2014

I'm going to tag @Wiebke as she is very knowledgable and she can add the right links for you, can you update your location so that we can help fine near by rescue places.
He will be very nervous to start with he needs time to settle in before you handle him, keep talking to him, make sure he has lots of places to hide eg boxes, snuggle sack, tunnels so he feels safe. he needs to learn to trust you and your daughter I have 3 boars that were brought for my two daughters we have had them appox 7-8 weeks and for the first few weeks we thought they would never bond with us but they are doing, having a another piggy will help not hinder your piggy and bonding, It can take a long time to be able to put your hands in and they let you pick them up.

Hope this is of some help

Caviequeen · Jul 31, 2014

If you get him a friend he will be a lot more out going and happy and him getting social and more used to you and your daughter will be easier because another pig will make him feel at ease try a boar dating service that some rescues offer.

KittyandNancy · Jul 31, 2014

Hi and welcome! I am assuming you're from the USA, as I am. May I ask what state you're in? I'm in Minnesota.

Yes he, like others have said needs a friend. He also needs to get out of his aquarium. I assume that's what you meant when you said he was in a tank. They need lots of ventilation, something an aquarium can't give them, even more so if you're using any kind of wood shavings as bedding.

I would get the cage built ASAP and get him a friend and then put them both in there at the same time as it will be new to both of them, so neutral ground.

I don't think a 1x4 C&C cage is big enough for two guinea pigs. The minimum for 2 is a 2x4, but I'm pretty sure boys need a bit bigger than that, so they can get away from each other if they want to.

I don't mean to over load you with info, but I want you to get them off on to a great start with each other and your family.

They're tons of fun, but it takes time for them to trust you.

Angela

Wiebke · Jul 31, 2014

Hi and welcome!

Would you please add your country, state or (for the UK) your county to your details? the options you have depend very much on where you live. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. With members from all over the world, that will help immensely in always giving you the appropriate advice and recommendations straight away.

Guinea pigs should not live on their own. They are herd animals and not wired to live on their own; your boy is feeling very lonely and exposed at the moment. Most shop piggies also have not had much interaction with humans, so they react instinctively by letting a predator "play" with them and worry them without getting much of a reaction in the hopes that the predator loses interest soon and they survive. That is the "nice with humans" behaviour you are witnessing in the shop.

Unfortunately, at five to six months old, your boy is currently at the most difficult age for a successful bonding; you have seen his dominance behaviour in the shop as he is in the midst of his teenage macho hormones (they last from 4-14 months, but around 6 months is one of the major spikes). Yu will have to take that into consideration when you set out about finding him a suitable friend.

You can ideally look for a younger, preeferably non-dominant subhormonal baby boar for company; that will mean that they are never quite at the same stage during the pre-adult stroppy months and dominance is more lear cut, which means that you have a somewhat improved chance of avoiding a fall-out; whether they take, very depends on just how boisterous and hormonal your boy is right now!
Unless you have got access to a good rescue (your location needed for info on that!), you would have to plan for your two boys to live next to each other with interaction and stimulation through the bars if things don't work out. The key to any successful boar bond is character compatibility, but that is the one factor you cannot control when buying from a shop or a breeder - hence why so many boar pairs have an unnecessarily bad track record.

Alternatively, you can consider having your boy neutered by a good vet with experience and a good track record in small animal operating, so he could live with a sow after a 6 weeks post op wait to make sure that he is 100% safe to live with a sow or two (I have the surprise baby courtesy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post neutering op boar living with me, just to prove that point).
The latter option has the advantage that cross gender bonds are the most stable of them all, but they come with the especially for America and Australia quite high expense and the not inconsiderable risk of complications depending on the quality of the vet and his operation team, provided that you have access to a piggy savvy vet in the first place. Unfortunately, unlike rabbits, neutering doesn't change boar behaviour or personality, so it won't do anything towards the success of a boar-boar bond.

MycuteBoys · Jul 31, 2014

Thank you @Wiebke

I Bought A Guinea Pig Yesterday, Should I Get Another One?

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