Introducing A New Guinea To Your Already Loved Guinea Pig

[Lindsey9122]

I have never owned a guinea pig however I have two rabbits (there huge 10+ pounds) I recently purchased a guinea pig who I believe is female and have fallen in love she is outgoing,noisy and loves attention however I read that they are heard animals and need friends. I would love to get another but I'm scared it may cause problems. Can I add another guinea pig or should I expect issues?

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

You can and tbh you should! It'll be lovely for you and it will really make your little girl come alive.

Have you got any rescues near you for bonding? Bonding on your own can be a little bit daunting to start with so it's always good to have help! It always looks worse than it is

 

[DM030819]

I would approach a local rescue to help with the bonding. You'll need to know for definite the sex of your piggy. The last thing you want is babies!

The rescue can help you sex her,or a vet.

 

[Freela]

Guinea pigs are social animals and I truly don't think you will regret adding another. Your guinea pig will be happier and you will end up with two pets to love so everyone benefits. Two guinea pigs are a lot more interesting than one as well, as you will get to see a lot more fascinating natural behaviors.

It's very important to be 100% sure of gender before adding another pig (as you said you believe yours is a girl but didn't sound 100% sure!) You can post a picture of their nether regions here for a confirming opinion, or a vet or rescue should be able to confirm the sex for you to ensure you get two pigs of the same gender!

 

[Lady Kelly]

In my experiences of bonding I have only ever encountered two problems and that involved bonding piggies 10 times. One time was two males who just weren't having it. Sows tend to be more accepting though you can get the occasional stubborn one and some older sows are less willing to take changes. I currently have 4 pigs living together and Lily only came to us last weekend, I set the kitchen up and introduced the dominant sow and Lily first in our arms and then put them all down and left them to it and there was not one smidgen of tension at all. They just got on with it as if Lily had always been there.

A reputable rescue would be your best bet though as that bonding process can be very stressful when you don't know what to expect or what to do as they can help find a suitable piggy and help with the bonding. They will try one and if it doesn't look like it will be successful they may try another. Another option is a neutered boar for your sow as well

 

[Tiamolly123]

More fun for your piggy & you if there's two.