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My Guinea pigs friend died

Hungrypiggies

Hungrypiggies

New Born Pup
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hi I need some advice,
I had 2 male Guinea pigs but unfortunately on Sunday one of them died. Now I have a male Guinea pig without his friend, I know Guinea pigs need freinds as they are very social. How soon do I need to get one? He is quite a dominant Guinea pig, so would it be better to get a younger or older Guinea pig to bond with my Guinea pig? My Guinea pig is about 1 year and couple months. I would appreciate any advice.
 
I’m so sorry for your loss.

As long as your piggy is eating and seems ok you can leave it a couple of weeks. If they start to become depressed then you’ll need to get them a friend sooner.

I’ve always bonded a baby with an older boar and it’s always worked for me. But as long as they are compatible they will want to be together.

Good luck I hope you can find him a friend.

Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
 
Ok I will keep an eye on him. Thank you I will look for a younger boar then.
 
I’m sorry for your loss.

As above, provided he is eating and otherwise ok you have a few weeks to grieve yourself, allow your piggy to grieve and come up with a plan


The best thing is to get in touch with a rescue centre if possible and ask is they are able to help you find an available single boar to bond with your boy - known as boar dating. The key factor to any bond is character compatibility and mutual liking, and that comes before age of either piggy.

If you cannot go to a rescue to date him, then you can try to bond him with a baby (ie from a pet shop) as the baby is unlikely to challenge for dominance. But do be aware that it isn’t always the case - we have seen bondings between older piggies and a baby fail straight off.
There is also the risk that as the baby hits his teens that he may also become dominant and that could put the bond at risk later down the line. It isn’t a given that that will occur but it’s best you are informed and can plan.
Any on spec bonding has the chance of failure and if you carry out an on spec bonding (ie without having been able to date) then you always need a plan b for living arrangements in that they live separately but in side by side cages.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
 
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