my only option is petsmart
- Thread starter Park
- Start date
ah ok
Welcome to the forum! A lot of the experts are from the UK and as such are probably sleeping right now, but they'll be around when they can.
My Piggies
Adult Guinea Pig
Hi
Of course, we always encourage people to get their piggies from rescues. But if that is not an option, then ultimately there is not much you can do about it if you really want piggies.
Sometimes pet stores have piggies for adoption after they pass a certain age. This would be better than buying babies
To answer your second question:
If when you get them, they were already living together, then they can go straight into their new cage together.
If they are in separate enclosures when you get them, then they will need to be introduced on neutral territory first (if all goes well after a few hours, they can go into their cage together).
Ensure your cage is a strongly recommended size of 150cm x 60cm (2x4 C&C cage). The Midwest cage meets the minimum requirements for two girls (120cm x 60cm), but if you can bigger is always better. Most pet store cages are completely unsuitable and too small.
Cage Size Guide
Have a look through the threads in this section. They are very helpful to new piggy owners:
New and Wannabe Guinea Pig Owners Corner
Hope this helps
Of course, we always encourage people to get their piggies from rescues. But if that is not an option, then ultimately there is not much you can do about it if you really want piggies.
Sometimes pet stores have piggies for adoption after they pass a certain age. This would be better than buying babies
To answer your second question:
If when you get them, they were already living together, then they can go straight into their new cage together.
If they are in separate enclosures when you get them, then they will need to be introduced on neutral territory first (if all goes well after a few hours, they can go into their cage together).
Ensure your cage is a strongly recommended size of 150cm x 60cm (2x4 C&C cage). The Midwest cage meets the minimum requirements for two girls (120cm x 60cm), but if you can bigger is always better. Most pet store cages are completely unsuitable and too small.
Cage Size Guide
Have a look through the threads in this section. They are very helpful to new piggy owners:
New and Wannabe Guinea Pig Owners Corner
Hope this helps
the problem is that i only have one cage so i dont know how i would introduce them on neutral territory without squashing them in a tiny space using the midwest divider, and i looked through the threads ive been researching guinea pigs for the last 7 hours and ive wanted guinea pigs for years. so i know about all the stuff like you should have 2 instead of 1 etc etcHi
Of course, we always encourage people to get their piggies from rescues. But if that is not an option, then ultimately there is not much you can do about it if you really want piggies.
Sometimes pet stores have piggies for adoption after they pass a certain age. This would be better than buying babies
To answer your second question:
If when you get them, they were already living together, then they can go straight into their new cage together.
If they are in separate enclosures when you get them, then they will need to be introduced on neutral territory first (if all goes well after a few hours, they can go into their cage together).
Ensure your cage is a strongly recommended size of 150cm x 60cm (2x4 C&C cage). The Midwest cage meets the minimum requirements for two girls (120cm x 60cm), but if you can bigger is always better. Most pet store cages are completely unsuitable and too small.
Cage Size Guide
Have a look through the threads in this section. They are very helpful to new piggy owners:
New and Wannabe Guinea Pig Owners Corner
Hope this helps
unless I'm mistaken what you mean by "neutral territory"
My Piggies
Adult Guinea Pig
A place they both have not been. This could be a playpen, or even a bathroom. They will need to be put together so they can bond - you don't want them separated by a divider. If they have already been together in the pet store, then they can go straight into their new cage.
Siikibam
Forum Donator 2022/23
Neutral territory is somewhere they have not yet been. That could be a play pen set up somewhere in the house or the bathroom etc. just make sure wherever it is is safe and they can’t reach wires etc.
If you go for that, it’s also strongly suggested that you book them in for a vet check a week after you get them. Also learn about sexing so you can check them yourself. Pet shops (in the U.K. and US) have been known to missex piggies. You know what that leads to. I also agree that the bigger the cage, the better, even for a pair of sows. Would you be able to buy a second Midwest and join them together?
Have a look at the link below for rescues. Good luck.
Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations
If you go for that, it’s also strongly suggested that you book them in for a vet check a week after you get them. Also learn about sexing so you can check them yourself. Pet shops (in the U.K. and US) have been known to missex piggies. You know what that leads to. I also agree that the bigger the cage, the better, even for a pair of sows. Would you be able to buy a second Midwest and join them together?
Have a look at the link below for rescues. Good luck.
Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations
yes thats what I'm planning to do in the future but at the current moment i cant get another
in my bedroom theres a bunch of wires next to my desk in a pile (everything else is clean) so i would basically need to block off the wires and things like that and just plop the piggies in when we get home from the store?
and ive been looking online how to sex a guinea pig and I'm pretty sure ive got it
Siikibam
Forum Donator 2022/23
If they have been living separately then yes. Is there no other place you could do the bonding in the house? The other thing to bear in mind is that if it didn’t work out, they would need to live alongside each other - each in a cage of 120x60cm.
Regarding sexing, it’s hard to do without a piggy on hand. Have a read of our guide I’ll link to below. You are checking for the penis ridge about the button and the fleshy seal just inside the slit.
Illustrated Sexing Guide
Another thing to think about is what you would do if one or both piggies ended up being pregnant. And have you started up a vet fund?
Regarding sexing, it’s hard to do without a piggy on hand. Have a read of our guide I’ll link to below. You are checking for the penis ridge about the button and the fleshy seal just inside the slit.
Illustrated Sexing Guide
Another thing to think about is what you would do if one or both piggies ended up being pregnant. And have you started up a vet fund?
As the others have said, its better to get two piggies that have been in the same enclosure and are choosing to spend time together. This way you can reasonably assured that they somewhat like each other. If they are in the same enclosure, you dont need to do anything other (bond wise) than bring them home and put them in their cage.
If they are in separate enclosures at the shop, then you need to introduce them to each other.
You will need to carry out the neutral territory bonding yourself. This is a process which lasts several hours. Provided you put both the piggies into cage at the same time as soon as you get home, then the cage can be the neutral territory - as neither of them will see it as their own territory beforehand.
However, to do this, it is absolutely essential you are certain they are both the same sex before you bring them home and put them together.
You must not have any hides in the cage/bonding pen during bonding, only a pile of hay. You can add hides once you are sure they are getting on after a few hours. Ensure all hides have two exits.
As babies they are usually desperate for company and would likely be a successful bond, but any bond comes down to character compatibility so any on spec bonding (ie taking two piggies who were previously separate) and putting them together always comes with a risk of failure ie they don’t like each other, won’t bond and will need to be kept in separate but side by side cages permanently.
As you have a Midwest cage, then you will have to have two females because a Midwest is not big enough for two males.
The guide below explains the bonding process
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
If they are in separate enclosures at the shop, then you need to introduce them to each other.
You will need to carry out the neutral territory bonding yourself. This is a process which lasts several hours. Provided you put both the piggies into cage at the same time as soon as you get home, then the cage can be the neutral territory - as neither of them will see it as their own territory beforehand.
However, to do this, it is absolutely essential you are certain they are both the same sex before you bring them home and put them together.
You must not have any hides in the cage/bonding pen during bonding, only a pile of hay. You can add hides once you are sure they are getting on after a few hours. Ensure all hides have two exits.
As babies they are usually desperate for company and would likely be a successful bond, but any bond comes down to character compatibility so any on spec bonding (ie taking two piggies who were previously separate) and putting them together always comes with a risk of failure ie they don’t like each other, won’t bond and will need to be kept in separate but side by side cages permanently.
As you have a Midwest cage, then you will have to have two females because a Midwest is not big enough for two males.
The guide below explains the bonding process
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Freela
Senior Guinea Pig
In some places, there really just isn't a lot of access to rescues. I have pigs from Pet Smart in Canada. They are healthy, happy, wonderful pigs. In Ontario they are even very good in Pet Smart about separating by gender so that there aren't any accidental pregnancies, though I can't vouch for the US. So try not to feel bad about it. It's always best to adopt when you can, but it's just not always feasible depending on location, accessibility, etc.
It may be possible for you to bring home a pair of pigs that are already living together. In that case, you may not have to introduce. If you do introduce them, it's best done in neutral territory (I actually do introductions in the bathtub... I put down towels so it's not slippery, I put a pile of hay in the middle, and I put a pig on each end and then sit there ready to break up any squabbles until they have accepted each other. There's a good sticky on bonding guinea pigs on the Bonding and Behaviour page, make sure to give it a good read so you'll be able to assess when it's going well, what is normal dominance behaviour, and what is a problem where you should intervene.
Best wishes with your new pigs and I hope you find the forum helpful!
It may be possible for you to bring home a pair of pigs that are already living together. In that case, you may not have to introduce. If you do introduce them, it's best done in neutral territory (I actually do introductions in the bathtub... I put down towels so it's not slippery, I put a pile of hay in the middle, and I put a pig on each end and then sit there ready to break up any squabbles until they have accepted each other. There's a good sticky on bonding guinea pigs on the Bonding and Behaviour page, make sure to give it a good read so you'll be able to assess when it's going well, what is normal dominance behaviour, and what is a problem where you should intervene.
Best wishes with your new pigs and I hope you find the forum helpful!
Do be aware that most piggies from pet shops are not bonded as such. They are usually just put together for sale with little to no regard for character compatibility. That doesn’t mean to say there will be any problems and the bond will fail down the line, but it’s always worth bearing in mind that those piggies are unlikely to have chosen to be together.
yeah we are going to look for ones that seem the most happy together
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
That's a really nice approach - if you watch the group a while before you make your decision you can sometimes see 2 that are hanging out together, eating together, especially resting together - that would be a good choice. Folks get carried away with looks sometimes but that doesn't mean anything to piggies. I've had long-hair, short-hair, fuzzy ones and tufty ones, crested ones and floofy ones, red-eye, dark-eye and somewhere-in-between-eye... all lovely piggies 
(mind you, when my mum adopts a new cat she does always ask for one with a lot of white fur but that's so she doesn't fall over it in the dark on the way to the bathroom! Luckily we don't have that problem with piggies
)
(mind you, when my mum adopts a new cat she does always ask for one with a lot of white fur but that's so she doesn't fall over it in the dark on the way to the bathroom! Luckily we don't have that problem with piggies
)yeah thats exactly what i was gonna do also thats pretty funny lolThat's a really nice approach - if you watch the group a while before you make your decision you can sometimes see 2 that are hanging out together, eating together, especially resting together - that would be a good choice. Folks get carried away with looks sometimes but that doesn't mean anything to piggies. I've had long-hair, short-hair, fuzzy ones and tufty ones, crested ones and floofy ones, red-eye, dark-eye and somewhere-in-between-eye... all lovely piggies
(mind you, when my mum adopts a new cat she does always ask for one with a lot of white fur but that's so she doesn't fall over it in the dark on the way to the bathroom! Luckily we don't have that problem with piggies
Freela
Senior Guinea Pig
That's funny... I was the opposite, at one point I told the kids 'no more white piggies' because I find their fur EVERYWHERE. The other ones shed too but it doesn't show that much. That said, our next piggie after I made that statement ended up being Leela... who is mostly white. She just seemed like the right one in spite of that! LOL! But yeah... I am always covered in Leela hair!That's a really nice approach - if you watch the group a while before you make your decision you can sometimes see 2 that are hanging out together, eating together, especially resting together - that would be a good choice. Folks get carried away with looks sometimes but that doesn't mean anything to piggies. I've had long-hair, short-hair, fuzzy ones and tufty ones, crested ones and floofy ones, red-eye, dark-eye and somewhere-in-between-eye... all lovely piggies
(mind you, when my mum adopts a new cat she does always ask for one with a lot of white fur but that's so she doesn't fall over it in the dark on the way to the bathroom! Luckily we don't have that problem with piggies