recently got a guinea pig without knowing about the pair rule

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idkisuckwithusernames

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hello, just made an account because i found out about this and need some advice!


i had a guinea pig when i was a child and she lived a long time (7 years or so) and was apparently really loving and seemingly happy (i wouldn't remember much) but i've just found out about the pair rule. since i only had the one when i was a kid i simply assumed it was fine and instead did research on everything else, so this wasn't intentional.


i got her about 3 days ago now and the shop owner didn't care to tell me really anything about her, i only found out the gender from the receipt even, so i don't know how old she is or anything. so i suppose the question is if i should try and get a new one as soon as possible or if it's better to give her back? i'd have to get a job to get another one (my mom is helping financially while i do the work) so i'm not sure how long it would take but it also feels cruel to give her back. any advice would be much appreciated, thank you :)
 
:wel:

Piggies do need to be kept in pairs - it is one of their five rights. A single piggy is a lonely piggy, and although, due to their instinct, they would usually hide their loneliness and carry on with life, they would still feel it.
It’s even more important that a baby piggy is never kept alone. During the early weeks to months is when they are most desperate for companionship and learn about piggy life.

This means in order to give her the life she deserves, she really does need a friend (being young means she needs one straight away), a cage measuring 150x60cm and all the financial needs that come with pet ownership including having a vet fund saved up for emergencies (piggies are expensive when medical issues crop up).

So really the question comes down to whether you can provide all that for her.
If you can go and get a friend for her asap, then that is in her best interests.
With that said, as the pet shop has sold you a single piggy, if you decide you cannot get a friend for her then it would be best if you could surrender her to a rescue shelter so she can be properly bonded with a friend and then rehomed. If you give her back to the shop then it is likely she will still end up being resold as a single and would still be in an unhappy life.

Companionship
The Herd, the Group and I: Investigating Guinea Pig Identity and Society
Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs

If you go ahead and get her a new friend then it is essential that you bond them in the correct way - you cannot just get a new piggy and put the new piggy in her cage as that will be seen as a territory invasion and could cause a fight.

The guide below explains the correct way to bond two piggies.
You must put them on neutral territory for several hours. If all goes well then you clean out the cage they are to live in and then move them to it together.
We can offer more advice on bonding if you would like us to do so. In the meantime these guides will help you

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
 
Piggies&buns said:
:wel:

Piggies do need to be kept in pairs - it is one of their five rights. A single piggy is a lonely piggy, and although, due to their instinct, they would usually hide their loneliness and carry on with life, they would still feel it.
It’s even more important that a baby piggy is never kept alone. During the early weeks to months is when they are most desperate for companionship and learn about piggy life.

This means in order to give her the life she deserves, she really does need a friend (being young means she needs one straight away), a cage measuring 150x60cm and all the financial needs that come with pet ownership including having a vet fund saved up for emergencies (piggies are expensive when medical issues crop up).

So really the question comes down to whether you can provide all that for her.
If you can go and get a friend for her asap, then that is in her best interests.
With that said, as the pet shop has sold you a single piggy, if you decide you cannot get a friend for her then it would be best if you could surrender her to a rescue shelter so she can be properly bonded with a friend and then rehomed. If you give her back to the shop then it is likely she will still end up being resold as a single and would still be in an unhappy life.

Companionship
The Herd, the Group and I: Investigating Guinea Pig Identity and Society
Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs

If you go ahead and get her a new friend then it is essential that you bond them in the correct way - you cannot just get a new piggy and put the new piggy in her cage as that will be seen as a territory invasion and could cause a fight.

The guide below explains the correct way to bond two piggies.
You must put them on neutral territory for several hours. If all goes well then you clean out the cage they are to live in and then move them to it together.
We can offer more advice on bonding if you would like us to do so. In the meantime these guides will help you

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Click to expand...
thank you so much for the advice, unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any shelters that take them in my state and it’s not exactly possible to go out of state, how soon do you think i’d need to get a companion for her? obviously asap, but should there be a time limit i should strive for? if you even have any idea of that haha
 
idkisuckwithusernames said:
thank you so much for the advice, unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any shelters that take them in my state and it’s not exactly possible to go out of state, how soon do you think i’d need to get a companion for her? obviously asap, but should there be a time limit i should strive for? if you even have any idea of that haha
Click to expand...

A baby piggy should never be alone so if you can get her a friend tomorrow then that would be best, next week would be just about ok but I would not want to leave her alone for any than a week if you can help it.
To give you an idea, an adult piggy who has just lost their cage mate can be alone for a couple of weeks but then they need a new friend. Being a baby makes things more urgent.

I’ve linked below our other new owner guides below.
It explains the importance of weekly weight checks etc as well as everything else you will find use as a new owner (I appreciate you have had a piggy before but information has come on a long way!)

New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection
 
Welcome to the forum. :)
Is she definitely a female?
Please double check- feel free to post photos- as we get an awful lot of missexed guinea pigs from pet shops. The last thing you need is an accidental pregnancy.
Illustrated Sexing Guide
If you post a picture of her that could be helpful for working out whether she's still a baby- babies will need companionship much more urgently than an adult.
How much does she weigh?
Edit: Piggies&buns got there first :)
 
after looking at it some she seems to be an adult or at least nearing adulthood ! i will definitely try and get her a friend asap, i really want to keep them :) and i’ll definitely be looking even more into caring for them! thank you so much for the help
Piggies&buns said:
A baby piggy should never be alone so if you can get her a friend tomorrow then that would be best, next week would be just about ok but I would not want to leave her alone for any than a week if you can help it.
To give you an idea, an adult piggy who has just lost their cage mate can be alone for a couple of weeks but then they need a new friend. Being a baby makes things more urgent.

I’ve linked below our other new owner guides below.
It explains the importance of weekly weight checks etc as well as everything else you will find use as a new owner (I appreciate you have had a piggy before but information has come on a long way!)

New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection
Click to expand...
 
Adult is 14 months old onwards.

Have you had a chance to weigh her?
It’s important to do so every week as part of routine care to monitor hay intake. While their weight doesn’t tell you their age because the healthy adukt weight range is a huge one, it may give a very rough indication.
Also her nails - baby nails are very sharp, small and pointy.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Adult is 14 months old onwards.

Have you had a chance to weigh her?
It’s important to do so every week as part of routine care to monitor hay intake. While their weight doesn’t tell you their age because the healthy adukt weight range is a huge one, it may give a very rough indication.
Also her nails - baby nails are very sharp, small and pointy.
Click to expand...
have no weighed her (and will now have to add a scale to the list of things to get), as for her nails they’re on the sharper and smaller side but not much, hence why i’m leaning towards her probably getting close to adult hood, she’s also pretty big in general. also i’ll definitely be checking the sex soon as i’ve seen a few people suggest to do so
 
writing another question here since it relates. i’ve looked more into everything and id certainly have to get a larger enclosure for them, would it be okay for them to be in a smaller space for a week or two? shipment for a new one would take a week or two but id like to get her a friend sooner for obvious reasons. thanks in advance if anyone has any idea !
 
If you truly believe she is closer to adult rather than young baby then there is an argument that you should wait - get the bigger cage first and then get her friend once you have a cage the right size.

The reason for this is placing grown newly bonded piggies in a cage which is known to be too small can risk their bond failing. You never went them to feel hemmed in particularly in a new and fragile bond.
It takes two weeks after bonding for the hierarchy to be fully settled.
Every new territory causes a new round of two weeks of settling. So if you bond, let’s say tomorrow, the two weeks will be up just as the new cage arrives and you then have to change their environment which could set them into more unsettling times.
With that said there are ways to mitigate it by using soiled bedding to transfer scents (although this doesn’t mitigate space).

Also, if you get a new cage first (before the friend) but do not put your existing piggy into it, then you can use it as the neutral territory bonding pen as well as their new cage so avoiding the need to move them after a few hours of bonding.

If you do get a new piggy, say today, then you need to bond elsewhere in neutral territory first, then move them into the cage which is potentially too small.
Do not put a new piggy directly into the cage where another piggy already lives.

The exceptions to this is if she is struggling alone (even as an adult), or if she actually is a baby - in those cases she needs a new friend now regardless of anything else.
 
What are the measurements of the cage you have? This could make big a difference as to whenever you might get away with bonding now or not.
Two females need a minimum of 120x60cm (48x24 inches) so if it is that size then it will do.
150x60cm (50x24 inches) is better though for the long term living arrangements.
Equally the measurement required for a single piggy is also 120x60cm (48x24) so if it is smaller than that then it isn’t big enough for her as a single piggy so adding another into it may not be wise at all.


In addition, if you get her a new friend eg today, If that new piggy is a baby then even if your piggy is adult, the baby’s needs come first. A baby needs companionship so you will have to go ahead and bond (neutral territory then moving to the existing cleaned out cage) straight away regardless.

If both pigs are adult, then there is benefit in them living side by side for a few days/week before attempting neutral territory bonding. This allows new, scared piggies to settle and get to know each other between the bars before going through bonding (which is stressful even at the best of times). In this case you do need two cages, a third neutral bonding area and you would need to then ensure the cage they were to live in together is also cleaned down before moving them to it together following the several hours in the bonding pen.
 
Piggies&buns said:
If you truly believe she is closer to adult rather than young baby then there is an argument that you should wait - get the bigger cage first and then get her friend once you have a cage the right size.

The reason for this is placing grown newly bonded piggies in a cage which is known to be too small can risk their bond failing. You never went them to feel hemmed in particularly in a new and fragile bond.
It takes two weeks after bonding for the hierarchy to be fully settled.
Every new territory causes a new round of two weeks of settling. So if you bond, let’s say tomorrow, the two weeks will be up just as the new cage arrives and you then have to change their environment which could set them into more unsettling times.
With that said there are ways to mitigate it by using soiled bedding to transfer scents (although this doesn’t mitigate space).

Also, if you get a new cage first (before the friend) but do not put your existing piggy into it, then you can use it as the neutral territory bonding pen as well as their new cage so avoiding the need to move them after a few hours of bonding.

If you do get a new piggy, say today, then you need to bond elsewhere in neutral territory first, then move them into the cage which is potentially too small.
Do not put a new piggy directly into the cage where another piggy already lives.

The exceptions to this is if she is struggling alone (even as an adult), or if she actually is a baby - in those cases she needs a new friend now regardless of anything else.
Click to expand...
do you have any way of determining her age for sure? i know she’s on the larger side but that’s essentially all i have to go off at the moment. she’s friendly with me but kinda skittish, i’m not sure if that’s due to just not knowing me yet or feeling lonely and uncomfortable. i also technically have two cages on the smaller side if that would work until being able to get a bigger cage (she is currently in a regular dog cage with a tote kinda thing in the bottom to keep everything in as a temporary), or i can have them meet outside the cage before putting them together maybe? also, would i need two bowls and water bottles as well? and again thank you so much for the help

also, adding this since some have asked, i’ve checked after research and have determined she’s definitely female :)
 
idkisuckwithusernames said:
do you have any way of determining her age for sure? i know she’s on the larger side but that’s essentially all i have to go off at the moment. she’s friendly with me but kinda skittish, i’m not sure if that’s due to just not knowing me yet or feeling lonely and uncomfortable. i also technically have two cages on the smaller side if that would work until being able to get a bigger cage (she is currently in a regular dog cage with a tote kinda thing in the bottom to keep everything in as a temporary), or i can have them meet outside the cage before putting them together maybe? also, would i need two bowls and water bottles as well? and again thank you so much for the help
Click to expand...

Not really easy to gauge age - her weight, physical and nail shape can be indicators but not definitive because there is a wide range in what is normal for adults (even as babies)

It would be easier to help you if we have the actual measurements of the cages. If they are too small and below 120x60cm then neither will work.

Any area for bonding needs to be somewhere no pig sees as their normal territory. They will need to be in that space for several hours, sometimes even overnight, so it needs to be secure.

Yes you need two of everything. However we do not recommend the use of food bowls.
Just throwing their one cup of veg per pig and one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day directly into piles of hay around the cage is better. This allows the submissive pig plenty of chance to eat by preventing the dominant from being able to hog everything.
It is also much better enrichment and mental stimulation - it encourages them to use to their foraging abilities and keeps them active physically and mentally. Eating from a bowl is a mindless activity over in minutes.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Not really easy to gauge age - her weight, physical and nail shape can be indicators but not definitive because there is a wide range in what is normal for adults (even as babies)

It would be easier to help you if we have the actual measurements of the cages. If they are too small and below 120x60cm then neither will work.

Any area for bonding needs to be somewhere no pig sees as their normal territory. They will need to be in that space for several hours, sometimes even overnight, so it needs to be secure.

Yes you need two of everything. However we do not recommend the use of food bowls.
Just throwing their one cup of veg per pig and one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day directly into piles of hay around the cage is better. This allows the submissive pig plenty of chance to eat by preventing the dominant from being able to hog everything.
It is also much better enrichment and mental stimulation - it encourages them to use to their foraging abilities and keeps them active physically and mentally. Eating from a bowl is a mindless activity over in minutes.
Click to expand...
i have a room she hasn’t seen that they would be safe to bond and all that, and i didn’t know that about food bowls i’ll definitely keep that in mind!

i don’t use centimeters much so unless google is wrong i think unfortunately the cage she’s in currently is too small (24x17 in, 60x43 cm i believe), another cage is just shy of that at 101x56 cm (that one has it on the box) though the plan was to sell that one to try and get a bigger one for two — the other cage i mentioned having is about the same size as the one she’s already in.

… looks like i will now be trying to pressure my better off side of the family into giving me money asap
 
idkisuckwithusernames said:
i have a room she hasn’t seen that they would be safe to bond and all that, and i didn’t know that about food bowls i’ll definitely keep that in mind!

i don’t use centimeters much so unless google is wrong i think unfortunately the cage she’s in currently is too small (24x17 in, 60x43 cm i believe), another cage is just shy of that at 101x56 cm (that one has it on the box) though the plan was to sell that one to try and get a bigger one for two — the other cage i mentioned having is about the same size as the one she’s already in.

… looks like i will now be trying to pressure my better off side of the family into giving me money asap
Click to expand...

Yes sadly neither cage is good enough - the cage she is in doesn’t come close to being suitable even for her on her own.

If you could perhaps join the two cages together that would help but at just 17 inches it’s too narrow - you may need to hold off on bonding until you have housing sorted out
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes sadly neither cage is good enough - the cage she is in doesn’t come close to being suitable even for her on her own.

If you could perhaps join the two cages together that would help but at just 17 inches it’s too narrow - you may need to hold off on bonding until you have housing sorted out
Click to expand...
would it be okay for me to keep her for now? would getting caging sorted out asap and then another be okay? would take about 2 weeks, unfortunately.

also, public announcement, I'm very sorry for not thinking to look into this, definitely will for any future pets, I'm trying my best to do what’s right for her as quickly as possible
 
Do also be sure you can pay for emergency vet fees on a moments notice. These things don’t crop up at convenient times and vet fees can be expensive, even moreso in the US.

It’s not unheard of for vet fees to run to £1000 or more for some of the more complicated issues (1200 US dollars)
 
idkisuckwithusernames said:
would it be okay for me to keep her for now? would getting caging sorted out asap and then another be okay? would take about 2 weeks, unfortunately.

also, public announcement, I'm very sorry for not thinking to look into this, definitely will for any future pets, I'm trying my best to do what’s right for her as quickly as possible
Click to expand...

It will have to be for now but I would wait on getting her a friend
 
Piggies&buns said:
Do also be sure you can pay for emergency vet fees on a moments notice. These things don’t crop up at convenient times and vet fees can be expensive, even moreso in the US.

It’s not unheard of for vet fees to run to £1000 or more for some of the more complicated issues (1200 US dollars)
Click to expand...
i’m well aware guinea pigs can get medically expensive, that’s not at all an issue, just trying not to dip into savings until necessary so that way i can be prepared financially should anything happen
 
Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of guinea pigs. You are not the only person who has started with misinformation but not everyone is willing to learn, so gold star to you.
As far as cages and finances go, c&c grids from Amazon are a go to for a lot of us. My boys have two floors of 5x2 (70in by 154in) and I have enough grids left over that I use for a 6x3 garden run. This cost less than my original too small shop bought cage. There are specialist websites that sell the grids as cage systems but they are typically much more expensive.
 
fluffysal said:
Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of guinea pigs. You are not the only person who has started with misinformation but not everyone is willing to learn, so gold star to you.
As far as cages and finances go, c&c grids from Amazon are a go to for a lot of us. My boys have two floors of 5x2 (70in by 154in) and I have enough grids left over that I use for a 6x3 garden run. This cost less than my original too small shop bought cage. There are specialist websites that sell the grids as cage systems but they are typically much more expensive.
Click to expand...
thank you that means a lot! i have been feeling pretty bad about this haha. and thank you for the info! i’ve been looking around for something cheap enough that is good for them, don’t know why i didn’t even think to check amazon
 
idkisuckwithusernames said:
thank you that means a lot! i have been feeling pretty bad about this haha. and thank you for the info! i’ve been looking around for something cheap enough that is good for them, don’t know why i didn’t even think to check amazon
Click to expand...
god bless i’ve checked amazon holy moly the baby girl shall soon be in good conditions and soon get a friend in a week at most! thank you all so much for all the help and resources !

and don’t worry i’ve checked through many to make sure it will be the right size and everything :)
 
You will see some with different levels, you set them up how you want. For a long time I used interlocking play mats under the cage as it was good for insulation, protection for the floor and comfortable for lil feetsies. I've always been a fleece user though but some people have tarpaulin bulldog clipped on to contain bedding.
These are my Beastie Boys, Dignified Sir George (black and white) and his boisterous companion Mischievous Master Boris (cream satin)IMG-20240606-WA0007.webp
 
fluffysal said:
You will see some with different levels, you set them up how you want. For a long time I used interlocking play mats under the cage as it was good for insulation, protection for the floor and comfortable for lil feetsies. I've always been a fleece user though but some people have tarpaulin bulldog clipped on to contain bedding.
These are my Beastie Boys, Dignified Sir George (black and white) and his boisterous companion Mischievous Master Boris (cream satin)View attachment 251806
Click to expand...
i plan to get fleece as well especially given it’ll be more cost efficient, but for right now i’m just using bedding! also love your boys please give them some pets from me… i shall attach a picture of my girl Mari for you ! as i’ve said before she’s still kinda nervous so this is really the best picture i have of her right now from the drive home from when we got her
 

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felt people might want an update! mari has a friend now — i’ve named her wen — and i’ve been careful to make sure i do the bonding right! they seem to be getting along great so far and i’ve made sure that the enclosure is up to standards. not sure how active i’ll be on here posting from now on so i felt i should give an update + a picture of the girls
 

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