Will My Happy Male Guinea Pig Get Bullied?

[Keyhai]

Please, I am new to having guinea pigs and I am desperate to know if these two male guinea pigs like each other! I am intending to house them together and I don’t want to endanger my guinea pig! Balto, my guinea pig, is the smaller/blacker one with less white! Please tell me your thoughts and opinions on behavior, do they seem to be aggressive? Is there a future where they get along? I felt bad that Balto was a single guinea pig because I had heard they need friends, but Balto was always very happy and I am afraid introducing a new guinea pig may stress him out and actually reduce his quality of life. However, when Balto would hear chirps of other guinea pigs from a video, he would go crazy and chirp back! I figured that meant he was a little lonely. This guinea pig is being rehomed, so this is the first introduction but they will take the other guinea pig back if there are signs of aggression. Please help! I want what makes Balto happiest, but I’m worried he will be happier alone! Especially if he gets bullied. Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Any bond comes down to compatibility - if they are compatible and like each other then there will be no bullying or fighting.

You have to understand that you are going to see dominance (and a lot of it initially) but that is very normal and entirely the way they have to behave to have a functioning hierarchy. You cannot panic about it - rumbling, chasing, nipping, mounting - these are all normal behaviours and something heheh have to do.

It is very rare for a piggy to be happier alone and they certainly shouldn’t be kept totally along with no other piggy in the house. They get on with life as they have it so he may never show signs of being lonely but he would be feeling it - You are absolutely doing the right thing in getting him a friend and it will never lower his quality of life.
If the bonding was to fail, then they can live side by side in separate cages permanently.
That is the next best thing - it means they have side by side companionship but don’t have to share territory.

How old are they?

Have you already introduced them?
Make sure you carry out the bonding properly - the two piggies ideally need to live side by side in separate cages for a couple of weeks to get used to each other before you bond them This gives a chance for any territorial behaviours to settle down. Also, with the new piggy, you need him to settle and be calm before you bond - bonding them too soon can mean he is frightened and overreacts.
After that you can try to bond them on neutral territory - they should be in a neutral pen for many hours, overnight even, and see how it goes.
(If both piggies are over four months of the of age and if the new piggy did not come from a reputable rescue , you may wish to carry out a two week quarantine period (keep them in separate rooms) prior to being side by side and then the subsequent bonding).

If you have already introduced them, how long have they been together?
Once they are introduced, they will then go into a two week period of establishing their bond. This is normal and you will see an increase in dominance during this time. It is so important you don’t confuse dominance and bullying though.

Make sure the cage you intend for them to live in together is big enough - it should be 180x60cm.
Make sure you provide multiple resources in the cage - ie two bottles, three hides. Make sure the hides all have two exits (don’t use anything with only one door otherwise there is a risk of one pig trapping the other inside).

I’ve added our bonding guide below which explains the whole process

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

 

[Keyhai]

Any bond comes down to compatibility - if they are compatible and like each other then there will be no bullying or fighting.

You have to understand that you are going to see dominance (and a lot of it initially) but that is very normal and entirely the way they have to behave to have a functioning hierarchy. You cannot panic about it - rumbling, chasing, nipping, mounting - these are all normal behaviours and something heheh have to do.

It is very rare for a piggy to be happier alone and they certainly shouldn’t be kept totally along with no other piggy in the house. They get on with life as they have it so he may never show signs of being lonely but he would be feeling it - You are absolutely doing the right thing in getting him a friend and it will never lower his quality of life.
If the bonding was to fail, then they can live side by side in separate cages permanently.
That is the next best thing - it means they have side by side companionship but don’t have to share territory.

How old are they?

Have you already introduced them?
Make sure you carry out the bonding properly - the two piggies ideally need to live side by side in separate cages for a couple of weeks to get used to each other before you bond them This gives a chance for any territorial behaviours to settle down. Also, with the new piggy, you need him to settle and be calm before you bond - bonding them too soon can mean he is frightened and overreacts.
After that you can try to bond them on neutral territory - they should be in a neutral pen for many hours, overnight even, and see how it goes.
(If both piggies are over four months of the of age and if the new piggy did not come from a reputable rescue , you may wish to carry out a two week quarantine period (keep them in separate rooms) prior to being side by side and then the subsequent bonding).

If you have already introduced them, how long have they been together?
Once they are introduced, they will then go into a two week period of establishing their bond. This is normal and you will see an increase in dominance during this time. It is so important you don’t confuse dominance and bullying though.

Make sure the cage you intend for them to live in together is big enough - it should be 180x60cm.
Make sure you provide multiple resources in the cage - ie two bottles, three hides. Make sure the hides all have two exits (don’t use anything with only one door otherwise there is a risk of one pig trapping the other inside).

I’ve added our bonding guide below which explains the whole process

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

Hello! Thank you for all the additional information! They are both 7 months old. I panic easily whenever I think a fight is going to happen between my critters! I have already introduced them, but it was in a neutral place. It was for an hour or so, and they explored, ate together but showed signs of dominance like mounting. The other guinea pig would mount mine. They would also put their cheeks together and run around while making noise.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m glad you did it on neutral territory. That is a key move.
It’s better if they are in neutral territory for considerably longer than an hour - moving them too soon causes a new round of dominance in a new environment and ideally they should be well into the second stage of bonding before being moved. An hour isn’t long enough for that. If it is done now though and they are in their permanent cage and are still ok then that’s good.

They are both teenagers so you are going to see quite a lot of dominance due to the hormones.

How long have they been together now?
Is their cage 180x60cm?

 

[Keyhai]

I’m glad you did it on neutral territory. That is a key move.
It’s better if they are in neutral territory for considerably longer than an hour - moving them too soon causes a new round of dominance in a new environment and ideally they should be well into the second stage of bonding before being moved. An hour isn’t long enough for that. If it is done now though and they are in their permanent cage and are still ok then that’s good.

They are both teenagers so you are going to see quite a lot of dominance due to the hormones.

How long have they been together now?
Is their cage 180x60cm?

I have put them together again in neutral territory, and their cages have been in the same room facing each other so they would see each other. Their cages are two guinea pig cages put together. I am not sure on the dimensions but one has an upstairs loft.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I have put them together again in neutral territory, and their cages have been in the same room facing each other so they would see each other. Their cages are two guinea pig cages put together. I am not sure on the dimensions but one has an upstairs loft.

Keep us posted on how bonding goes.

Upstairs spaces don’t count towards the cage size.

It is important to ensure the two cages together are big enough - do measure them.