should i get my male guinea pig a friend?

Question

i bought a male guinea pig from an owner who could not keep it anymore, because of her moving to a new apt. by then, she only had 1 baby left, so i could not buy any brothers/sisters along with him. i read about guinea pigs, and i know that they are social creatures. I want to get him a friend, and I'm also gonna get a new cage, so they can gradually get used to each other, and I'll introduce them to each other slowly. However, i am afraid that even when they are slowly introduced, they will still fight. I'm especially scared if this happens when I'm not at home (i'm a college student). should I get my guinea a male friend and keep them in separate cages? or should I get it a female and keep that in a separate cage as well (i don't want to breed)? i really don't want my little guy to get hurt, but I do want him to have a friend that he can talk to when I'm not around. please help!

Answer 1

Get another boy. Here's what you do:

Keep them separate (even separate rooms!) for 3 weeks to ensure that neither has a new illness that can spread to the other. Once assured that both are healthy, take your first boy out of his cage. Clean the whole thing out, including washing the bottom and hard edges with a vinegar-water solution, effectively killing the smell. Also rearrange the objects in his cage; for example, maybe you'll put a hidey-hut on the other side.

Make sure the cage has at least 2 places to hide. This will be critical.

Now, take both boy to neutral ground. I've used a couch before, and it worked fine. Bring a dustpan, a towel, and work/gardening gloves with you. I'd also recommend putting a separate towel on the couch in case of any "accidents."

Place each guinea pig on separate ends of the couch. Don't push or prod them to meet; they'll find each other soon enough. Expect some initial noises and smells. Some guinea pigs will immediately get along, and come together happily like they were long-lost best friends. But, most won't.

Guinea pigs are not only social animals, they are hierarchical. They need to establish dominance. If you interfere, the process starts from square one, so only interfere if you ABSOLUTELY MUST.

Expect the following sounds and behaviors:
-Nose contests. Each will attempt to place his nose higher than the other's. Highest nose signifies dominance.
-Mounting. In any way possible. Again, mounting is a sign of dominane. It isn't sexual.
-Shaking their butt while making a low rumbling sound. This is called rumblestrutting, and it's telling the other piggy to back down. It's not necessarily aggressive, per se.
-Chattering their teeth. This can be a sign of aggressiveness. If your gloves aren't on, put them on and get the towel ready, but don't intervene.
-Minor scuffles. Enough to pull off some fur. These aren't a problem, really. They aren't hurting each other.
-Showing their teeth. Just as chattering, be ready.
-Rising up on their haunches. When this happens, a full-scale battle is ready. Intervene.
-Fighting in a ball of fur, biting hard enough to draw blood. Intervene.

Intervention:
With your gloves on, throw the towel over the guinea pigs. This disorients them. Wedge the dustpan between the two of them; they won't be able to get through. Immediately separate them.

If you must intervene, try the introduction again later. If the results are the same, put a couple inches of warm water in the bath tub along with a towel on the bottom of the tub. Place both of them on the towel and rub each of them with a light shampoo (killing their scents). After a nice little bath (during which they are experiencing what is, in their eyes, a huge crisis), dry them off with a towel and try the introductions again, this time with some hay to share. Expect a lot of shakings to get dry, a lot of munching from opposite sides, and the same dominance behavior. In my experience, though, they won't be fighting violently after the bath; it kinda bonds them together.

Once they've worked things out for themselves, place them both in the cage (which, not having scents, can be considered neutral territory for their purposes) and, as long as they don't get intervention-level violent again, leave them to their affairs.

Answer 2

Guinea pigs are herd animals, and so are very social animals, so definitely get him a friend...but another male. He needs someone he can live with, play with, groom, etc. A female between the bars of an adjoining cage is just plain cruel. Males can fight, so your best bet is to get a young male, that way dominance is not an issue and they will more than likely get along.

Just make sure you get a large enough cage. Guinea pig cages sold in pet stores are flat out too small. They need a minimum of 7.5 square feet for one, 10.5 for two. check out this link for more information on why:

www.guineapigcages.com

follow the excellent quarantine advice already given, and kudos to you for thinking of the best interest of your pet!!

Good luck!

Answer 3

If I were you, I'd get another guinea pig (Doesn't matter the sex) but put both of them in cages that have wire from the top to bottom. Place them side to side, that way they can see/smell/touch/sniff/lick each other without having the oppertunity to maul each other to bits.


THEY WILL BITE EACH OTHER. It's common with any rodent. Biting and growling, hissing and snapping at will be normal. Just place them side by side after they get "used" to each other (I'd keep about an inch between them for about a week or two, and then press them together).

Answer 4

Most of the time you can put two males together and have no problem, as long as thiers not a female around, but you can keep the same sex together. They love having a partner or friend to squeal with.lol Goodluck Mystic

Answer 5

yes get him a freind as he is a social animal and they pine if on their own.
another boar might not be a good idea - if they are not litter mates they will probably not get on. Another sow might not be a good idea if you don't want to breed.
How about a spayed (it think Guineas are spayed!) sow? Your male can then be the man of the house and the sow will behave as she would in the wild, and be submissive to the dominant male. If you can't afford to get a sow spayed, could you not get one from a rescue center?

Answer 6

of coarse.