im confused......?

Question

some people tell me i should get one giunea pig instead of two and some tell me only one what should i get one or two cuz one will be lonely but two will fight

Answer 1

if you get two females, they might be less likely to fight. If you get two males, they will fight and hurt each other. If you get a male and a female, you'll end up with babies! The only thing is, it's hard to determine gender on a guinea pig sometimes. Make sure you know for sure before you put them together! If you just get one though, it'll be fine, as long as you play with it and give it lots of attention. I just have one now because my other one died last fall, and he's fine by himself.

Answer 2

Guinea pigs should be housed in PAIRS. You can do male/male, female/female, or male & female if one of them is spayed or neutered. Males have a higher chance of fighting than females, but this is not *always* the case!

Do some research & you will find that guinea pigs almost always do best in pairs. There are a few piggies out there that don't like a cage mate, but they are rare. Guinea pigs are herd animals, meaning they live in big herds in the wild. They are social & do not like to be alone. A lone piggie will end up depressed because they don't have another of their kind with which to play and "talk" to. It is a comfort to have another piggie in the same cage.

Having said that, whatever you decide, you will need to properly introduce them to ensure the best match. See http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm for some good info on how to do this. Scroll down & read the section titled introductions. Also see http://www.guinealynx.info/ for info on the proper care, housing & diet needs for guinea pigs.

Please consider adopting your piggies from a local shelter or rescue. There are many cool piggies out there that desperately need homes. Many rescues have pairs that are already bonded & love each other. A reputable rescue will have already quarantined their piggies. This give you an excellent shot at getting piggies that are not ill or have parasites. Pet store piggies are known for being ill & having mites. You can find a rescue or shelter near you by visiting http://www.petfinder.com/ and doing the quick search on the left side of the page.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Neither one of these answers you have been getting are entirely true. If you buy one guinea pig and show it lots of love and attention it will not get lonely, they are like every other living thing, they like their alone time as well. If you purchase one and they live on their own for a long period of time it is not recommened to get it a companion as there probably will be fighting over territory, food, and there mommy (you). On the other hand, if you buy two guinea pigs and place them in a home together from the time you get them they should be perfectly happy and content.. it would be best if they were bought from the same pet store, same cage, but that is not completely necessary as long as they are both still young. Also make sure that you are given two of the same gender of guinea pigs, or else you will end up with babies, and then you will have a whole lot more responsibilty and questions, bring someone with you that is experienced with sexing them... alot of those teenage emplyoees at pet stores are not properly trained.

Answer 4

Guinea pigs are social animals. They live in groups normally. Our vet recommends that you have two ALWAYS. Never one. Guinea pigs will fight at first when introduced if the introduction is done improperly. But it is important for their health and welfare to have two. To do a proper introduction, go slow. First place two cages in the same room with one pig in each. After a few days place the cages next to each other (with a couple of inches in between them). Then allow them to play/ explore each other while you supervise them. Finally, place them in a cleaned cage together and watch them for a while. Here is a good website with more information on the introduction process. Take it slow.
Best of luck!

Answer 5

I have had a giunea pig before. I loved him sooooooo much.
His name was Moo Moo, he was black and white.

From experience GET 1 GIUNEA PIG!!!!!!!
I have 2 reasons
1.they are really stinky having 2 but 1 giunea pig is ok.
2.When you said i don't want 1 beacause it will be lonely...NO IT WON'T! if you play with it alot then it won't be lonely...it will have you.


So i suggested only 1

Answer 6

You should get two guinea pigs, it is said to be cruel if you keep 1 guinea pig by itself as they are social animals. Two males are more likely to fight although there have been cases where this hasn' t occured. I have 2 females and they get along like gems, you can get 1 female and 1 male but you will be expecting babies if you do this.

Answer 7

Females get along if raised together. Males will almost always fight. Simple. In the wild they live in loose herds, but have large areas of land and can run away if threatened by another pig--they aren't forced to live in a 3 foot cage with each other.

Answer 8

Try getting 2 that already live together, such as in a pet store they keep them in the same cage. They will already know one another and it wont be to much of a hassle, but if you cant get 2, 1 will be alright, not all of them have separation issues.

Answer 9

Guinea pigs are herd animals--meaning they are social, and it's important they have a friend. You really shouldn't have any trouble keeping 2 of the same sex together, they are happier and healthier if they have a cage mate.

It's a myth that males are more likely to fight.

Answer 10

Well if you do decide on getting two make sure it isn't a male and female because then you will have 10! ;-0

guinee pigs fight a lot if they are the same sex so I recommend just one and to pay lats of attention to him or her so it isn't loney. good luck!