how can i tell if my guinea pig is lonely?

Question

he is almost 11 months old. how do i tell if he is lonely. i take him out during the day. since school it starting tommorow i want to get him a friend so he wont be lonely when im at school. i alredy have extra cubes and coroplast from when i made his cage so the expantion shouldn't be hard. when would be the ideal age to get him a friend? i was planning on waiting untill like december when i can ask for it as a present. im planning on getting another male so that i dont have to get him nutered. my vet and the animal shelter said that getting him a buddy would not really be a good idea but i think he would be much happier with a friend. how can i convince my parents that i am ready for another one and that its really what is best for the guinea pig. i'm going to start by cleaning my room. i have alredy started walking the dog every day and my guinea pig is certainly getting all of the care he needs (possibly more). i only want serious answers please.

also what age should the friend be. im planning on adopting and they usually have 2yr olds 1yr olds and 7/8 month olds.

please dont tell me that males will fight because i know this is not true

the vet didnt say not to get him a friend she just said that males are trickier to find friends for

Answer 1

Defiantley get him a friend as guinea pigs are herd animals by nature. Before getting another guinea pig you need to think about costs, food, vet and bedding bills are all going to go up. Is this ok?

If I remember correctly Charlie is 11 months old, so a 2 or 3 year old guinea pig would be best with Charlie submitting to the older guinea pig. Remember to quarintine first and then introduce them properly following the instructions on Cavy Spirit.

The cage will need to be as big as possible, guinea pig cages recommends 10.5sq ft but boars need more, so if you have enough grids and coroplast to make the cage bigger than this than please do.

If I were you I would try and get another guinea pig before December as that is a fair while away, the sooner you do it the younger Charlie will be so the more submissive he will be to the older guinea pig.

Answer 2

Since your piggy is still relatively young, get an older one, maybe one of the 2 year olds. He will be the more dominant one and the pecking order will be sorted out faster. Your pig will definately be alot happier with a friend, most are, only once in a while will you find a pig that doesn't want a buddy. Good job with the cage, so I would get him a friend as soon as you can, there really isn't much of an extra cost with two and you get to see antics you would never see with a single pig when you have two, Good Luck with your new pig.

Answer 3

If you want to get him a friend you should get him one approx. the same age. That way one wont be larger than the other and bully him. If you do get a friend make sure to introduce them and give them plenty of room and food. Make sure there are 2 hiding places in the cage and easy access to food. One will be the dominant male so there will be a little aggression and domineering. This is normal. But do not let one get hurt by the other, no bloody biting, no limping. If that happens youll have to return the new guy.

Answer 4

When the president of the nation says he at times feels lonely and even cries a lot doing his job, why not a guinea pig which needs a company!

Answer 5

If your vet is telling you not to get another male GP but you plan to get one anyway, then I would suggest that perhaps you aren't mature enough to have pets. Male GP's will fight and not be very happy with out a few females to keep them occupied. If I were you I would wait until you were older and better prepared to understand pets. Just keep the one you have, it sounds like you give him plenty of attention and he is not lonely at all.

Answer 6

It really might be a bad idea. Guinea pigs can get territorial. (espcecially males) And if they get territorial they attack each other.