Hi, I have only recently got three resuce guinea pigs, all girls, and am already thinking of adding another to the group. I have always just bought guinea pigs in pairs before so have no experience of bonding, is it as complex as with rabbits or can you just put them together straight away? Would another female be best or a (neutered) male?
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Is it easy to bond guinea pigs?
- Thread starter gemmam
- Start date
there will be dominency nipping at first for food ect but after that it will work out i have 6 in one hutch and 6 in the other trust me they love groups and are great social aniamls love them!!!!
ohh personalty as well if one of your guineas is not very nice to others then it may not work out but if they are just well normall lovely guineas then i dont see a problem at all :wave:
ohh personalty as well if one of your guineas is not very nice to others then it may not work out but if they are just well normall lovely guineas then i dont see a problem at all :wave:
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In general guinea pigs are a lot easier to bond than pigs. the same rules apply about neutral territory though. 2 males can be problematic and often will not work out. Females are usually not a problem, on the odd occasssion one will be a bit fiesty. If you have a group of females it is often better to put in a neutered male to keep the hormones of the girls settled.
If you have a group of 3 girls and neutered male may just keep them happier than another female. I would suggest taking them to a rescue to see whom they are happy with.
If you have a group of 3 girls and neutered male may just keep them happier than another female. I would suggest taking them to a rescue to see whom they are happy with.
Thanks for the replies, they seem good natured although still quite timid due to their history. I have seen the oldest one occasionally nip the others but this never develops into anything more, I guess she is just the boss! I have seen two piggies in local rescues, one a very young female and one a six month old male about to be neutered so just trying to decide what would be best! Guinea pigs are addictive, I love watching them together which is why I am keen to add another. I always just kept a pair in an indoor cage when I was younger but it is so much better having a huge hutch and run for them!
Personally I would go for the 6 month old male about to be neutered.
I organise the guinea pig side of ARC and find that putting little ones in with older females who are a touch fiesty can lead them to being bullied.
ZakuraRabbit
Mama Doe
At my school they kept a whole bunch of female guinea pigs together in a large pen, and whenever we got a a new girl in we just put her in a cage next to the run, and let her stay there for a few days and "get to know the neihgbours"
After a while the newbie is put into the pen, and this method usually works fine, if not, the newbie is put back into its old cage again and we try again later. Still we never had a single female or split groups due to fighting.
We've never tried putting a neutered male in there though but I assume it would work the same...
After a while the newbie is put into the pen, and this method usually works fine, if not, the newbie is put back into its old cage again and we try again later. Still we never had a single female or split groups due to fighting.
We've never tried putting a neutered male in there though but I assume it would work the same...
