Guinea Pigs

You must get another gp of the same sex unless your pigs are neutered. In that case the most successful pairing is accomplished, and you are right, guinea pigs are social creatures and their owners are usually away at work, school, play, parenting, shopping and all the jillion things we humans do, so piggies do need additional companionship, I believe 3 is the best number if you have a big enough cage, in case one dies the survivors will have a companion to grieve with. Some gp's will never accept a companion of the same sex but I have always managed, with neutering, to bond a mixed couple, or 1 boar 2 sows.

It is possible to bond gp's of the same sex, 2 sows or 2 boars, I have even had 3 and 4 boars living together and a whole cage floor full of girls and that taught me allot about guinea pig family dynamics. With sows, one is going to be the boss pig and every pig will have her place in the hierarchy, they get that way by bullying, small fights, even mounting, until its all settled. Adding another means the new pig has to find her level, whether it be from the top or the bottom or whether she ends up somewhere in the middle, this may mean skirmishes again but the boss pig will make all the final decisions, settle squabbles and run the group.

Starting a new bond by adding a very young pig to a grown companion is best, 8 weeks old, not younger, as pigs are excellent parents, the babes will be looking for a new protector, and the grown pig will see a youngen as less of a threat than an adult pig. Often you dont have this choice as the best way to get pigs is to adopt ones that have lost their homes, try a rescue always before a pet store, it often saves a life of a shelter pig.

In both cases the pigs should both have a separate bath with baby shampoo so they both smell the same, clean their scent glands to the side of where their tails would go, and trim the hair away there, if its matted, and with boars clean the slot between their testicles with a q-tip dipped in vegetable oil. This is sometimes a very stinky job, so be prepared, nose plugs if you are sensitive, and have a plastic bag for the garbage close at hand. With boars this is job you will have to do their whole life so it's a great time to learn. Some boars are very tidy and this will be a simple job others seem to pick up every thing but the kitchen sink in there, so dont do it on a day you expect dinner guests. Boars can become impacted and this is the only way you will find it most likely. The penis has to be extruded and cleaned with the oil as well, sometimes secretions will make them stick and they cant pee, and eventually their bladders can rupture if its not caught and fixed, that's expensive, so get used to cleaning your boars private parts routinely, monthly at least, and then bathe them. A serious caution here, a boar has an almost clear or invisible little shaft with a hook at the end in the innermost part of the shaft, slightly whitish, and it can be mistaken for something that shouldn't be there, be sure to leave it, its part of their necessary equipment, but is very hard to see so be very careful.

With boars bonding is also iffy, in both cases, if possible start first, after a 2 week minimum quarantine time, by moving 2 cages side by side. If that goes well you can try letting them both out for floor exercise time together, but avoid a place that belongs to the first pig, we call it neutral territory. Have some thick towels available to throw over them if a fight breaks out, a real fight not a skirmish, skirmish's are needed to establish pecking order. A squirt bottle will help too, but be prepared to dry them well after. They can seriously injure one another and you so the towels and oven mitts are great.

Some people put a dot of Vaseline under their noses and on the scent glands, further muddying up the distinctive smell between the two. Then build a huge salad of foods they are used to eating, put it on a large flat dinner plate so that they dont have to sit side by side to eat. Piggies are, well, piggies, and given a choice would rather eat than fight. Take their food away for a couple hours before the bonding exercise so they are hungry. I have a large walk in shower for this event. The last time I did it was a baby and a grown boar. I put them at opposite ends of the shower, salad in the middle. They began by circling. Then the older approached the younger and sniffed him all over. They were acutely aware of each other as well as the salad. they approach ed other sever times, rumblestrutted a few times, (swaying of hips, low growling or rumbling). They both urinated in several places, left droppings everywhere, finally the big boar mounted the little boar briefly, the little boar ran off, and then amazingly came back and mounted the big boar. the look he shot me said he knew exactly what he was doing. Then they turned together and started eating salad, total time minus baths, pre- cleaning and after cleanup, 20 minutes. When dinner was done I put them in the big boars cage and life went on. During the bonding, no matter how many sessions, never leave them alone together. I lost my first boar to my second 20 years ago by not being attentive and there was a fight. There was a couple of boars, Peter the dominant one, and his very bonded little friend Pedro, I needed to add a third, but after a month of them living in a divided cage Peter was not ready to share Pedro with the new guy, no way! Until I picked up the divider and put it back down with Peter alone, and new pig and Pedro together. Peter shot me a look of pure terror that quickly turned to pure understanding, if he wouldn't share he would loose his beloved Pedro. I said Ok to Peter took the divider out, and he never gave me a moments trouble, no mounting, no fighting , he instantly accepted the new boar, he clearly understood the consequences. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen, dont ever think a guinea pig is stupid. (BTW, my threat was empty I would not have permanently separated him from his Pedro, that would have been cruel) Sandy

Because they like their house and its nice and quiet mostly.

Also because Guinea Pigs are burrowing animals that like to hide. If you see your piggy moving it's bedding around inside and around it's house, it's because it's a burrowing act & your piggy is acting like it would out in the wild. Sitting in it's house is it's way of feeling safe.

I have a variety of "houses"/hiding places for my piggies, & they love them all! The longer that you have your piggie & the more you handle it, SAFELY & SECURELY, the more comfortable your piggie will be with coming out and lounging in the open. Although they will ALWAYS prefer some "quiet time" in the safe zones. Sometimes tho, my piggies will nap right out in the open, lounging stretched out like nobody's business! But I handle them several times per day, and when they nip to go back home, I take them back right away - it builds the trust between you and your pet!

If you left them in your cage while you where on holiday and you had hay in there, water in there, and maybe 3 bowls worth of veggies or guinea pig foods, they would first eat the food, then the water, then they will be left with nothing! But they still have the hay. Hay is also known as straw, it can leave them with strong clean teeth and can still eat it.

But if you mean what can I feed my piggies to survive, it would be

• Red Pepper (or green/yellow pepper. Red has the highest vitamin C concentration)
• Carrots - both the root and the green tops are perfectly safe for your guinea pig.
• Apples - just make sure they don't have any seeds.
• Oranges
• Leafy greens like red lettuce, romaine, Boston lettuce, (be sure to feed leafy vegetables in moderation to avoid diarrhea, and feed spinach a bit sparingly to avoid potential kidney problems.)
• Cucumbers
• Broccoli (in moderation since it can be gassy and cause a gas pain)
• Green beans
• Grapes
• Bananas
• Dandelion Greens
• strawberries (in moderation)
• oranges or clementines. A helpful way to feed these to your piggie if they're being picky is to scoop out some pulp from half an orange and leave some in it so they can lick it without needing to chew on it if they're not diggin' the texture.
• spinach
• cherry tomatoes in moderation
• cilantro
• dandelion greens
• parsley - either curly or flat. They love it and it smells delicious when you're tearing some sprigs off the bunch to give it to them!

WHAT NOT TO FEED

• Iceberg lettuce - this won't kill your guinea pig if you give him or her a little piece, but it has virtually no nutritional value, is quite fibrous and watery. It's been known to give guinea pigs diarrhea. With the great selection of other more leafy, dark lettuces available, just avoid this one and go with one of the others.
• Any type of cabbage - like iceberg lettuce, a small piece is not likely to severely harm or kill your guinea pig, but it's very gassy and not good for their little systems. Stay away from it if you can.
• Cauliflower - also very gas-producing.
• Potato peelings - not that this would be something you'd be likely to give your piggie anyway, but toxins can exist in potato skins, particularly if they've begun to turn green, and they can be poisonous. Just toss them in your garbage disposal or trash instead of your piggie.
• Raw beans (this doesn't mean green beans. This means things like raw, hard kidney beans, split peas, pinto beans, etc.)
• Shelled nuts or seeds, particularly things like sunflower seeds or 'bird seed' type mixes, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, etc.
• Rhubarb - the leaves of the rhubarb plant are poisonous, and the stalks are very, very sour.
• Any type of meat or fish. Guinea pigs are vegetarian and looove a salad over a steak any day.
• Dairy Products - while many stores will offer 'yogurt drops' and other 'treats', dairy is not healthy to feed your guinea pig and can actually cause problems. Feed natural treats like veggies instead of store brand treats. It's less expensive and your piggie will be much happier.
• Chocolate, coffee or other caffeine-containing products.
• Alcohol (this should go without saying!!)
• Cookies/bread*

  *you can feed a small piece of cereal like a cheerio from time to time as a treat, but they will likely not even like it, so it's best to just avoid this altogether!

• hamster food, gerbil food, rabbit food, or any other non-guinea pig food. Often these contain seeds, which are a big no-no, but they also have a different balance of vitamins and minerals which aren't suited for a guinea pig's dietary needs.
• corn kernels. Popcorn isn't a very good idea either. Guinea pigs choke easily and think of how easy it is for us humans to get popcorn kernels stuck in our mouths and throats!
• sugary foods like donuts, candy, or soda
• Ice cream.
• Any processed or fried foods that you would eat, including potato chips/nachos or french fries.
• Cheese
• anything spicy. jalapeno peppers, anything with cinnamon, etc.