Guinea pigs make great pets
Guinea pigs are lovely little animals and they make great pets. They are intelligent, easy to tame and they are great lap pets. While one guinea pig is probably enough to keep you entertained and engaged you should seriously consider purchasing two or more.
Guinea Pigs are extremely social creatures, love the company of others, so they quickly get lonely living on their own. Guinea pigs are wonderfully vocal and will come and chat with you. This vocalization plays an important part in socialization with other pigs and humans.
Guinea pigs need and like attention, and if you have just one, your guinea pig is going to cry for your attention more often. Their health will also suffer when left alone. If your pet has a partner or playmate to keep them entertained, you don’t have to spend quite as much time with them.
The sex of the matter
If you’re planning on getting just one guinea pig, sex isn’t that important. By nature, female guinea pigs (sows) are more subdued and less active, while males (boars) have more energy and need more exercise; males also grow up larger and they have stronger odor.
One guinea pig, Two guinea pigs, Three guinea pigs, and counting…
So, you decided to buy more than one guinea pig. Should you get two females (sows), two males (boars), one of each, or combinations of both sexes?
Bringing in two females or a male and female guinea pig is pretty simple and undemanding, but make sure their “visits” are supervised until you are sure that they are happy together. Always give them separate nesting boxes to prevent squabbles over hiding space.
Guinea Pigs like company
If you decide to purchase two pigs, the best combination is two sows or a sow and a boar.
Two females in the same cage will get along well, although you may learn that they will squabble a little over food and water. Still, due to their peaceful nature, it is very unlikely that they will cause a major fight.
A male and a female in the same cage will actually get along great. The female acknowledges that the male is dominant, and the male accepts the female as his, and act peacefully towards her.
Negative aspects about this peaceful situation? Endless litters of puppies (baby guinea pigs) and a shortened female life span. Females can become pregnant as early as two months of age. The female cycle is only 18 days, and the gestation of guinea pigs are only two months, which can result in literally dozens of puppies in just a year.
Having the male neutered will, however, solve the problem. It is kinder to put a boar through a simple surgical treatment (your vet will do it easily) that to doom him to a life in solitary confinement. If no males are present, there is no need to spay a female.
How about them boys?
A common misconception with male guinea pigs is that if you put two in the same cage, they’re going to fight to the death. While that sounds plausible it’s wrong and far from truth. Two boars can occasionally fight as they reach adulthood although most boars who grow up together are fine together their whole life.
Two male guinea pigs will fight if they don’t have enough cage space, but given plenty of room, each guinea pig will have his own territory and be content with it.
How about them boys?
Keep in mind that if you already have two male guinea pigs, you cannot introduce a female guinea pig to the cage. The males will fight for dominance over the female and the loser would have to be removed from the cage immediately. If he’s left there, he will starve to death as the dominate boar will keep him away from both the food and water.
So many to choose from…
Many pet stores usually have more than one cage full of guinea pigs, making the selection process more difficult.
If you’re purchasing more than one guinea pig, make sure they both come from the same cage. This will take care of adjustment issues as most boars that grow up together are fine together their whole life. Just make sure you are offered two pets that have always lived together and you’ll be fine.
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