Her other cage mate passed away recently and I think she is depressed. Do you think she'll accept a new cage mate? She's four years old, and got along very well with her other one. I'm hoping a new buddy will cheer her up, but I'm not sure if she'll fight with it or what. Should I risk it? What are the pros and cons? Also, how should I introduce them if I do get a new guinea pig?
Answers:
Yes, getting another guinea pig for your guinea pig is a great idea. A female or a nuetered male would work best, adopting from a rescue/shelter means that the piggy may be about the same age as your guinea pig and they are also very healthy. You can purchase a guinea pig from a pet store but like Ellen S said they are notorious for miss-treatment of their pigs and the pigs will often be riddled with mites and upper respiratory problems, let alone the fact that they often miss-sexed.
In terms of whether they will fight or not, it depends on how you introduce them but first you will have to quarintine the new guinea pig.
This should be done behind closed doors for about 3 weeks. Every time you hold the new piggy you will have to wear gloves and even change your t-shirt before you are able to hold your other one. This will hopefully stop in medical issues going from one guinea pig to the other.
Then the fun bit, introducing. This should be done in a nuetral area like a couch. Line the couch with a sheet (for obvious reasons) and make sure that you have 2 people. 1 person will hold 1 guinea pig and the other person will hold the other guinea pig. Let them find each other in their own time, what follows involves a whole heap of grumbling, but sniffing and mounting as they try to establish the hierarchy. Once this is done they should be best of friends. Only seperate them if blood is drawn.
If you were to introduce them in the older guinea pigs cage (or the new piggys cage for that matter) the owner of the cage may become violent or territorial thus why it is important to introduce them in a nuetral area.
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm...
Good Luck!!
yah you should...i used to have guinea pigs. like a month after getting them (2)...one died of a sickness and so we bought anthor one. I am not sure how to introduce a guinea pig..but if i were u i would let them meet out side of the cage to where you can control the situation better. I am not sure if theyll attack eachother or not but if thet do start to fight you could just take it back 2 the store.but realize this, that your 4year old one may not live for very much longer...and once yours passes away ur newer one will be lonley and then it will be the same prob. Hope i helped.
No...you should get a new cage for the new mate. if you introduce them make sure it is out of a cage
try bringing your old guinea pig to the petstore
I would recommend getting a younger guinea pig. That way the younger guinea pig will maybe get used to your older guinea pig. Also, where ever you get your guinea pig, you should let your the guinea pig that you have now, be able to meet with new guinea pig that you are thinking of getting. Breeders, sometimes animal shelters and sometimes your local pet store, that are giving you the guinea pig, let you have the two guinea pigs meet. This way, you know if it's gonna work out!
Thanks for taking this answer, and if you have any questions, you email me at: pethelper4@yahoo.com! Thanks, and good luck!
Check out this link, it has some great info about introductions:
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm...
Getting a new friend for your pig is a great idea! I reccomend adopting a female guinea pig from a local shelter or rescue! Proper introduction techniques is the key to a successful pairing. This site that I linked you to has the BEST info on adding a 2nd pig and introductions techniques. http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm...
Definetly consider getting your pig a buddy. Probably a young female or a neutered male would work best, at her age. If there is a reputable rescue or shelter nearby I would take your pig in for a 'date' to see if she matches with anyone. Don't expose your pig to a petstore pig without a 3-week quarantine, please. Petstore pigs are notorious for harboring mites and upper respitory infections, not to mention they are commonly mis-sexed.
You'll want to do the introductions in a neutral area, such as during floortime. Expect squabbling, as long as it's not an all-out fight with blood drawn. They'll need to work out their hierarchy. Make sure you have a big enough cage with multiple hidey houses, food bowls, etc.
I'll stress it again~make sure to quarantine for 3 weeks if the new pig is coming from somewhere other than a rescue!
A helpful link:
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm...
sure, introduce em with treats ?
well, she should b fine as long as the cage mate is a girl and has been kept with others b4. if u don't get 1, make sure u hold her and cuddle bcuz guinea pigs need a companion and u take the place if it doesn't have a cage mate
i think u should let her have a few weeks to greave go to this website they tell u all about getting a guinea pig for another guinea pig who recently lost its buddy http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm...
srry the part ur looking for is twards the bottom. good luck. if u get another guinea pig please consider the shelter. there are so many animals that need ur help!
when i got my second guinea pig i brought him home and put it in the same cage as the other one and they started playing together right away... there names are pooh bear he is black,,snowball he is white with red eyes and i also have a female black and brown named angel... so i know what i'm talking about
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment