Like most small animals guinea pigs like to live in communities as

they would in the wild.However much love and attention you give your

pet you cannot compensate for one of its own kind.

Choosing a companion for your pet

If you don’t want a lot of little guinea pigs get a companion of the

same sex as your pet.

If you have an adult female, introducing a female youngster is the

easiest option.However, you can normally introduce two adult females

with a bit of patience.

If you have an adult male you should be able to introduce a young male

as a friend without any problem as long as there are no female guinea

pigs about.

If your adult male is neutered, you can easily introduce a female

guinea pig or pigs to him, regardless of age.A single neutered male

can very happily live in a colony of females.However, even if he is

neutered, and another male is introduced in to the group in most cases

they will fight to the death.

Making introductions

Some guinea pigs when meeting for the first time act like long lost

friends.Just like humans they have their own personalities and may

take to each other immediately or dislike each other on sight.

However, it is not advisable to put the new guinea pig(s) into the

same cage as your pet.You will need a neutral space, away from other

animals, small children and other distractions in which they can run

around and get to know each other but not enough space to hide.

You should know in the first five minutes if it is going to work out

but even if they look friendly it is important to monitor them for at

least one hour.Look out for signs of stress:teeth chattering which

is a small sign of anxiety/aggression, also bottom smelling.There

may be some mounting or non-serious fighting where one guinea pig is

showing dominance over the other but if there is any nipping,

especially if there is any blood drawn, separate them immediately.

If they do not appear to be getting along it may be necessary to keep

them in separate cages for a few weeks.If this happens keep putting

them together in a neutral space and try swapping their cages to get

them used to the smell of each other.

In most cases introducing a Guinea pig to a new friend will work out

but be prepared that it might not.Before getting a friend or friends

for your guinea pig you need to be sure that you have enough time and

space to care for extra guinea pigs.