How do I introduce my new guinea pig to my old one?

[chance]

My guinea pig is one year old, and she has lived alone since we bought her. I've read that they can get really lonely and bored if they don't live with other guinea pigs, so I've planned to buy another one. One of my friend's guinea pigs "tortured" the one she was living with and eventually she died. How can I prevent that from happening to mine? Any tips?

 

[Katie]

Okay, so you need to introduce them both together in a unestablished territory. This could be on the floor or in a pen, and make sure to spray disinnfectant to get rid of scents from your current guinea pig. Then, put them in together. As they are in neither of eachothers territory, they can't get angry, so this will give them more of a chance of bonding. Do this for a few days until they get used to eachother. In these few days keep a separate cage next to the original cage so that they can see eachother too. Once they are getting along fine (no fighting, high pitched sqeaking etc) then you can move your new guinea pig in with your other one. I used this plan on many guinea pigs and it has never failed. Good luck, i hope i have helped x

 

[pamphlet]

cages and just a little ways apart so that they can sniff out each other. I would then put the cages closer together ...maybe take your piggy you have had for a while out and put his nose right up to the nose of the other...see how they react. Once you actually put them together, I would let them stay together for a few minutes and then put them apart again...That should work...or you could just say ..hey piggy this is piggy and throw them in together and may the best little piggy win....just kiddin

 

[jaquez]

Newuser, it is wonderful that you are thinking of your piggy friend and looking for some company for her. You are correct, they are herd animals naturally and really do better with a friend.

If you are looking for a friend for your girl at a rescue--which I highly recommend--the people there may be able to guide you based on the personality of your pig to make a good match with an adopted pig. You may even be able to find a neutered boyfriend for your girl at a shelter.

Whatever you do, make absolutely sure that your piggies are correctly sexed before you put them together. You girl is too old to have a first litter of babies, it would probably kill her.

When you bring your new piggy home, put their cages next to each other--or if you have a big C&C cage, add some cubes to divide it into two apartments. Let them see, smell and make noises at each other for awhile.

When and if you think this is going well, you can try them together, supervised only, and see what happens. I brought my girls in at different times, and everyone got along fine. However, if you have a super dominant piggy, they may decide they want to be fence buddies and never actually live together. They will still both get a benefit from being next to each other, knowing there is another piggy there, even if they can't actually live together without fighting.

There is a great site I recommend, it will have tips on everything from new cage size recommendations to advice on introducing your piggies. Here it is: www.cavyspirit.com. Another is www.guinealynx.info.
You can find more suggestions on introducing the new friends there.

Best to you and your pigs!

PS Sad about your friend's pigs. They should have been separated as soon as bullying was noticed.