The Single Guinea Pig Dilemma.
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- Owning just one guinea pig is thought to be common mistake amongst guinea pig owners, but why exactly is social living so important to our guinea pigs? Is it myth or is there actual evidence that proves it? And what should we do if we find ourselves in one of the different scenarios that lead to guinea pigs living alone? Learn what the possible resolutions are for you and your guinea pig!
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:53 Does social living really matter? Like really?
3:25 Lessons learnt from keeping my own single guinea pig
5:25 "My single guinea pig is happy though!"
6:15 Scenarios which result in single guinea pigs
7:20 Does this make you a bad owner?
8:55 My parents say only one...
9:39 When your piggie has lost their friend
11:13 Separation due to fighting
12:31 My guinea pig "hates others"?
13:29 Conclusions
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For anyone with a senior piggy who just lost their mate, I would try reaching out to local rescues. Maybe you can try fostering a pig or two until your senior passes away. Just so they have company side by side but you’re not committed to their long term care. And the rescue gets a foster! 🥰
That is such great advice, thank you for your input! 😃♥️
I have been wondering about this one. We have two female GPs and my concern has always been if/when one passes - what about the one left behind. But realistically we don't want to start anew with a baby guinea pig (as soon my daughter will be a teen and a GP is her pet choice). Thank you for this idea!
Excellent advice 👌 ❤
So that they can get attached and not want to give them up? What you're asking is for the humans to suffer for the sake of a small rodent that will only be alone for a few months anyway.
@@richelledawnfunk2491we have one left, and she is very happy and active. Realistically, when your remaining pig only has a few months left, you can just keep them comfortable until they pass.
In Switzerland, you're not allowed to own just one guinea pig or parrot. The reason for this is that they're social species, and they are considered victims of abuse if they aren't able to regularly interact with others of their species.
I’ve heard this, although I do wonder what the protocol is when on occasion there is a male that just will not cohabitate. I’ve had this happen only once, but I’ve definitely heard of it happening with other people.
@@annataymond9529 Of course qurantine is allowed or splitting up fighting males. But you´re required to rehome or get more amimals of the same species for company. Most males are sold neutered in Switzerland. Makes it easier to pair them with females.
Can't some parrots live alone like budgies?
@@MM-sn5xd All parrots including budgies are social species. Some are monogamous and like to live in pairs. Hard to find a new partner, I hear. Solution: Keep at least two pairs together
@@annataymond9529well it's unnatural for males to even live together really, so the obvious better thing to do is neuter them & pair with one or more females
I have a single piggy. She's a rescue who got so stressed when we tried to introduce her to others it resulted in fatal injuries, and it happened in a flash. It absolutely broke our hearts. We keep her next to the others and she can see them and chat to them, but she can't be with them. She's luckily very sociable with us humans and is coming up to 8 in a few weeks, so I would hope she's been happy in all that time. But it's not ever what we wanted. Two serious injuries in two separate attempts with two different options was enough though.
-Edit- Just want to stress I was already an experienced piggy owner with multiple successful introductions under my belt before this too. This was a completely unprecedented situation. I understand that surrendering may be the best option for some scenarios but we were her third home, I couldn't bare the thought of her being rejected for being too 'difficult' again. I personally walked her out in my arms from a cage so filthy and built up with faeces she could pull herself out over the top of the grids. There was also a free roaming python in the house. I saw suffering in that house. She was not leaving me, I truly felt that keeping her with me was the best option, even if other people will say it wasn't.
It was totally the best decision xxxx
Thank you so much for sharing, I'm so glad you got her out of that awful situation. And very sorry that the bonding resulted in the loss of a dear piggie. You're absolutely right keeping her and the fact she knows others are close by will be a huge comfort I'm sure ♥️
So sorry that you had your hearts broken 💔 They can inflict a lot of damage on each other in a short space of time. Sometimes paired males can also get on well for years and then start fighting.
That’s so hard but it sounds like she’s in the best possible place now ❤ She can see the other piggies and hear if they alert to danger. I’m sure she sleeps more peacefully knowing the herd is nearby. You’ve done right by her
Wonder if something really traumatic has happened when she was younger or perhaps she was put alone when she was too young and this makes her so scared, very sad that she's so scared but this sounds like the best option.
Certain guinea pigs can be so territorial that they need a divider between them to be able to get along. They can still enjoy all the benefits of socializing through the wire grids.
Yes absolutely agree with this, it's difficult to cover all the points so thank you for reminding us of this fact 😃
I have one that can't even look at a certain pig without turning feral. Its pure hatred I swear.. its insane and they're girls.
This is the case for my piggies! Love hate relationship 😂
Yes definitely that’s the same case with mine, when we first tried bonding them it was only two minutes before there were bloody noses and mouths
Our girl started out single, she spent her first 2 years alone. Then she was rehomed with us. I gave her some time to settle in and got her a buddy, I knew it was the right thing to do. But I have lots of experience with highly social animals, I also happen to have birds and I have noticed they always do better in pairs or groups. So getting her a friend was always on the agenda
Thank you for talking about this! Alot of people don't understand that its important to get another piggy, and it made me smile seeing Nacho zooming around, and seeing Pedro and Lyra again. Can't wait for next week!
Thank you! 😍
Thank you for explaining why Guinea pigs need to be kept together! A lot of people seem to not understand the importance of keeping multiple Guinea pigs! When I got my third piggie, I kept her separated by c&c grids next to my other girls before I introduced them. I think it helped, because they get along pretty well now!
(Nacho is so cute btw!)
Never any problems with female guinea pig groups. I love the males too. I adopt the ones no one else wants or ones that just won't get on with others, no matter what. They're fine living side by side if they can't be paired 👍
I have re-homed a piggie who is older and has been on his own all of his life. I sought advice from my vet friend and she advised to keep him this way but just give him more attention which we have been doing :)
Very good video with lots of good information. It was great seeing Nacho but also seeing the girls. It was also a pleasure to see some past footage of Lyra and Pedro. I’m certainly sure Nacho will be pleased to be a member of a herd and have some friends.❤
Thank you so much 😊
Hi Sarah, I just wanted to add my experience. I was in this very situation last year following my most senior piggy passing away, leaving me with a single male. I had made a promise to my partner of no more piggies, and I was willing to let my last remaining boy stay on his own until the day arrived that he was to rejoin his brothers. He was so sad without his cage mate, and at the age of just over 4 I wasn't sure on potentially getting another piggy. However, my partner surprised me by saying, get another piggy, he's so sad without his big brother. So, I left it a few days, and asked again if he was sure of my potentially getting another piggy because that would mean a commitment of another 5-6 years perhaps, he said yes, so I got a baby piggy. The bonding went well, and my older piggy has had a new lease of life. Fast forward about 11 months, and things are going well, the baby is now huge, he is Abyssinian and probably one of the largest piggies I have ever owned, the old man is now about 5 and a half years old, he is so happy and so much more active than he has ever been. I'd recommend always having at least two if possible. As yet, I do not know whether down the line, when my old man does finally pass, if I will get another piggy, I'd like to, but I have to respect my partner's opinion too. I will cross that when it happens.
Love to you and all your piggy family
I'm looking forward to seeing Nacho meet the girls next week! One of my boys passed away a few weeks ago, and my other one has definitely shown signs of depression :( He was kept on his own before he went to the rescue where I got him, so he's lost the only friend he ever knew. I'm hoping to introduce him to another boy who I know of through a friend of a friend in the next few weeks, but I have to wait for him to heal first because he had a lump removed this week (which I was expecting before the other one died suddenly - it's been a difficult few weeks). The poor thing has been through so much and even though I'm still heartbroken at losing my other boy, I know that he needs a friend as soon as possible. The 3 yo piggy I'm hoping to introduce has been kept alone his whole life, so it's hard to predict how they will react to each other but I'm hoping they will get along.
Awh I'm so sorry to hear of your loss and that your boy has had a hard time! Hoping everything works out for him and his new companion ♥️
When I was a kid, 2 were too expensive and my mom only had 1 as a child. They weren’t commonly known then for being social. We did get the piggy 15 years ago, she lived to be 8. We also moved multiple times from a big house and took her to the park to a small apartment in the city when she was older, very stressful and depressing. But she had fun most of her life ❤❤❤
I had 3 piggies for years. 2 have passed and my single piggy was abused and bullied by the passed 2. So she seems happy, more personable and acting more like a pig. She now sits up when she sees me and loves a clean cage 😂.
So I'm torn on getting another or giving her to another herd....i feel no one will care for her like i have for 5 years..😢
I have heard people say similar things, and I think in these situations, considering how she's responded and her age, keeping her with you, even if that means she's alone (but with all the hooman love and attention) is definitely the right way to go ♥️
Rescues often get in guinea pigs that have been bullied by other guinea pigs. Sometimes they can tell you wich guinea pigs would be a potential friend for your guinea pig. Often when mellow guinea pigs are introduced to each other they blossom up completely. That’s at least my experience.
Some rescues have old guinea pig groups as well.
Those are options as well
Thanks for this video. It is indeed important for guinea pigs to have a friend. Some rescues have a program that is called "rent a guinea pig". They will look for a partner for your piggy and when your senior piggy passes away, you can return the piggy to the rescue. 😊
Great info! Thank you for being honest and not sugar coating it. So far no bonding I’ve tried has been easy, but the trick is to not give up. With time, patience, and a very large living space, all of my piggies have learned to live together. 🥰
Thank you so much for your knowledgeable video Sarah. I was just thinking about this and feeling guilty that I didn’t have a cage mate for our Teddy Boy. So our Teddy passed away 10 months ago. I bought him for my oldest granddaughter that thoroughly researched all about Guinea pigs. She was asking me and asking me until one day I caved in. She wanted two as she told me they always need a cage mate. Having only one in the past when my kids were young, I told her no. Also due to space, cage size and difficulty for me caring for him most of the time. She would come over weekly to change his cage, play with him etc.. Teddy was a bar biter but he loved my dogs ( small morkies) that are very yappy lol. I never put Teddy on the floor with them because I was afraid someone would get hurt. I do not think the dogs would hurt Teddy intentionally but didn’t want to take any chances. My smaller dog (4 lbs) would climb on top of his crappy cage (wish it was bigger) & lay there on top and Teddy would look up at her. ADORABLE. My bigger dog use to love to watch him during floor time while he was in his playpen. So I guess in a way the three of them were companions. My dad and I were always playing with him and talking to him. I feel he was very happy here and we all miss him terribly. I love Guinea pigs. I feel they are so intelligent, loving and social animals. If I was younger and able to do more I would love to get a pair and of course a bigger cage. I never thought to adopt but would do that in the future if a miracle happened to my physical health and will also recommend friends and family to adopt. It was great that I had him on a large waist high countertop so he could see what was always going on and was always doing zoomies as we passed by his cage. Plus it was easy for me to daily spot clean his cage and change his cage out as needed. Ty for listening to me ramble. It makes me so happy and impressed what a wonderful Guinea pig momma you are. Wish more people were as kind to animals as we all are. ❤
By the way, Teddy knew my granddaughter was his momma. He treated her differently than he treated me. So amazing how smart they are. The End. 😂
Nacho running makes my day😂..He will be so happy with his sisters ,cant wait till next week ! ❤
I always had single Guinea pigs! My first one was 2 years old (bad seller I guess) he was always running around and climbing. My second Guinea pig was 7 years old!!! He loved cuddling and running after his tennis ball haha.
My now 3th living Guinea pig is 4.5 years old, and he’s always lying streched out on the carpet and always he’s just looking at us what we are doing and following us!
The reason is 1 only have one because I only have place for one cage of 1 meter wide, but they always walk around freely (free roam as you called it) I don’t find it bad when you have a single Guinea pig as long as you give them enough attention
So excited to see the official introduction with Nacho and the ladies!
I have 2 boys and they sometimes like to be alone, but not entirely. They will sometimes just get fed up of eachother and chill at opposite ends of the cage until they want eachother's company again.
That's just the same as humans when they need some space 😃👍
We recently lost one of our guineapigs. They were step brothers and had been bonded since they were 6 weeks old now 2yrs. We have noticed that the surviving piggiy is not himself, and we are getting him a little friend for company and to teach. We are certain this will help him get back to zooming around ❤
Wonderful video and very informative, thank you! I can't wait to see you introduce Nacho to the ladies!
Love your kind, wise and firm advice.
Thank you!
I love your honesty. It was nice to see Lyra in the video. Great video🤗
This channel has been a life saver for me since I found an abandoned piggy about a year ago now
I love this video all your videos are so help full.
Thank you for this great video!! SO MUCH INFOMATION. Currently I do not have any problems with my 4 female guinea pig!! I can not wait for Nachos physical introduction with the girls as I am going to get another guinea pig from my local rescue and that video (if you do one) will help me learn so much!😀
This was a very good video. Really made me think again. We lost a cage mate and it was very hard on us and my son. Currently we have one piggy bc of this. I’m feeling encouraged to get him a new friend.
Great video as always and so thankful for you sharing your wisdom with us “newbies”. My young neutered male is living very happily with two girls and I love watching the dynamics between them 😊
Awh that's so lovely to hear, thank you! 😍
We have noticed the exact laziness behavior in our solo boy, Apollo. He is slovenly compared to the girls. Poops mostly in his main hidey. He is very skittish. Lastly, he bites more than the girls, Stella and Luna, (Yes, bit of celestial theme to the names).
Apollo came from a breeder too so he should be more socialized, but being solo made him a recluse.
This will be a very helpful video for most people. I originally had two male Guinea pigs called Peter and Rusty. They were almost 2 but unfortunately back on the 25th of June. Rusty unfortunately passed away unexpectedly. So Peter was left on his own. I knew by his personality he just wouldn’t get on with other males but as he seems to still be missing his company. I got him neutered on the 5th of July and have 2 females in a separate cage. I know I can’t start to introduce him to them till 16th of august as that’s when the 6 weeks period is up. But ever since he’s been in the same area as them in different cages. He seems to be a slightly happier. That there’s other pigs nearby and because I’m spending more time with Peter. I’m sure once the 16th of august comes he’ll be a even more happier. I hope I’m trying to do the right thing.
i had a single pig, and was completely concerned because of health problems, so onto the second pig i go!
Dang!!! This channel is a wealth of knowledge! You should write a ebook or something ❤
We're currently working through bonding a third piggie into our existing pair. Our third, single pig was a rescue that was being kept alone for months and we thought it was so sad he was alone when he should have a herd. It's been a bit stressful for all the piggies, but we're doing our best to do shared floor time to get everyone warmed up and then will be expanding our larger cage for the pair into a pen large enough for three. We're so hopeful it will work out!
Thank you for talking about this! I couldn’t imagine my girls not having each other.
Hope everything's ok or ge3ts better❤❤
I'm so sorry I didn't know you couldn't get only one :( It's ultimately my fault, because I should've done more research instead of thinking the pet store employees would help me. I'm looking to get a bigger cage to fit 2 piggies so I can get my little Muffins a friend :) Thank you so much for your videos, they have been so helpful in improving my guinea pigs quality of life.
love your vids sarah ,
I have a single pig his name is Timothy and he is very well behaved I have had him for 2 years and he has had no signs of depression and he seems to be doing ok in the future I hope to get him a friend to play with
I delayed watching this video because it sort of struck home. We’ve had piggies since the 80s but after moving , with our last two girls once they passed we didn’t get any more ( we had been sort of a rescue- taking in piggies other people could no longer keep- at one time we had 7. Thy each had their own cardboard condo but were side by side and sometimes visited others, since they could chew tunnels between the boxes). Then in 2014 some friends who were truckers went back to driving long-distance and needed to give up their girls- so we adopted Thelma and Louise, and they were the most loving piggies we ever had. Thelma got sick and passed in 2019, and a month later we got LouLou a companion, but Molly got a respiratory illness and died before we could even get her to our vet (which specializes in exotics- and one of the Drs has a pet piggie) so we went back to the local rescue and got Bubbles ( as a three month old) in January of 2020. She and LouLou got along great. Finally in ‘22, Lou was really slowing down and developed a mass on her side- the vet suggested taking her to an animal hospital in Raleigh but with her age, and she wasn’t in pain we just kept her home. She finally went over the rainbow in December of 2020. After Bubbles was content to be alone but we worried so in October we found a family that had an unexpected litter ( they had a planned litter and we were going to get a female in August but the daughter fell in love with the one girl, but they thought they could leave the daddy in with the mom for a month- hence: more Babies). We went up when they were a month old, intending to get one of the three girls, the two boys were promised to friends of theirs. But when we got there the runt of the litter came over and sat in front of my wife and let her pick her up right away- so we adopted two girls. Bubbles wasn’t interested in living with the babies, but as they were side-by-side they all were happy. Bubbles joined LouLou over the rainbow in May. The babies are very sweet and adorable and our Great Grandson has adapted to playing with them ( he REALLY loved Bubbles and she loved him back) but we’re up in age now so these girls will most likely be our last pets- but they are so much fun right now. I realize this is a bit long but your video kinda got to me. Thanks for all the info and entertainment. Ron Fisher
Thanks😊
This was an absultely lovely video and is such wonderful (and very true) advice!! Thank you for this!
And, to share my own story: I had 4 in a heard and when two of my females actually hit puberty, one of them fell out with the herd. She loves the two adult pigs (as they do her), but hates her (blood) sister. They hate each other so much even having a grid between them causes them to be extremely angry and teeth chattering and rumble strutting the whole time. I chose to keep the sister with the herd because she is much more submissive, as the one that fell out would sometimes get into things with the adults as well.
She is unfortunately still single because I had to wait to get her spayed (to vet's recommendation), and now, it's just extremely hard to get a proper date to adopt one around here - and I do my best not to even consider a pet shop mate, but I do notice her behavior is different comared to my 3 in the herd and it started to worry me a lot.
Finally, and luckily, next month the adoption organization will be in my town (it seems they rotate towns? I dunno), so I will finally be able to get her a mate.
This was really the worst case scenario, but I know how to and can afford to take care of her well, so I didn't want to take the gamble to give her away. And she gets along well with me and love to tell me about her day and even get pets! I'm glad I still kept her and I'm excited to get a new mate!
We have a single piggy as his brother passed away last year and he is eight years old this year I didn't know if it would be stressful for him to have another friend. The vet advised just having him on his own and give him lots of love and treats . We do have three girls though but he is not neutered so can't go with them and to old to be neutered. But he sees them in the garden when the weather is nice he has the full run of the garden. While the girls have a big pen. He seems happy enough.
Yes I think you do right, I'm sure your precious boy gets all the love and attention he deserves, 8 years 😍 you're very lucky to have him at such a grand old age ❤️
I have two female piggies at the moment. They live with me in the dining room and are free during the day. However, I'm 78 and am finding keeping them happy in ideal conditions is hard work and when one of my girls goes I feel I can only cope with one. Can't wait until next week when Nacho meets with the girls. I'm nervous I must admit. x
As always, lots of great info. I wish I had known this when I had a guinea pig as a child (sorry Mindy!) I only had one and never realized she needed another piggy friend. When I'm able to have pets again I will definitely get a pair of piggies. 😊
Can't wait to see Nacho's intro to the girls. 😁😁 We are giving Merry lots of attention while we try and find him a new buddy but we will find him one for sure 😁😁💗💗
I adopted my guinea pig a few months ago when he was around one year old. The previous owner separated him and the other guinea pig because of constant fights and he was doing fine. In the beginning, I was worried about having only one guinea pig. Then he showed strong curiosity but dominant behavior as well. Cuz my room is small, I open his cage (also he doesn't like his cage door locked) and let him walk around and put his boxes in different corners where he likes to visit. I also spend a lot of time talking to him, playing with him or even letting him stay beside me when I'm working. Now he shows signs that he is bonding with me. For example, last week I wasn't at home for three nights, and when I got back home, he kept running to me and looking at me. Whenever I held him, he made happy sounds. So I'd say, for whatever reason to keep a single guinea pig, you need to let them think they are one of your family members in your house and read their behaviors before finding another guinea pig friend!
Good to know! Any update on your Guinea pig now?
I literally love how you mentioned laziness and instantly put Roxy laying down on the screen
I loved seeing PEDROS face again❤
I have two girls who I have to have separate from my herd. I adopted them and they had always lived alone. I tried to bond them with the herd but they were too aggressive. They now both live separate but next to the herd with a c and c grids separating them
Great info! I would love to know, how do you groom Nacho so that he keeps his marvelous curls? 13:21
Thanks!
Thank you very much for the super thanks Linda! 😍
So I will tell you I was conflicted about posting on here when I went through your video. I learned to be the best piggie owner through watching you, Saskia, Scotty, among others. I got my Harriet from a popular pet store that had grants for teachers. My coworkers had them, so why not? I applied, got the grant and picked a skinny pig. I am honest, I didn't know much and fast track my information as I went to the store to see Harriet. She was in her tank, alone, and at the time,six months old. I came by every day after work til I heard about the grant. There she was--those eyes! I took her, even before my notification of my grant. At home with Harriet, I recognized how self centered i was in my choices for her. The classroom was not the environment for her and i declined my grant. Harriet was mine and i loved her, even though i got her the wrong way. Then began the hard work as I was a psychology degree and noticed certain behaviors that I didn't see in any other guinea pigs, when learning about them. So, back to the pet store where I learned even more details of her young history. I am no longer a preschool teacher, and I have been working with Harriet every day. It takes .lot of time and a lot of love. She is worth it. Through my research, i have found others, who need support from a community that begs support until they find they are a single owner. We don't need shame or guilt. My hope is that Harriet will have a friend, but honestly, I know from her behaviors, it's low, even for a side by side. Thank you for your time. We need to be heard.
My 3.5 year old girl Clementine recently lost her sister/last cage mate Finley. I found a pair of 3 year old guinea pigs that needed to be rehomed and now I’m working on introducing them. I really didn’t want to have to adopt another young guinea pig and continue the cycle so this worked out perfectly!
I've always been a staunch advocator for no single guinea pigs, but I have found myself in this situation. Due to my mental health, I don't think I'm a good enough guinea pig owner to continue the cycle, at least for now. Finding suitable vets is also difficult in a rural area. I had intended to surrender my final piggy to the rescue, but they reached capacity right around then, and have since been having trouble with insurance. During this time I realized how content my boy seemed alone. I of course know he would be better off with a friend, but I've never had a pig seem so happy alone. He's active, eats well and loves his humans. If he had shown any signs of depression or stress I would have found a solution, but he hasn't. It's tough because I understand it's not ideal, and I beat myself up over it a lot. But I think given the circumstances it's the best solution for him, given his attitude living solo.
My previous pair also started fighting at some point and had to be separated. I don't have the space for 4, so I split the cage in two with a grid divider. They seemed to do really well with this setup and were much happier being able to interact peacefully through the grid. Again, less than ideal, but it seemed to work for them and they were safe.
I know how you feel, I also have a single male piggy who is also very happy and showing no signs of depression, heck he's a 6 year old who popcorns regularly! But I still find myself feeling guilty over it sometimes. He never liked other piggies and just always seemed stressed around them, but perked up around people.
I think it's best to keep reminding yourself that what matters is your little man's happiness. Also you can always try getting him a mirror in his cage. It helped with my boy.
Hi! I’ve had my piggy for 3 years. His name is teddy and I got him from Petco. I got him when I was 8 . He is my only pig and I’ve asked my parents multiple times for another one. They have said no even after I keep telling them that he needs a friend. His cage is also pretty small to. It’s a cage from Petco and he has a food bowl. Water bottle. And a single fleece forest hidie in corner of his cage. There is pretty much a good amount left for him to walk with all that in his cage. I’ve asked my parents to get C&C grids and we can put a Guinea Dad liner under. But they said we won’t have room and they aren’t putting any thing that has to go in wash like the liners because then our washer will get dirty. I try to take him out of his cage and play with him, teach tricks, hand feed, and pet him for at least 30-45 mins a day. I know that he isn’t having all the luxury stuff like a humongous cage and all these toys and other pigs and more tunnels but he seems really happy. He loves pop corning and his little fruit treats every Saturday night. I’m not rich but i think that teddy has a pretty good life. And let me know please if there is anything else I need to know or do.
It sounds like you're doing a fantastic job with Teddy and that you're a dedicated and very loving owner ❤️ Even if he doesn't have a piggie friend he's lucky to have you!
@@SqueakDreams thank you!🫶🏻
Lovely video 👍 And if you eventually get to the stage when you have just one very old Guinea Pig left, there is no problem in setting them up a cage in the house, letting them hear all the human chit-chat and interaction, being spoilt rotten and given lots of attention. If you go out, stick the radio on. They can live out their remaining days happy and well looked after.
I am so afraid of the day that I say goodbye to my piggies when they cross the rainbow bridge. They're a year a part in age because my first, Pumpkin, I did get as a single piggy because I was able to be with her constantly due to the pandemic. When I got a job and wasn't around as often I did get her a friend, Nimbus. Nimbus ended up being a boy, but the neutering process went well thanks to Bolton Veterinary Hospital in CT so they live together happily.
Pumpkin is turning 4 this year which I know sort of marks the beginning of senior age and so it's been on my mind a lot lately that she will probably pass before Nimbus. And I don't know yet if I do want to continue the piggy cycle.
What I do plan on doing in the present is bringing my pigs to work with me and having some sort of cage or pen set up in my office so that they can come with me. (It's very lonely in my office and my supervisor already cleared it.) And I think when the time does come that one of them passes then the piggy left behind will at least have me with them constantly. I'm going to need the extra support too.
I had to separate my 2 boys (brothers) at just 4 months old due to extreme dominance fighting. I don't think space could have been the issue as they lived in a 2x7 cage, so guess maybe their hormones kicked in early, They lived as cage buddies for several months whilst I tried to decide what to do (neuter them and get them a girlfriend each, or try bonding them with new piggies) but it was always my hope that I'd be able to re-bond them when they got older. I knew this wasn't common but I wanted to give it a try. And it worked!! By this time they were both in 2x5 cages, and spent a lot of time sleeping in the hay next to each other. They were scratching a bit at the time so I decided to give them both a precautionary lice and mite bath and thought this may be a good time to try a re-bond as they'd both smell the same. That was a few months back and they now live happily in a 2x10 cage, with only the occasional squabble :)
When you end up with that one anti-social male, you'll know the struggle. My meany was adopted to me by a rescue who told me he wasnt compatible, i felt like i should try, i really should have listened. Countless attempts with countless other pigs failed, one ended in fairly serious injury despite having a ten by ten with multiples of everything. Then we tried through the bars, separate cages next to each other, then across the room. Finally we said no more. The stress was worse than him being alone. When we brought him into a room of his own the human aggression stopped, the hunger strikes stopped and so did the bar biting. I began training him to alliviate bordem and keep him active, he had the best life for him. We loved him, just said goodbye to him recently.
Hello Sarah your videos keep teaching me so much, thank you. My 2 boy piggies 5 months and 3 months old. The youngest Miles is very dominate and Marshmellow accepts it for a time. I never see them snuggle or lay close to each other. Is this normal or are they just putting up with each other? I have the ferplast xl cage with the extended piece , do you feel like its large enough.?
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I've had different situations regarding this. I had 2 girls Pixie & Naomi. When we lost Pix, I asked Naomi if she wanted a new friend. Introduced her to another of my pairs Nike & Mandy so she asked them if they would like to live with her and they agreed. All three got along extremely well and Naomi was happy to have friends until she passed. Other situation Grace would keep biting her daughters and lives in a cage right next to them. She still worries about them just doesn't want to be with them but she still talks to them every day.
My piggy is a 6 year old, healthy, happy little boy, he still gets zoomies and popcorns regularly. I tried more than once to pair him up, but it didn't work out, he was afraid of other piggies or just straight up aggressive towards them. In substitute of this I gave him 2 mirrors and a guinea pig plush, and of course I and othet family members hang out with them. When I first adopted him, he was either bullied or ignored by his other cage mates. And I refuse to put a fragile animal like him through surgery, knowing very well how dangerous anesthetic is for small animals like him, and for a surgery that isn't necessary to save his life.
Though I fully understand that he is the exception and not the rule.
I came back here as I adopted two boars from Blue Cross and after a couple of weeks they had a massive fight and I had to separate them 😭 thankfully Blue Cross has helped by taking one back to neuter and find him a girlfriend as I couldn’t make space for both. I’m doing this with the one I kept. It’s been so upsetting though as I expanded the cage, did my best to ensure they had plenty of cosies and tunnels, no hideys with only one exit. It only ever seemed to get worse.
I have the neutering booked but I’m concerned about the 8 weeks the one I have will be alone. 😢 a lot of rescues won’t take applications until the neutering is done too.
Not all piggies like having a pal. I adopted two “bonded” sisters from a rescue and the foster claimed she was very experienced with guinea pigs. Their nails needed trimming and they smelled rodenty, like they were on soiled bedding. One was worse than the other, with urine streaks down her belly. Turns out she was getting beaten up by her sister to the point all she did was burrow under blankets and whimper. They got into a rolling brawl the first night, with tufts of fur and blood. I divided the cage and contacted the foster, who was clueless. I was so angry with the foster. She had to have seen this behavior but she claimed they played together. The bullied one was so happy to be protected. She stretched out in the open, relaxed, and started doing zoomies and popcorns.
I got a guinea pig when he was 8 weeks old and have had him for 7 months and since then he has been a lonely guinea pig and I’ve tried my best to get him a friend but there’s no enough space in my house so I’ve had to buy a shed . Hopefully it comes soon and I can buy all the things that the new piggy needs
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i have a quick question, so i just got a bonded pair for my senior piggie but my father don't want them together (i have a cnc cage and another one more coming in for my single 2x4), and the bonded pair herombae and whinston both are very shy (clearly) but has been acting like they don't know it each other sometimes when i first put them in the cage., like chasing, vocalizing ALOT, head nudging, etc. (besides launching and fights), is it normal for them to be like that? (they also have been in a really small cage together and they are 1 years old)
also ur piggies are so cute ❤ (btw i am 11 years old and my birthday is tomorrow it was a gift)
Question you may have addressed this in the past but I'm new to your channel. When deciding on cage size does having multiple levels count towards the recommended size or does the recommended size need to be in both levels?
The main thing is the main level. If you add tons and tons of floors, it really doesn't do much. No amount of levels equal to a big open floor space
On a random note, I’m trying to decide what to do about my cage. It’s currently a 2x8 c&c cage on multiple large 2x4 and 1x2 cubes. It houses 6 piggies.
It’s a temporary set up, as they will eventually be moved permanently into the shed that’s going to be converted in to a big games room, with all my Lego, sewing machine and a tv and couch.
Now I’ll never get any more than 6. 6 is hard work. My problems are, the “stand” while good for storage, is too high, I find it difficult to clean without a step ladder, as I’m only 158cm tall with short arms.
I love your cage, but what are your pros and cons with it? Especially ventilation. I’ve been told three sides are meant to be open so they don’t get pneumonia. I can’t have it on the floor as I do have a toddler and small dog, but I want to do something that’s not only easy to clean and maintain, but is structurally sound too. I sometimes feel like my cage isn’t structurally sound as it is larger.
Would love you’re opinion.
Hey there, thanks for commenting and I agree 6 piggies is a lot! After I moved to a DIY cage I will not go back to C&C, they're great in general and for new owners and temporary set ups, but I love my cage. It could be made at any height by standing it on whatever storage units you have or could get that are a good height for you. It is of course 100% structurally sound which is a problem I also felt I had with C&C. I know people mention ventilation, but I don't think it's an issue, especially with a regular cleaning routine and a large cage space. I've actually never had any serious respiratory issues in my guinea pigs. I have a video "how to build an IKEA style cage" which talks through materials and measurements, and some smaller details I would change which I recommend watching if you want to build your own 😊 it was cheap and surprisingly easy to make, so would highly recommend!
@@SqueakDreams yes, I’ve watched your video a number of times. Hahaha.
@@SqueakDreams thank you for your advice though! :)
We have 5 Guinea pigs, all female. Problem is one female we have we have had to keep separate as she gets into a fight with the others every time we try to integrate her. More than dominant behaviour, we are talking proper fight teeth chattering and a tumbling ball type scrap ending up with blood drawn! We have tried 3 times now!
Ah, this must be frustrating! She is a tricky pig, but she will benefit from being able to see/hear/smell the others even if she doesn't live with them. It is possible she and others might be less feisty as they get older so could be worth trying in the future, or perhaps looking into getting her a young companion 😊
@@SqueakDreamsthanks for your reply. She is in a C & C cage next to the others with a grid divide. She sleeps and remains most of her time next to the divide at times gnawing the grid. We have now tried her for the 4th time, only for her to seek out the other pigs teeth chattering, one pig in particular getting really distressed. We have a very big c & c so space isn’t an issue. Have talked to other gp advisers on UA-cam, Scotty from USA etc who says they should get on as 80% of females do. I’m just thinking we have a very temperamental gp. Worried a younger piggy will be bullied relentlessly. What about a neutered boat? Do sows bully boars?
I decided to put my lone pig up for adoption. I did try to bond him with my two other pigs but they always fight. The good news is There is someone interested in him and they have a younger pig that recently lost its cage mate so I hope my pig is nice to him.
It's a tough decision but worth it if he can be happily bonded ❤️
Squeaks is the best man
I love how they say wat instead of what
About older piggies: In my experience they can be introduced to new piggies at any age. Maybe don´t put babys together with over 5 year old ones.
I´ve recently bonded my two senior ladys -6 and 8- with three new ones. It went ok although there was some stress in the beginning. My seniors are more lively now. By the way: The new ones included a male who needed neutering. Poor boy had to live for some time by himself in a tiny aquarium, when they still lived with their previous owners. The vet recommended to put his cage in the girl piggies room to give him some contact while we waited for the neutering to be effective. Guess what? There was a lot of bar biting ..... from both sides. The biting and so many other things clearly how much guinea pigs want company
my guinea is still playfull and energetic and he is single one
Hi sarah, my grandpa recently built me a hidey house for my piggies. I was just wondering if there is any paint that is guinea pig safe? Any paint that ships to alaska?
I have a female (Gracie) who fell out with one of the older ladies in the herd and ended up hurting her. I separated her out with her sister and things were ok, until she fell out with her sister who was also injured as a result. I have tried reintroductions and bonding her with my other 2 pairs over the course of 6 months or so. She is very domineering. I made sure there were no health issues and the cage sizes are large. I now have her next to the girls she fell out with. Currently there is a 80% visual reduction and a lot of chew toys on both sides. I am gradually allowing more visual range as the teeth chattering stops. The grid is coated with a non-toxic bad tasting gel to discourage the bar biting and does result in very chewed up chew toys. I have them all in a 3 foot x 10 foot cage. Her area is 3 foot x 3.5 foot. The other ladies have the rest, since 3 of them are approaching 7 and are not as active, it works. She seems content, and I do make sure to pay attention to her mood. She just turned 4 herself. I worry about her being alone, but I have tried just about everything. She does let me stroke her nose and ears now, but I feel bad.
Thank you for sharing and please don't feel bad, the presence of other guineas close by does have a hugely positive effect, and it sounds like Gracie is a very bossy girl indeed! It sounds like you're doing the right thing for her and your other piggies 😊🌻
I had another pig, but nugget (mine currently) was aggressive towards everyone. Him having no hair wasnt helping either as he would get cuts and bites much easier. Now i only have him, what should i do? I love him so much and want the best for him. I was wondering if I should get him a bar buddy but im not sure after the last time my parents would say yes.
I have one guinea pig unfortunately. I got two piggies at 7 years old, both females and I named them Oreo and Ms.pickles (dilly for short).
Dilly unfortunately passed away 3 years later, I believe she developed a uri but I didn't do my research so I didn't notice it was extremely sad
When I found her. The first 3 years I didn't care as much and I put them in a pet store cage. But after dilly died I decided to give oreo (my now only Guinea pig) a new cage so I bought a new cage which was still a pet store cage but way bigger and came with a metal bars multiple so now her cage sis fit for at least 2 piggies I can't get more guinea pigs bc I'm still young ( 11 yrs) and she is getting old and for different reasons I don't want to share but I love my piggie and miss dilly:)
I really hope you see this and can answer. I had two guinea pigs, they are both around 5, one of them passed a week ago. My guinea pig that is still here seems to be doing well she popcorns when I clean her cage and she’ll lay down and relax when I’m around and she takes treats from my hand still. I didn’t know that cage biting was a sign of anything, they’ve both done it for the past three years especially during feeding time waiting for the food to be put in their cage. I was thinking of getting a new piggie to live with her but I’m not sure if she is doing well alone. I’m still in highschool and will be going to college in 2 years so I don’t have unlimited time to spend with her. Do you have any recommendations on what I should do. I was thinking she may be okay as a solitary guinea pig and I was going to move her from her space into my room so we’d be together more, but I’m also afraid that could stress her out. Honestly all the overthinking is stressing me out, so if you have an opinion I’d really like it. Thank you.
My parents: "But wouldnt it be better to get just on-"
Me: "NO. no. NEVERRRRRRRRRR"
My Guinea pig passed away last night. I’m hoping I can get another piggo soon so Clover isn’t alone, R.I.P Mocha, she was a menace to society and I love her.
I want to get 2 Guinea pigs (or perhaps even three in the future) I’m planning on getting the 2x4 candc cage, I have to leave at 7:20 and come home at 4:00, I have school I usually wake up at 6:30, would you reccomend me getting them or is my school to kuch if a problem, I can wake up and 5:30 or 6 TT spend time with them in the morning
Please help! My guinea pigs ate my workout mat,and they ingested it( there are no pieces on the floor),I am really worried,what should I do,how do I know if they're gonna be fine???(they're babies-2+months)
Recently we adopted 2 Guinea pigs from the Guinea shelter in a pet store they were claimed to be pairs but as soon as they got home they started attacking each other and when I introduced them to my original piggies the roughest one lulu drew blood from poor pumpkin her sister ,and would run after our even newer baby Guinea pig pipswueek so in my opinion she wants to be alone ,and when she knows the Guineapig herd is near she will show stress signs but pumpkin is fine with the other Guinea pigs so now pumpkin is in a herd with my other 2 piggies and Lulu is in a cage by herself 😢😂😂😂😂long story I know 🎉🎉😊
I just got my first Guinea Pig. It was a rough spot cuz she was abandoned in a dumpster with her (likely not neutered) brother and pregnant mom. Luckily the person who got the pregnant mom said I can have a sibling once the babies are born
I've recently lost one of my boars, Ed just a few days ago. His partner percy is now alone (next to my herd). I'm going to neuter him and take one of the girls from the herd and put Percy with Nala. That way I won't get any more animals and stay the same amount! (As I am trying to decrease naturally how many I have-currently have 18 from 20).
my sister has 1 guinea pig, we've tried to bond it with my 2 guinea pigs but they just dont get along, pets at home also tried to bond him with the store pets before we got him but he just doesnt get along with others, i dont know what else to do
We had 4 piggies, until they started fighting like the furball tornado type of fighting, 2 of them bonded and got their own cage. The other fought and got split up, when the other two finally got together one of them died from a cold😢 now we have a single piggy and one pair of piggies☹️
I could actually really use your advice! I have a single male guinea pig (neutered) and I've been slowly introducing him to my females. It's gone very well, however, when he went back in his cage, he got injured somehow. (tiny scratch that's turning into bumblefoot despite a very large, fleece cage.)
He's on medication and healing well, however, he's due to move into their cage soon. Should I stick to the schedule and move him in, or wait until he's fully healed?
It’s best to do introductions when he’s fully healed as stress is not good for him.
But I don’t think you can slowly introduce a new guinea pig to your girls. Either the guinea pigs accept each other, or they don’t. Because they were probably figuring out the hierarchy. When you take him out and in of the group that hierarchy proces starts all over every single time.
A bumble foot injury is ofcourse a reason to take him out.
Have you seen who the dominant guinea pig was?
Good luck with him🍀
My cousin rescued a single boar from being a classroom pet, only she never got him a bigger cage or a friend. He was a terrified basket case the one time I met him and he didn’t live very long. I don’t think she really had the time and space for piggies and I was busy with multiple house rabbits. But I always thought it was such a shame.
*in case anyone is worried, she's planning on getting a dog. She has mobility issues so I don't think piggies on the floor would work for her very easily and she doesn't have space for a raised pen big enough. I am glad I now have this channel to refer people to next time someone I know has piggies.
Hello if you ever do find this comment. Have a few questions. So to start with I had 2 Guinea pigs Astrid and Betsy, Betsy died just 1 week ago 3 years old. As Betsy was sick The cage was really hard to keep clean and any pee turned into very strong smell with in 2 hours, it resulted in me changing carpets 2 times/day and even sometimes Astrid got sick because of her sisters problem. As much as we miss Betsy terribly😢❤ we noticed Astrid is super alert I fixed a spot at my work table that is approximately 50cm x1m she really love that maybe cause she gets lots of candies. We eat breakfast in the morning. Dinner in the night. And she got an outside cage she love.. she also love floor time where she and the dog knock around a ball on the floor they both love it and specially after when they get some salad as reward. I really don’t wanna give her away maybe I’m just selfish I really love her, but I don’t think I can take in another pig, so my hand on my heart what should I do?❤😢
Hi um i was wondering i have to guinea pigs that are quite skittish if i was ever to give em away wat town do you live around ( i say this because out of any of the one i could get these ones hate me
You should get more than one pig if you are going to continue to get pigs in the future. But, if you're in my situation, where you're done getting new pigs and you're down to just the one elder pig left, you can absolutely keep them happy and comfortable in the time they have left (assuming you know what you're doing of course). Our pig still wheeks and runs around as much as she ever did, and now she gets super spoiled. She'll be okay until she joins her sister.
seeing baby pheobe & roxy with willow and lyra REALLY threw me off here 7:52 😂
Haha sorry! 😆
@@SqueakDreams also, 3 days left before nacho joins the girls!!!!
I have a single piggy. I had seen him for free on OfferUp. He just had the cuties face…..I had to save him, and my kids wanted a pet. He belonged to three college girls that’s didn’t realy have time for him. I didn’t know they needed to be in pairs, I’m scared to bring him around Others. He’s so sweet but when it hot gets fuzzy and doesn’t want anyone around him. Lol oh and he only bites on the bars when he’s hungry. 😂
I've had guinea pigs for many years and the only time my guinea pigs came down with stress related illness was when there was bullying. between each other. I've never seen that in a single male piggy. Always buy two but it sounds like you're giving yours a great life. 👍👍🐹
I have one single piggy and I know. I _know_ she needs to have a friend. She was the runt of the litter and got bullied so much she had to be handfed and cared for otherwise she would die from malnourishment. I have tried to socialise her on one occasion with other guinea pigs over the holidays by friends of ours but she didn’t like them too much. (She stayed at these friends for 2 weeks) She’s 3 years old now. And i really want to try again. Is it too late to get her a friend?
I was told my piggie has to be alone. When i got him, they said he had been returned 2 or 3 times before i came along. They said hes aggressive to other piggies hen hes with them. I even talked to someone from the humane society about it nd she even told me that as long as hes eating and having his zoomies, hes okay. He will sit infront of his hay and chow down on it and he zooms around all the time. Im not sure about getting a second because i dont want either of them to get hurt. Any suggestions or comments?
One thing having dogs is don't use blasting bowls they have been known to cause fungus on there lips .